BodyBike

I have often noticed that when riding a bike that the majority of the force used to propel the bike is produced in the legs.

Kayaking, on the other hand, uses legs, chest, stomach and arms in unison and is an efficient and great workout.

My idea is to connect the entire body to the bicycle and use the body’s energy to assist the legs. If you can imagine the roots of a plant, inverted, then you can grasp this idea. Each “root" tip is connected to a device that is similar to a blood pressure cuff and connected with Velcro®. The “root" tip is actually very fine cable that is encased in a sleeve, much like the brake cables on your bike. These are placed around you body and chest. Each small “root" connects with a larger “root" and terminates at a main “trunk"

As the muscles contract, the force of the contraction/expansion is carried, by the cable, to other “roots" from other parts of the body to the “trunk" and on to a gearbox. Each movement would generate a small force that would assist the rider by placing extra force upon the chain drive. There would be no undue load carried by any single muscle group, but they would work in concert to make the ride easier. As the muscle contraction would not be synchronous, the main issue is how to use all of this energy in an efficient manner.

The “roots" and the “trunks" would be bundled and run under the clothing to reduce the risk of tangling in the spokes and gears. A breakaway connection would allow separation from the bike in case of a spill, or a bathroom stop after that Grande white chocolate frappuccino latte at Starbucks.