Outdoor Retailer Winter Market: I.C.E. It

ICE-StoveIce is cold, but the I.C.E. Stove will help you get cooking. This 8-in-1 multi-tool offers the functionality of a wrench, saw, bottle opener, can opener, ruler, wing nut wrench, screw driver… and it can be put together to become a wood stove! Basically three of the tools panels are actually stove walls but the fourth is a seven-function multi-tool. The company recently unveiled this product at last month’s Outdoor Retailer Show Winter Market.

I.C.E. Stove Official Website

Made in America: Hang On

Velocity-USAWe like to see products recycled or better still “upcycled” where an old product finds new life. Velocity USA fitting has used bicycle rims that don’t meet quality control standards and repurposed them as clothes hangers. This is a true “upcycling” of bicycle gear. Each hanger is apparently made in Grand Rapids, Michigan out of Velocity Deep V rims that weren’t quite good enough for the road. However, these seem perfect for hanging that favorite jersey.

Velocity Clothes Hanger Official Website

SIA Snow Show: Worn Out

POCWhen it comes to our sporting goods these can become like old friends, and we use them until they are truly past their expected life. This is actually not a good idea. Shoes should be replaced regularly for example. In fact using old or damaged products can often result in injury. But how do we know when something is at its end of usable life? It isn’t like the product can tell us.

Actually, at the recent SIA Snow Show in Denver POC introduced a new helmet that features an internal sensor, which can report when it is past the point of no return. This multi-impact helmet is made of EPP (Expanded Polyproylene) and thus recovers it shape after a spill or two. While it can withstand numerous impacts it won’t last forever. To this end the company has integrated a Helmet Integrity Sensor that can report back when it’s had enough.

POC Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Sensor-Equipped Snowsports Helmet Alerts User When It’s Worn Out]

Shimano Gets in on the Action

ShimanoThis month Shimano announced that it was entering the action camera market. The CM-1000 Sport Camera (MSRP: $299) will be available in May and is the first product from the company’s Lifestyle Gear Division, which targets both the fishing and cycling markets, and will be able to be integrated with existing Shimano electronics.

This HD camera can record video and stills, and features an F2.0 lens that will be good for low-light conditions, and offers dual, standard angle 135 degree and super wide 180 degree modes, while also providing a 90 degree increment auto-image rotation. That feature will allow users to flip the camera and still maintain a horizontal image plane.

The CM-1000 weighs in at 86 grams and will be waterproof to 10 meters without an external case. It offers ANT+ wireless connectivity as well as Wi-Fi and works with its own Android and iOS apps.

Shimano Official Website

Backpack Cooker

VertexMuch has been made in recent weeks about the “polar vortex,” which has left much of the country in a deep cold spell. Those looking for some heat would no doubt appreciate the Vertex Ultralight Backpacking Stove – not that anyone should be camping in this weather.

However, for those times when camping weather arrives this is the thing you’d like to have in your backpack. It weighs just 1.8 ounces and folds down flat, thus taking up little more room than a map. It is map of tempered stainless steel and provides a sturdy platform for cookware. It works with Trangia Spirit alcohol burner as well as solid fuel tablets, so fire shouldn’t be difficult to make. Vertex is now looking to a Kickstarter project to get the fire started for the Ultralight Backpacking Stove. Video after the jump

Shimano Cuts the Cord

Shimano-Di2Shimano announced this week that it has cut the cord on its electronic shifting system. The company has introduced a new wireless device that will connect its Di2 groups, and this will sync with the new Shimano PRO computer via ANT+.

The Di2 Wireless Unit (Shimano product SM-EWW01) will be compatible with Dura-Ace 9070, Ultegra 6870 Di2 and Ultegra 6770 E-tube road shifting systems. This Di2 Wireless Unit is powered by the same Di2 battery that powers the Di2 shifting system.

Shimano Official Website

Armed for Sochi

Mach39While security is tight at Sochi some American athletes will be suited up in armor – or at least Under Armour’s new speedskating uniform. For the 2014 games Under Armour partnered with Team USA and Lockheed Martin to create a skinsuit that should be a speed machine on the ice. The Mach 39 could be a game changer that helps Americans bring home the gold this year.

Under Armour Official Website

Clash of the Titin

TitinThere is a new opinion that if you train with extra weight than you’ll perform better when it’s taken off. This is just part of the concept behind the Titin Weighted Compression Shirt, which also allows athletes to pack the base layer with gel inserts. These can be heated or cooled and either way add eight pounds to the torso. The heat can obviously help relax sore muscles while cold packs could be used to stay cool on hot day. In addition it could be used post-workout for an icing routine.

Titin Official Website

Nax to Grind

NaxThe Nax 2.0 doesn’t look like an axe, but that’s kind of the point. While axes served a purpose for centuries the Nax 2.0 is a 21st century take on the chopping tool. It was designed in collaboration with special forces soldiers, survival gear aficionados and preppers. The result is a multi-tool for the wilds that combines the features of kukri knife – the blade used by Nepalese Gurkhas for centuries – mixed with that of a machete and hatchet.

This easy-to-carry tool offers 4130 chromoly steel blade with a professional, zero ground edge. The blade was heat-treated to +48 HRC hardness so it can stand up to the end of the world and then some. It also includes a pommel with a pry and bottle opener, built-in gas shut-off wrench and a handle that is wrapped with 550 paracord. We’ve seen a lot of tools for the end of the world and this is one to add to that list.

Nax 2.0 Via Gear Up

Sky Suits Up

SkyIf you thought existing cycling apparel was already a little revealing Rapha has introduced a new Road Race Mesh Skinsuit that takes it up a notch. The skinsuit is meant to breathe and then some. It is designed for ultra hot weather locations such as Qatar and Oman, but it does leave little to the imagination! Continue reading Sky Suits Up

Weighing In

RaceWeightCookbookMaking weight means different things in different sports, but in cycling there is a lot to eating right. VeloPress has introduced the Racing Weight Cookbook, the third title in the Racing Weight series. This books includes more than 100 recipes that are intended not to get riders to lose weight but rather to hit their ideal weight without compromising performance. Racing Weight author Matt Fitzgerald worked with dietician Georgie Fear to put together the cookbook.

The 240-page paperback books offers full-color interior with plenty of pictures and also features:

• 100+ healthy recipes for any athlete, from reluctant cook to cooking enthusiast
• Whole grains, fiber, and lean protein to elevate diet quality
• Fresh, energy-dense meals that help runners, triathletes, and cyclists train harder
• Nutrient-rich bars and smoothies to promote fast recovery

Racing Weight Official Website