Partner Latin America Guatemala Maya Pedal Bike Machine Water Pump PRINT

Welcome to the bike machine page! Sometimes Working Bikes receives donations that can’t be shipped abroad, but that we’d still like to recycle in a useful way! From a gaggle of Schwinn stationary exercise bikes came a crew of bike machines–generators that create electricity, pumps that suck water up from below, and more. We use these machines as a fun way to interact with visitors at events and bike drives. But they also demonstrate the innovative ways that bikes can be used, and are used by some of our partner organizations. For instance, Ability Bikes in Ghana and Maya Pedal in Guatemala both use some of the bikes they receive to create machines for micro-enterprises, boosting the economic wellbeing of their communities.

Here we provide instructions and parts lists for some of the machines that we take to energy fairs, green festivals and street fairs. Feel free to use these instructions, and share your progress with us!

You will need: Schwinn exercise bike or 26″ wheel mountain bike, DC permanent magnet motor (generator), sheave and V-belt.

Check out this versatile machine made at Maya Pedal.

Multiuse Bike Machine

Or the Aquapedal, a water filtration and transportation machine.
Aquaduct: Mobile Filtration Vehicle

Read about other innovations in the “Bike Machines” area of the News page.

Human Powered Machine Innovations Exhibited at the 2010 Midwest Renewable Energy Fair By Working Bikes Cooperative

120 Volts DC Bike Generator Parts List

Battery Charger Instructions and Parts List

 ‘UV Water Sterilizer’ Parts List

“Water Cycle” Parts List 

Questions? Email info at working bikes dot org