this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2025
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This is dumb as shit ofc, but it gave me an idea that's probably nearly equally dumb as shit:
Regular bicycle, but with an extra gear that can selectively connect to the chain or wheel or w/e, that's connected to a coil torsion spring on a kind of ratchet release.
Basically you flip the switch when it's a good time to rob some energy like when you're on level ground or going down hill. That energy makes you a tad less efficient (but you don't care cuz it's level or downhill), and uses that energy to wind up the coil torsion spring up until a max amount of torque is stored.
Fast forward a bit: now you're approaching an incline, so you flip the switch the other direction and that torsion spring regurgitates that energy back into forward motion, giving you a nice forward burst when going up a hill.
Not free energy by any stretch, but a strategic use of what you're already spending.
Feel free to explain why this is a horrible idea - I'm about as far from a physicist as it gets.
Dynamo lights work off a similar principle. It extracts energy from pedaling or the wheels spinning to power lights on the bike. You can feel the drag and it's probably about 5w of power. Really not a whole lot. About the same energy you'd save from wearing smooth socks or cleaning the chain for some perspective.
The extra weight required to implement a solution like yours would probably rob the rider of any gains. But in a very theoretical sense it could work if the material weighed an insignificant amount.