Wind Powered IPod and Cellphone Charger

When traveling self contained  keeping your cellphone and iPod charged is always a problem. My problem has gotten worse this year since I stopped reading anything but electronic books.  The nice thing about electronic books is that you can carry as many as you want and they are still smaller and lighter than a paperback book. You can also read them at night in your tent without a flashlight. The bad news is I need to recharge my iPod Touch frequently.

My son suggested I get a solar charger. But I found on the solar site and even more interesting way to charge your cellphone or iPod while cycling … a mini  wind turbine. They even have a bicycle mount.

The claim is that an hour of cycling is enough to charge the 1200 mAh battery that then charges your cell phone or iPod. I plan to try it out this summer and will update you on how well it works. Check out for your self at Sundance Solar.

LightLane – Amazing New Light

LightLane

Take a look at this new bicycle light … this is amazing if it really works. This is a development I really want to watch. Check it out for your self at LightLane.

This light does what I want a light to do … show drivers where I am.

A video of light in action: LightLane Beta Testing

Here’s what the light may look like:

LightLane

Placement on a recumbent or touring bike with panniers may be a problem but I can see at the very end of my pannier rack, closer to the ground, the lane width narrower but the lines even brighter. I am excited by the concept.

Now these are Safety Lights, LivingDayLites

Take a look at this day time safety light system for bicyclist, it makes sense. Steady bright yellow lights on the side of your bike that can be seen during the day. Actually the lights are yellow when seen from behind and white from the front.

This is the system required by law in most states for motorcycles and it really works. Motorcycles with running lights are much more visible. Check it out for yourself as you drive around. You will  still see some crazy Harley riders without lights. Compare their visibility with motorcycles with day lights. It works well enough that the system is on most new cars. Steady yellow lights are more effective than blinking lights that seem to confuse motorist. Placing the lights on the side of the bicycle helps drivers obey the new three foot minimum passing distance law in New Hampshire and a lot of other states.

Here’s a video that shows what they look like on a bicycle, Pedal to Power.

So far the implementation looks fairly crude and as far as I can tell they aren’t available, yet. However, there is a lot of talk about the on the Ryan Users Group website. The developer, Carl Schoolman, has a posting on Consider Biking, that says send him a note if you want to try them (use the link attached to his name to reach him). He also has a website (still under development) at LivingDayLites.