3 Simple Ways to
Share What You Make

With Instructables you can share what you make with the world — and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.

PhotosPhotos

Share one or more photos of a project, recipe, or whatever you've made, quickly and easily.

Step by StepStep-By-Step

Share your step-by-step photos with text instructions of what you made so others can do it too!

VideoVideo

Share your how-to video. You'll need your embed code from a video site such as YouTube.

Google Maps + Exercise Bike = Virtual Bike Ride

Google Maps + Exercise Bike = Virtual Bike Ride
Hook up your exercise bike to Google Maps and turn your boring stationary bike into a virtual reality excursion!


 
Remove these adsRemove these ads by Signing Up
 

Step 1Parts List

Parts List
To do this project, you're gonna need to gather a few parts:
« Previous StepDownload PDFView All StepsNext Step »
68 comments
1-40 of 68next »
Dec 29, 2011. 7:11 AMtechboy411 says:
You are a GENIUS! You are the best in these things.
Dec 26, 2010. 7:39 PMGameNox says:
It's not really a "hack".
Nov 19, 2010. 3:05 AMmust invent says:
Upload it to Google Demo Slam!
Jun 26, 2010. 2:04 AMgodofal says:
hmm, im stunned by how people always find new way's to to exactly the same as before! what improvement is there, compared to just grabbing your bike and go out for real? you actually see alot less!! nice idea, and instructable, its just that i think that's a bit odd....
Oct 30, 2010. 11:17 AMsteve5006 says:
Things like this are very useful in places such as Canada where the biking season is only about 4 months long on a good year
Jul 2, 2010. 6:18 PMLight_Lab says:
Last time I went out in the real world on my bike a pack of teenagers in a car had target practice driving past and spitting on me. Anyway I would rather ride a virtual bike around the Grand Canyon or along the streets of Tokyo than around my suburban block for real. Another thing, In my current condition, I think it would be easier for the ambulance driver to find my body at home rather than a nondescript "somewhere around the block" {^..^}.
Jul 1, 2010. 11:00 PMjlms says:
You don't live in London (or any other big town with poor cycling infrastructure) where it is impractical to just grab your bike and go out.... And clearly you live in a tropical country where snow is not an issue...
Jun 26, 2010. 6:28 PMrabidy says:
sometimes you want to take a bike ride but its raining, or too hot. or too cold.
Jun 29, 2010. 12:18 AMgodofal says:
iknow, but what kind of wussies are we? we wont melt XD
Jun 29, 2010. 8:42 PMTeaeyeem says:
bikes rust
Jul 1, 2010. 3:57 AMgodofal says:
if ur bike rusts, u got a bad bike....
Jul 1, 2010. 4:34 PMTheChemiker says:
No kidding.
Jul 16, 2010. 7:31 PMmason0190 says:
dude bikes rust all the time.
Jul 17, 2010. 10:36 AMTheChemiker says:
Only cheap ones rust quickly, and if you take care of your bike, it won't rust. I've taken my bike on many rides in the rain, I just bring it inside afterwards and it never rusts. Bikes only rust if you let them sit outside 24/7.
Jul 18, 2010. 10:01 AMmason0190 says:
when you have a garage full of $#!7, a tarp over the bike doesnt work, just leave it out. i have a leaky garage too
Jul 1, 2010. 1:15 AMscraptopower says:
And everyone knows carbon bikes melt in the rain! ;)
Sep 25, 2010. 7:26 PMTobaTobias says:
Genius!!!
Aug 25, 2010. 3:07 AMwarengadia says:
nice job i have learn about this project
Jun 24, 2010. 6:26 PMjohnnyblegs says:
How to you turn?
Jul 18, 2010. 10:04 AMmason0190 says:
or add buttons to the handle bars that connect top the left and right keys!
Aug 24, 2010. 1:05 PMdodo91 says:
GENIOUS!! I SHALL DO THAT!
Aug 18, 2010. 7:52 AMgeoslim13 says:
I have seen one that has virtual reality goggls hooked to the computer
Jun 26, 2010. 1:46 PMBayfielder says:
Very ingenious! I love the simplicity of it. I feel very bad bringing this up now, but how do you steer this thing? I hate having to stop every once in a while to drop the little man in a new spot. I'm going to monkey around the keypad, maybe wiring an old joystick to it will work. I'm just not that familiar with the google controls.
Jul 18, 2010. 10:03 AMmason0190 says:
or add buttons to the handlebars wired to the left and right keys
Jun 25, 2010. 7:55 AMFoaly7 says:
You could even connect the computer to your tv, but that would probably be more expensive.
Jun 26, 2010. 5:35 PMhalberdear says:
Nope. Aslong as your PC has a good enough graphics card you can use your TV the same way you would use a monitor
Jul 18, 2010. 10:02 AMmason0190 says:
if you have a fancy tv you can even use HDMI from your pc
Jul 1, 2010. 6:25 AMkcls says:
What happens if you have to turn?
Jul 1, 2010. 4:33 PMTheChemiker says:
That is what I was thinking.
Jul 18, 2010. 10:02 AMmason0190 says:
add some buttons on the handlebars wired to the left and right buttons?
Jul 16, 2010. 7:32 PMmason0190 says:
G GE GEN GENI GENIO GENIOU GENIOUS GENIOU GENIO GENI GEN GE G .. now where can i pick up one of those alarms? TrueValue® maybe?
Jul 18, 2010. 9:59 AMmason0190 says:
and maybe add some buttons on the handles to turn left and right?
Jul 9, 2010. 10:09 PMbumper44 says:
What brand/model laptop is that. I like it....
Jul 16, 2010. 7:30 PMmason0190 says:
it looks like a MacBook Air
Jun 28, 2010. 9:03 AMothar says:
simple... and do the job.... mcGyver spirit .... perfect,,, i will do it for my Treadmill
Jul 1, 2010. 8:03 AMinchman says:
I am trying to figure out the best way to do this on a treadmill. (I will make and 'ible if I figure it out.) My concerns are... 1-How to keep a piece of metal attached to the rubber mat without compromising the mat. 2-The refresh rate of the Google maps it takes upwards of 4 seconds to refresh the image on google maps, yet my belt passes the but the belt takes 1.1 second (at 7 mph) on the treadmill to rotate. So I would need to figure out how to "gear down" the signal or how to get it only to close the contact on ever 4th (or more) rotation.
Jul 16, 2010. 11:49 AMJonnyDude2008 says:
1) Attach magnet to your shoe. 2) Attach the receiver part to the right/left (depending which shoe you placed the magnet on) of the rotating mat. This way whenever you take a step the switch will be triggered.
Jul 5, 2010. 10:14 AMSquirrelfriend says:
Purchase a replacement lawnmower wheel and build an arm which holds it in contact with the mat, Attach the magnet to the wheel
Jul 2, 2010. 6:50 PMLight_Lab says:
Use a piece of the flexible rubber magnet from a refrigerator door seal stuck on with contact glue designed for rubber. Set the Keyboard repeat properties in windows to a Long Delay and Slow repeat. You will be running in slow motion on the screen put you can pretend you are really an Inchman with legs 1/4 scale {^..^}.
1-40 of 68next »

Pro

Get More Out of Instructables

Already have an Account?

close

All Steps Viewing
View all steps of an Instructable on the same page when you're a Pro Member.

Upgrade to Pro today!
77
Followers
19
Author:gigafide