YouTuber tries to power bicycle from 200‑year‑old heat engine tech

YouTuber and aerospace engineer Tom Stanton documented his two-month project to build a bicycle powered by a Stirling engine, a heat-driven machine first patented in 1816. Stanton began with small-scale experiments demonstrating air expansion and displacement principles before scaling up to a full-size aluminum engine designed to fit within a bicycle frame and produce about 100 to 150 watts—enough to propel the bike at roughly 15 mph on flat terrain. Key design choices included using steel for the hot cap to withstand high temperatures, implementing an internal water-cooling loop instead of a CPU heatsink, and minimizing friction through PTFE piston rings, linear bearings, and belt-driven synchronization of crankshafts. The build process involved troubleshooting significant challenges such as air leaks, friction losses, and over-compression. Stanton iteratively refined the piston ring design, eventually 3D printing flexible TPU rings that improved sealing and pressure retention. He also adjusted crank geometry to better match the engine’s air expansion capabilities. After these modifications