electronic bicycle?

[astronut]

what do you guys make of this?

http://www.futurebike.ch/images/1_wsj_shorter_1.pdf

[paul]

i have an electric bicycle and thier is no comparison between it and the gas operated bicycle motors. i was not happy with the electric at all. most hills you had to pedal assist to get up

[astronut]

yeah me too cruiser. I dont like my electric bicycle either.

the electronic bicycle though would eliminate the chain drive, you would be pedaling a generator instead. I think the supercapacitors would augment the power to allow you to make the hills.

perhaps if they could keep the chain drive, but make it so that each stroke generates electicity and powers the motor, that would give you more power per stroke.

hmm. NAHH.. that would require a new chainring setup, and we would be seeing guys pedaling a bike at 60mph, maybe a governor or a shut off after a certian speed. plus you would still have to pedal it to move.

[deacon]

My electric bike is good for exercise and not much else. The one they show would be good for the same. I don't see how it could be fast enough or have enough range to seriously complete with the gasoline engine on a bike, but I maybe wrong someday the battery and generator technology might be there. It could already be there I don't know.

Pedaling the generator would be the same resistance up hill or down hill. It might be able to generate current from the wheels on a downhill run. You would need to pedal almost constantly to keep the batteries up I assume. Still the generator is an idea I never would have thought of.