In the 1930s, cyclists said “Let there be light (while I pedal at night)” and hub manufacturer Sturmey-Archer gave it to them. The company’s Dynohub contained its own mini generator to power bike headlamps.
Now, many decades later, Dahon — via its signature line of components, BioLogic — has found a way to harness that same user-generated electricity to power iPhones, iPods, GPS units, or just about any small electronic device.
The to-be-released BioLogic ReeCharge device works on bikes with a dynamo hub on the front wheel. Dynamo hubs, made by companies like Shimano and SRAM, sell for as low as $40 and include a small electrical generator built into the hub to make power.
With the BioLogic ReeCharge device, just ride and the power is captured in a lithium polymer battery. A charge is then delivered to a device at a level amount of electricity — no ups and downs from stopping and starting — so it won’t trash the battery of whatever you’re trying to charge.
The ride time it takes to charge an iPhone? About 2.5 hours.
“A lot of us here at Dahon use iPhones and there are some pretty neat GPS and cycling computer applications available,” says Joshua Hon of Dahon. “But the problem is battery life — 90 minutes into the ride and your phone is out of batteries.”
