Author: Brian O'Connor

Made in America: Paragon Machine Works

Paragon Machine Works is a name that may not be familiar to you, but one of their products might be right in your garage. Machined from aluminum, steel, stainless steel and titanium, Paragon Machine Works manufactures and stocks precision made components for bicycle frame builders. They stock the largest variety of titanium bicycle frame building components in the world, plus they offer design development and high volume manufacturing capabilities allowing them to offer competitive pricing.

Founded in 1983 by Mark Norstad, Paragon Machine Works had its humble beginnings in the Marin County basement of his parent’s house with just a lathe and mill. From that basement, Paragon Machine Works has grown into a 6,000 square foot operation in Richmond, California, employing ten full and part-time employees. Continue reading Made in America: Paragon Machine Works

PVC-’free’dom While Kayaking

Most outdoor enthusiasts are knowledgeable and sensitive to the impact that plastics can have on the environment. There are a growing number of consumers and retailers that want to see products that are kinder or at least more benign to Mother Mature. This comes down to a reduction of key plastics and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is one of those materials on the hit list.

While PVC is still used in many applications, Innova Kayak of Burlington, Washington is starting to release PVC-free inflatable products.

These include the Swing I and Swing II, which are designed to meet the PVC-free standards that progressive dealers and consumers demand, while still offering the performance benefits of a decked boat.

The result is one that weighs less than half that of many comparable hard shell boats; where the 10-foot, 6-inch Swing I tips the scales at 22 pounds and the 13-foot Swing II, a double, is 26 pounds. Continue reading PVC-’free’dom While Kayaking

Keeping the Creepy Crawlies at Bay

After a long hike or day on the bike making it to your campsite, the last thing you want to do is fight off the bugs while relaxing. Dousing yourself in ‘deet’ is a solution, but there is a family owned company in Tucson, Arizona who has come up with a different solution. The Hammock Bliss company has recently announced a new product to keep the bugs at bay while relaxing in your hammock – the Sky Tent.

The new Sky Tent, is as the name implies, a tent that is elevated off of the ground, and turns a properly sized hammock into a cocoon protecting you from bugs while providing room for your gear and sheltering you from the rain. The netting used in the Sky Tent has 2,100 holes per square inch which keeps the smallest of bugs out along, while reducing “the chilling effect of the wind.” The coated rain fly is constructed of oversized 75 denier polyurethane providing complete protection from the rain for your hammock and your gear.

Along with the bug screen and rain fly, the Sky Tent, which is available for $119.95 in blue or black, includes and attached waterproof stuff sack for storage and easy access to your “sky space” with YKK double pull zippers. 80-inches of 6mm climbing rope per side to is included to hang the Sky Tent and 100-inches of cord at four corners secures rain fly to the ground.

The Sky Tent is measures in inches 138x73x43 and weighs only 45 ounces. You will need to supply your own hammock which Hammock Bliss, as you probably guessed, also sells and can be ordered online at the same time the Sky Tent is ordered directly from them. If you love the freedom of hanging on a hammock, let the Sky Tent keep you from bugging out of your next hiking trip!

Hammock Bliss Official Website

The FDA to Regulate Apps

If you have a pulse and are familiar with Apple’s iPhone, you’ve heard the slogan “there’s an app for that.” With the number of apps exceeding 350,000 for just the iPhone and iPod Touch iOS platform, and ten of thousands of apps for the Android, BlackBerry and other smartphones, there are countless medical apps available. And just like Apple’s well known modern slogan, there is also another phase which is much older, scientia potentia est or “knowledge is power” – this is the phase that worries the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is now proposing guidelines to regulate a small number of medical apps and oversee those that they deem could be dangerous to the general public if the information presented is wrong. All of these apps are medical related and will only be regulated if the information presented could put an individual at risk if the apps does not work as intended.

The policy advisor to the FDA, Bakul Patel, states that some of the apps have a simple goal of helping consumers manage their own health and wellness, for example the National Institutes of Health’s LactMed app, which gives nursing mothers information about the effects of medicines on breast milk and nursing infants. While there are other apps help health care providers improve and facilitate patient care – the Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM) app gives health care providers guidance on diagnosing and treating radiation injuries. Continue reading The FDA to Regulate Apps

Safety First! Product Recalls by the CPSC

Occasionally we highlight product recalls from manufacturers due to defects in design or incorrect material specifications that can lead to injury or death. Often these recalls circulate around the internet for a while and the end user of the defective item might never find out about the deficiency in the product until it is too late. A manufacturer does not have to wait to be notified by the government agency in charge of overseeing consumer safety with regards to a defective products and can imitated a recall on their own; but they always partner with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) during the recall.

The CPSC has one purpose – for over 30 years they have been “protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.” This is a fairly simple mission, but it can be difficult to get the word out about a defective product especially if the number of items that were manufactured is small. For example, one recall that was just announced was from C.O. Lynch was only for 5,200 units sold as Itasca Fusion Hiker boots  by Big 5 Sports from March 2011 and June 2011. This is a small window of time and a small number of units – this certainly will not make the evening news.

As with a lot of things in life, you have to seek out the information it will not magically appear for you. The CPSC does make searching and reporting of defective products easier for consumers. For about five months now, the website SaferProducts.gov has been up and running providing consumers with a searchable database of all products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC. Continue reading Safety First! Product Recalls by the CPSC

Golf is Rad? Really!

‘Golf’ and ‘rad’ are two words that I would never imagine being used in the same statement. Though there are plenty of young players on the course, golf still conjures up images of Ted Knight and the pompous golfer he played in Caddy Shack. The golf ball manufacturer, PunkRockz, has made it their mission to change the way golf is viewed.

Even the company notes that “golf is rad,” and asks, “so why does it have to be so serious and stiff.” We agree, that golf should be about relaxing and having fun, which is why we like what PunkRockz has to offer in the way of innovative and yet entertaining golf products.

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, PunkRockz is a company comprised of skaters, surfers and snowboarders who also love to play golf. Their products are inspired by music, art, fashion and action sports; and this ‘attitude’ is reflected in their marketing and current golf ball, ‘The Skull‘. Continue reading Golf is Rad? Really!

Fitness Journal: Fix it, Don’t Trash it

When did we become such a throwaway society? For most people, once a cell phone, computer, appliance or even a bicycle frame breaks, they are just chuck it into the trash instead of taking the time to fix the item. For many products it remains cheaper to buy a new one than it is to try to repair the broken one. This fact is especially true with electronics, but bike frames are a bit different. Depending on the type of break and material, a frame can be repaired and often for a fraction of the cost of a new frame – even carbon fiber.

Over the years, we’ve come across a number of companies that either offer the service of frame repair as their only business, while some frame builders offer the service on the side.

We’ve combined a list of a few companies that will let you fix it instead of trashing it:

Continue reading Fitness Journal: Fix it, Don’t Trash it

GORE RideOn Cable System Goes on a Diet

W.L. Gore & Associates, the makers of GORE-TEX, have recently announced a lighter version of their RideOn cable system. With the upcoming release of the Gore RideOn Ultralight Sealed Shift Cable System, cyclists will enjoy  a 42 percent reduction in housing weight and shifting friction reduced by 20 percent. Along with the diet, the new RideOn cable system will feature 100 percent non-ferrous housing (no rusty housing); improved flexibity to aid in cable routing; full length, lubricated housing; and a new GRUB seal which is designed to be more compatible with new derailleurs.

The original RideOn Cable System was introduced back in 1993, and even though it was expensive, became a favorite for mountain bikers. I personally used RideOn cables in the mid-90’s when racing in the mud and muck of the East Coast, but to squeeze our meager racing budget, we only used it with the rear derailleur. We saved the cable and casing that was intended for the front derailleur for use later in the season with the rear derailleur. Gore stopped producing the RideOn Cable System  in 2003, but resumed after relentless requests from cyclists.

Continue reading GORE RideOn Cable System Goes on a Diet

Made in America: Kontrol Wheels

Skateboarding was born in America, but the sad truth (at least for purists) is that many of the parts are now made overseas. Fortunately there are still a few companies out there that are producing products to let boarders grind it and show some American made pride.

Based in San Diego, California, Kontrol Wheels is still producing skateboard wheels in America. The company was founded by Dan Eager in 2004, after he and few other engineers came up with a new technology to mold urethane wheels.

This new urethane-molding process not only eliminated much of the physical labor, but also created a superior skateboard wheel. It even reduced the amount of waste that came with conventional manufacturing.

Video after the jump

Continue reading Made in America: Kontrol Wheels

Road Bike Grips Heat Up!

For years motorcyclists or snowmobile riders have had the option of heated grips to warm their hands during times of colder weather. If your hands get too cold, the ability to control your ride can be made much more difficult and become dangerous. Coming this September, A’ME Grips is introducing their new Heated Road Bike Wrap for cyclists. This unique product will be a nice cold weather option for road cyclists, cyclocross riders and bike commuters; and provide a comfortable hand temperature to improve blood flow reducing fatigue and maximizes dexterity and performance. Continue reading Road Bike Grips Heat Up!

Leadville Trail 100 Sponsor Product Highlights

This past Saturday was the 18th running of the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike race in Leadville, Colorado and the 6th time that I have partaken in the race. This event has really grown in popularity and size during the past few years due to the highest level of professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer showing up to compete. Along with the professional racers, larger corporate sponsors are becoming involved with this race and the whole Leadville race series, especially after Life Time Fitness took over the reins from Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin. As a racer, we have to be up in Leadville early on Friday for our medical check in which gave me a few hours to walk around and chat with the sponsors. Here are some interesting products from a few of the Leadville Trail 100 MTB sponsors.

Continue reading Leadville Trail 100 Sponsor Product Highlights

USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Spectator Information for Stage 2 – Buena Vista to Aspen

Top of the last climb of Stage 2 - Independence Pass

The second half of Stage 2 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is not going to be any easier to get around and watch than the first half from Gunnison to Buena Vista, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying.

Not only will you get to see some great cycling in action, you’ll be treated to some of the most scenic beauty that ‘Colorful Colorado’ has to offer.

After riding this stage (The Riding of Stage 2 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Part 2: Buena Vista to Aspen), we agree that a much better viewing experience is to be had by selecting a spot and soaking in the action. The following are our thoughts regarding spectating of this stage for the portion after Twin Lakes.

Continue reading USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Spectator Information for Stage 2 – Buena Vista to Aspen

Does WingFlyer give you wings?

It seems nearly everyday a new fitness or sports product comes around with a campaign promoting how much fun, revolutionary or weight you will loose once you buy the product. Some are outright scams, some are fads that are short lived, a few have actual staying power as a new sport, and some turn out to be similar to an existing sport, but eclipse it using new technology. When is the last time you have seen someone on roller skates going down the street? More than likely though you have recently seen an inline skater. This past July, the WingFlyer made its debut. Part scooter, part bike and part stair stepper, the new WingFlyer is promising a fun experience, easy to use and a good workout all in one package. The WingFlyer is very easy to use. Simply place one foot on the lowest pedal, push off the ground once or twice with the other foot, and begin to pedal. The faster you pedal, the smoother your flight! Gently squeeze the right hand control to active your brakes when needed. The WingFlyer is not only a good workout, it’s a fun workout which means you’ll do it more often! You’ll quickly feel the work in your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, and the cardio will certainly make you sweat! Continue reading Does WingFlyer give you wings?