Road Rower, the Rowing Recumbent Bicycle
By Donald Moore
The Road Rower is a recumbent bicycle powered by a whole-body rowing motion for commuting, exercise, recreation and sport.
Type: Social Impact
About them: I am a retired Aerospace engineer with a lifelong interest in bicycles, health and the environment. During my working life I designed aircraft structures for Cessna, Beech, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas as a member of a large engineering team. Now I have a much smaller project all to myself.
What inspired you or what is the idea that got you started?
I have long been interested in bicycles and their health and environmental benefits. When I read about an experiment that showed that a rider could produce more power through rowing than pedaling (Bicycling Science, 4th ed.) I decided to investigate it myself.
What is your project about and how does it work?
My project is a recumbent bicycle powered by the rider using a rowing motion rather than the usual circular pedaling motion (see YouTube). My latest iteration will be mounted on a stand so faire goers can “ride” it and experience whole-body exercise and a fun ride (when not on the stand) while going places without consuming fossil fuels or polluting the environment.
Reference material to similar projects by others will also be available.
What did you learn by doing this project?
I learned how to design and fabricate composite structures, assemble and adjust bicycle control and propulsion components of my design, test ride the resulting bike and upload videos to the internet. My esearch for this project has added greatly to my knowledge of bicycles and other human-powered vehicles. No, I want to engage with and share with others interested human power.
What impact does your project have on others as well as yourself?
A faster, possibly enclosed, bicycle replacing an automobile for local transportation could benefit the environment, make our cities quitter, our people healthier and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
