Category: Apparel

Italian Style: Gucci and Bianchi Partner for New Bike and Matching Helmet

Even if a bike is just for commuting the Italians know you should look good going and getting there. To this end Italian luxury goods designer Gucci is rolling out a bicycle with Italian bike maker Bianchi. The result is a Gucci branded road machine that will feature plenty of style for commuters, and a helmet to match.

The bike will feature a black carbon fiber frame, with the Bianchi by Gucci logo on the frame and seat, while the helmet will be available in white and black and feature the signature green/red/green branding by Gucci. What strikes us as odd is that from the photos the signature Bianchi “Celeste” color seems to be missing. Hence this is why it is a Gucci brand bike (as in Bianchi by Gucci). Likewise, the price is all Gucci with the bike reportedly carrying a $14,000 price tag while the helmet will retail for $890. Hardly small change for commuters, but can you really put a price on style – apparently you can and it is almost $15,000! Continue reading Italian Style: Gucci and Bianchi Partner for New Bike and Matching Helmet

Beardhead Keeps You Warm, Keeps it Fun

Not everyone is willing or able to grow a full beard to stay warm in colder weather. Beardhead has a line of hats and beanies that give you an instant beard to keep you warm and add a little humor into your day.

Knit hats from Beardhead, which cost around $30 a piece, add a knit or scraggly beard to a head covering. Most hats are knit from a 30 percent wool, 70 percent acrylic blend yarn that will stay warm and dry all season on those cold days when you want to wear a balaclava but don’t want to be mistaken for a robber.

Styles include Grandpa, Ginger (redhead), Pirate, and Santa in the knit variety hats. The barbarian collection has a knit horned helmet paired with a hairy beard in several lengths and styles. Expect to get plenty of looks when you put this on next time you go out for a run.

Beardhead Official Website
[Via Be Sportier: Beardhead Winter Sport Hats With Personality]

When Does 8 Plastic Bottles = 1 Pair of Shoes?

What really happens to a plastic bottle that is tossed into the recycling bin? Does it actually get recycled or carted off to the dump? Shoe company New Balance along with Dasani water, owned by Coca-Cola, have now teamed up to show what is possible through reducing, reusing and recycling some of the materials that we use in our everyday lives. This partnership was launched to highlight the sustainability of reusing the plastic from one product and turning it in another product. In this case it was turning the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic that is commonly used in drink bottles into a fabric that can be used in a pair of shoes under the name newSKY.

Video after the jump

Made in America: Wickers Undergarments

During the winter months it’s best to dress in layers to keep in the heat, but did you know that a base layer can also help keep you cool? Firefighters often wear a base layer of fire retardant clothing below all of their other gear to keep from burning up and athletes sometimes wear a base layer to help wick away sweat. Wickers, based in New York, manufactures undergarments for all walks of life. From rock climbers to the military; kids to women experiencing menopause; and motorcyclists to hikers – Wickers makes an undergarment for literally anyone, and for any time of year. Best of all the garments are made in America.

Anthony Mazzenga founded Wickers in 1981 originally under the name Anrotex Inc. Fabric was the main focus of business back then. After Mazzenga saw an opportunity in the performance underwear market in 1990, the Wickers brand was born. Since that time, the Wickers product line has grown to include an enormous offering of  undergarments and base layers for any season. The line not only includes shirts and pants, but also gloves, socks, boxers, briefs, balaclava and neck gators. Continue reading Made in America: Wickers Undergarments

Winter is Coming, But Snow+Rock Have Shells to Keep You Warm

(Click image for closer view of the Calyx and Scorpion shells)

Fans of the book series A Song of Fire and Snow, which is the basis of HBO’s Game of Thrones are probably all too familiar with the line “winter is coming,” but given that we’re a week away from Thanksgiving there is no denying it. Winter is coming. Fortunately you don’t have to climb into a shell to avoid it, instead you can suit up in a new Gore-Tex mountain shell for winter.

Sprayway is offering two new shells for the long cold days ahead including the Scorpion (men’s) and Calyx (women’s) jackets, which are also ideal year round. These utilize standard Gore-Tex Peformance Shell fabric that will keep the cold wind off the back, along with adjustable mountin hoods with wired peak, large map-sized pockets, , pit-zips with storm flaps, adjustable hems, waist and cuffs and even venting options so wearer’s don’t get too heated. These are hiker friendly as pockets sit above the waist-belt level making these ideal for those wearing a pack. These won’t bulk up the wearer either, as the Calyx weighs in at 698g while the Scorpion is 941g.

Winter is coming. Sprayway will make it a bit easier to endure it!

Sprayway Official Website
[Via Outdoors Magic: Sprayway’s New Mountain Shells]

Cotton is Performing Again

With space age fibers, and a big move toward everything from bamboo to recycled water bottles the old cotton apparel seemed to be booted from the performance category. But now it seems that Longworth Industries Inc. of North Carolina are showing that cotton can once again be king.

The company has rolled out “performance underwear” as part of the Polarmax AYG Line of men’s and women’s boxers and briefs that features a special cotton called TransDRY. The fabric looks and feels just like normal cotton, but it reportedly breathes more like a synthetic, and this is done through a chemical treatment that is applied to the threads, which in turn helps disperse moisture. This means that the cotton TransDRY offers the same whisking benefits of other performance fabrics, while also being thin, comfortable and light. The underwear further features an anti-microbial treatment, which will come in handy for those who can’t change these as often as necessary when out in the wilds.

Polarmax Official Website
[Via Gearjunkie: ‘Performance’ Underwear made of Cotton]

Responsive Fabric To Help the Wearer

There is better health through technology, but what about better health through fashion? That’s the idea of Celliant, which prides itself on being the “Intel Inside of responsive textiles.” The company has actually been around for a decade, but has recently teamed up with major sportswear and fitness apparel companies including Reebok, Adidas and Saucony to create what is called “responsive fabric.”

According to a recent Fast Co.Exisit story this fabric may sound like something from science fiction, but it is actually very real, utilizing “a synthetic polymer that interacts with the body’s electromagnetic emission to induce increased oxygenation and blood flow.” The company claims that when worn as clothing Celliant can recycle energy back into the body by increasing blood flow and blood oxygen levels, and this means better athletic performance, potentially better strength and healing. Continue reading Responsive Fabric To Help the Wearer

Hands On: Bollé Tempest with Modulator Lenses

Click image for a closer view

Since the early 1990s, I have been an avid user of the Oakley Mumbo and M-frames with the Sweep lenses for all forms of cycling. They have protected my eyes from tree branches, sun, snow, mud, rocks, flying insects and anything else thrown my way. I never ride without them. They fit my head well and provide excellent coverage keeping the wind out of my eyes during fast descents. I have tried many other types of glasses and yet I keep grabbing my M-frames every time I ride… until now.

At Interbike this year, there were numerous eyewear companies and a number showing off photochromic lenses. Photochromic lenses darken when exposed to ultraviolet rays (UV) and fade back to lighter tint in low light areas or indoors. Shortly after the show, I received a pair of the Bollé Tempest glasses with their version of a photochromic lens, the Modulator, to try myself.

Continue reading Hands On: Bollé Tempest with Modulator Lenses

Hit the Traill for Winter

Winter riding means bundling up and that begins with a solid base layer. While it might sound like all you need is a heavy sweat shirt that could result in you overheating, then sweating and then getting chilled when you reduce your effort. The key to a good base layer is one that won’t make you too warm but won’t leave you cold either.

The Nalini Traill is just the sort of fitness under garment that will help keep you warm and dry. The jersey features a variable knit technology, with sections allowing for ventilation so you don’t get too heated up, while other sections will still keep your body warm. The long sleeved jersey is made of Meryl Actisystem so that it is lightweight, snug and warming. And while it is very tight fitting jersey it has enough give so that you don’t feel like you’re being compressed by it. It is the sort of base layer that will let you put in your ride and return to home base feeling warm and dry even in the dead of winter.

Nalini Traill at Albabici

Medical ID Bracelet Goes High Tech

httpv://youtu.be/vqAzSTs6jG8

Medical ID bracelets are an old brand of jewelry. For years bracelets existed for seniors or someone with a condition, to assist  first responders when they arrive on the scene of an emergency and find the victim unconscious. In recent years we’ve seen a push for ID bracelets designed for athletes – specifically designed for those people whose activity or training program often takes them hours and miles away from home. Now there is a new ID bracelet that not only provides your invaluable medical information for first responders, but also allows you to travel cash-free. Nathan Performance Gear and VITAband have teamed up in a long-term partnership to bring the Nathan VITAband to the masses. The Nathan VITAband is the first ID bracelet that combines the information needed by first responders and a debit card all electronically on your wrist.

Continue reading Medical ID Bracelet Goes High Tech

Louis Garneau Intros Carve Helmet

Each year helmets get lighter, but they also get stronger. Technology lends itself to a higher degree of protection using lighter-weight materials. However, even when you’re going to get down and dirty off road you’ll still want to look good doing so. For 2012 Louis Garneau will release the Carve helmet, which will offer that higher degree of protection without sacrificing style.  This new helmet promises to be lightweight, highly ventilated and totally geared toward mountain bikers.

Continue reading Louis Garneau Intros Carve Helmet

Hands on: Elite Pro Cycling Jacket by Showers Pass

Showers Pass Elite Pro Cycling Jacket Review

Elite Pro Jacket

The weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. Sunshine, hail, high winds, and snow can all happen within a few hours even on a summer day. With this kind of variability you learn to carry a jacket at all times while on the bike.

The Elite Pro jacket is made with a three layer proprietary fabric and is highly waterproof. The wind-blocking is exceptional. Beyond the basics, the jacket is loaded with features designed specifically for cycling. The Elite Pro is light, form fitting and doesn’t flap in the wind. At the waist, it is short in front and ultra-long in the back. This feels a bit awkward when you try on the jacket, but once on the bike, it is spot on. The sleeves have the same style. They feel freakishly long when standing and perfect when on the bike. I’ve learned to cinch the wrist up when off the bike, positioning the sleeves at the wrist to keep them from falling over my hands.

The jacket has tremendous ventilation. There are two core zipper vents that replace armpit zippers on previous models.
Continue reading Hands on: Elite Pro Cycling Jacket by Showers Pass

Blocking the Breeze While Riding

“There’s nothing cool about being cold.” I’m probably not alone in saying that I’m not the only one that couldn’t agree more with that tag line. As with many riders I like to get out throughout the winter, but no matter how much I bundle up, I often feel a chill in the fingers. This is because when your gloves become saturated with sweat or water, it can be very difficult to keep your hands warm. British-based BreezeBlockers has a novel solution for this all too common problem – block your hands from being in the wind.

The entire line of BreezeBlockers products are designed to keep your hands out of the wind while cycling, and use your natural body heat to create a warm air pocket inside the BreezeBlockers. Keeping this warm air pocket outside of the glove should reduce the amount of sweat that could potentially build up inside your gloves. Along with keeping the sweat from building within your gloves, they are also designed to keep water out. The BreezeBlockers are constructed of ABS or polypropylene plastic (depending on the model) which will help shield your hands from outside water from coming in contact with your gloves.

Video and the rest of the post here