Author: Brian O'Connor

Hands on: ACROS AG-E Hydraulic Shifting

German engineering. For most people, those two words conjure an image of precision and utmost craftsmanship especially in the automotive world. The Germans are known for their attention to detail and quality products, but at a price. This tradition is carried on by A-GE hydraulic shifting system manufactured by ACROS of Germany.

With so much focus on the new electric shifting options from Shimano which are being adapted to mountain bikes, it is easy to overlook this hydraulic option which has actually been available since 2006. We had a chance to take a Storck carbon fiber bike equipped with the AG-E system out on the trails of Bootleg Canyon at the Interbike Outdoor Demo this year.

Continue reading Hands on: ACROS AG-E Hydraulic Shifting

Hands On: Surly Moonlander

The leaves are changing colors and the days are becoming shorter; this means that winter is not too far behind and neither is the prospect of snow. For some cyclists this means hanging up the bikes for the winter and doing the grind at the gym. For those who want to brave the elements, there is another option – the Surly Moonlander.

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Re-Cycling Your Old Bike Gear

Trips for Kids website www.tripsforkids.org (credit: Charles Simpson Photography)

Cleaning out the old bicycle parts bin always seems to start as a simple task, but can often turn into quite a dilemma. What should be kept or pitched? What has value, and what might be worth the hassle of selling on eBay or Craigslist? What has no real monetary value, but is still a functioning part that could have some use? Even for the latter, there may be an option other than the trash can for those parts and bikes that are still good, but not worth the hassle of selling. In a word: donation.

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Made in America: Aero Tech Designs

Descente, Bike Nashbar, Terry Precision, Head and Giant are familiar names in cycling apparel, but a name you may not be familiar with is Aero Tech Designs, Inc. of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. For over 25 years these companies, along with many others, have contracted with Aero Tech Designs to design and manufacture cycling apparel – all happening from their facility in this Pittsburgh suburb.

Founded by Cathy Schnaubelt Rogers, an avid cyclist and former racer herself, Aero Tech Designs prides itself on not only producing cycling apparel in the U.S.A., but also sourcing all of the raw material from domestic suppliers. The 10mm Italian inspired chamois is American made; the fabric is knit domestically in South Carolina; the thread is from American company Efrid of North Carolina – even the paper labels are printed locally in a domestic paper facility. Materials are brought together and assembled in Coraopolis by American workers. The company then sells the goods under the Aero Tech Design name.

(Video after the jump) Continue reading Made in America: Aero Tech Designs

Interbike 2011: SRAM’s pART PROJECT

What might appear to be a waste of perfectly good bike parts, the SRAM pART PROJECT was a challenge given to 50 artists to create something out of 100 brand new components. Their results were on display at this year’s Interbike where they were judged before being shipped to a galley in Chicago to be put on display in October where additional judging will occur. After both exhibitions are complete, all of the pieces will be auctioned off online.

This is not some sort of snooty artist affair with champagne and caviar – this is art with a purpose. After all of the shows and auctioning of the pieces is complete, the proceeds will go to the World Bicycle Relief.  This non-profit organization was created in 2005 by the SRAM Corporation and with additional support from other leaders in the bicycle industry, the World Bicycle Relief helps people in third world countries through the use of bicycles.

Video after the jump

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Interbike 2011: 29ers Worth Riding

With so many manufacturers offering 29er hardtail mountain bikes, it can be difficult to pick one that is right for you. Just as demo days that many companies host around the country for the public, the Interbike OutDoor Demo, that occurs each year before the Interbike tradeshow, allows individuals involved in the bike industry to test the newest and latest rides on the market. Not all manufactures are present, but most of the major players are there alongside the little guys offering a fleet of bikes to ride on the trails of Bootleg Canyon outside of Boulder City, Nevada. Having had a chance to test numerous bikes, 29er hardtails were this writer’s choice to put trough the loops of loose, dry and rocky trails of Bootleg Canyon. Before you lay down your hard earned cash on a hardtail 29er, give any of these bikes a spin. Continue reading Interbike 2011: 29ers Worth Riding

Made in America: DiEM Sportsgear

Name one company that gives away 30-percent of its profits. There aren’t many out that that would dream of such an act, but DiEM Sportsgear is not a normal company. They are a company that was launched earlier this year to supply a non-profit fund with money to achieve its main goal of giving back to the community. The non-profit, David’s Fund, was started by the family members of the young athlete, David Scott Mueller, whose life was cut tragically short in 2009 by a drunk driver in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

DiEM Sportsgear, the name derived from David’s initials, not only is unique with its goal of giving back, but they also pride themselves on making their apparel in the U.S.A. Currently the line only consists of athletic t-shirts for both men and women. Every shirt except for the ‘Basic T’ utilizes fast-dry fabric technology, are tag-less and are 92-percent polyester, 8-percent spandex. All T’s sold by DiEM Sportsgear are made in America.

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Interbike/Health + Fitness Expo 2011: Power Press

Maximum Fitness Gear Inc. has debuted a new low-tech fitness system at the H+FB 2011 show that claims to maximize and strengthen the upper body and increase endurance. The Power Press is an innovative push up board that will help develop your chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps and back muscles by performing a variety of pushups.

The Power Press is approximately the size of a yoga mat with a series of color-coded holes that push up bars lock into when the user wants to work on a particular muscle group. A “Tone and Burn” workout program is included that combines Power Press push ups with calorie-burning cardio, plyometri and abs/core exercises.

If you already incorporate pushups into your workout or want to get started, the Power Press is a very straight forward system to help you maximize your efforts.

Maximum Fitness Gear Official Website

Interbike 2011: The Owl 360 Rear View Camera

There are plenty of cameras out on the market to catch you or your friends in the action, but there is now a camera to try help you from becoming the action courtesy of a car. For years there have been helmet, handle bar and eyewear mounted mirrors that allows cyclists to see the approaching traffic from behind. Another option, soon to be available and debuting at Interbike, is a new rear view camera for cyclists. Continue reading Interbike 2011: The Owl 360 Rear View Camera

Interbike 2011: KVA Stainless Inc. MS2 Tubing

The ultra-light, very strong, MS2/Exogrid tubing in a frame by Dean (Photo: Dean Titanium Bicycles)

“Steel is real.” This is the motto that many cyclists who ride steel frames live by. Steel has a lively feel that aluminum and carbon fiber simply do not have. Titanium has this similar lively feel, but the cost of just the raw material puts it out of reach of most riders. However, being a “man of steel” has its drawbacks, notably that in certain parts of the country steel can also become ‘real’ly rusty if not properly maintained, which makes a new tube set from KVA Stainless Inc. attractive.

What should be a ‘no brainer’ material to be used as a frame tube set, stainless steel has had a checkered past. Those of you who have been around the bike industry for a number of years will remember the Columbus Metax tube set. That too was a stainless steel tube set that was used by a number of frame builders including the now defunct Rhygin. The problem with the Rhygins is that they were plagued with a cracking problem… not something that you want to be known for in the frame building business. On the other end of the spectrum is the Reynolds 953 stainless steel tube set. This tube set is still being used today by prestigious builders including Waterford and Independent Fabrications. Continue reading Interbike 2011: KVA Stainless Inc. MS2 Tubing

Interbike 2011: MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland

The U.S. bicycle lube market has a number of well known brands – White Lightning, Tri-Flow and Pedros just to name a few have been around for years, but there is another player in the market that has a fairly deep line of products to offer cyclists. MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland is showcasing their extensive line of cycling lubricants, greases, cleaners, fork oils and brake fluids at Interbike this year.

MOTOREX is the largest independent oil refinery in Switzerland and have developed a line of cycling related products that are being marketed throughout the world. Their products are so well thought of that they are used by many factory cycling teams throughout the world including BMC who recently competed in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and helped place Cadel Evans on the top of the podium at the 2011 Tour de France. Continue reading Interbike 2011: MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland

Interbike 2011: MACPI spa

httpv://youtu.be/vzsOf5oRD1o

What might be better reserved for a segment on the Science Channel’s show How It’s Made, MACPI spa is an Italian industrial machinery company that produces the equipment used by appeal companies to make your favorite athletic clothing. You may never even see any of their equipment in person, but you probably have a garment that has been assembled using one of their machines. Continue reading Interbike 2011: MACPI spa

An “Open” Solution to Measuring Your Heart Rate?

The idea of measuring a person’s heart rate using an optical pulse sensor is certainly not a new concept. Shine a light source through a fingertip or an ear lobe and the light either bounces back to the light sensor or it is absorbed by the blood. The number of times that the light is bounced back is the sensor is the number of time that your heart is beating or your pulse rate. It is pretty simple, so why are we still using heart rate monitors with straps that wrap around our torsos? Why can’t the average athlete clip on an optical sensor to an ear lobe, have their heart rate taken using an optical sensor and have that information transmitted (maybe via BlueTooth) to a recording devise with a digital display? That may all change with a new open-source optical heart-rate pulse sensor from two Physical Computing professors at the Parsons the New School for Design.

Yury Gitman and Joel Murphy have recently achieved, and far exceeded, their fund raising goal of $3000 using KickStarter.com to mass produce their new optical heart-rate pulse sensor, the Pulse Sensor. The new Pulse Sensor, along with the processing software, plugs right into another open-source item – the Arduino  platform. Their new sensor is currently being marketed to students, artists, athletes, developers or anyone else looking to develop a device to record a heart rate.

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