Author: Peter Suciu

Clean Bottle Goes Global

 

Dave Mayer was in France last summer for the Tour, but he wasn’t seeing the sights and probably not a lot of the riding. Instead was there promoting his new water bottle, which he did by having someone wear a giant suit that looked like his revolutionary sports bottle. Now he’s looking to clean up in the world wide market with the Clean Bottle, which is unique in that it unscrews at both ends. The bottle is currently available through KHS, Hawley, Paceline, J&B and Peregrine Outfitters in the United States and he’s looking to take the bottle around the world.

“During the first year of our business, I had to be a little conservative with my distribution partners due to supply and demand issues,” states Mayer. “But due to spectacular results from our Tour de France coverage on Versus and our other marketing efforts, we’re now ready to go big time.”

As Mayer begins his world wide journey he’ll be taking the “Bottle Boy” with him to major cycling events. But more importantly he’s got distribution agreements for the UK, Canada, Japan and Singapore in place. Does the Bottle Boy have a passport we need to ask?

Clean Bottle Official Website

 

Video of the Bottle Boy in Action

Quiznos Pro Challenge Stages and Host Cities Announced

This week it was official. Pro cycling is returning to Colorado with the inaugural 2011 international Quiznos Pro Challenge, which will run from August 22-28. The race will feature seven stages, traveling through Colorado’s picturesque landscape, while visiting 11 host cities. This proves to the be the most challenging pro-cycling race in American history as the event will cover 600 miles.

“We are excited to welcome sports fans and the international cycling community to many of Colorado’s most beautiful regions,” said Governor Bill Ritter. “The Quiznos Pro Challenge will provide a majestic tour of many of the state’s natural treasures while becoming the battleground for one of the world’s most intense competitions.” Continue reading Quiznos Pro Challenge Stages and Host Cities Announced

Gore(Tex) in 2011

We heard that Gore-Tex will roll out a new fabric that the company says will be the most breathable waterproof material yet. The new Gore-Tex Active Shell won’t actually make it to shops until about a year from now, but it should prove to be the wait.

This new technological breakthrough in fabric shouldn’t be confused with the already on the market “Windstopper Active Shell” either. The Gore-Tex Active Shell will do much the same, but dare we say even better. According to reports it will provide a combination of lightness and breathability so it can function as a shell for cyclists and runners alike, and thus can be used in more “minimalist” garments. Additionally it will be ultra-lightweight enough that it will be good for climbers and hikers where every ounce counts. The key to getting the weight down required Gore to change the very construction, thus limiting the thickness of the layers and more importantly reducing the amount of glue used in the process.

Now the only thing to do is get through the next nine to 10 months and then try it out. We’ll keep you posted.

Gore-Tex Official Website

[Via Outdoors Magic: New Gore-Tex Fabric Launches]

The Revolution is Here

Say you wanna Revolution? If you’re talking about the Revolution Bike Trainer from LeMond Fitness you’re in luck. We saw this trainer at Interbike back in September and it has take notice. It is a true example of the evolution of the traditional bike trainer, and dare we say revolutionary? With winter just around the corner this trainer will keep you in your bike seat until spring – and by that we mean you’re actual bike seat, rather than having to make due with a stationary bike.

Rather than resting the rear wheel on a metal disc like typical trainers, which can be quite loud and has anything but smooth resistance, this device ditches the rear wheel completely for smooth consistent training. Basically you ditch your traditional rear wheel, and connect your bike to this trainer, which works with nine speed and even the new 10-speed cassettes. It allows you to use any bike you’d ride outside, so no worrying about adjusting the stationary bike. Bikes connect and disconnect in minutes – the latter comes in handy for those warm days when you just have to get outside. But with the Revolution Bike Trainer you might be tempted to stay indoors and still put in the miles.

Revolution Bike Trainer at LeMond Fitness

From Skate Deck to iPhone Case

There comes a time for every skateboarder to realize that the old deck just can’t be used any longer. Whether it is cracks in the wood or just other structural issues, skateboard decks just can’t last forever. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t live on afterward.

Portland, Oregon based MapleXo has long been turning trashed decks into thrasher jewelry and now the company is looking to turn old skate decks into iPhone 4 cases. However, the catch is that the company is releasing just 50 limited edition cases so you better skate over to the website quickly to sign up for one.

MapleXO official website

[Via Recombu.com: MapleXO x Grove iPhone 4 cases are made from recycled skateboards]

Stroll(er) Your Way Back to Shape

For new mothers it can be a struggle to get back into shape after giving birth, but the makers of Strollometer suggest strolling could be a way to do it. The company has introduced a new device that syncs with any buggy or stroller, and it tracks speed, time and distance. This wireless mini-computer  is the brain child of Adi Weber and her husband Dan, who came up with the idea after the birth of their third child. Not knowing how far the strolls were, Adi and Dan conceived the idea of a wireless device, modeled on cycling and other fitness computers, that could calculate distance and time while taking the baby for a stroll.

It features eight different settings to allow users to monitor how fast they’re strolling, as well as maximum and average speeds and of course total distance. This data can be translated into calories burned as well. Just remember there is a baby in the stroller so no need to make this into a hardcore workout. Additionally, the Strollometer offers a clock – which might not sound like much, but this way users don’t have to reach into a bag for a phone or watch. And it even includes a temperature gage, so those doing the stroller can know whether a baby might need to be covered up.

The company also offers tips on getting started, provides buggy fitness tips and even offers a guide to getting up to 1.5 run as well as 5k training. In other words, it isn’t just about the stroll.

Strollometer Official Website

Hands On: Redline Conquest Team Cyclocross Bike

Over the years I’ve had about a half a dozen road bikes, and at least an equal number of mountain bikes. But a recent move from New York City to Michigan opened up new possibilities for me. Not only could I buy more bikes since I have a garage to fill, but there were now a far great number of options with places to ride. With the change in venues also came a change in attitude. In the past few years I’ve opted to do more road riding, and far less off-roading.

To that end I decided that my middle aged body just wasn’t up to the hard core mountain biking any longer. I’m not alone, as many of my old riding buddies have moved on as well. That said, I still like to ride through the woods and trails, especially in the fall as the colors of the leaves change. But hitting the more technical trails, riding complex single track and choosing the right line were in the past for me. I might still head out for some mountain biking, yet what I really wanted was to enjoy the road style riding but on dirt paths, fire roads and other non-technical type trails. Thus it was time to get a cyclocross bike. Continue reading Hands On: Redline Conquest Team Cyclocross Bike

aboutGolf Helps JuniorThai Golfers

This week aboutGolf announced that it is helping a number of Asia’s top junior golfers, who are spending more time in the simulator and less on the fairways. Thailand’s Suchaya Tangkamolpraser uses the aboutGolf Simulator at the Bangkok-based Wilding Golf Performance Center, where she is being coached by Shane Wilding, founder of the center. She is not the only standout to be getting into the swing of things at the club either.

Wilding’s students use the simulator for both “on the range” to develop their swing, and “on the course,” which teaches club selection and management.  

“The aboutGolf Simulator has a proven record of improving the performance of golfers around the globe, including here at Wilding Golf in Thailand,” says Wilding, an Australian golf coach with extensive amateur and professional (including PGA TOUR stars Curtis Strange, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, David Eger, Graham Marsh and Stewart Ginn) teaching experience in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. “aboutGolf technology helped these Junior golfers reach a world-class level of performance and, as an instructor, it is exciting to have aboutGolf’s incredible technology enhancing my teaching philosophies. The accuracy of the aboutGolf system is absolutely mind-boggling.”

Let’s just hope these golfers still get out in the fresh air too!

aboutGolf Official Website

Wilding Golf Performance Center Official Website

Cycle the World Virtually

There are so wonderful places to ride a bike, but the problem is that it is really not all that easy or affordable to take a bicycle on a globetrotting trip. The next best thing might be to virtually ride the world. That’s where Virtual Active comes in. The company, which has a partnership with IndoorCycling Group (ICG) has announced the release of MyRide Version 3.0, which promises to be the next-generation media console for indoor cycles. It utilizes content from Virtual Active via a 17-inch touchscreen high-definition display.

This includes more than 60 hours of entirely of entirely new media content, with more than one million different workouts and plenty of variety to keep users riding through the winter and other bad weather. Locations include the Rockies, the Swiss Alps and even the Mojave desert, and each is available for a variety of workouts that include warm-ups, intense spinning and cool downs. The coached content is also available in English, German and Spanish. Continue reading Cycle the World Virtually

NBA Bans Shoes – Sure to be a Hit on the Blacktop

Several sports have been rocked with performance enhancing scandals, but most of it has centered around what the athletes have (in some cases supposedly) put in their bodies, but the latest twist could be what athletes are putting on their bodies. Earlier this year swimming’s governing body banned certain skintight suits, while the same has happened with triathlons. Now the National Basketball Association has made a bold move by banishing certain shoes from its court.

The NBA has banned a shoe essentially for violating the rules against any equipment that creates “an unfair competitive advantage.” The particular shoes in question are part of the Athletic Propulsion Labs’ line of Concept 1 that includes the Load ‘N Launch Technology, which supposedly can increase a wearer’s vertical leap. These shoes will not be allowed in the court during the upcoming 2010-2011 NBA season.

This won’t mean the end of the Concept 1 by any means. APL couldn’t buy this sort of controversy. While $300 a pair these shoes are also a bit more expensive than most, but no doubt we expect to see these shoes popular on other courts, as players will look for an edge.

Athletic Propulsion Labs’ Official Website

Mass Transit Powered by the Masses

In the Flintstones the cars and buses and such were often powered by the riders essentially moving their feet. Even as a child that didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me; I mean why wouldn’t Fred just walk instead of having to use his feet to “drive” the car. Apparently some of the cars were powered by crude engines made somehow out of stone, or powered by animals – but the point is that even the theme song suggested it was “Fred’s two feet” that provided the motion. So much for Stone Age technology, but now that same source could be used for a very high-tech monorail. And we’re not talking about a cartoon character’s two feet, but rather your two legs, at least if you plan on riding in the Shweeb monorail. Continue reading Mass Transit Powered by the Masses

Power Armor For Soldiers – Coming Soon

Science-fiction novels such as Starship Troopers offered a vision of the future where soldiers would be equipped with power armor suits. These would enhance the ability to lift great amounts of weights, let soldiers run long and basically become bad-ass warriors. Now it seems that this isn’t just limited to the pages on the book, or movies such as Iron Man.

Raytheon has introduced what it calls its second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2), which is essentially a wearable robotic suit. It was unveiled recent at the company’s Salt Lake City research facility. While it won’t allow the wearer to fight super villains, ala Tony Stark, or jump out of a starship from near orbit, it is capable of some nifty functions. The XOS 2 can aid in lifting, reducing the strain and exertion, and as such it can help do work faster – because it can also do the work of two or even three soldiers.

Now if only it could let soldiers fly, and drop from near orbit. Hopefully we won’t have a “bug” problem until those features are incorporated.

Raytheon Official Website

Cycling Fusion Gets Heart (Zones)

As the old Peanut Butter Cups commercial suggested some things go very well together, and we expect that to be true in the world of indoor and offseason training on exercise bikes. This week Cycling Fusion, the developer of indoor cycling programs, announced that it has purchased Heart Zones, USA, the company that created the first heart-rate training systems.

Cycling Fusion founder Gene Nacey had already established a relationship with Sally Edwards and her company Heart Zones. “After being certified by Mad Dogg and opening a dedicated Spinning studio, I quickly began to understand why the outdoor cyclists were not coming to class,” says Gene Nacey. “I raced MTB for 10 years and had a few years of road riding under me as well. The cycling community needed a lot more science and sport specific training than what they would normally find in Spin class. That lead to my work with Sally Edwards and Heart Zones. The heart rate training began to bring them in, but I have to say, it wasn’t until the Keiser power bikes arrived that they began to take us seriously. This combination became quite compelling.”

The new partnership will hopefully see even greater innovation in the world of indoor cycle training. KineticShift.com will follow the developments from Cycling Fusion and Heart Zones in the months to come.

Cycling Fusion Official Website