The land managers of U.S. federal, state and local public lands and the citizens that pay their salaries have been engaged in the issue of access for as long as there have been ‘public lands’. The land managers have been tasked with the job of protecting these resources, while the citizens have wanted to use the land for their own agenda. From mining to hunting and from climbing to dirt biking, each of these activities, along with countless others, have some sort of impact on the land. But who is right and who is wrong? That sometimes depends on environmental impact studies; education of both land managers and citizens about the ‘use‘; and frankly, public opinion. “Pedal-Driven: a bikeumentary,” is a new documentary by Howell at the Moon Productions that is making its way around the country looking into one such land access battle and how both sides may seem to be at odds, but are really fighting for the same goal – “the rights of Americans to play in the woods.”.
Additional videos after the jump
Author: Brian O'Connor
Hands On: StemCAPtain Bottle Opener
You and your riding buddies have just finished an all day mountain bike adventure and you are back at the car digging into the cooler to reward yourselves with a tasty beverage. Where’s the bottle opener?!?! There are none on your key chains and no one in the parking lot has one. Sure, you are mountain bikers and nothing is going to keep you from a cold bottle of suds, but slamming the bottle on the side of the guard rail can often lead to a sudsy mess and half of your hard earned beer on the ground. StemCAPtain has come to the rescue with their headset top cap that doubles as a bottle opener.
This past VeloSwap in Denver, we had a chance to chat with Mike Hogan, one of the StemCAPtain owners, who handed us a bottle opener to try. Bikes and beer goes hand and hand, so on the bike this opener went. The installation was just as easy as the StemCAPtain Clock and StepCAPtain Thermometer that we tested earlier this year and the entire install took less than two minutes to put on the bike. Continue reading Hands On: StemCAPtain Bottle Opener
GeoPalz Goes 3D with V2
Motivating and incentivizing children to exercise can be a tough challenge for any parent when it is even a chore for them to do it themselves. While based in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most health conscience cities in the U.S., the founders of GeoPalz are still aware of the challenges that parents face and have responded with a line of pedometers specially geared towards children. More than just a pedometer, the GeoPalz are actually an entire program designed to motivate children through setting goals, tracking activity and offering rewards or prizes for achieving goals. Since 2008, GeoPalz has been growing this program and adding features, but recently they announced an upgrade with their core product – the GeoPalz Pedometer.
At the core of the original GeoPalz is a 2D pendulum, and after setup, the child walks or runs and the number of steps are calculated by how many times the pendulum inside swings back and forth – think of the pendulum on a grandfather clock. This works fine, but the child needs to attach the original GeoPalz to his hip to use. If located in the correct spot on the child’s hip and if the child always moves in a forward motion, the steps are accurately recorded. How many kids do that?
Since the GeoPalz Pedometer was released, which we covered last year, GeoPalz released a second version of the device – aptly designated with a ‘V2’ behind the name of the original GeoPalz. This new version contains a three-axis or 3D accelerometer to more accurately record movement and it allows the GeoPalz V2 to be worn either the child’s hip or shoe. No more “ma, I forgot my GeoPalz at school.”
Video after the jump
Macaw App Can Be the Hub for a Better You
Most of us have heard the old adage, “preventative medicine is the best medicine.” What does that really mean? At the base level it means making smart decisions in our everyday lives. Would William Henry Harrison have been a great president if he had just worn his hat and coat? We’ll never know since he chose to not dress properly for his inaugural address. What can we do to live a healthier life and how do we really evaluate if those little things like taking the stairs really help? U.S. Preventive Medicine, Inc., in collaboration with Qualcomm Life Inc., has launched a new app to help those wanting to live a better life, but just need a little help along the way. The Macaw app is designed as “a complete personal health monitor” and serve as a hub to track the user’s health and fitness.
Made in America: Selle An-Atomica Bike Saddles
While bicycle design has changed over the years, suspending of a piece of leather on a metal frame is one of the oldest forms of a bicycle saddle and still one of the best. The tension of the leather can be made tighter or looser by the turn of a screw, and the use of thick leather creates a ‘saddle’ that can often outlive the rider. Selle An-Atomica of Elkhorn, WI has taken this idea and created a line of bicycle saddles that uses a thick, suspended piece of leather, but cut a slot in the middle to make a ‘anatomic’ version of this classic saddle design.
The Titanico saddles are Selle An-Atomica’s answer to manufacturing a classic saddle yet making sure it fits in with the desires of the modern cyclist by incorporating a cut-out or anatomic design. This cut-out design has caught on in recent years due to its increased comfort level it provides to the rider. As best stated on their website “When you ride, the right and left sides of your pelvis move independently. There’s no reason your saddle shouldn’t move with them. We make the world’s most comfortable bicycle saddle. Period. From the patented slot carved out of watershed leather to the suspended leather design, you’ll feel the difference from day one.” Along with the Titanico saddles allowing the left and right sides of your pelvis to move independently, the slot also provides ventilation for those long days in the saddle and helps reduce sweat build up.
Video after the jump
Wood You Like to Add Style to Your Bike?
The use of wood in the construction of bike components is as old as the ‘safety bicycle’ or what we know of as the modern frame layout. Throughout the years, wood has been pushed aside by chromoly, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber and even bamboo as a preferred component material, but it is not completely gone. Wood is actually starting to reappear in the bicycle industry, though mostly by small component manufacturers looking for a unique niche in the sea of carbon fiber and modern materials. Paul Sykes of Portland, Oregon is one such individual who is bringing wood back to bicycles with his component company, Sykes Wood Fenders.
EzyDog ‘Blazes’ a Trail
Winter might be upon us, but it is still hunting in many parts of the United States. You may live near or enjoy hiking on trails that are close to legal hunting grounds with your four-legged ‘best friend’, and EzyDog wants to help your canine stay safe in the woods. Especially if your dog likes to run off-leash.
Their solution? “Blaze Orange” for your pooch!
Continue reading EzyDog ‘Blazes’ a Trail
Excel Throw Teaches the Proper Way to Throw a Ball
The saying may go “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but Nimura Sports of Granada Hills, CA is betting that they can teach or re-teach baseball and softball players how to throw a ball correctly. The Excel Throw is a simple, yet seemly effective training device that not only properly positions the fingers during the throwing of a ball, but also through its continued use, aids in instilling this proper position by way of ’muscle memory’.
The Excel Throw is a Z-shaped device with two finger holes that the index and middle finger are inserted through before the player even grabs a baseball or softball. Once the fingers are properly positioned, the Excel Throw will only allow the ball to be thrown straight to the intended target. Along with controlling the direction of the ball, this device only allows the player to throw with a certain amount of force – this is a training aid to teach players the proper way to throw, not a device to aid them in throwing the ball faster. When used properly, not only does the Excel Throw allow the ball to be thrown straight, but it also helps break the habit of the wrist twisting left or right upon release of the ball. To aid with this proper position that is being guided through finger placement while using the Excel Throw, there are arrows that are molded in both to give the player a visual cue that they are throwing the ball accurately. Continue reading Excel Throw Teaches the Proper Way to Throw a Ball
Made in America: Strength Squared Power Sleds
Typically sleds are designed to make hauling a heavy load over a set distance a little bit easier. Whether that load is a deer dragged out of the woods by a hunter, a kid’s sled barreling down a hill or Santa’s sled landing on a roof, the goal of moving a body of mass over a surface with ease is the same. But there are a few sleds made with the opposite goal in mind – making the task of moving a body of mass harder. These ‘power sleds’ are used in fitness training to build strength and stamina. Strength Squared, with locations in both Las Vegas, NV and Denver, CO, has only been making power sleds since 2010, but they have made a big splash in the market with an appearance on the NBC show, “The Biggest Loser” earlier this year.
Ride Where the Pros Race
Touring around the U.S. to see all of the MLB stadiums, NFL stadiums or college stadiums is certainly not a new concept. For years people have been making a pilgrimage to these houses of sporting worship, but most do not even get to step on the playing field of their heroes. Cycling is on of those sports that fans can actually ride on the same “playing field” as the pros if they are willing to guide themselves, learn enough of the local language to communicate with the locals and unfortunately battle traffic. Knowing that fans want to ride on the same course as the pros, numerous touring companies have cropped up offering cyclists to opportunity to ride the famous courses of their heroes. Sometimes even on the same day as the pro race, just hours in front of the peleton, and be fully supported with guide services, food and accommodations. Seeing an opportunity of their own to diversify their business, the bike company Cervélo, has teamed up with the touring company, Butterfield & Robinson Management Inc., to create the Cervélo Pro Travel Experience.
3LC’s Spin on Training
Pounding out miles on the bike trainer through the shorter days of winter can be a real motivational challenge especially after a long day at the office. Hooking the bike up to the trainer, strapping on the heart rate monitor, watching the watt meter and simply turning over the pedals can be a real drag. Three Legs Cycling (3LC) has a series of training DVDs utilizing a different and simpler approach to training that promises a more exciting training experience.
The 3LC series DVDs are designed to help you stay fit, become stronger and stay motivated through the winter, but instead of requiring a host a monitoring devices, they have designed the series behind the philosophy of leg speed. Hook the bike up to the trainer, pop in the DVD and ride. The videos will take you through the workout and during certain intervals, instruct you to increase or decrease your leg speed. Even if you do not have a computer with cadence, simply watch the riders on the video and match their leg speed. If you feel good, put the bike in a harder gear and maintain the same cadence as the riders in the video. The beauty of the video is if you are having a lackluster day, simply put the bike in an easier gear, but match the cadence of the riders. It is that simple – always match the cadence.
When Does 8 Plastic Bottles = 1 Pair of Shoes?
What really happens to a plastic bottle that is tossed into the recycling bin? Does it actually get recycled or carted off to the dump? Shoe company New Balance along with Dasani water, owned by Coca-Cola, have now teamed up to show what is possible through reducing, reusing and recycling some of the materials that we use in our everyday lives. This partnership was launched to highlight the sustainability of reusing the plastic from one product and turning it in another product. In this case it was turning the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic that is commonly used in drink bottles into a fabric that can be used in a pair of shoes under the name newSKY.
Made in America: Dirt King USA Tricycles
The day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. officially kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Some of you might have been proactive and have gotten all of your shopping out of the way, but if you are like many, you haven’t even started to even think about it. If you have not started your shopping yet and there is a toddler or even a big kid on your list, you might be interested in checking out the tricycles from Dirt King USA.
Dirt King USA of WaKeeney, KS is a subsidiary of MCM Manufacturing Inc. After being in the agricultural manufacturing business for 13 years and later expanding into the oil field industry, MCM created Dirt King in 1983 after both of those industries softened and the need to diversify was evident. The first Dirt King product was actually a scooter, but was soon followed by a three-wheeler or tricycle.