Getting a charge: An exercise bike that turns your pedaling into power

LifeSpan's Ampera offers a solid workout, but it has a lot of quirks.

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[jnk1000]

Exercise physiologists will tell us that if we can't maintain a normal conversation while exercising using our smartphone, we should slow down.

 

[Kendokaa]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

Depending on how windy it is, I can imagine why

 

[Rick C.]

I rather charge into a UPS or large back up battery, for more uses, than simply charging a cellphone.

 

[malor]

But your legs are not going to turn into one of your apartment's primary sources of energy.

When I was young and in grade school, they still had budgets for actual inventory, and in an early class about electronics, they had us using hand generators to drive lightbulbs. It was astonishingly difficult to drive a tiny little incandescent night light bulb. You had to crank like crazy to get it to light up at all, and it never got especially bright.

There's a reason we use all those other sources of power instead; biology is very efficient at producing mechanical work from food, but the scale is so tiny compared to what can be done mechanically that it's nearly irrelevant. You'd probably have to pedal hard for hours and hours to fully charge a laptop. You'd be so wiped out that using it afterward probably wouldn't be much fun.

What I learned, all those years ago, is that the amount of power coming from a US standard 120V outlet is miraculous, and something to be very thankful for. If you want exercise in inclement weather, this unit might do that, but it's not going to be a significant charge source.

 

[Kyuu]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

Perhaps he just finds it unpleasant and would rather not?

 

[clackerd]

I rather charge into a UPS or large back up battery, for more uses, than simply charging a cellphone.

Seconded - having a large-ish battery that i am trickle charging throughout the week would be a heck of a lot better than just directly charging small devices.

 

[YetAnotherAnonymousAppellation]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

That depends on whether it's near freezing because it's cooling down or because it's warming up. Encountering ice when the air temperature is above freezing is an "interesting" experience if you don't have studded tires on your bike. Ice with a thin film of water on it has an astonishingly low coefficient of friction.

 

[YetAnotherAnonymousAppellation]

It sounds like the hardware really needs to have an ultracapacitor added to the power for the controller. That can easily keep the controller powered during short pauses in pedalling.

 

[H2O Rip]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

near freezing temps tends to mean for me that cycling becomes dangerous because my road bike and ice do not get along.

This product though, really doesn't entice me. I got one of those under desk pedal things before and it doesn't take long before any real motion becomes a problem. I've got a under desk treadmill that works okay, but even with that I find that it naturally takes away some focus. Certain types of work - no problem. Others? Meh.

 

[Drum]

When I was young and in grade school, they still had budgets for actual inventory, and in an early class about electronics, they had us using hand generators to drive lightbulbs. It was astonishingly difficult to drive a tiny little incandescent night light bulb. You had to crank like crazy to get it to light up at all, and it never got especially bright.

There's a reason we use all those other sources of power instead; biology is very efficient at producing mechanical work from food, but the scale is so tiny compared to what can be done mechanically that it's nearly irrelevant. You'd probably have to pedal hard for hours and hours to fully charge a laptop. You'd be so wiped out that using it afterward probably wouldn't be much fun.

What I learned, all those years ago, is that the amount of power coming from a US standard 120V outlet is miraculous, and something to be very thankful for. If you want exercise in inclement weather, this unit might do that, but it's not going to be a significant charge source.

You can get 100watts of power out of a bike with pretty minimal effort. If somebody was biking regularly, I would guess that 150watts would be sustainable for a decent amount of time (certainly more than an hour or two) without major challenge. Certainly enough power that hours and hours to get wiped out is probably somewhat of an over exaggeration. Worth remembering that even a small incandescent from ages past uses more power than some laptops do now - I could definitely believe that being hard to power with a hand crank from a child.

I do agree with others though, in my mind the best use for this would be charging a giant backup battery a percent or two every day. Seems like it would be a neat pairing.

 

[CelicaGT]

Exercise physiologists will tell us that if we can't maintain a normal conversation while exercising using our smartphone, we should slow down.

Following “rule of thumb” that just means you’re cracking nicely into Zone 3. Depending on one’s goals for exercise, could be either good or bad. Myself, I’m solidly into Zone 3 on my indoor trainer, as I’m working on building cardio and building legs and core. I’ll pull down to Zone 1-2 for endurance every other day. Unfortunately it’s my arse that lets me down more than the rest of my middle aged carcass. Finding the right saddle for multi hour rides is not fun.

 

[CelicaGT]

You can get 100watts of power out of a bike with pretty minimal effort. If somebody was biking regularly, I would guess that 150watts would be sustainable for a decent amount of time (certainly more than an hour or two) without major challenge. Certainly enough power that hours and hours to get wiped out is probably somewhat of an over exaggeration.

I do agree with others though, in my mind the best use for this would be charging a giant backup battery a percent or two every day. Seems like it would be a neat pairing.

That gels with my experience. When I started to train last fall, 100W steady was an impossible effort. No part of my body could sustain it. Today I can sit around 200-240W steady. The longest I’ve held that pace on my trainer was about 1.5 hours, at which point both butt cheeks exited stage left. I’m in my late 40’s, getting back into cycling (definitely been playing in the snow the last few weeks!) and the only part of my shrinking physique that doesn’t wanna play ball is the ol rump. Got a new saddle last week that shows promise, as well as a suspension post. The pairing was awesome on the couple hour jaunt I did before going back to work.

 

[iced_and_alone]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

Gear isn't hard. Back when I was messenger-ing I biked in 20 - 30 below fahrenheit. Wind was sometimes a problem but temp really wasn't.
I think the bigger issue is terrain. I had Manhattan streets under me, other places might be less friendly when they freeze.

 

[Hezio]

Perhaps he just finds it unpleasant and would rather not?

But frozen eyelashes make one look so preeettttyyy

 

[Majelvey]

Random nit pick but.. near freezing temps keep you from cycling? Below freezing sure, but you don't need much fancy to cycle in freezing temps. I think around -5c is when you need more specialized winter gear.

I mean imagine having a different tolerance or comfort level to another person. Couldn't be me.

 

[Hezio]

I rather charge into a UPS or large back up battery, for more uses, than simply charging a cellphone.

Second option is much better though because then you don't get weird look from UPS employees and / or have security called on you.

Either one is more fun that charging at a phone however.

 

[Thrasius]

Too bad you can't pair it with Zwift. Would be fun to power my laptop playing Zwift.

Also, agree with the others. I would buy a trainer that charges a large backup battery. In the winter, I could easily generate a couple thousand watt-hours per week, much less the rest of the year.

 

[denemo]

When I was young and in grade school, they still had budgets for actual inventory, and in an early class about electronics, they had us using hand generators to drive lightbulbs. It was astonishingly difficult to drive a tiny little incandescent night light bulb. You had to crank like crazy to get it to light up at all, and it never got especially bright.

There's a reason we use all those other sources of power instead; biology is very efficient at producing mechanical work from food, but the scale is so tiny compared to what can be done mechanically that it's nearly irrelevant. You'd probably have to pedal hard for hours and hours to fully charge a laptop. You'd be so wiped out that using it afterward probably wouldn't be much fun.

What I learned, all those years ago, is that the amount of power coming from a US standard 120V outlet is miraculous, and something to be very thankful for. If you want exercise in inclement weather, this unit might do that, but it's not going to be a significant charge source.

The BBC show "Bang goes the theory" did an episode where they wired up a house to be powered only by exercise bikes. Then they let a family of four move into the house telling them to live as usual. What they didn't tell them was that all the electricity was produced by people on exercise bikes.


View: https://youtu.be/vPxuuB_ZBuk


TL;DW: A fleet of 80 cyclists going all out is not enough to sustain the electricity demand of making supper.

 

[belazeebub]

I can't help but feel that a recumbent bicycle would be more useful for working out while working, esp. since the pedals don't have toe-clips which will sap some brain-cycles to prevent slipping.

 

[Ananke]

I find -18c to be my lower temperature limit in zero wind - beyond that, adequate clothing is incompatible with maintaining control of a bike. And at that, I can’t cycle very fast, either, before the wind chill is unbearable on the nose and fingers (oddly, my ears seem to be less sensitive). Higher speeds or higher winds require higher temperatures.

It’s not pleasant, but I don’t do it for fun - it’s that or wake up in time to catch the 0730 bus to get to work in the morning

 

[CelicaGT]

Too bad you can't pair it with Zwift. Would be fun to power my laptop playing Zwift.

Also, agree with the others. I would buy a trainer that charges a large backup battery. In the winter, I could easily generate a couple thousand watt-hours per week, much less the rest of the year.

Woth Zwift and my Kickr I’m basically heating the house. In the winter I guess it’s taking a minuscule amount of load off the furnace.

 

[F MHilton]

Good lord almighty!
Running a stationary bike to power your cell phone...and other modern contraptions.
It sounds like overkill.
I have an exercise bike that's pretty basic, doesn't use WiFi, and I still get a decent work out.
It also cost $100 second-hand. It has a small battery run meter that tells the time, speed, calories burned and miles done.

Why does everything have to be so overkill in purpose and still lack the basics?
Everything is just turning into electric zombie stuff and still doesn't work.
For that price I'd demand a refund if it did not.
I wouldn't pay for beta testing any product.

 

[Smeghead]

That depends on whether it's near freezing because it's cooling down or because it's warming up. Encountering ice when the air temperature is above freezing is an "interesting" experience if you don't have studded tires on your bike. Ice with a thin film of water on it has an astonishingly low coefficient of friction.

You don't have to tell my metacarpal twice.

Mumblemumble years ago, back in my starvin' student days, I used to bike when possible to save money. The run from home up to Glasgow Uni was just over 14 miles.

Attempting to get ready for going back for my third year, I started biking earlier in the morning to start getting ready to commute again. A few days before the term started, I was just done heading back from Clydebank when I hit a patch of ice. There had been a cold snap for a couple of days, and the sun had risen enough to make most parts OK, but wasn't high enough to not cast long shadows in places, which is where I encountered the slippy bit.

The back stepped out, and I managed to catch it, but only insofar as I ended up effectively punching a lamp post.

I broke the 5th metacarpal of my right hand. I tried to tell myself that it would be fine, splinting it up and going for the rest of the day after seeing the doctor, but the swelling got ridiculous and after a sleepless night, I went to A&E the next morning.

I'd rather cycle in snow for the fun of it as I know it's going to me sliding about than hit a random piece of ice unexpectedly.

Anyway, back to the plot and this thing - $800 is a big ask for something that you won't ever be able to give as much effort on as a real/exercise bike. You then need to go buy a high desk you can work at on top of that. I reckon a far better bet would be a fairly cheap actual bike, a decent smart trainer and something like zwift or similar. I'd imagine that you'd get fitter by doing an hour a day on something resembling an actual bike at bike-like power levels rather than crawling along at 70W or so for several hours.

And I might just be a bit uncoordinated, but I can't imagine trying to focus on work while simultaneously remembering to pedal continuously.

 

[TheCorminator]

When I was young and in grade school, they still had budgets for actual inventory, and in an early class about electronics, they had us using hand generators to drive lightbulbs. It was astonishingly difficult to drive a tiny little incandescent night light bulb. You had to crank like crazy to get it to light up at all, and it never got especially bright.

There's a reason we use all those other sources of power instead; biology is very efficient at producing mechanical work from food, but the scale is so tiny compared to what can be done mechanically that it's nearly irrelevant. You'd probably have to pedal hard for hours and hours to fully charge a laptop. You'd be so wiped out that using it afterward probably wouldn't be much fun.

What I learned, all those years ago, is that the amount of power coming from a US standard 120V outlet is miraculous, and something to be very thankful for. If you want exercise in inclement weather, this unit might do that, but it's not going to be a significant charge source.

This reminds me of an olympic track cyclist taking on the "Toaster Challenge" - one of the most powerful cyclists in the world could just about toast a slice of bread - can't link the video but it's called "Olympic Cyclist vs Toaster: Can He Power It?"

 

[Dogs in a Pile]

Perhaps he just finds it unpleasant and would rather not?

That's me. I live in the desert and have more than ample opportunity to cycle when I don't find it unpleasant. On our cooler winter days I use that as an excuse to take a day or two off to use as recovery days. And still manage to get in well over 300 days a year of enjoyable cycling.

 

[poochyena]

I mean imagine having a different tolerance or comfort level to another person. Couldn't be me.

Tolerance to what though? You won't feel cold above freezing temps if you have decent gloves, jacket, and headgear. It's only below freezing when you have to start adding lots of layers and normal gloves won't keep your hands warm.

 

[ERIFNOMI]

There aren't any controls on the hardware; everything is controlled via software.

Jesus Christ does everything need a god damn app?

 

[Dogs in a Pile]

Everybody should be required to ride one of these or a bike with a power meter just once to understand the amount of work required to produce just measly kWh of energy. We take our currently cheap, unlimited power for granted not really having any idea of the immense amount of work on human scale we have access to. Driving up a 3 mile long 10% grade hill in a car and think nothing of it. Doing the same on a bicycle will give you a completely different outlook.

 

[Soothsayer786]

When you really, really want to watch porn but the power is out...

 

[Granadico]

When I was young and in grade school, they still had budgets for actual inventory, and in an early class about electronics, they had us using hand generators to drive lightbulbs. It was astonishingly difficult to drive a tiny little incandescent night light bulb. You had to crank like crazy to get it to light up at all, and it never got especially bright.

There's a reason we use all those other sources of power instead; biology is very efficient at producing mechanical work from food, but the scale is so tiny compared to what can be done mechanically that it's nearly irrelevant. You'd probably have to pedal hard for hours and hours to fully charge a laptop. You'd be so wiped out that using it afterward probably wouldn't be much fun.

What I learned, all those years ago, is that the amount of power coming from a US standard 120V outlet is miraculous, and something to be very thankful for. If you want exercise in inclement weather, this unit might do that, but it's not going to be a significant charge source.

I just bought an ebike and for some reason everyone asks me if me peddling charges the battery and the bike is solely propelled by throttle. Beyond how much more complicated the wiring would be, it's way simpler and more efficient for it to just be a normal bike that's also got a battery/motor.

 

[igoat]

In some yet to be made Matrix franchise prequel, I imagine something like this is what gave the AI's the notion that humans might be good power source.

 

[Dr. Jay]

Tolerance to what though? You won't feel cold above freezing temps if you have decent gloves, jacket, and headgear. It's only below freezing when you have to start adding lots of layers and normal gloves won't keep your hands warm.

Alright, I was assuming this discussion would die off, but it clearly hasn't. For me, the big issue is the big difference in my internal temperature between the start of the ride and a half hour into things when I've really warmed up. It is a serious challenge to find the right level of clothing where I don't spend the first half hour miserably cold, and everything after sweating heavily and trying to find places to store all the layers I'm taking off. It is much, much easier for me to just deal with a single layer. The clothing I have at present keeps me comfortable down to about 40F (about 5 in civilized units). I could probably figure something out to manage lower temperatures, but then I'll be dealing with icy streets in some areas of my usual rides. In the end, I'm just not that desperate to bike in cold weather that it's worth the bother for me.

Think of me what you will; that's the explanation.

 

[Lavonheim]

I looked into this sort of thing a few years back. What I found was a consensus that they're a huge waste of resources. You will never recover the energy consumed producing one of these gadgets with just the incidental energy produced during your exercise. And going above and beyond to try is just a waste of food.

Bike Powered Electricity Generators are Not Sustainable

That's about easy-on-easy-off conversions for a normal bike, so this thing that has the advantage of no battery and being one piece instead of a bunch of mechanical linkages might be actually sustainable.... but I suspect not.

 

[Znomit]

Jesus Christ does everything need a god damn app?

Yes, so it can order me a pizza once I've burnt enough calories.

Anyway, my MacBook should run for 16 hours on its 50Whr battery. So 40 days use on a kWh, around 10kWh per year. A USB-C cable probably costs more than the power it will transmit over the lifetime of the laptop.

PS, These guys lost me at watts per hour:
the bike is capable of producing up to 65 watts per hour at any given resistance level.

 

[Fatesrider]

Some other omissions, whether pertinent or not to the tech, would be size and weight restrictions, the price, availability, ease of moving it around... Little things that are kind of important if one is in the market for something like this.

 

[mknelson]

Good lord almighty!
Running a stationary bike to power your cell phone...and other modern contraptions.
It sounds like overkill.
I have an exercise bike that's pretty basic, doesn't use WiFi, and I still get a decent work out.
It also cost $100 second-hand. It has a small battery run meter that tells the time, speed, calories burned and miles done.

Why does everything have to be so overkill in purpose and still lack the basics?
Everything is just turning into electric zombie stuff and still doesn't work.
For that price I'd demand a refund if it did not.
I wouldn't pay for beta testing any product.

And it has handlebars making it much easier to do a high intensity workout.

Yeah, I don't understand the purpose.

 

[jnk1000]

Following “rule of thumb” that just means you’re cracking nicely into Zone 3. Depending on one’s goals for exercise, could be either good or bad. Myself, I’m solidly into Zone 3 on my indoor trainer, as I’m working on building cardio and building legs and core. I’ll pull down to Zone 1-2 for endurance every other day. Unfortunately it’s my arse that lets me down more than the rest of my middle aged carcass. Finding the right saddle for multi hour rides is not fun.

I was going more for the dumb joke so the over-generalization was intentional. Twenty years ago when my carcass was 40, I'd run up mountain trails with my heart at 170 - 185 for an hour and a half. Now at 60 (and my skeleton a decaying ruin), maybe I could drive up the the same mountain in an hour.

 

[Kendokaa]

Obviously trying to generate useful amounts of energy with a bike is pointless, but I like the idea of charging a battery/UPS as others have proposed as a fun way to set a goal. Unfortunately you'd fill a UPS in a few rides because of their pretty small capacities