Author: Peter Suciu

Portland Goes Green at the Gym

As we’ve noted previously, there is some irony in the way people use gyms. In many parts of the country people sit in traffic in their cars to drive to a gym to work out. And then at the gyms, these places aren’t exactly the greenest operated businesses. There are the treadmills, the music system, the air-conditioning and of course those walls of TVs. The irony is that people are burning a lot of calories, but we’ve already seen some gyms work up ways to recapture some of that effort and put it back into power.

We heard about Portland’s Green Microgym, which has the equipment capture and send some of the energy back into the electrical grid. Because the equipment needs power to operate, as well as those TVs, the lights and air conditioning it is currently impossible or any gym to actually generate more power than it needs to run, but some equipment could do more than it’s part.

According to reports some of the equipment can actually generate more power than it draws, notably a spin bike during an intensive class. This is of course because most spin bikes need practically no electricity, other than possible a speedometer or cycle computer. Thus with every pedal stroke the riders produce energy. Pedal power can make gyms greener.

[Via Voice of America: Exercisers Burn Energy While Creating it]

The Green Microgym

Endless Winter Coming To End, Time for Endless Ice

This winter will end; at least we think it will. Spring actually sprung last week at least officially, and much of the country should see warmer weather this week. Thats good news, unless you happen to play hockey. While there are always indoor rinks and arenas, there is another option, namely Endless Ice.

This company has many products to keep players on the ice year round, including advanced training systems and even home based models. This also a real bonus for teams such as the El Paso Rhinos, who used the system to train for the Western State Hockey League Championship series, where the weather isn’t always agreeable for hockey – and rarely outdoors. The system works much like a treadmill, but with a synthetic surface that replaces traditional ice. In addition to just skating in place, a computer analyzes the player’s form and technique and provides feedback to help optimize performance on real ice.

Endless Ice is currently used throughout the United States, in the Czech Republic and Germany, and even throughout Canada, where winter is even more endless than in parts of America. But the technology is there so players can get in the skate training even if they can’t hit the ice.

Endless Ice Official Website

Hiplok Not Just for Hipsters

Anyone who has spent any time in a large city has probably seen riders “wearing” their bicycle chain and lock. This “fashion statement” was popularized by bike messengers since the early 1980s. Unlike most U-locks or other cable locks that can be defeated with relative ease, a sturdy lock and tough chain are actually serious deterrents.

Now with more urban commuters, it is no surprise that some companies have taken the simple concept and turned it into true fashion statement. This includes Hiplok, which does sound like something hipsters would either embrace or shun for the name alone. Continue reading Hiplok Not Just for Hipsters

Electric Sleds in Clean Snowmobile Challenge

One word does not come to mind when we think of snowmobiles, and that is “clean.” We think of these as loud machines that spew fumes and basically disturb the peace. Of course, this is coming from someone who thinks November to March is a good time of year to enjoy the great indoors.

But the idea of a Clean Snowmobile Challenge is intriguing, more so because we’ve heard that this is the 12th annual event! Electric cars are having a hard time catching on, but it seems that electric snowmobiles are just improving with each year.

According to reports the SEA Clean Snowmobile Challenge is an annual event to push entrants to develop eco-friendly transportation for the real world, including those that have a lot of snow. Competing teams, which are made up of college students, must design a touring snowmobile for groomed-trail riding. More importantly these must be cost-effective, and comfortable to ride, while also improving on emissions and noise. There are categories for low emissions – which obviously do use traditional fuels – as well as zero-emissions, where the devices are judged on how far they can travel and how much of a load they can carry.

Given that winters maybe getting longer, these teams are probably on to something.

[Via Gizmag: Electric sleds compete in the 12th annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge]

Transforming Bicycle – Bike to Cart

One problem with biking to the grocery store is that you have to lock up the bike. The other problem is that most bikes aren’t really designed to carry a lot of goods, and unless you’re just getting a bag of chips (not exactly health food for riders), you might have a hard time transporting your purchases home.

The Ville Urban Folding Bicycle, which won a Bronze Prize at last year’s IDEA Design Awards might just be the solution. It is a folding bike that essentially transforms into cart to help you do your shopping, and then with a quick change you can be ready to ride home with a bike that includes baskets for your goods. And unlike those actual Transformers from movies and cartoons, this one actually seems practical!

[Via Yanko Design: How To Fold A Bike Into A Cart]

Computerized Surfing – Not Just for the Web

Chances are you’re doing it right now, you’re surfing the Web. That is after all what we think of when we say computerized surfing, but now there is a very different type of “high-tech” surfing that actually puts you in the water and takes you away from the Web.

Spanish company Pukas is working with technology partner Tecnalia on a board designed to give professional wave riders an edge.

Enter the Tecnalia Sufsens board, a computerized surfboard that is loaded with a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, strain gauges and pressure sensors that can measure everything from the rider’s speed to the how much wave he or she is catching. Back on dry land you can download the data to a PC for analysis.

Indoor Bike Lock Solutions

For cramped apartment dwellers, those who live in dorms while away at college, regular commuter or just don’t who don’t trust their roommates, locking up a bike inside can be a problem. Roommates probably won’t want the bike locked to the kitchen table, and office managers may frown on a bike tethered to a desk. But if you can’t keep an eye on your bike you need not worry that out of sight mean out for a joyride.

Rodd Industrial Design in the UK has created two new locking solutions. The first is Armlock, which is great for multi-occupancy houses and apartments where a bike can be stashed in a common hallway. It is fixed and wall mounted, where the frame is placed in the lock, which is then engaged. When not in use the Armlock can be folded back to the wall.

For a less semi-permanent solution there is the Lupin, a flexible sleeve that slides in the door frame near the hinges. A plastic block makes it impossible for the device to slide all the way through and thus provides an anchor. The other end features loops that a bike lock can pass through, making for a handy place to lock a bike. This can turn a utility closet into a handy bike storage locker. Instead of lock and load, this is lock and go.

[Via Dexigner: New Solutions to Residential Bicycle Theft Unveiled]

Race Radio Ban Could Result in Boycott

Two-way radio technology has become a major part of sports, but some governing bodies are looking to ban their use. This is most notable in professional cycling where a number of teams have threatened to boycott this falls Tour of Beijing cycling race unless the International Cycling Union (UCI) withdraws its ban on the radios.

Race organizers have tried to institute bans in major classics, such as last year’s Tour de France, but Beijing could be the real showdown as it is the only event in professional cycling that the UCI actually governs and promotes directly. As expected the teams are not taking this lightly. The professional cycling association, known as AIGCP (Association International des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels) could pull out of the Chinese event. Continue reading Race Radio Ban Could Result in Boycott

Cane-do Bike from Bamboo

We’ve noted other “green” bikes, including those made from renewable materials including bamboo, but recently Vijay Sharma showed that he has a cane-do spirit for making bikes from the quick growing grass (which bamboo technically is rather than a wood).

What makes these bikes stand out is that Sharma has created his bikes using the skills his father, a carpenter, taught him. The result is that Sharma has turned this into a not-so-small business making the Bambikes. Sharma also notes that bamboo is comparable to steel in terms of strength, something the people in North-East India know quite well as the material is used to build houses. Bamboo is also known to be shock-absorbent and flexible, while still retaining rigid – qualities that are essential for bicycles. Continue reading Cane-do Bike from Bamboo

H2O Audio Introduces iPod Headphones That Aren’t Wet

Swimmers and triathletes don’t obviously spend a lot of time in the water, and H20 has just announced its latest generation of its Interval Headphones System, the Interval 4G. These high-performance headphones are waterproof and sweatproof and designed to get wet and wild, and are submersible to 12ft/3.6m underwater. Designed to work with the 4th generation iPod Shuffle, these headphones feature the latest Surge 2G headphone technology and attach directly to the goggles – while also being compatible with an Interval hat or visor for use out of the pool.

Whether you’re swimming, cycling or running, these headphones promise to deliver excellent audio quality along with unmatched comfort and fit.

The latest waterproof technology delivers improved bass quality, while sound-isolating, watertight earplugs provide warm sound and dynamic bass response powered by Surge 2G’s waterproof 8mm neodymium drivers. The headphones are available now for $99.99 (MSRP).

H2O Audio Official Website

 

Rangefinder That Will Help Keep You Out of the Rough

Whether you’re hitting the links, or just want to stay the course, the Bushnell Hybrid Laser-GPS Rangefinder offers the best of both technologies. It features single hand vertical operation of the durable, rainproof device. It offers 5 power magnification with a range of 5-1000 Yards/Meters, and comes pre-loaded with more than 16,000 North American golf courses.

Best of all is there is no membership or download fees, while the Hybrid Laser-GPS Rangefinder offers auto hole advance, auto course recognition and is completely legal for tournament play. This makes it ready to use right out of the box without the requirement of additional software or hardware. So if spring has finally sprung for you, and you’re looking for some assistance as you get in nine-holes, this device will lead the way.

Bushnell Golf Official Website

Nike Tees Off With New Golf Balls

Can Nike do for golf balls what it did for athletic shoes? No doubt that is what the company is looking to it, as it unveiled its new 20XI premium golf ball franchise. And yes, there even a “swoosh” adorned on the side, but from the outside these new balls otherwise look just like every other golf ball.

What makes these balls stand out is what out is that these feature innovative golf ball technology that will reportedly dramatically enhance the performance of golfers around the world and, at the same time, propel golf ball manufacturing into an entirely new level of innovation. Those are big claims, but again this is coming a company that has delivered on its past bold statements.

The Nike 20XI golf ball features a combination of proprietary technology that has actually never before been seen in the golf industry, and more importantly is the result of four years of collaborative research and development between Nike Golf’s golf ball engineers and a team of material and science experts at DuPont. Together they went to the core of creating a golf ball, as in the actual core and opted to bounce out the old conventional rubber core with a radically new resin material. Rubber has been the traditional core for years, so the switch to resin is quite a big deal. Continue reading Nike Tees Off With New Golf Balls

Nylon Bike Made From Copier Technology

When we think of “carbon copy” technology we think of the old days when carbon paper was used to make multiple copies of a document. This technology is still used (albeit less and less) with some rental agreements and other business contracts. However, when we think of “carbon copy” for bicycles, we tend to think of how a line of bikes all looks the same.

The truth is that all bikes are still somewhat made individually, even if the parts are more or less the same. No two bikes are truly “copies.” But British engineers Chris Turner and Andy Hawkins may have developed a bike that could very well be the first of a line of copies – bikes that are so much alike they could be considered clones! Their Airbike is made entirely of nylon – yes nylon – but it is supposedly as strong as steel. What is more interesting is that the bike has been created using a process called additive layer manufacturing (ALM). Continue reading Nylon Bike Made From Copier Technology