In many places that don't have industrialized power available there is a need to pump significant amounts of air or fluids. A frame can be created to lift the rear wheel of a bicycle and bring it into contact with a roller. The roller can have an extension with a square cross section. This square cross section could then have a pump attached, with a hollow square coupling, to pump irrigation water, drinking water or air to inflate things.

When the user has pumped to the preferred amount, the bicycle can be removed and the user rides it to the next pump. The frame should be designed such that it can be carried on the back of the bicycle to other places. The pumps should be designed to be easily carried in a basket attached to the bicycle.

The organizers of a refugee camp could bring several bicycles and frame pumps to a camp and induce residents to supply the motive force. When not being so used the organizers can ride the bicycles as needed.

This may be well baked but I couldn't find a reference. I found bicycle frames for exercising and bicycle pumps for blowing up tires but nothing of these put together and ruggedized for use in remote environments.
-- cjacks, Oct 01 2005

Cycle Operated Water Pump http://www.nifindia.org/bd/node/41
Here's one approach to solving the problem. They appear to be seeking licensees for the technology. [jurist, Oct 01 2005]

Maya Power http://www.worldvis...7BC6D7?OpenDocument
A slightly more permanent pump set-up using converted bicycles. [jurist, Oct 01 2005]

(???) inflatableFishbone inflatableTVset
totaly irelevant link, since the inflatable series are far from being baked. oh, i'll just pretend they're not :p [sweet, Oct 02 2005]

Video of a Real Mobile Bicycle-powered Water Pump http://www.youtube....watch?v=N-UvhiNb1as
I saw this idea a few years ago whilst researching for my master's thesis. I decided to build one, here's what I came up with. I worked with Maya Pedal (the organisation mentioned in the "Maya Power" article posted above) and it is now being produced in Guatemala. Please get in touch with me if anyone knows another organisation interested in building one, as the plans are available free on Maya Pedal's web site (www.mayapedal.org). My email is jonnylsemail@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions people may have. Cheers, Jon [jonnyl, Feb 18 2010]

Thanks for the links. I figured this was too good a concept to go unbaked. None of the links demonstrate the portability I had hoped for or the availability of dual use. Possibly I am missing some mechanical requirement or something.
-- cjacks, Oct 01 2005


isn't this idea like one of those double-faced jackets ? it's getting a bun though; made me imagine how it would be like for a family member to ride a standing bike in order for another family member to be able to wash the dishes. lol
-- sweet, Oct 02 2005


you could also inflate the inflatable boat that's sinking if you're not riding your bike. so you could actually ride the boat ! see [link]
-- sweet, Oct 02 2005


It seems like it would be more practical to have a spoked gear on the pump, and hook the bike chain over that. The rollers add an unnecessary moving part.
-- bungston, Oct 02 2005


Welding an idler gear to the frame would probably make for more reliable power take off bungston, think mud on the rollers. You would probable still need a frame to lift the rear wheel, either that or some really long tubes. The only problem I see with this is that there would only be one bearing and therefore it would constantly be in torsion. This causes a lot of car water pumps to fail at the bearing. With two rollers all you would have to do is put the frame on the ground and sit the back of the bike into it. Since the rollers can have two bearings the bearings are only in shear. One of those engineering trade offs between reliability, ease of use and longevity I guess.
-- cjacks, Oct 02 2005


usually not done that much, because a human in peak physical condition can manage about .7 hp or about 500 watts, it goes down signficantly if you're not lance armstrong and the bike geometry isn't matched for your body. Maybe it's not done because A) it doesn't generate a lot of power B) no convenient way of storing it. I could see this being used to power some sort of combo water pump/ filter for places with no access to clean water.
-- metarinka, Feb 18 2010



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