Bicycle power: from coffee tables to aircraft

As more and more of us save money on commuting costs and gym memberships by ditching cars, trains and treadmills in favour a bicycle, designers are looking to incorporate pedal power into other areas of our lives…from coffee tables to aircraft.

Pedal power	.
Made from recycled cedar and leather, WeBike invites you to power your web surfing by pedalling gently as you enjoy a coffee break. An interactive LED screen displays human power and availability of AC power. Webike
Cycle insurance from 39p per week
Cottage Lodge hotel in Hampshire offers rooms with a bicycle-powered television In order to power the TV, guests need to pedal hard to get power into a battery – thereafter they need only put in gentle effort to keep the TV going.
Engineering students at the University of Toronto designed and built the pedal-powered ‘Snowbird’ ornithopter, which managed to sustain both altitude and airspeed for 19.3 seconds, covering a distance of 145 meters at an average speed of 25.6 km/h.	HPO MVI 0043 from U of T Engineering on Vimeo.

Cycle Insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, third party insurance (in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else), personal accident cover, race event cover and if you suffer a mechanical breakdown, they will come out and recover you and your bike. Electric bicycles can also be covered. Includes 90 days’ worldwide cover.