Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Pedal Power in Work, Leisure, and Transportation

Pedal Power in Work, Leisure, and Transportation, ed. James C. McCullagh, 133 pages


Although it sounds very dry, Pedal Power is a fascinating insight into the past and future of human-powered technology. Published amid 1970s fears of peak oil & the corresponding energy crises, the book explores pedal powered solutions to problems more often solved with electrical or gas powered motors. Simply by harnessing the untapped power of the bicycle, many household tasks and tools can be powered by human effort. This is especially useful in low-income countries, where energy infrastructure is less robust and the bicycle already sees widespread use for transportation, but there are applications in higher-income countries as well, if one wants to achieve a more sustainable society. In fact, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, before the propagation of the inexpensive electric motor, a huge variety of pedal- and treadle-powered tools saw use even in the United States.

McCullagh and his collaborators (the book is a series of essays, technical drawings, and how-to guides) provide ideas for devices to wash clothes, cut wood, pump water, transport goods, plow fields, thresh grain, and more, as well as a complete construction guide to a pedal-powered primemover, a stationary-bicycle-like apparatus that can be hooked up to a variety of different tools in a home workshop. This is definitely a niche interest book; it won’t appeal to a reader who isn’t already intrigued by the possible applications of sustainable and efficient human power. However, to such a reader, especially one who is mechanically minded, Pedal Power in Work, Leisure, and Transportation is a treasure trove of ideas and schematics.

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