When we heard 350.org was gathering 500 climate justice activists in Istanbul for the Global Power Shift conference in June, we offered to loan them our latest and simplest yet Pedal Power system, "One Bike / One Speaker" . Since several of the organizers were coming from the Bay Area, we reduced our smallest system to two boxes, both within airline regulations for checked baggage, bringing the shipping cost to 0. We met up with two of the organizers to hand off the two boxes, one at a BART station and one at our shop. 350.org would have to supply a bike in Istanbul and swap the rear wheel for the lightweight generator wheel we provided. We supplied detailed setup info to ensure the system would get good use. Next: wait for update.
Update from Kevin a few days into GPS: "Hey! Just saying it's rocking. We did a 500 person plenary outside which was great, and its become a staple for our daily announcements. Next up, the Open Mic..."
The photos show that this One Bike system was able to amplify music and speech for the entire conference.
A proper listening environment like these stands really helps. This way the furthest listeners aren't blocked by the closest rows.
The speaker's wide dispersion pattern made it possible to use 'in the round'. Even people at the edges can hear the words.
350.org isn't focused specifically on bikes, but they do care about People Power. The fact that they were able to receive the system, build it up and use it with good results, all without a Rock The Bike crewmember present, is a great sign for the readiness of Pedal Power to help out all sorts of activist groups.
If you'd like to rent or purchase a One Bike / One Speaker system, please let us know.
Here's the video showing the components and set up in depth: