Bicycle power: from coffee tables to aircraft

May 14, 2012

As more and more of us save money on commuting costs and gym memberships by ditching cars, trains and treadmills in favour a bicycle, designers are looking to incorporate pedal power into other areas of our lives…from coffee tables to aircraft.

Pedal power.
Made from recycled cedar and leather, WeBike invites you to power your web surfing by pedalling gently as you enjoy a coffee break. An interactive LED screen displays human power and availability of AC power. Webike
Cycle insurance from 39p per week
Cottage Lodge hotel in Hampshire offers rooms with a bicycle-powered television In order to power the TV, guests need to pedal hard to get power into a battery – thereafter they need only put in gentle effort to keep the TV going.
Engineering students at the University of Toronto designed and built the pedal-powered ‘Snowbird’ ornithopter, which managed to sustain both altitude and airspeed for 19.3 seconds, covering a distance of 145 meters at an average speed of 25.6 km/h.HPO MVI 0043 from U of T Engineering on Vimeo.

Cycle Insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, third party insurance (in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else), personal accident cover, race event cover and if you suffer a mechanical breakdown, they will come out and recover you and your bike. Electric bicycles can also be covered. Includes 90 days’ worldwide cover.

Information correct at time of publication.

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