**WINNER!** Barclays TakeOneSmallStep.co.uk (Stephen Britt) - Power Assistance Kits

[piotrmacheta]

Maybe it will work with clip-in pedals? If you arrange the 'pulses' of power to kick in when needed and you are clipped in then it might work for a bit of assistance.

 

[tangent]

Yes, some kind of clip-ins would help, provided you were prepared to have a large torque applied to your foot. Personally I most definitely would not.

 

[rsscott]

For those that have been following Stephen's story we had to chance to try out his electric pedals in the Cambridgeshire countryside and interview him last week. You can read the full story here:

Stephen Britt talks to Pedelecs about his electric pedal invention

 

[Oiseaux]

For those that have been following Stephen's story we had to chance to try out his electric pedals in the Cambridgeshire countryside and interview him last week. You can read the full story here:

Stephen Britt talks to Pedelecs about his electric pedal invention

You summed up with " (ingenious: easy to use, put on and take off is our verdict) " but did you ride his bike ? did it appear to work ?

Personally having been involved in an invention some years ago which ultimately failed (not before I got my investment back I'm pleased to say) I know how difficult, frustrating and stressfull it all is, and I wish him well. I don't know any thing about mechanics so I cannot judge whether it will work or not, but ten out of ten for trying.

 

[tillson]

For those that have been following Stephen's story we had to chance to try out his electric pedals in the Cambridgeshire countryside and interview him last week. You can read the full story here:

Stephen Britt talks to Pedelecs about his electric pedal invention

How did the pedals perform Russ? I couldn't find anything regarding this in the article. I still have doubts that the system will work. Hopefully I am wrong, but it would be nice to know how they worked in reality.

 

[trex]

Bonjour Oiseaux, like with most inventions, I believe Stephen's pedals can be improved. I reckon the current models would deliver about 10W per pedal. Its best feature is the power to weight ratio. Its fundamental weakness is to rely on the participation of the knee and thigh joints which put a practical limit on its output. The same concept could potentially produce new midship motors to challenge Panasonic/Bosch. Why not expand the concept of using two motors but this time, place them on opposite sides of the BB to drive the crank arms?

 

[rsscott]

You summed up with " (ingenious: easy to use, put on and take off is our verdict) " but did you ride his bike ? did it appear to work ?

Personally having been involved in an invention some years ago which ultimately failed (not before I got my investment back I'm pleased to say) I know how difficult, frustrating and stressfull it all is, and I wish him well. I don't know any thing about mechanics so I cannot judge whether it will work or not, but ten out of ten for trying.

Yes, we went for a ride of about 4 miles (granted very flat apart from an old railway bridge). At the end we took the pedals off and I rode the bike again and I could feel the difference.

It felt similar to my first electric bike, a 180W Cyclone in terms of assistance. I can't provide anything more scientific than that I'm afraid.

 

[rsscott]

How did the pedals perform Russ? I couldn't find anything regarding this in the article. I still have doubts that the system will work. Hopefully I am wrong, but it would be nice to know how they worked in reality.

Hi Tillson,

Yes they do work! There was a point very early in the ride where I adjusted my foot and inadvertently kicked the on/off switch on the right pedal. It felt quite odd for the next few hundred yards before Stephen spotted what I had done.


yes they do work.

 

[tillson]

Well that's good to know. The theory is very clever in it's simplicity, and I hope Stephen continues to make good progress with his invention.