onionbagblog

Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling project.

The public perception of cycling has come a long way since the days of old men wearing silly tights and bobbles hats - not that there is anything wrong with old men wearing silly tights and bobble hats, as a certain male friend of Keep Colchester Cycling is often keen to testify.

On a local level here in North Essex and the wonderful Transition Town Wivenhoe is tackling the image issue head on. What could be cooler that a Revolutionary Pedal-Powered Cinema?

Wivenhoe locals were treated to this spectacle towards the end of last year, when TTW screened Ghostbusters down by the Quay on Halloween evening, all powered by local folk rotating the pedals. May Fair next month will see a second appearance of the Revolutionary Pedal-Powered Cinema.

Ah, but what is the science behind it all?

Simple - a stationary bicycle that generates enough electricity to power a DVD player and a large projector. The wonder of TTW’s mix of cycling and celluloid is that you can build your very own Revolutionary Pedal-Powered Cinema.

The group is staging a couple of workshops over the next few weeks to show how easy it is to transform pedal power to 100 Watts of electricity. Anyone interested in creating the ultimate in renewable energy is invited along to the Wivenhoe Bookshop Shed on the afternoons of 2nd and 9th April.

The first session will cover the mechanics of building a generator, with the second session looking at how to set up your system in and around the local community. The Colchester Free Festival could certainly benefit.

Courses are free, but booking is requested via a polite email.