My first memorable exposure to the possibilities of pedal power was over ten years ago at Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai. After dodging the attentions of eager head-masseurs, and tripping over a pack of drowsing puppies (it was nighttime), I found myself checking out a rickety, 10-foot tall Ferris wheel powered physically by an intense gentleman pedaling a stationary bicycle to which the whole contraption was hitched. India also afforded me my first experiences with the pedicab, or bicycle rickshaw, as well as human-powered water taxis, and by the time I left, I felt properly impressed by the potential of the pedal.

Happily, pedal-power is no longer a phenomenon reserved for far-flung destinations. Thanks to a variety of factors — rising fuel costs, a more widespread interest in do-it-yourself technology, even fashion concerns — serious attempts to harness the energy produced by a pair of wheels and a well-turned ankle are no longer the anomalous terrain of a few fringe thinkers. Touring national events like the Maker Faire and New Belgium’s Tour de Fat, and local culture extravaganzas such as the Bay Area’s Bicycle Film Fest, Cyclecide Bike Rodeo, and Bicycle Music Festival showcase plenty of pedal-powered projects from the straight-up practical (backup generators, battery chargers), to the playful (glow-in-the-dark bicycle dragons, DJ-quality bicycle turntables). But will pedal-powering your cell phone charger really free you entirely from the fetters of the power grid? Maybe not, but it seems like a move in the right direction.

It’s easy to forget (until it comes time to pay the bills) that everything we plug into a wall socket or power strip is sucking up energy every second. The action of spending an hour on a bicycle in order to juice up a single battery can, at the very least, put our rampant power usage into perspective, and might encourage us to cut back on our energy consumption just by providing a concrete example of how much actual energy it takes to power something as minute as an MP3 player.

Tempted to give pedal power a try? Here’s some links to instructions for building your own human-powered generator. Tune up, turn on, and drop off (the grid)!

Build your own pedal-powered generator

Car alternator bicycle generator

Pedal-a-watt stationary bicycle generator