httpv://youtu.be/vzsOf5oRD1o
What might be better reserved for a segment on the Science Channel’s show How It’s Made, MACPI spa is an Italian industrial machinery company that produces the equipment used by appeal companies to make your favorite athletic clothing. You may never even see any of their equipment in person, but you probably have a garment that has been assembled using one of their machines. Continue reading Interbike 2011: MACPI spa
Participating in an exercise class barefoot is not always appealing. The floors are grimy. Your feet might not give you the traction you need, particularly if the room is cold. You may just feel more comfortable with your feet covered. That said, socks and other footwear are not compatible with disciplines such as yoga, palates, dance and some forms of martial arts. In these disciplines traction and balance are essential.
In steps Puretoes. These are foot coverings – Puretoes doesn’t identify itself as socks – with a grippy material on the sole and stops at the toes. The combination of the free toes and the grippy coating on the ball of the foot and the heel make it possible to do many poses and combinations called for in several disciplines. There are separate holes for the big toe and the rest of the toes, which helps keep the foot covering firmly on your foot. You still have the ability to spread your toes to balance for poses such as the tree pose. You can do a karate kick without worrying your stocking-feet will slide out from under you.
There are similar products on the market, including toeless socks from Stick-e, which also have grippy coating painted to the bottom. While those socks are knit and similar to regular socks, Puretoes are made from a material that appears to be a light neoprene with a brushed material on the inside to provide comfort.
Puretoes Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Puretoes ‘Not-a-Sock’ Foot Coverings]
Biking to work sounds like such a brilliant idea. That is until you actually do it and show up to work with a damp, wrinkled shirt. The ShirtShuttle from Commuter Technologies, which is currently available exclusively at The Conran Shop in the U.K., is a weather-tight case fits a clean shirt and stores it in your backpack or messenger bag so it will arrive dry and crease-free. Continue reading ShirtShuttle Helps Commuters Tote a Clean Shirt
Proving again that performance doesn’t mean sacrificing quality, Louis Garneau is rolling out its new Mondo Evo Jersey and Bibshort, both are designed for performance as the jersey offers an aerodynamic fit, and the ibs have been clinically tested to increase blood flow and blood oxygen levels in the body.
The Mondo Evo Jersey features Aero Lazer Band sleeves that are laser-cut and hemless for a smooth transition from fabric to the skin, while also being superlight and thin to provide a second-second feel. The Mondo Evo Bib is made from a Cell-Ion fabric, and in addition to providing better flow, it has been clinically proven to relieve pain, increase comfort and actually aid in healing. The bib reportedly balances body temperature to help athletes achieve maximum performance. The 4Motion chamois combines 3D pre-shaped wings and a deep split at the back to provide multi-direction motion, while the central channel is shaped to help relieve pressure, plus the chamois has a high-tech baceriostatic carbon top sheet.
Both the bib and jersey feature reflective accents to add a level added visibility while riding or training in traffic. So you can feel good and feel a better safer still. The Mondo Evo Jersey will be available for $159.99, while the Mondo Evo Bib will be available for $189.99, and both will arrive in stores in October.
Louis Gareau Official Website
Keeping a cool head while riding is a good idea to play it safe, and Headsweats is introducing a line of headwear that is ideal for those hot summer days when the temperatures climb higher than most riders. This new headwear is designed to help manage excessive sweating on hot days.
The new line of Super Duty under helmet headware (MSRP $22), which will be available in black and white in February of next year, will feature moisture management and “Perspiration Technology,” along with a COOLMAX fabric terry sweatband. The COOLMAX fabric shell will keep you dry as well, while the Eventure elastic will make for a perfect fit. It should allow you to truly keep a cool head.
Corn is a summer favorite. Recommended servings include grilled, steamed and cooked in the microwave as long as there’s a dollop of butter to melt over the kernels. But would you think about wearing corn? The Omni-Freeze Ice Baselayer from Columbia Sportswear coming out next year is made from a corn or maize-based fiber.
The shirt does well to keep the wearer cool in hot weather. Tiny crystals in the fiber undergo a change from solid to gel when they become wet. Sweat causes this reaction. The result is that the gel cools the skin, or “sucks heat from the surrounding environment,” Columbia claims.
This is called a baselayer, however even with the cooling functions it’s going to be the only layer.
Columbia Sportswear Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: ‘Maize-Based’ Compound Adds Cooling Effect to Columbia T-Shirt]
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtQjyZSiM1g&feature=player_embedded
Whether you’re a pro cyclist or just out for a ride, you can crash. At decent speeds and a stretch of concrete to skid on, a crash can quickly lead to road rash. That’s some nasty business. If you watch pro-cycling, you’ll see that any crash can quickly result in ripped shorts and jerseys with some bloody red skin peeking through the tears.
A new device, the Road Rash Guard, aims to prevent road rash and the resulting ripped clothing, by taking all the scrapes for you. It’s a bubble of durable material that clips onto your clothing in areas you’d typically experience abrasion in the event of a crash. The Road Rash Guard acts like a caster you’d place under furniture to protect the floor. Place a few of these on strategic locations such as your shoulder, hip, thigh and knee, and your slide across the pavement will be buffered by this device.
Here’s some vitals on the Road Rash Guard:
Snap on the device by separating the front and back, then sandwiching the two pieces on your clothes (one inside your jersey, one outside) and securing with a snap. Then go cycling. You need a handful of Road Rash Guards to keep you covered, probably about three on each side of your body. Each one retails for $28.95, however the company offers discounts for bulk orders of 24, 36 and 48 units so if you go in with a group of friends you can get a better price.
It’s no guarantee that you will be scrape-free in a crash, but in many cases it’s the difference between some nasty abrasions and torn jersey and shorts and walking away from a crash with just a bruise. In most cases you’ll get a bruise where the Road Rash Guard sits on your skin, but that’s a more favorable option.
Road Rash Guard official site
With winter being only a few months away, some cyclists will choose to hang up their ride instead of braving the elements. Riding in snow, ice and darkness offers many challenges that some would rather skip in favor of the gym or the couch. A new brand is being created specifically with products geared towards cold weather riding. Based in one of the coldest areas in the United States, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) of Bloomington, Minnesota has announced the launch of 45North.
This new brand will include all sorts of cold weather gear, but the initial offering will be winter specific tires. A new studded tire, available in both a 26-inch and a 700c; along with the Husker Dü, a proprietary fat tire for all-terrain bikes, will hit the market first. Prototypes will be available for viewing at Interbike which we hope to have some photos posted during our trip to the show. The studded tires will be in stock at QBP and available to bike retailers in October, with the Husker Dü following in November. Continue reading 45North… a New Brand to Keep You Rolling in the Winter
The Emerald Isles are known for many things, including their green beauty. This makes for scenic golf courses, but it can be a little… wet too. There is a joke that there are two kinds of weather in Ireland, which are raining and going to rain. The U.S. Solheim Cup Team will be able to beat the weather and stay warm and dry as it suits up with Sunice Outerwear for this month’s event at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland.
Rosie Jones, the U.S. team captain, selected Sunice for its attention to styling and exceptional performance in a difficult wet climate and the players will wear as part of their exclusive uniform multiple Sunice garments manufactured using only Gore-Tex fabrics to ensure they are provided ultimate performance and protection from the elements.
“As we get closer to the Solheim Cup, the anticipation is mounting as we anxiously await the appearance of Team USA in their custom-designed Sunice outerwear suits,” said Mark Fletcher, President of Sunice. “The design and development process that involved our top product people working in conjunction with Rosie Jones and her assistants was a fun experience and we worked well together as a team.” Continue reading U.S. Suits Up With Sunice
We normally think of Nike’s basketball shows when we think of “dunk,” but Nike Golf is unveiling its latest Nike Dunk (NG) Golf shoe, which will make the rounds on the PGA Tour this fall, and will be available to golfers starting in the New Year.
The shoes do have a link to the court, not the greens. The original Nike Dunk was created as a basketball shoe in 1985. After it was introduced to the world, the Nike Dunk started a commotion when basketball teams began wearing them to match their uniforms. The shoes caught on, and have and Dunks have become the prized shoes for sneakerheads as well as fashion statements for anyone looking to add vintage style to their shoe collection. Nike even kept original Nike Dunk shoes that were created 25 years ago, to ensure that the Nike Dunk NG feels just the same as the Dunks that people have grown to love. And as the shoes move from the courts to the fairways, Nike ensures that these will do so without compromising performance for golf. Continue reading Nike Golf Goes for the Dunk
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2lzZ204HVw&feature=player_embedded#at=108
Practicing yoga during the summer, or in hot studios as practiced with Hatha (or “hot”) yoga, sometimes doesn’t seem compatible. The heat makes you sweat, and sweat makes you slip on the mat or floor. Continue reading Yoga Gets a Leg Up with Stick-e
We live in a disposable society, no doubt about it. Last year’s fashions end up piling up until they’re donated or thrown away. But what if you could send your swimsuit to the composite pile?
That’s the idea behind designer Linda Loudermilk’s new design, which made its debut at the Haute Natured sustainable-swimwear show during Fashion Week in Miami recently. While the show featured swim attire from several designers, reportedly being made from recycled plastic bottles, wood pulp and even parachutes (how 1980s sounding), Loudermilk’s design is made from plant starch, so it will biodegrade.
The suits reportedly can break down in about 180 days when buried underground, so it should be fine for a season in the sun and pool. It gives a whole new meaning to trashy swimsuit.
Are you annoyed the spots that are left behind on your glasses after getting caught in a rain shower or being forced to remove your glasses completely just when you need them the most so you can see where you are going on your bike in a storm? For $20, Oakley may have a solution for you. The Oakley NanoClear Lens Cleaner + Hydrophobic Kit is a liquid product which is applied directly to the lenses of your glasses and repels water similar to the RainX product for your car’s windshield.
The Oakley NanoClear Lens Cleaner + Hydrophobic Kit is easy to apply using the applicator marker and is formulated to work with almost any type of eyewear and frames, including prescription glasses. To apply, simply run the marker tip across the entire lens surface, wait 30 seconds then buff it lightly with the included MICROCLEAR cloth. The formula can be applied to both sides of the lenses – especially useful for those who sweat a lot. The coating prevents water from leaving streaks and sheens that can corrupt your vision, and it creates a smudge-resistant barrier that repels skin oils and lotions, so keeping your lenses clean will be a whole lot easier. Continue reading Spots on your glasses?