U of I doesn't really have a flat landscape. Drivers might not notice because petroleum engine can provide enough energy for converting into potential energy. But bike riders aren't that luck, most of the time they need to break down hill, wasting energy in form of heat. On the uphill ride, rider have no choice but to ride harder.
The question is: Is it possible to store the energy down hill and release it on the up hill?
My plan is to store the energy in form of elastic potential, so the bike will stress the elastic system on bike during the down hill ride and the system will pull the back wheel. Since energy conserve, and the system have internal resistance. It is still needed to step the peddle, but with much less force. So Ideally the rider ride a bike from Sibel to Union and ride back. He/she only provide the energy to overcome resistance, and he/she has no change in potential. Because the height form the starting point to the ending point are same.
The model I'm planing to use is a rubber connecting to a steel core. When is connecting to the wheel, the wheel will turn the steel core with the rubber coiled on. Thus the extra energy can be stored in stead of wasted it on break. On up hill ride it can be release.
The system might not work because the rubble/ spring can only store limited energy. If more is force on them, they will be stress thus no use anymore. And energy have been converted twice, each time the system would lose some because 100% efficiency is impossible. The energy waste might be more compare with the break system. Some advance engineering technique or design might solve this.
Before the elastic system been use on a real bike. A smaller model might be needed to test the idea.
