USB Charged Bike

The German company Silverback has begun mass production of bicycles with USB-powered .

In the Starke 1 and Starke 2 models, the dynamo is mounted on the front wheel. The manufacturer of dynamo wheels is Supernova. A compact electric generator assembly with a sleeve weighs 370 grams (pictured right), while a conventional sleeve without a generator weighs 130 grams, so the “extra” weight is very small. The weight of the entire wheel with a carbon fiber rim is 850 or 939 grams, depending on the mounting of the rim.

Actually, hanging a dynamo on a wheel and connecting USB to it is a simple matter. It would be much more difficult to make an analogue of the KERS system, as in Formula 1, so that kinetic energy is removed only during braking and does not impede pedaling, for example, downhill. And such bicycle KERS systems exist .

Everything is simple and budgetary here, but it’s no less convenient: now you don’t need to worry that the battery will be running by the player, GPS-navigator or smartphone, so that the navigator’s display can work constantly, showing the route. The navigator is conveniently mounted on the steering wheel so that it is always in front of the eyes, the USB connector is located there and is used by default to power the front light.