Buy JuicYcle now

May 2009 - Moving ahead with aluminum tube-form module. Cross-purpose, lightweight, nice. Considering relocating to Oregon.

August 2008 - Acquired a consumer stand for juiceGo demo . Stability, multi-purpose, happy. Heck with re-inventing the wheel! Finished a tubular all-aluminum system prototype. Aerospace version on the horizon. Designing chipper head for composter.

May 2008 - Oh what fun. Pedal'd the JuicYcle Classic on a trailer, pulling a second trailer *with ice chest* to the WholeEarthFaire from hobbit house- with the juiceGo!  Nice reactions .

April 2008 - JuiceGo and JuicYcle Classic are heading to UCDavis for 'the whole earth festival', on invite from the Bike Church. I was at the main stage in the past, memorable weekends, the stage powered by sun... juiceGo now clunky box aluminum subsystem - all 'go' .

Feb 2008 - Going with the metal throne, with bucket seat,  recumbant seat, or wicker upholstry - for the classic, in keeping with 'rugged'.

Jan 2008- Assembling juiceGO 08a - in the spirit of green recycling, cut up a discarded lawn chair for just the parts needed.  102 entries in that Specialized/Google contest - whacky, creative stuff. Lots of rehashing the 'make dc , convert to ac, do something' . Make clean water and distilling water rates high for me... JuicYcle - well, rocks, imho, but not chosen. New aluminum juiceGO module almost done, woulda looked nice on a Globe cruiser. Acquired stainless steel tubing pre-formed with just the right bends from a desk attachment. That's gonna look cool.

Dec 2007- Interviewed by 'Tamara' for an upcoming book 'The Human-Powered Home'- exciting!

Nov 2007- Entered a contest called 'innovate or die' ... mmm. Movie needs editing, and sprucing up. DIY plans are at last presentable and do-able.

Sept 2007- Finalizing mockup 'JuicYcle juiceGo 07b' . Deploying a new alignment system. The stationary 'classic' JuicYcle concept can be home built now, using plans. General handy person skills are all that are required.   Hand-cranked, plain bearing devices don't take unidirection (chain) drive well. The 'steel finger' JuicYcle spreads the load on the entire bearing, as well as displacing (the second) chain subsystem, and introduces an overtorque clutch feature. Finishing touches on mpeg demo of 'quick change' - flour mill to juicer to blender. Battery charger next. Tee shirt and fender sticker next. Small scale production eventually. Hours of fun. Blender is very nice addition. Remove cutting/sneeze guard and voila!   Current unit made with mahogany and oak, and some plywood. Powering of ANY hand-cranked, farm and kitchen accessory possible, including corn husker.

July 2007 - Streamlining and editing a manufacturing process manual. I think a metal grandstand throne is more the style for the 'classic' . I have to keep beefing up the hardwood adaptions.

Feb 2007 - Still mocking up juiceGo - Outdoor garden juicing just around the corner... had a bit of nippi weather this year.. The mission design statement creates a pedal-powered adaptor for blender, wheat grass juicer, grain mill, and (manna/Ezekial4:9 bread extruder) toolsets; for that matter any hand-cranked gizmo; all on a field adaptor, not requiring welding. So far so good. The cool feature: quick tool change outs, and adult-height, hand-reach location. Bring inside if you have room. This green unit is now at Bruces' *see below* My personal use (prototype 02d) has all plexiglas top, 5 pounds of old bike chain threaded thru the big wheel, a steel-spoked secondary wheel, racing cranks, toe straps, as a pedal powered flour mill or wheat-grass juicer: rugged, get-fit reality. A camp equipment outfitter just came out with the tailgate blender. The umbrella is a great addition in the hot Gilroy weather. The nylon secondary makes for quieter action. Padding on the semi-recumbant laid back 'classic' JuicYcle in garden ..soft, cushy jute and fiberfill - up and rolls around like any good wheelbarrow!

Sept 2006 - JuicYcle juiceGo proto 07a launched, but not in time for bike-to-work week. The 'step thru' ('lady') style frame is much easier for all around everything. Giant motorcycle seat on cro-mo seatpost. Kayak trailer doubles as produce ice chest and one wheel as secondary juiceGo aux wheel. I retrieved the bike church JuicYcle Classic proto03c, used twice, under appreciated. *sigh* Moved said unit to Bruce Bundy's backyard. Way appreciated. Saw new insight and improvement; the total part count is way down. Decommissioned skykomish juiceGo.

May 2006 - new JuicYcle juiceGo gizmo premiered at the farmers market at Harry's Growing Cycles bike valet spot - very low key. I can do with a much better seat. I do have a step-thru bike that would be easier to operate.

Jan 2006 - completed a mockup using aluminum box shapes, and a smaller auxiliary wheel. the aluminum juiceGo, with streamlined mounting is ok, but clunky; a three-spd Huffy prototype test bed. Recruiting agents for home and garden event displays; world community event demonstrations. Reallly need a new aluminum bike to showcase this arrangement.

Oct 2005 - this is the Skycomish 'JuicYcle juiceGo ' proto 06a. Rode over to the Specialized offices that sponsored the Morgan Hill leg of the Bonfonte Garden Harvest Ride/Cycling Event. One comment from a well - traveled barbarian there was: " carbon fiber "IT" and "IT" will sell ... ah well the aluminum rendition is coming along... *sigh* Funny - an early CAD effort depicts a one-piece molded 'module' ...

Jan 2003 - Prototype 03a JuicYcle Classic 'wheel barrow'-ed around the bike church santa cruz lot. This niche market will awaken as the world warms to its charms. there's coffee fanatics, tea connoisseurs, and wine snobs; introducing a neat garden tool subset: JuicYcle - fresh garden liquid nourishment with 'little effort' - cool!   Future designs include "your bike" JuicYcle... rollers and a built-in, pop-up for the kitchen. 

August 2003 - I spent a day at a bikefest/Earthday with mention in the booth of National Bicycle Greenway - a bike trails advocacy powerhouse. thx to U Martin! I remember demonstrating an early JuicYcle at a Bike Trip bike-to-work Sunday party in '94. I also demo'd one at Pete Rosens' '98 Creativity Cafe event in San Francisco.

Jan 1999 - the first- and now-missing juiceGo. Built on Austrian (Sears) step-thru, 3 speed with mountain front wheel. seen it?

pict circa 1986

The first inspiration (for juicYcle) was to build a pedal-powered compost chipper thing (ca. 1979). Built a series of 'three-chain' - drive juicer/'pedal shop' and 'corn mill' devices before sleeking the running gear in the current 'classic' juicYcle style. One (of the old versions) is still at the homeless garden near Natural Bridges state park, one at Ocean Extension home. Two of these units would juice and run a power take-off (below, left). This one (above), a 'three-chain' wood lathe/grinder stand in my shed/shop. Pedaling forward translates counterclockwise motion at the business end thru a gear hub trick: anchor the hub shell with 'middle gear' engaged. Turning the input sprocket, the axle now spins in reverse and 3x faster (filed a flat on the hub flanges, spot welded this transfer/reverser hub to a base plate, with 'U' bolts securing to the table - anchoring the mechanisms' reaction). Estimated final spindle speed = 3500 rpm. That is 35 lb of 3/4 inch diameter tractor chain around the flywheel. Additional flywheel mass and balance is added with 3/4 inch bar lengths slipped between the spokes. Whopping torque. Flywheel heart is a Shimano 3-speed coaster brake/gear-hub for quick-stopping safety. The PTO1 chain runs from a 40T sprocket secured to the spokes. The rest is alignment (either axle-end pto2), tensioners, splash shields, and bracing. The buzzing, 'crossing chain' reverser is avoided. I use this device often, mostly for wire-brushing, tube repair buffing, general disk sander grinding.. stuff a bench grider is for.

I have not fielded the chipper - shredder - yet, tho development is progressing. With my experience, a hammer-mill style is ineffecient. The flailing eggbeater would bog with (1") larger branch-like sizes, especially when dried.  A sharp cutter, encouraging freshly green materiel processes might have a chance. Dirt, rocks, metal detritus, etc would be incompatable, tho a clutch/breakaway and some kind of materiel feed system could make this a superb functional sculpture. Work continues.

A 3/8" drill chuck attached to axle (on gearhub axle), dual use drive chain unhitched /// early pedal lathe showing old base layout.

My morning routine .. nice view, eh?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons United States License       

  2008 -wrp