It may be a crash, or just seasons of wear, but at some point, every jersey has to be retired. And sometimes you buy a jersey that just doesn’t fit and you start eyeing newer, shapelier jerseys out there. If the latter is the case, DannyShane has a deal for you. Between now and June 15 of this year, DannyShane will take any brand new or gently used cycling jersey as a trade-in when you upgrade to any of the cycling wear company’s jerseys or bibs. For the trade, you’ll receive a $22 trade-in rebate. Continue reading DannyShane Takes it in Trade
Author: Enid Burns
Adidas ClimaCool Ride, Light on Your Feet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vACznSF9Nq8&feature=player_embedded
The shoe of 2011 is lightweight. You’ll see entries from several manufacturers. Adidas brought out its ClimaCool Ride, an 8.9 ounce running shoe. While the loss of a few ounces is something to talk about, the all-around, 360 degree venting is another star feature of the shoe. Continue reading Adidas ClimaCool Ride, Light on Your Feet
Sensors Watch Your Every Move
Post-game for many pro and collegiate teams often involve watching video and analyzing every move. But what if coaches and players could analyze more specific moves. Did an athlete’s foot falter? Did the player put enough force behind a throw? What about follow-through? That’s not always evident on video, but with sensors in clothing video could be supplemented or even replaced with data and possibly even 3D modeling of each play. A company called 24eight, Advanced Technology Innovation, is creating clothing with sensors for just that purpose. Continue reading Sensors Watch Your Every Move
Hands On: Injinji Performance Midweight Toesock
We should call this one a Feet On review. Injinji makes socks with five toes. It’s a little strange at first to have each toe wrapped in sock, but it feels good. I put them on when I had a day of outdoor activity planned and wanted to test them out. It worked out quite well.
The socks are made with a flat-knit weave that eliminates bunching and sagging. The weave, or knit, has loft and stretch so the socks feel almost padded, though not to the point where they’d cause any problems with your feet in their shoes. Each toe is knit seamlessly to eliminate skin-on-skin friction. Lycra in the fabric helps each sock retain its shape and mold to the contours of your foot. Continue reading Hands On: Injinji Performance Midweight Toesock
Run With Ryn Shoes
The rocker shoe craze isn’t going anywhere. Korean company Ryn is among the newer introductions to the American Market. Ho Hyung Lee, who worked at a sneaker factory in Pusan, Korea, developed Ryn footwear. When he had to leave his job for an emergency knee operation, he decided to develop a pair of shoes that would help him recover, and aid others plagued by joint pain and those who want to tone up.
When There’s a Chill in the Air, Hot Pack
Team Saxo Bank-SunGard just approved a wind shell from Sportful that many cyclists can appreciate. The jacket is lightweight and compresses into a pack that fits in the palm of your hand so you can easily tote it along on your ride in case of rain, wind, or chill. The jacket is designed to provide front wind protection, breathability, and a moderate degree of water protection, but in the absolute minimal package. Continue reading When There’s a Chill in the Air, Hot Pack
GU Has a New Brew
The sports nutrition company behind energy gels, GU continues to bring out new ways to deliver electrolytes for those of us who sweat. One of GU’s new products is GU Brew. An electrolyte tablet, GU Brew gets dropped into 16 ounces of water and gives your liquid more energy.
GU Brew is sweetened with stevia leaf extract as instead of sugar or other substance. Stevia is a plant, a natural sweetener said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. The South American natural sweetener is said to have some health benefits, though some find it to have a licorice-like aftertaste. It’s worth a try.
Each tablet is 10 calories, zero fat, one gram of carbohydrates and provides 55 mg of potassium to restore your electrolytes. GU Brew comes in 12-count tubes that cost $6.50. Three flavors include Lemon Lime, Orange and Peach Tea.
Hands On: CamelBak Groove Puts Filtration in the Bottle
Before a ride, run or other outdoor activity, I often fill a bottle or two with water from my filter at home then set out on the road. If I need a refill I either buy a bottle of water, defeating the purpose of bringing bottles, or fill from the tap and don’t always appreciate the taste.
CamelBak has taken its Better Bottle design and added an internal filter to create the Groove. This bottle is made of CamelBak’s BPA-free Tritan plastic, and also available in stainless steel. The Groove uses the CamelBak Big Bite Valve where you bite down on a silicon seal and sip from the straw inside. It doesn’t let water out if the bottle falls or is left on its side. The filter is a cylinder of charchoal that’s placed in the straw. Continue reading Hands On: CamelBak Groove Puts Filtration in the Bottle
Sketchers Enlists After-School All-Stars for Design
Students participating in the national After-School All-Stars after-school program will learn shoe design from Sketchers. The athletic footwear brand will teach classes about the creative process and mechanics of footwear design in a curriculum developed by the Sketchers fitness Group design team. Continue reading Sketchers Enlists After-School All-Stars for Design
Hands On: DZNuts Bald Super Smooth Shaving Cream
Cyclists are known for their smooth legs. But sometimes the same old tools don’t quite cut it. Or should I say the same old tools such as men’s razor and standard shaving cream actually do cut. I won’t share a razor with my husband, but I do make sure he has a women’s razor at the start (and throughout) the season. The women’s razor glides around the muscles, tendons and knees on the legs that can be a danger zone for cuts.
Another tool that needs special selection is shaving cream. You can get away with a can of something foamy, but dznuts bald super smooth shaving cream gives you a much closer, smoother shave. I’ve been using it for a while now and I find that my legs are smooth and I shave a little less often these days. Of course, it’s winter. As the weather gets nicer and I go out for rides I’ll up the frequency of my shaves. Continue reading Hands On: DZNuts Bald Super Smooth Shaving Cream
Hands On: Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream
If you’ve spent any time on the saddle you know that the chamois padding in your shorts, no matter how good, leave a little protection to be desired. While I’m waiting for the cycling season to begin, I had use for chamois cream over the winter.
I spent some time on my spinning bike in the off season, and even a few minutes on the stationary bike can add up to what feels like hours on the trail. I made spinning a little more comfortable with Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream. The cream is made with shea butter, and says it’s a greaseless formula. Continue reading Hands On: Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream
Melting Plastic Concerns
For the past several years we’ve been warned about plastics. Studies and other sources say plastics made with a BPA material can produce chemicals having estrogenic activity (EA) that can leach into foods. A whole industry of BPA-free plastics was created and now thrives, while justified, on our fears.
A new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the U.S. National Instutute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health and Department of Health and Human Services. The study’s objective: “To determine whether commercially available plastic resins and products, including baby bottles and other products advertised as BPA-free, release chemicals having EA.”
The study finds that “Almost all commercially available plastic products we sampled, independent of the type of resin, product, or retail source, leached chemicals having reliably-detectable EA, including those advertised as BPA-free. In some cases, BPA-free products released chemicals having more EA than BPA-containing products.”
Before you go buy a stainless-steel canteen and figure out how to incorporate it into your workout, there are a few facts to make clear. The study, as published, is credited to CZ Yang, SI Yaniger, VC Jordan, and GD Bittner. NPR published an article on the study, which offers a history that George Bittner is a professor of biology at the University of Texas, Austin. Bittner also founded the company, CertiChem, that did the testing for the study. That starts to raise a red flag, but it’s not uncommon for professors to be involved in outside companies that are ancillary to their academic work. So we should be concerned about all plastics again, regardless of whether they contain BPA or are free of the substance.
Wait. The graphic in the NPR story is a photo of two bottles from a company called PlastiPure. The caption says “PlastiPure manufactures water bottles that it says have no estrogenic chemicals.” No other mention of PlastiPure occurs in the story. Two days later a follow-up story on NPR titled “Plastic’s New Frontier: No Scary Chemicals” touts PlastiPure for its efforts in manufacturing plastics that have no EA properties, unlike ALL other plastics. The article mentions “This week, scientists from Plastipure and its sister company, CertiChem, published a study of more than 450 plastic products, including many labeled BPA-free. It found that more than 90 percent released chemicals that mimic estrogen.”
Wait! The company that conducted the study is so closely tied to the company claiming to be the savior of plastics. Both were founded by George Bittner, Ph.D. and share several other executives, as does the contributor list on the study.
While the research is important, its validity is in question here. Independent research should be done before we worry about all those BPA-free plastics. It’s easy to pull 450 plastic products for testing and still purposely avoid some candidates because you know they’ll be free of EA, so that your study can pave the path for your PlastiPure company. It’s also astounding that PlastiPure’s web site makes claims such as “PlastiPure is the first and only company developing plastic materials, processes, and products that are safer both for humans and the environment.”
While the study has to be observed, and now we don’t know which plastics are safe and which are not, there are safer bets than others. Companies do test their products rigorously, which the study tries to negate. Check out our water bottle round-up, and read about the research and development behind Specialized’s Purist bottle made from silicon dioxide.
Challenge: Break the iPhone and/or Case
Griffin Technology is pretty confident in its armored Survivor MilSpec case. It’s already conducted some of its own durability tests and independent testing. But then it deemed that some people might not find that to be enough. The company doesn’t expect you to put your iPhone through the paces, but is looking for ideas on how to test the case.