Rock The Bike says a huge thank you to Central Park Conservancy for getting us involved in Earth Day 2009, and helping us get Rock The Bike NYC off the ground. Here are some of the highlights from our visit to New York over the past 11 days.

We had a blast meeting the public at Earth Day. Above, Pedal Powered Spin art.

We debuted our new multi-person pedal power system, the Biker Bar. Three bikes share a common drive shaft, that turns a powerful generator on the fourth bike, an Electric Mundo (blue bike on the left)

Unfortunately, in its first outing, the Biker Bar was no match for the power-hungry PA equipment that event organizers supplied. The power consumption of the audio system was approximately 300-400 watts with one person speaking on a microphone, not even any music playing.

Ever since we started doing Pedal Powered Stage events, clients and organizers have been asking “Why can’t we use the speakers we already have?” Good question. We commonly answer “Because we use the new generation of digitally powered speakers, and their higher efficiency makes pedal power possible.” But in the process of working with Central Park and other clients, they kept asking… So with Central Park, we accepted the challenge. We put our efforts into making the Biker Bar powerful, simple, and efficient. We told them “Sure, you can.”

But on the day of the event their equipment’s power draw was just too much. Suddenly Pedal Power felt really hard. When a chain snapped, we talked with the Central Park team and decided to focus on our other offerings and let their music stage run on wall power. Luckily they had that backup option at the ready. In future events, we definitely plan to have a 30-45 minute battery backup, which will allow us to fix mechanicals or other issues without letting the performers down.

Luckily, the Spin Art station and the Bike Blenders were a huge hit.

Kids of all ages were able to make Spin Art and pedal for other kids.

Above, the Tropicalia team making bike blended smoothies.

We had bright bikes and big smiles to share with the crowds.

And tricks to share… Above, Sara floating on a Mundo. Galen ollies.

We biked everything back to Brooklyn on a hot afternoon.

Travis piloted the Biker Bar, which becomes a cargo trailer to get gear home from an event. Just add the wheels!

The Electric Mundo helps haul the 250 pound load up and over the Williamsburg Bridge.

Above: Rolling back from Central Park with our crew, friends, cousins, and the Choprical Fish.

Getting ready for Central Park was a huge task. We arrived a week ahead of time and only set our tools town to pack for the park at 2AM the night before. Check out the preparations below:

First things first! How about a social ride to get to know each other.

Leif keeps the beat as Galen and Lopi haul gear across Brooklyn with Mundos and the trailer.

We set up a little workshop at Brooklyn’s 3rd Ward.

Below, hand stretching the frame of the Mundo to fit the electric rear wheel.

We generated many sparks and generally looked bad ass with our protective eye wear.

We solved engineering riddles. Above trying to anticipate issues with the drive train of the Spin Art station.

We used the Choprical Fish as transportation bike and ‘getter’.

Above, 75 pounds of Sealed Lead Acid batteries.

Of course having the Fish in New York meant there were a few impromptu street parties and even a cypher around town over the past week.

Above, freestyle session in front of a school in Soho. A teacher came out and said “How about a song about getting back to class?!”

Fossil Foolin’ at a 3rd Ward party.

In our last couple days in town, we picked up a couple cool new Mundo dealers. Above, Brooklyn Bike and Board

are your Mundo people in Brooklyn. Map.

Leif delivering Mundos. The same bikes we used to get work done in New York are now for sale and ready to ride at two locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

And in Manhattan, cargo bike innovator George Bliss picked up the Mundo for The Hub Station in Soho

Many thanks to the Rock The Bike NYC crew for their hard work and excellent hosting.

The evening starts with an Open House at Rock The Bike’s Berkeley workshop: 1336 Channing Way. We’ll show you our latest inventions and shop improvements.

Then we head up the hill to Campus, Sproul Plaza, to be precise, for the…

SUNSET CRUISE: A leisurely bike ride from UCB Sproul Plaza to Ashkenaz via Downtown and North Berkeley BART stations. Gathers at 7:30pm at Telegraph & Bancroft. Ride departs at Sundown (8pm) w/ en-route performances by Fossil Fool (LiveOnBike) + DanceSkateLive.

Then we roll up in style to Ashkenaz for the launch of the “I Like My Bike Night” series, a bicycle culture celebration and unbridled dance orgy on the 1st Friday of every month, will happen on May Day – also the first day of National Bicycle Month.

Musical Delights:
Antioquia (www.postpeakoilrock.com/music.html)
Carne Cruda (www.carnecruda.com)
Fossil Fool pedal-powered DJ set & LiveOnBike performance (www.fossilfool.com)

Other Goodies:
Free Bicycle Valet Parking by EBBC (www.ebbc.org)
Bike repair station by Street Level Cycles, a project of Waterside Workshops (www.watersideworkshops.org)
Yummy bicycle smoothies thanks to Rock the Bike’s fleet of Fender Blenders (www.bikeblender.com)
Live painting by Alan Tarbell (www.alantarbell.com)
Down Low Glow door prize donated by Rock the Bike (www.https://rockthebike.com)

***60% of this evening’s proceeds will go to Antioquia’s “Post (Peak Oil) Rock Project” to wean our music off fossil fuels using pedal-powered sound technology, bike-touring, and veggie oil fueled transport! ***

Find out more about the event including detailed public transportation info and how to purchase “Project Friend” (VIP) tickets online.

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center — Berkeley’s home to world music + dance since 1973.
Always all ages.

Times: Sunset Cruise departs 8pm (Sundown); Ashkenaz doors open 8:30pm; Show 9pm-1am.

Location: Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., @ Gilman, Berkeley.

Cost:
$8 with bicycle valet ticket
$13 without bicycle
LiveOnBike performance ride is free

Come check out our progress as we build a Pedal Powered Stage at Rock The Bike NYC. In the early part of this event, you can test ride a Mundo Cargo Bike, bike blend a smoothie, and meet the people who’ll be producing bike music events in New York.

Also meet Paul, a.k.a. Fossil Fool, and Leif from Rock The Bike in San Francisco.

Then we’ll cruise with some great music mixes as we head to NYFA Dumbo event and then to the House of YES for an amazing performance.

Meet at Madagascar Institute, 217 Butler between Nevins and Bond.

Jay Broemmel welds the head tube on El Arbol.

Came up with a footrest system. Rear swingarm extended.
Originally uploaded by Rock The Bike

Junk Raft.

The name alone arouses curiosity. A Junk is a type of Chinese sailing vessel that dates back to the Han Dynasty. And they were used for extensive ocean voyages.

But what is a Junk Raft? In the case of eco-mariners Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal, The Junk Raft is an ocean vessel crafted from junk plastic bottles, a Cessna 310 airplane fueselage and various other ‘junk’ materials.

The Junk Raft recently sailed from California to Hawaii to protest the growing pile of trash in our oceans. These plastics end up in the bellies of Albatrosses – things that really shouldn’t be floating out there, like lighters and toys. They don’t break down, not in the albatrosses and not in the ocean itself.

And it’s that very durability of plastic that has made the Junk Raft’s courageous voyage possible. Marcus and Joel literally netted up 15000 bottles from the waste stream of Los Angeles, forming two pontoons that floated them all the way to Hawaii. And what a journey it was.

Now Marcus and Anna Cummins, another plastics crusader, are teaming up, in more ways than one, and hitting the road, biking from Vancouver to Baja on the Junk Ride. To help them tell their story, we created Bike Speak.

Marcus and Anna wanted a small, self-contained thing they could carry with them on their tour, that would allow them to host cruiser rides, and do pedal powered slideshows and presentations at schools and parks. At the same time it had to pack enough punch to address a reasonable size crowd both indoors and out. They already had a Fender Blender X, so they we made an Xtracycle-compatible cabinet and a generator attachment that can be used with the Fender Blender base, without requiring tools to switch back and forth to smoothie mode.

With the human power module, a volunteer can pedal the system to run the amplification while Marcus and Anna give their talk. And with the Fender Blender bike blender system, they can serve up fresh smoothies to the crowd after the talk while enjoying great sounding music pumped out by the system’s internal rechargeable NiMH battery, good for an estimated 14 hours of light and music.

With each custom Soul Cycle that comes out of Rock The Bike, we try to push the envelope a little further. A few of us had been sketching hinged cabinets with two modes: stereo for cruising, and unidirectional for public address. Hence the flip-up action. We followed the snapdeck aesthetic, following the curves at the head and tail. The curve at the tail is functional. It matches the Fender Blender base. We used an ultra efficient amplifier for amplification and four Pro Audio full-range speakers. These speakers are small and extremely lightweight with alloy housings and neodymium magnets, weighing only 1 lb each! A crossover protects the tweeters. The entire finished cabinet, with speakers, amplifier, battery, mixer, voltage regulation system, microphone, and integrated lighting weighs in at a only 12 lbs! By far our lightest Soul Cycle to date.

A two-channel mixer is built into the controls. This stereo mixer will enable Marcus and Anna to play background music from their laptop’s slideshow program, while speaking through a lightweight microphone we provided.

We came up with a custom voltage regulation circuit to protect the internal battery, mixer, and amp from the motor. The circuit also taps a little power to trickle charge the battery. We also added a separate noise suppression circuit to mute static from the generator.

When the cabinet is flipped up, the user has access to a small “cubby” door. Inside the door is a small storage compartment where the microphone, cords, and handlebar mount can be stored when not in use.

The handlebar mount will accommodate an iPod or other mp3 player and features a battery fuel/voltage gauge. This gauge will tell the user the current charge state of the battery while also giving the human power pedalers an indication of how their pedal power is affecting the system.

Be sure to check the Junk Ride schedule for news about Marcus and Anna’s latest educational adventure and the Bike Speak system. During the Spring and Summer of 2009 Marcus and Anna will be touring the West coast. SF-Cruisers can expect a Junk Ride social ride with Anna and Marcus when they come through San Francisco. Like the Junk Raft’s epic sail to Hawaii, the Junk Ride mission is not easy. At last check Marcus was mentioning that he intended to tow a raft so that the pair could ford rivers. Rock on! Send them fanmail on their blog, and please stay tuned for more on that social ride.

Pedal Powered Stage 2009 Debut at Earth Hour SF. Photo: Steve Rhodes

Thanks to everyone who came down to the Earth Hour celebration at Market Bar in downtown San Francisco, where Rock The Bike had the 2009 debut of our Pedal Powered Stage. We biked in all the gear and pedal powered all the lighting and sound equipment and smoothies, making Saturday’s event Carbon Negative. A Carbon Negative event is one that has such an inspiring effect on participants that it causes individuals to reduce their carbon impact in the coming months and years.

Big thanks to Guella and Justin Ancheta, and Fossil Fool for their performances, to Raul and the Market Bar crew for their hospitality, and to Mayor Newsom and the Neighborhood Empowerment Network for sponsoring the event. Check the  Video from CBS news.

We debuted two new Mundo-based Pedal Power bikes: the Electric Mundo and the Lunar Lander. More photos and info to come on both those projects.

The Rock The Bike community came out strong for the event. Here’s a shot of art bike creator Jay Broemmel cruising on his Schwinn Broom:

Originally uploaded by stereomind

Come on down to Market Bar at the Ferry Building this Saturday Night and be part of the celebration of Earth Hour 2009. Rock The Bike will be setting up the Pedal Powered Stage and hooking up Justin Ancheta, Guella, and Fossil Fool with some good clean pedal power.  Other highlights include the Sustainable Living Road Show, and hopefully a flatland BMX performance by Pete Brandt (video). Lineup below.

It’s Earth Hour, people! Don’t forget to turn off all the lights in your home before heading out to catch the music. Also remember to unplug those pesky chargers and wall adapters for devices you only occasionally use. Earth Hour this year could reach a fifth of the planet. Check out the participation map on their site. It’s your choice whether to power down and chill in your neighborhood, or head out to join us at the Ferry Building, where you’ll see many of San Francisco’s landmark buildings turn their lights out, groove to Justin, Guella, and the Bike Rapper, and help us to pedal power two hours of local live music!

Learn more about Earth Hour 2009 in this City Hall news conference:

Lineup:

7:00 — Pete Brandt sunset Flatland performance

7:30 — Guella

8:30 — Justin Ancheta

9:30 — Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper

Fender Blender Universale in Sierra

It takes just a minute to whip a morning smoothie or an after-work margarita with a pedal-powered blender from Rock the Bike.

Sierra Magazine cover