Linking bike pedals etc to another mechanism

[rock_ten]

Hi - sorry I couldn't really find much about this because I don't know the right words for it. Hopefully you'll know what I mean - basically using bike parts to build mechanism by which pedalling moves some other mechanism via a chain or pulleys or something like that.

Are there any resources you could point me towards about that, or words you could suggest I search for?

I would like to try making such a device, terminating in a simple rotating of a wheel on a machine.

Thanks a lot

--Joe

[CaptainCool]

I would like to try making such a device, terminating in a simple rotating of a wheel on a machine.
Unfortunately, this device has already been made. It's called a bicycle.

[JeffS]

I'd guess I'd search for
- pedal power
- pedal powered
- pedal driven

Not sure what you're looking to build, but a couple of quick searches found multiple links to various machines people have constructed.

[kevbo]

Watch re-runs of "Gilligan's Island". BTW, why would you take so many bicycle parts on a three hour cruise?

[Doug5150]

Watch re-runs of "Gilligan's Island". BTW, why would you take so many bicycle parts on a three hour cruise?
They didn't bring bicycl parts along, sillypants!
GOOOOSHHH, lik Im so shure....

The Professor made them out of coconut and bamboo!
......
A few more years and he'd been able to make a fricken' space shuttle out of coconuts and bamboo. :lol:
~

[Doug5150]

Hi - sorry I couldn't really find much about this because I don't know the right words for it. Hopefully you'll know what I mean - basically using bike parts to build mechanism by which pedalling moves some other mechanism via a chain or pulleys or something like that.

Are there any resources you could point me towards about that, or words you could suggest I search for?

I would like to try making such a device, terminating in a simple rotating of a wheel on a machine.

Thanks a lot

--Joe
Most human-powered equipment I have seen or heard of did not use rotary pedals, but used a treadle instead. You kinda have to know what you want to build, before you can build it.

The classic example of this is a spinning wheel (http://www.handsonhistory.com/wheel03.jpg) (for making yarn). This is a good use of human-power, because a spinning wheel doesn't really take much power to operate (built mostly of wood, after all).

The two main other examples I have seen are sewing machines (http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/sites/mnh/quilt2/87671265.jpg) and wood-turning lathes (http://www.wnywoodturners.com/bb01.jpg).

There have also been constructed treadle-operated metalworking machines--particularly lathes. The size of materials that these can handle is usually small (because your leg power isn't really enough to cut much metal) but they are still used some places, but now more for checking roundness of parts that had been turned on a otherwise-powered machine.
http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/advert/ay25.htm
(...And now I see that the example I posted for this uses a crankshaft, and not treadles at all. Oh well. Anyway.... there's treadle-operated metal lathes out there, mostly classic/antique examples now)

There are also still a lot of treadle-operated sheet-metal cutting devices--cutting brakes and throatless shears and so on, where you step on a pedal that pulls a blade downwards to cut through the metal. These are still useful but that's not spinning a wheel I suppose.

For a short time a company named Alenax was making treadle-operated bikes:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/alenax/pages/alenax1.html

Here's a treadle-powered trike (-that weighs only 55 lbs!):
http://www.stepngo.com/

Gary Hale has been offering a treadle-style bike for some time, using a conventional set of cranks as sort of an interlink:
http://halebikes.com/

Other than that I can't help you. I'm sorry.
~

[Elkhound]

Most human-powered equipment I have seen or heard of did not use rotary pedals, but used a treadle instead. You kinda have to know what you want to build, before you can build it.

The classic example of this is a spinning wheel (http://www.handsonhistory.com/wheel03.jpg) (for making yarn). This is a good use of human-power, because a spinning wheel doesn't really take much power to operate (built mostly of wood, after all).

The two main other examples I have seen are sewing machines (http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/sites/mnh/quilt2/87671265.jpg) and wood-turning lathes (http://www.wnywoodturners.com/bb01.jpg).

~

What about reed organs?

[moore.sean]

http://www.bikeblender.com/

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/06/bicycle_blenders.html

[Kabloink]

You can find plenty examples of bikes being used for electrical power generation. Which may not be exactly what your looking for, but may have some useful setup ideas. Searching for "bike powered generator" brings up quite a few.

[cerewa]

I think it would be cool to make a treadle-powered drill. Simple hand drills are so slow, and electric drills are only as good as their power source.

[AllenG]

http://www.bfi.org/images/content/frontpage_events/gossamer.jpg

[crackerdog]

Back in the early '80's, there was a book showing a plow, grain grinder and other things using human power. Maybe Rodale Press

[rock_ten]

Thanks for the replies, everyone

[Closed Office]

Just a thought but I'd go with the old single speed bikes with coaster brakes for the drive ring and chain, because the chains were thicker. Shifting wasn't a problem so they could focus on strength and endurance of the part.

Edit. I just ran into a really neat bicycling article. http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/16/17-reasons-why-bicycles-are-the-most-popular-vehicle-in-the-world-today/
The headline of each of the 17 reasons is a link to a larger article with a lot more detail, so you actually get 17 articles from this page, and there is a fair amount of information on other machines made starting with a bicycle. The #6 article link has some nice info about Google giving out bikes to their staff. Smart people.