Hasta La Ideas

Bicycles are all the rage these days; Interbike notwithstanding, we’ve seen several concepts lately, from the FLIZ to the CERV (and most recently the unacronymous Bicymple), each an attempt to evolve beyond the traditional diamond frame.

Yet the pedal-powered drivetrain is as tried-and-true as they come, and a Guatemalan (via Canada) nonprof has demonstrated its efficiency and versatility time and again. It’s not quite as quintessentially lo-fi as Liter of Light, but Maya Pedal‘s remarkable upcycling project is a veritable post-industrial revolution for rural Guatemalans… and potentially for underdeveloped communities the world over. The San Andrés Itzapa-based NGO accepts donated bicycles from the US and Canada, which are either refurbished and sold or, more interestingly, converted into “Bicimaquinas” (pedal-powered machines).

Pedal power can be harnessed for countless applications which would otherwise require electricity (which may not be available) or hand power (which is far more effort). Bicimaquinas are easy and enjoyable to use. They can be built using locally available materials and can be easily adapted to suit the needs of local people. They free the user from rising energy costs, can be used anywhere, are easy to maintain, produce no pollution and provide healthy exercise.

The Bicimolino pedal-powered mill/grinder

In short, Maya Pedal turns scrap bicycle parts into all variety of human-powered municipal machinery: “water pumps, grinders, threshers, tile makers, nut shellers, blenders (for making soaps and shampoos as well as food products), trikes, trailers and more.”

(more…)