Published: July 18, 2009 12:05 am      

Inventing a career: ‘Music bike’ is latest creation of Hornerstown teen

One of the definitions of an inventor in Webster’s Dictionary is one that conceives by creative imagination. Another, says Webster’s, is one that creates a new process.

Daniel Shalom qualifies under both.

Shalom, who is 17, will be a junior at Greater Johnstown High School when classes resume. He is a resident of Johnstown’s Hornerstown section.

Last month he transformed a regular two-wheeled bicycle into what he termed a “music bike.”

He did so by installing wiring and speakers inside the bicycle’s frame and hooking them to a 9-volt battery. Two amplifiers were added to boost the sound level.

“You can go over bumps and the system still plays OK,” Shalom said.

The entire process took about three months to complete.

Shalom is using an MP3 player as the sound source. He said a tape player or a CD player also can be used.

Asked what propelled him to modify his bicycle, he said he wanted to create something different and noted that he is comfortable working with wiring.

He said the modifications cost him a total of $30.

He has made the same modifications to bikes owned by two of his friends, he said.

He did not charge a fee, he noted.

Shalom said he has been attempting to create unique and different things since he was in fifth grade at East Side Elementary School.

One of his first endeavors was an attempt to create a remote-controlled boat, using popsicle sticks as a frame. His goal was to have it move straight ahead, but the most he could accomplish was having it go in a circle, powered by a small generator.

He and several friends created a go-cart, powering it with two lawn-mower engines. It crashed when they attempted to operate it.

Then he and another friend decided to create a helicopter out of a home fan. They took the blades off of the fan and made a frame in the shape of a helicopter from light wood.

“The engine wound up, but it wouldn’t fly,” Shalom said smiling.

He then installed speakers inside a remote-controlled car and managed to have music emanate from that car.

Now, he said remote-controlled cars that play music can be bought in stores.

On the advice of his mother and two older brothers and a sister along with Greater Johnstown High School baseball coach Dee Dee Osborne, he said he has begun to consider how he can benefit from his creations.

While in 10th grade, he took a marketing class to become familiar with “the ins and outs” of getting things on the market.

He has turned his attention to creating a “movie bike,” he said.

Shalom said this will involve fitting a regular bicycle with a portable DVD player that will allow him to watch movies from his bike.

“But only when I’m not riding it,” he emphasized.

Shalom said he plans to continue his inventive processes.

“I feel that one day I’ll make something that will be a complete hit and that it will be something I can put on the market,” he said.

Osborne has no doubt that Shalom will achieve his goal.

“He’s a success story,” Osborne said. “He’s an Einstein in the making.”

Shalom is a member of the track team at Greater Johnstown High. His primary events are the 100-yard dash, 200-yard dash and the javelin.

He’s the son of Lillian Williams, with whom he resides.