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Grid Tied DeskBike

Perfect for increasing your health and productivity at the same time, all while helping power your office!

The Green Microgym DeskBike features:

  • A movable tray that can support a laptop, tablet, book, etc
  • An AC outlet for powering/charging devices
  • 3 or more levels of resistance
  • Ability to generate between 20 and 150 watts on average (250 max)
  • A “plugout” cord that sends the user-created electricity back to the building

This is the type of machine that will work most ideally in an environment where someone wants to be productive and stay moving.  For example, you could pedal lightly, without breaking a sweat, for a long time while using a computer, making phone calls, etc.

You could also set up alerts every so often to pedal at a higher resistance level for a short amount of time, enabling you to burn a few extra calories throughout the day, keep the metabolism up, and move your muscles, even at a desk job.

Staying true to our green mission, we will upgrade a refurbished recumbent bike with our proprietary equipment.

Cost: $3000 each

Here’s a comparison of our DeskBike to a Treadmill Desk:

The Green Microgym DeskBike Treadmill Desks
Get all your office work done while exercising Yes Possibly, if you can walk all day long.
Exercise while comfortably seated on a chair Yes No, you have to stand and walk.
Keeps your upper body still for typing, reading – even CAD work Yes No, upper body moves with every step you take.
Safe, grid-tied electricity generating exercise machine. Stops when you do. Yes No, treadmill is driven by an electric motor, user has to wear a safety strap. Be sure you never take a wrong step off the belt.
Joint-friendly leg motion Yes No
Exercise intensity has a wide range of adjustment Yes, from super easy stroll to athletic resistance No, because you can only walk so fast and still try to get work done.
Will you use it as your only office desk? Yes, if ever you want to stop exercising, just stop pedaling. Possibly, if you can walk all day long. If not, you need a second desk.

UpCycle Eco-Charger

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Now Taking Deposits for the First 10 UpCycle Eco-Chargers!

Be the First on Your Block…

The first UpCycle Eco-Chargers will look a lot like the pictures here, but more refined.  They will fit most bikes, but we want to make sure it will work with yours before sending them out, so if you order one of the first 10, here is how it will work:

  1. You pay a 50% deposit to insure you get one of the first 10
  2. I will contact you to determine what type of bike you will be using with the UpCycle Eco-Charger
  3. I will create your UpCycle Eco-Charger to fit your particular bike in about 6 weeks
  4. Once you have paid the final 50% and shipping, I will send you your UpCycle Eco-Charger
  5. Once you get your UpCycle Eco-Charger, we will have a Google+hangout session to make sure everything is hooked up properly
  6. If for some reason it doesn’t work with your bike, I will refund your money and pay to ship the UpCycle Eco-Charger back
The cost of our Beta Version will be $750 plus shipping, enough to cover my costs to purchase components and assemble them.  I anticipate the normal retail cost to be somewhere around $1000 to $1250, so you will be saving a few hundred dollars. Make your deposit

The Story of the UpCycle Eco-Charger

The UpCycle Eco-Charger makes turning your own bicycle into a human power generator as easy as replacing your back wheel! You can plug it into a normal wall outlet and help power your building.  And, maybe more importantly, when the power goes out, you can charge a 12 volt power pack that can keep your phone and laptop computer going, and even boil water.

The Green Microgym and Plugout Technology were invented by Adam Boesel, a school teacher turned personal trainer who started up his first gym in Portland, Oregon in 2008.

Adam and his gym have been featured by CNN, BBC, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Club Industry and Club Solutions Magazines, Popular Science, and countless green bloggers.

After Hurricane Sandy, he was contacted by the New York City Mayor’s office to explore ways to help people without power for long periods of time to have the ability to at least charge their cell phones.

Adam realized it was time to complete a product he’d been thinking about, but putting off  because it didn’t make sense to have in a gym: A pedal generator that could be used with most bicycles.

Why The Upcycle Eco Charger is Awesome:

SecurityIMG_5988

In a prolonged power outage, you will be able to keep your phone charged, work on a laptop, and boil water without having to put gas in a generator or borrow electricity from someone else.

Smooth Ride

IMG_6032As a personal trainer and gym owner, Adam knows you’ll never use it if it doesn’t come as close as possible to simulating riding your bicycle outdoors. In stark contrast to all other pedal generators on the market, the Upcycle Eco Charger doesn’t have a herky jerky feel caused by the added resistance the generator creates.  Adam has added a custom designed flywheel around the outside of the generator.

Convenience

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By plugging into the wall and sending electricity back to the grid, you don’t have to hassle with a battery, except when it’s needed in an emergency situation.  If your power does go out, it’s as simple as plugging the UpCycle Eco-Charger into the 12 volt cigarette lighter input on a battery pack.

Stability

With its custom bike stand, the UpCycle Eco-Charger is very, very stable. Adam’s 70 year old mother-in-law said it felt completely sturdy and safe when she tried out an early prototype and very easily generated enough watts (30) to power a laptop, or 3 ipads, or 6 smartphones.

Efficiency

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Since the generator is attached to the chain of your bike, the maximum available amount of energy from your legs is transformed into electricity, with the minimum amount of loss compared to other pedal generators (most commonly using the rear bicycle wheel pressing onto the generator) that use other means of connecting to your bike.  By “plugging out” (90% efficient) instead of charging a battery (which loses about 40% efficiency), you are able to generate nearly twice the amount of usable electricity.

Simplicity

With a minimum of parts used, there is less to break down and wear out.

Two Versions Available:

DIY FULL
Super Stable Stand

X

X
Grid Tied Using Plugout Technology X

X
Battery Pack Attachment  X

X
Painted and Sealed

X
Flywheel Added on For Ultra Smooth Ride

X
Watts Being Generated Display  X

Upcycle Eco-Charger vs Other Pedal Generators

Brand Stabilty Connection to Generator Efficiency Grid Tied  
Upcycle Eco-Charger Outstanding Direct from Bike Chain Outstanding Yes, via Plugout Technology

 
Pedal Power Generator Good Wheel presses onto generator OK No

 
MNS Bicycle Generator Kit Not Good Belt and Pulley attached to a bicycle rim with the tire removed OK No

 
Pedal-a-Watt Not Good Wheel presses onto generator Not Good Yes

 
Windstream Power Bike Pedal Generator Not Good Wheel presses onto generator Not Good No

 

The UpCycle Eco-Charger is Coming Soon!

To be notified when the UpCycle Eco-Charger is ready to go, enter your email address: