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!

Step 1: Parts List

To do this project, you're gonna need to gather a few parts:

• USB keypad that has arrow keys.
• A wired magnetic window or door alarm.
• Soldering equipment
• An exercise bike and a laptop.

Comments

[mrworf]

Why don't you just drive a real bike?

[techboy411]

You are a GENIUS! You are the best in these things.

[GameNox]

It's not really a "hack".

[alltootechnical]

Upload it to Google Demo Slam!

[godofal]

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....

[steve5006]

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

[Light_Lab]

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" {^..^}.

[jlms]

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...

[rabidy]

sometimes you want to take a bike ride but its raining, or too hot. or too cold.

[godofal]

iknow, but what kind of wussies are we? we wont melt XD

[Teaeyeem]

bikes rust

[godofal]

if ur bike rusts, u got a bad bike....

[TheChemiker]

No kidding.

[mason0190]

dude bikes rust all the time.

[TheChemiker]

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.

[mason0190]

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

[scraptopower]

And everyone knows carbon bikes melt in the rain! ;)

[TobaTobias]

Genius!!!

[warengadia]

nice job i have learn about this project

[johnnyblegs]

How to you turn?

[gigafide]

Eitehr just manually press the arrow keys, or you could wire other alarms up to the other arrow keys.

[mason0190]

or add buttons to the handle bars that connect top the left and right keys!

[dodo91]

GENIOUS!! I SHALL DO THAT!

[geoslim13]

I have seen one that has virtual reality goggls hooked to the computer

[Bayfielder]

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.

[mason0190]

or add buttons to the handlebars wired to the left and right keys

[Foaly7]

You could even connect the computer to your tv, but that would probably be more expensive.

[halberdear]

Nope. Aslong as your PC has a good enough graphics card you can use your TV the same way you would use a monitor

[mason0190]

if you have a fancy tv you can even use HDMI from your pc

[kcls]

What happens if you have to turn?

[TheChemiker]

That is what I was thinking.

[mason0190]

add some buttons on the handlebars wired to the left and right buttons?

[mason0190]

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?

[mason0190]

and maybe add some buttons on the handles to turn left and right?

[bumper44]

What brand/model laptop is that. I like it....

[mason0190]

it looks like a MacBook Air

[othar]

simple... and do the job.... mcGyver spirit .... perfect,,, i will do it for my Treadmill

[inchman]

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.

[JonnyDude2008]

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.

[Squirrelfriend]

Purchase a replacement lawnmower wheel and build an arm which holds it in contact with the mat, Attach the magnet to the wheel