Bicis para todas (Bikes for everybody, in Spanish) is a project which aims at making life easier to people who can not afford to buy a bicycle. It is developed by bikeaholics from the Valencia area with the goal of making a better world. They accept bikes from donations no matter in which condition and, as expertise in bicycle mechanics, they fix them. After that, they give bikes to people (one per person) who appreciate the present in order to use it for going to work, looking for a job, using the bike to deliver things or gifting it to his/her child. Several groups in urban biking as well as workshops and bike stores collaborate in this project. Regarding the time they spend fixing bikes, the two more important groups are Soterranya from Torrent (a city close to Valencia) and Tándem (which is located at the capital of the Valencian Community). Tándem helps people at risk of social exclusion and show them how to earn a living, whereas Soterranya focuses on minorities with the same target. For instance, Soterranya teaches subjects to children with difficulties at school and manages a library. Both groups constitute the spirit of this project which has made it possible to cheer up more than 500 people as the local government expressed thank to them last September. Good for them!
Category Archives: Well done!
$2 Bills to Advocate for Cycling
How many bicycles take up a car park?
Let’s consider a standard car park, just one of the usually seen in every city. Let’s take into account conventional bikes instead of monster or folding bikes. Sum up inverted U bike racks. And finally, let’s think about putting them perpendicular to the direction a car is parked. As a result of all them, the impressive figure of ten bicycles can be parked in the same surface one car needs to be parked, not considering a two or three floors bike rack, and do considering there is enough space to park and lock each bicycle. If you add a nice, colorful frame, you get this picture:
Yes, there are plenty of cars in Copenhagen!
A solar bike
Riding a bike is considered as environmentally efficient because energy is produced by the pedals movement. If an electric bicycle is used, then part of it is provided by a normally external battery in order to reduce the effort that cyclists make. Going a step further, the solar bikes highlight since the solar light propels them. But how can I build a solar bike?
There are several ways of doing it. For instance, the solar bike based on a bicycle trailer. Here you need:
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The proper trailer
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At least one solar panel
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One external battery
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One electrical transformer
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Wires
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Of course, a bike
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Gadgets
In a few words, the electrical installation starts with the solar panel which collects energy from the sun and a wire brings it to the battery. The battery stocks up the energy. Next, energy from the battery goes through another wire to the electrical transformer. The electrical transformer allows to use it. At the exit of this gadget the third wire allows electricity to reach the gadgets we want. It is advisable to secure all the elements with bridles or a horizontal surface like the picture. Also, take into account the extra weight of the whole installation.
By the way, if want to know what is the Zima project, check this web: https://www.zimaproject.org/en/home/

