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BodyBike
Use all of your muscle groups to make your ride more efficient. | |
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.
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Annotation:
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What motion would be needed in order to propel the bike? Would it respond if you just flailed your limbs around as if having a fit? |
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Interesting way to utilize other muscle movements. |
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[Wagster] If you *want* to //flail[ed] your limbs around as if having a fit// then you would just get more energy. I was looking to capture the small movements of all the body parts. |
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Even if you just captured the expansion/contraction of the chest, that would be a bit of energy thrown into the matrix. |
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I just like the image of all the Tour de France riders flapping their arms about for a bit more power as they ascend a hill. |
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//How do you stop?// As you apply the brakes, the drive system is disconnected and allows the bike to freewheel. |
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Interesting concept. I think it would be safer and very efficient on a stationary bike. and further I think the bundle of cables would detract from the joy of freedom I feel riding a bike. nevertheless + |
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//...cables would detract from the joy of freedom I feel riding a bike// |
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We are supposed to consider *comfort* in our half-baked ideas too? ;) |
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I dunno, what I really want is something that requires the use of *none* of my body's muscles. |
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Ok, no pain, no gain. As usual I was just thinking of me, me, me. |
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