Pedal & Power
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 03.20.05
You are speeding along on your bike, feeling good about the exercise and the total lack of emissions, when your reverie is broken by the jazzy hum of your cellphone’s tune. Do you fumble through your pockets in a panic, knowing your charge is low and wondering if this will be more important than the usual “Hello, where are you?” Or are you fully outfitted with the Pedal & Power® phone charger, your mobile phone resting safely in the holder on your handlebars, juicing up with each turn of your pedals?
The manufacturer claims that Pedal & Power® can fully charge a mobile phone battery of 600 mAh in approximately 70 minutes, based on cycle speed of 19kph (12mph) & dynamo output of 3 watts. Any device which can be charged from a car lighter can be charged with Pedal & Power® including your GPS and digital camera, for those trips into undiscovered territory. In theory, you can even charge your laptop. With the higher energy demands of the computer, I doubt this will make you independent of the power grid, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could get just enough charge to pick up your emails when you are on tour?
The Pedal & Power® comes complete with a 6v/3w dynamo, the Pedal & Power® Charger Unit which mounts on the bicycle frame tube, and the phone holder designed to firmly hold all size mobile phones (although for off-road cycling it is recommended to secure your phone in its case or belt clip, which insert into a port in the base of the phone holder). The phone simply slides in and out of the holder and the charger unit can be removed from its bracket with a quick release clip. You need to own the car lighter charger cable from your device supplier in order to plug into the Charger Unit.
In a testimonial on the Ikon Global web site, a user from the Netherlands reports that he has succeeded to keep his eTrex GPS functioning on pedal power alone. We would love to hear from others who have tried this clever gadget. A Pedal & Power unit was given to Vice President Dick Cheney as a marketing ploy. Let us hear from you Mr. Vice President: how does it work for you? [by © C. Lepisto, 2005]
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