Friday, May 21, 2010

Separation Anxiety

I'm enrolled in next week's Pedals 2 People Wheelbuilding Class. My plan is to build a coupla low-budget dynohub wheels. I guess batteries are necessary in life but they suck and I love the concept of powering your lights with your feet.

Trouble with dynohub wheels is that it can run into the hundreds for a normal person to get one built. That's way more than most bikes are worth. While we're waiting for the whole bike industry/consumer demand deal to start driving generator hubs, it would rule to be able to take a common wheel off a common bike and put a reasonably-priced dynohub on it and tie a cheap, effective headlight to it and go.

I ordered a coupla very affordable dynohubs for the class - the one on the left is 40 bucks and the one on the right is 50. Neither one's gonna win the low-rolling-resistance award, but in the way I picture them being used, does anyone really care.



Fabulous theory, all fine and well, until I actually had to think about taking the front wheel off of the dogbike, thereby rendering it useless for the next several days. I should just say, that in the history of utility bikes, I'm not sure that one has ever been more utilized. I thought that at least we should go for a run first, so we did.






I'm breating into a paper bag. This is not easy. I can only trust that things will somehow work out.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I'm breating into a paper bag. This is not easy."

Breating off would be easier without the bag, definitely.

Jason Gilman said...

The old rims have the same number of spoke holes as your your new hubs right? Then no worries Pat.

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering how the Senco nailer was incorporated into the project.