Invention Convention.
CC, Gary Leo an' me
Gary Leo just came by to show off a potential invention that Charlie will have to develop so that someone in the electric bicycle world can get rich.*
“Hardly any of the people developing electric bikes actually ride bicycles” Gary snorts. “They need us to steer them the right direction cuz they don’t even know how bikes behave, or what cyclists really want.”
(Charlie turns the pieces of gear shifter and electrical wire over in his hands as I sprint for my camera).
“Like the regenerative brake idea?” (they both laugh uproariously)
“Yah, for the amount of trouble and equipment you’d have to add on to get anything, compared to how little energy you actually regain? (More laughing). It would only be good on a long downhill,and even then you’re not saving much cuz yr just barely scrubbing speed.. I’m gonna build a dynamometer to measure power train efficiency, motor- and battery-life…Riders need a gauge so they know when they’re gonna run outta juice…otherwise it’s just ‘click’ and the thing is dead.
“We’d be working with a guy named Marcus Hayes. My friend Barry’s brother, Larry, has one of Marcus’s electric bikes, and would like to see it improved…”
Maybe this time next year there will be a significant improvement in batteries, drive train efficiency, etc… chances are some of those things will have emanated from Fairfax…
"these two things need to mesh"
. With an RSS feed
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Jacquie Phelan's Weblog 
Just reading up on old posts Jacquie, and found this…. Ha! I have been working with Marcus and Gary on this project for a couple years now. Gary is a great guy. He told me the you are friends, so cool. I have my own shop now in Santa Rosa. You will remember me from my Bulldog Machine email. We met on the trail in Annadel years ago. Its funny Gary mentioned building a Dyno. I acualy built it for him this last year. Small world!