Any tips on building flywheel-assisted bikes/trikes? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

jools4fools · 12-22-2007, 09:16 AM

I was in Oregon when I met a guy who had a flywheel assisted trike. I got on the passenger side and he pedaled us along at almost 50mph, comfortably. I shoulda got his contact info because now I want to build one. Not a lot of info out there. Anybody have any bright ideas?

silverbullet · 12-22-2007, 09:17 AM

Its on the same website as the thing you stick on the carburetor of a 72 Chevy to get 60mpg. I haven't visited it in a while, so big oil and the guvmint might've taken it down by now.

mirageguitarworks · 12-22-2007, 09:17 AM

Hm.

Your experience with a flywheel assisted trike is rare, which is why you don't see much about it. Let me explain.

Keep in mind that the typical human can consistently put out about 1/4 horsepower for perhaps 30 minutes, and that rotating mass is evil when it comes to human powered vehicles. A flywheel is rotating mass.

Now, lets assume that you have a 10 pound flywheel. This actually reduces the performance of the machine a if it weighed an additional 100 pounds (JUST AN ESTIMATE). In order to overcome this disadvantage you would first have to build inertia either by pedalling or by going down a hill or having someone push you. Once you hit level pavement you would certainly enjoy comfortable speeds as long as you keep up the forward motion and continue to energize the flywheel.

Once you hit a hill and/or stop pedalling, however, the flywheel will start to lose the mechanical advantage and once it is completely gone you will be stuck either drifting down the hill backwards with little hope for re-energizing the flywheel, or you would simply stop.

So, if you are in a hopelessly flat and level area this might make sense, but even moderate terrain will throw you for a loop.

Regardless, good luck and maybe you'll come up with the next generation of this theory!