KineticShift | Evolving Consumer

Volvo Partners With POC

Volvo Car Group announced this month that it had established a partnership with Swedish sports protective gear maker POC to develop ways to create communication between cars and cyclists.

“Communication with cyclists around the car is a possible extension of our groundbreaking Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection technology. Providing the cyclist with confirmation that he or she is seen by the vehicle can make interaction between cars and cyclists smoother and safer in urban areas,” said Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager, Safety Strategy and Requirements at Volvo Cars.

Finding a way to help alert drivers and avoid accidents would come as good news to cyclists.

[Via GizMag: Volvo teams with POC for car-to-cyclist communication system]
[Via Volvo: Volvo Car Group explores new safety and design ideas by partnering with high-tech sports gear developer POC]

Digital Camo

Many cyclists may be of the “Weekend Warrior” variety – as in they only get out for a ride on the weekends. Whether that is you or not, the Podium Cycling Weekend Warrior jersey will have you covered. It features a 140 gram polyester material, and offers UPF25 sun protection, has three rear pockets, and a hidden YKK zipper.

This jersey also features a digital camouflage pattern – much like the kind that the military is now moving away from – but instead of helping you blend in on the road or the trails it might help you stand out.

Podium Cycling Weekend Warrior Official Website

Winter Olympic Games: Rule Columbia

This wouldn’t have happened during the Cold War. American athletes are about to head to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics and they’ll be heading in style in uniforms made by Columbia Sportswear. What is unique about this is that earlier this month Columbia unveiled the Ski Team uniforms for the U.S. as well as Canadian and Russian teams!

Columbia showed these off to the press in Utah, and the uniform collection included those for moguls, aerials, half-pipe, skicross and slopestyle events. Many of these uniforms will feature the compnay’s Omni-Heat Thermal Reflective technology as a base layer to help keep the athletes warm. Many across America who have been digging out in recent weeks likely wish they had such technology.

Other features reportedly include a new waterproof zipper that is bonded to the laser-cut fabric, removable pockets and even special patterns that have been dubbed “snow camouflage.” We’ll be watching for these uniforms in next month’s games.

[Via GearJunkie: U.S., Russian, Canadian Ski Team Uniforms Manufactured By Columbia Sportswear Unveiled]

Update Your Profile

While many people might update their Facebook profile, Profile Design’s RZ2 frame-mounted bottle system will help improve the profile of a bicycle – and even improve the aerodynamics in the process. This 14-ounce bottle features a contoured shape with recessed hand grips, integrated cap that twists off for easy cleaning, an injection composite cage and is BPA free. It mounts to standard bottle cage bosses and weighs 141 grams.

Profile Design RZ2 System Official Website

The Numbers Game

Racers at all levels tend to have one thing in common – they are forced to wear cheap paper numbers! Champion Systems has introduced fabric race numbers, which are lightweight and have the potential to be more comfortable than traditional paper numbers. These are durable and wrinkle free.

“Any athlete that has worn paper numbers when competing will tell you how uncomfortable they are. While equipment and apparel have continually improved, athlete bib numbers are still in the dark ages,” said Charlie Issendorf, vice-president, Champion System. “We took what we know best, fabric and printing, to create a technologically advanced race number designed for today’s athlete. The result? Say goodbye to having a crinkly piece of paper pinned to your jersey.”

The Custom Fabric Race Numbers are fully sublimated fabric, can provide unlimited colors and are more aerodynamic. While races can only have one winner every competitor can feel a bit more like a champion.

Champion Systems Custom Fabric Race Numbers Official Website

Custom Your Body (Glove)

A New Year means a new time to treat your body right. While a wetsuit will show off those curves and inspire you to get fit. There are other ways to show off as well. In the case of Body Glove you can add some custom colors to your own wetsuit. These feature seven panels, which can be customized with 11 colors and three graphics meaning there are endless combinations. Continue reading Custom Your Body (Glove)

Razor Blade

This month Adidas launched its Springblade Razor, the next generation of “explosive energy under your feet.” These new running shoes, which are now available for pre-order, are the the first shoes to feature blade technology to help propel you forward.

The Springblade Razors feature a unique web design over sock-like Techfit technology that helps lock your feet in place and enhances breathability. The shoe’s 16 individually tuned blades instantaneously react to any environment, compressing and releasing energy. The shoes are also available in four colorways for men, including Solar Blue/Tech Grey Metallic/Black, Black/Tech Grey Metallic/ Light Scarlet, Metallic Silver/Black/Light Scarlet and Light Scarlett/Black/Metallic Silver, and three colorways for women including Solar Blue/Tech Grey Metallic/Black, Black/Black/Vivid Berry and Bahia Pink/Metallic Silver/Black.

Adidas Official Website

SIA Preview: Ski Sochi

If you can’t make it to the Olympic Games next month as even a tourist and spectator you could try to “Ski Sochi” at the upcoming SIA Snow Show. SkyTechSport’s line of Ski and Snowboard Simulators will give attendees the chance to head to Russia without leaving Denver! The company reportedly GPS-scanned the entire mountain, and rendered it in meticulous detail – foot by foot! As a result when using the simulator you’ll take feel every turn, jump and side-hill. Best part is there will be no jetlag!

SkyTechSport Official Website

The World of Atlas

The developers of the Atlas are looking to Indiegogo to bring out what they believe is the first fitness tracker that tracks all aspects of a workout. It can identify your exercise, count reps, calculate the calories you burn and even evaluate your form. The developers noted on the Indiegogo site that “Atlas is packed with a suite of inertial sensors, similar to those used in smartphones. The Atlas sensors see your movement in a 3D trajectory and identify the specific motion fingerprint of each exercise you’re doing. Atlas then sifts through a sea of data and picks out the pearls that are valuable to you.”

During and following workouts it can highlight the muscle groups you’ve focused on, and then suggest where to go next. Video after the jump

The Lying King Comes to Home Video

In 2009, Gibney was given unprecedented access to both the Tour de France and Armstrong, one of the most prominent figures in sports, to document the athlete’s return to cycling following his 2005 retirement. However, the story ended up being much more than a comeback tale. After years of denying allegations of doping and condemning ex-cyclists who were guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, Armstrong became the center of a federal criminal investigation and an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency. As a result, the “ultimate comeback story” came to a halt.

Given this new information, the filmmakers decided that instead of chronicling the athlete’s comeback, The Armstrong Lie would be filled with new interviews from Armstrong himself, his former teammates, as well as cycling experts, emerging as an insider’s view and chronicle of Armstrong’s collapse.

The Blu-ray and DVD include exclusive commentary from the Director, as well as a Q&A with Gibney, Frank Marshall, Bill Strickland, Jonathan Vaughters and Betsy Andreu. Both releases also come with more than 40 minutes of deleted scenes.

The Armstrong Lie Official Website

Weekend Reading List (01.19.2014): Grab On, Hub Bub, Mill Run

Grab On

From GearJunkie:’Slob’ To Chicken Salad… Snowboarding Grab Terms (on one handy chart)
Oh the colorful dialect of the park and pipe world! Thankfully, we have diagrams to help. I suppose some of these are dated as the language evolves as fast as the sport of snowboarding itself, but this gem of a diagram from Wikipedia might help those watching the Olympic pipe competition understand the terminology…a bit. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (01.19.2014): Grab On, Hub Bub, Mill Run

SHOT Show: Case Closed

Whether heading to the range or out to the wilds you need to ensure that your gear and firearms are not only properly secure but that they are protected as well. The Plano Field Locker Mil-Spec Case series has you and your expensive firearms covered.

This series offers cases in six sizes and configurations, and each case is formed using Plano’s inimitable molding process, which according to the company yields a reinforced shell that will stand up to any task it’s assigned, from long and rugged travel to exposure to the elements.

Heavy Duty handles ensure that that they’ll do the job, while reinforced padlock gates will help ensure the contents in side won’t walk off. Each Field Locker Mil-Spec Case features double-density foam. Fully customizable, the foam layers can be configured to go hand-in-glove with your particular firearm.

At this year’s SHOT Show Plano has made its case. Continue reading SHOT Show: Case Closed

Nike Looks to the Summit

Last week we reported on Nike’s new winter boots, and it seems that the company has just the jacket to go with it. The Nike Aeroloft 800 Summit Jacket features a pioneering combination of ripstop nylon and 800-fill down baffles for breathability and lightweight, unencumbered warmth. It also utilizes movement-activated ventilation, which allows trapped air and body heat to escape through laser-cut perforations as the wearer’s activity level increases, but without letting cold air in.

Nike Press Release: Urban Utility: The Nike Aeroloft 800 Summit Jacket and Nike LunarTerra Arktos