Stationary Bicycling to charge batteries

[keightley]

Okay.... I admit.  I am just beginning on this journey and I am totally naive when it comes to this stuff.  I suspect that I will get a full education once I have my van sitting in the parking spot outside my apartment and I begin the conversion process.  Until then, one step at a time.  That said I am just sitting here re-watching a favorite TV show and my mind began to wonder towards power, electricity, and my future van.  My line of thinking went along the lines of this.  

"I really should be on my bike riding while I watch this instead of just sitting here.  Oh well... tomorrow I will do that.  Hey... when I living in my van I wonder if I can charge my batteries while I am just hanging out enjoying a good sunset.  Maybe it is even possible to power a tv and charge batteries at the same time.... huh.  Now that is something to research.  I wonder what the people on the web board would say."

I know that it will most likely be way less efficient than solar power but hey... I have to do something when I am bored.  Might as well improve my health and power my home, right?

So hence my post.  So is it possible?  If so, how can I in a nutshell?  I don't need deep details right now.  Just a general overview would be most appreciated.

Keightley

 

[jonsun]

You prolly could power a small tv with a bike....the problem is how much drag will be put on the peddles to make any significant charge. A bit more than you probably think.

 

[John61CT]

Olympic athlete powering a toaster.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

The current holder of the Hour Record for bicyclists, [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ondrej Sosenka, generated ~ 450 watts. [size=medium][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] A Tour de France rider can generate ~ 500 watts in short bursts. [/font] An average cyclist generates 100 - 200 watts. [/size]On a stationary bike you are going to sweat a lot.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] -- Spiff[/font]

 

[sushidog]

Along the same lines of alternate power sources to charge one's batteries that is often overlooked is wind power. It's perfect complement to solar in that it works at night and cloudy days when solar is not available.

There's an article on it here: http://www.cheaprvliving.com/installing-wind-generator/

On the down side they are noisy and dangerous to birds - a definite no-no if you have a pet bird like I do.

Here's another example of one on class B. http://roadtreking.com/experiment-portable-wind-turbine/

And another example of a tiny one on a truck camper to give you ideas if you would like to install one yourself. http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/new-product-free-spirit-energy-wind-generators

Chip

 

[MrNoodly]

...wind power...On the down side they are noisy and dangerous to birds...

Another problem is having ENOUGH wind. Usually, you need annoyingly strong wind, not just a refreshingly brisk one. Unless you're in a place where the wind howls all the time, a wind turbine will probably generate sufficient energy less often than solar. And how much electricity would one need to generate in order to recoup the cost of the turbine? 

With that strong wind you need a way to securely anchor the mast. You don't want you $500+ wind turbine crashing to the ground. 
r
And they take up space. A wind turbine that could generate a useable amount of electricity is about the size of your leg. Then there's 15 to 20 feet of mast, the guy-wires and stakes, the electric cable... 

These are reasons I decided wind power isn't feasible for me.