BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Stephen Britt, designer of a pair of powered cycle pedals, is calling on the cycle trade to back his idea for the Barclays ‘Take One Small Step competition’.
Britt’s entry is one of three finalists in the competition celebrating innovative business ideas, with £50,000 on offer for the winner to develop the idea.
Britt’s powered cycle pedals are intended to replace standard pedals and provide cyclists with assistance to get up hills or carry heavy loads. Each pedal incorporates a motor, gearbox, Li-po batteries and a control board and as the cyclist pedals the sensors detect the effort and provide assistance. The cyclist can decide not to use the assistance by flipping the pedals over.
The pedals unclip and slot into a charger, power tool-style, to re-energise the battery. When fully developed the pedals are set to provide a ten mile range and a peak power of 200W. Retail price is expected to be £200.
Britt said: “I want more people to make the switch from their cars taking advantage of our power systems for bikes.”
Voting for the prize ends on July 5th. You can read more on the entry and see it in action here.
