Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center began a mobile program that allows skiers to pay for room, refreshments and services, plus find out about deals in the Breckenridge, Colorado ski resort. Register for the service with a text to “BEAVERRUN” (466-622), and you’ll find out about deals on the slopes, and be entered to win a two-night stay plus two one-day lift tickets at the resort. As with other loyalty programs, participating skiers will earn perks in the resort and in the town. You can also use the program, provided by Mocapay, to send mobile-to-mobile gifting , pay for hotels and restaurant services. This offers the convenience of using one device, your phone, to pay in addition to staying in contact with friends and having access to online information if you’re phone is Web-enabled without having to bring a wallet with bills and plastic on the slopes with you. Don’t you have enough to worry about with your skis and other equipment?
Author: Enid Burns
Prepping for Those Winter Rides
Winter arrives sooner in some areas. In Minnesota, there’s already a slushy blanket of snow on the ground and temperatures to match. Scott Thayer, GM at Civia, Cycles discussed his morning commute during his morning commute and details gear that’s helpful to make the cold more endurable in those winter months.
via [EcoVelo blog]
Sizing and the Art of Buying a Bicycle
It all comes down to geometry. A bike frame is essentially two triangles. Both the angle and length of each side of the triangle is determined by its two other sides. EcoVelo has an interesting look at how geometry affects the fit of a bike, even when the triangle is the same height, the angle can yield very different results. This is true to determine stand over height, which the article discusses. Another consideration in bike fit is the reach. Very often a road bike will have a longer reach for better aerodynamics. When I bought my last road bike, the shop owner pointed out that Felt bikes tend to have a shorter reach, which is a better fit for me and that became the deciding factor. It’s a good idea to consult a good shop that will be able to fit you for a bike, and also know the differences between the different brands, for example the reach on Felt bikes, and be able to help you find the bike that will fit you best rather than just make a sale.
via [EcoVelo]
Socks that Fit Like a Glove
Each foot has five toes, yet they all go into one sock and get pushed together in the shoe. Some people believe each toe should go in its own fabric, like a glove. The Tetratsock from injinji is designed to allow the entire foot to perform naturally and freely inside the shoe.
Toes provide proper balance, posture, stability and grip. These abilities are kept when toes are in toe socks, as injinji calls them. The company just release a midweight toesock in its Tetratsock line. The midweight sock is designed for sports such as running, walking, cycling. The toesock provides more padding and several additional properties.
Restriction-free movement of the five toes eliminates skin-on-skin friction and therefore blisters, hot spots and other common foot ailments. The socks are designed with a reinforced compression arch and Achilles heel support.
In conventional socks, injinji claims your toes are forced to work together as one unit creating heat and moisture build up. Blood circulation is reduced by skin-on-skin friction that reduces healthy air around your toes. If you want to use the mitten and glove analogy, mittens keep your fingers warmer since they’re all together, though you lose dexterity. Gloves may offer less warmth, but increased dexterity.
The Midweight Performance Toesock ($16) is made from CoolMax freshFX fabric, which bonds wicking CoolMax fibers with anti-odor and antimicrobial silver. The socks also have nylon and lycra added for strength, flexibility, and a glove-like fit. We don’t know if these socks will work with shoes such as the Vibram Five Finger ones, but the concept is along the same lines.
RunPhones, Music to Cold Weather Runner’s Ears
Music is essential in most workouts. Yet there can be a danger with headphones that block traffic and other noises. Headphones can also be a nuisance when they bounce on your ears or earbuds that don’t stay in your ears. There are a few headband-style headphones, and now AccousticSheep has come out with RunPhones, a headband with removable earphones built into the fabric. Continue reading RunPhones, Music to Cold Weather Runner’s Ears
Clif Shot Pours New Energy Gels
Clif Bar revamped its recipe in those gel packets. The new Clif Shots blend organic fruit, cocoa and other natural ingredients to make a gel that claims to have up to 50 percent more electrolytes than Clif’s previous recipe.
In addition to more electrolytes, the new formula combines two sources of carbohydrate that efficiently work together. Those are organic maltodextrin and organic evaporated cane juice. The two deliver energy to the bloodstream in five minutes or less.
While the packaging looks somewhat the same, the new gels have a thinner consistency. Even when you’re thirsty bordering on dehydrated, the new formula will go down more easily and get you back into shape.
The new gels are available in varying levels of caffeine including 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg amounts. The later is the equivalent of two shots of espresso or one 12 oz. cup of drip coffee. Flavors include the Base Blavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry (25mg of caffeine), Mocha (50mg of caffeine), Razz and Citrus (25mg of caffeine). Turbo Flavors are Double Expresso and New Chocolate Cherry, each with 100mg of caffeine.
Electrolyte gels and drinks saved me last summer on a long and hot ride. But the gels – much like gummy bears – were a little difficult to get down. A syrapy shot will be welcome on my next long ride. It could mean the difference between bailing on a challenging and rewarding ride and making it the whole distance with energy to spare.
Spin with Google Street View
The season to go outdoors for a workout is coming to a close and we’re looking for ways to make spinning on a stationary bike more enjoyable. There are plenty of programs that let you play video games with the pedal, or take you on scenic routes, but what if you want to explore some real neighborhoods and streets? Continue reading Spin with Google Street View
Get Moving with Kinect
Today Microsoft released the Kinect for Xbox 360 in stores. This is the device that uses motion capture to maneuver within games, replacing the controller. This means you pretty much have to play games standing up and in many cases pull off full body movements to play.
Here are a group of games that are also now in stores in conjunction with the release of Kinect.
- Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (Ubisoft)
- MotionSports (Ubisoft)
- Dance Central (MTV Games)
- Adrenalin Misfits (Konami)
- Game Party: In Motion (Warner Home Video Games)
- Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Majesco)
- Sonic Free Riders (Sega)
- Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft)
- Kinect Sports (Microsoft)
- Deca Sports Freedom (Hudson Soft)
- EA Sports Active 2.0 (EA)
- The Biggest Loser (THQ)
- Dance Masters (Konami)
- Michael Phelps: Push Limit (505 Games)
- Get Fit with Mel B (Deep Silver)
- Kinect Joy Ride (Microsoft)
USA Cycling Seeks to Ban the Helmet Cam on Race Day
We’ve written about several helmet cams, cameras that mount on your helmet while you ride on some precarious single track, capture footage of daring maneuvers in traffic, or film the race while you’re riding. That last one may be off limits depending on upcoming revisions made by the USAC Board of Trustees to the rules for 2011.
There are a handful of proposed changes, which will be open to a period of feedback from the community, but the camera is the use of technology while riding, so we’re looking at that. It’s also one of the big items mentioned in an article on VeloNews.
The article states, “This rule would ban the attaching of any non-stock items — including cameras, visors and fairings — to helmets during a race.” Cyclists can still attach a camera to the bike itself during a race. The argument is that when you attach a camera to the helmet it doesn’t necessarily make it unsafe, but if there is a crash the helmet won’t behave as it’s intended to in protecting the head.
We’ll dig a little deeper into the proposed changes and follow the discussion period.
via [VeloNews]
Oakley Turns to Aerospace Industry for Jury Sunglasses
They may not be barely there, but Oakley’s new Jury sunglasses are made from aerospace aluminum alloy to create a lightweight metal pair of shades. “We wanted Jury to be made of metal but still provide the comfort of a lightweight design,” said Oakley CEO Colin Baden in a company statement. “The grade of aluminum used by machine industry mills was nowhere near our targeted profile, so we turned to the aerospace industry.”
The company sees the material as achieving Oakley’s goal of blending science and art. The aerospace aluminum alloy was originally engineered to “take the punishment that aircraft and space vehicles endure,” said Baden.
Custom engineering was necessary to achieve the spring hinge mechanisms. The challenge Oakley faced was that milling and machine tolerances had to be within a thousandth of an inch. The frame is enhanced with Unobtanium (created by Oakley) stem sleeves that increase the grip when you perspire. This is designed for a Three-Point Fit that optimizes for comfort. The frame makes contact only at the bridge of the nose and the sides of the head. The Three-Point Fit also holds the lenses in precise alignment.
The optics of the dual-lens frame follow a continuous contour, which requires the equivalent of cutting each lens from single toric shields. Oakley employed Polaric Ellipsoid lens geometry, which was used to maintain sharp, accurate vision for all angles of view. The Jury also features High Definition Optics, which allows the glasses to exceed all Z87.1 standards for optical clarity and precision established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The glasses meet all ANSI Z87.1 standards for high mass and high velocity impact resistance.
Plutinite lenses of the Oakley Jury filter out 100% of all UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light up to 400nm. You can choose to get optional Iridium lens coating to balance light transmissions and reduce glare.
That’s a lot of elements in the new Jury glasses. For a limited time, a special edition of Oakley Jury sunglasses will be available at Sunglasses Hut with a special finish called “Distressed Silver.” While these are available, Oakley will feature a special exhibit of Jury along with the lineage of Oakley design innovation eyewear at the Sunglasses Hut on 5th Avenue and 48th Street in New York.
Specialized Revamps Prevail Helmet
First seen on the heads of riders in the Tour de France over the summer, Specialized’s new Prevail helmet is more adjustable, has larger vent holes, adds protection and sheds a few ounces over previous helmets. What more could you ask for in safety and protection? Specialized probably should have given the helmet a new name instead of continuing with the Prevail model since it has so many new features.
At 185 grams, you may forget you have on a helmet. And when you look at it, it looks as if there there are almost more airholes than helmet. The structure of the Prevail looks deceivingly thin. The helmet brags 29 air vents including three exhaust ports in the rear. Now, that thin structure. The Styrofoam framework is built around a core Kevlar matrix. This makes the helmet stronger without adding weight. Continue reading Specialized Revamps Prevail Helmet
Crocs Move in on the Toning Shoe Market
It’s not difficult to find a pair of shoes that make toning claims, at any pricepoint. But the shoes tend to be on the bulky side, and more athletic or active looking such as sneakers or sandals ready to do some trekking. Crocs, the shoes with the identifiable clog-like look, just introduced a women’s fitness line called CrocsTone. Two styles include Skylar Flat ($49.99), which looks like a mule-style flat; and Skylar Clog ($59.99), which is based on the Crocs form of a clog with a heel strap. A third style, the Skylar Flip ($49.99) is more like a flip-flop. Continue reading Crocs Move in on the Toning Shoe Market
Nike Brings Adaptive Traction to New Football Shoe CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II
Imagine you’re on the soccer field, and go for the ball, but the cleats on your shoes are just a hair short for the muddy surface and you slip. The opposing team gets the ball and scores the winning point of the game. Get the a pair of Nike CR Mercural Vapor SuperFly IIs and you’ll have an extra 3mm on the adaptive studs depending on the ground conditions and pressure exerted by the player. The adaptive traction system can extend or retract by those 3 mm, possibly saving the field and maybe even the shoes from undue wear when not needed.
Blades are positioned directionally on the forefoot to maximize cutting and allow for quick changes in direction. Secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power to get you started on that sprint during a play. Continue reading Nike Brings Adaptive Traction to New Football Shoe CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II