Category: Apparel

Keeping Water Off of a Cyclist’s Back in Style

The British company, Water off a Duck’s Back, is set to release this fall a new men’s cycling rain coat designed to be both functional on the bike as well as fashionable after the bike is parked. Currently Water off a Duck’s Back has three different styles of coats for the ladies, but none for men. The new men’s coat is approximately the length of a peacoat, but is tailored to allow movement in the shoulders and arms where needed for cycling.

Along with style and cut designed for use while cycling, this British manufactured coat also has a‘hidden’ feature. When the cuffs are folded down, the collar is pooped up and the button strip on the back of the coat is turned over, wide reflective strips are revealed to hopefully allow the rider to be seen easier in low light situations. Continue reading Keeping Water Off of a Cyclist’s Back in Style

Made in America: Swami Sportswear

Finding athletic apparel that is made in the U.S.A. is actually not too terribly difficult if you read enough labels. Yoga pants, cycling clothing and even t-shirts are still made in America, but most of these items are well over $20. Sometimes a simple pair of sweatpants or shorts to bike around town is all that is needed and not breaking the bank is a bonus. Swami Sportswear of Temecula, CA is manufacturing a line of pants and shorts for men, women and children that are all 100 percent Made in America and all for under $20 – even for custom made sweatpants.

The line of clothing includes Capri pant for the ladies, sweatpants, sports shorts and non-padded cycling shorts. The material is a fleece cotton and polyester blend with a fabric weight of 400 grams. Most of the adult bottoms are available in nine different colors and seven different sizes, all using the same thickness of fleece. There is one pair of sweatpants specifically made for the girls out there, but you only have the choice of two different colors. There is no specific section for boys, but the men’s wear is offered in some fairly small sizes. Continue reading Made in America: Swami Sportswear

Podium Position: What Did They Wear in the Tour?

At the Tour de France 2011 the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, stood on the podium in second and third positions after an exciting three weeks of daily races. The brothers, and the entire team of Leopard Trek, wore kits from Craft Performance Apparel. Each rider wore an Elite Attack Jersey and Elite Body Control Bib Short. Both pieces have some interesting technology that keeps riders cool and comfortable.

The Elite Attack Jersey  is made from a lightweight mesh fabric with hexachannel fibers for moisture transportation and cooling effects. The jersey has a wing panel construction that enhances freedom of movement. The same wing panel construction provides an ergonomically shaped fit for the perfect riding position. Continue reading Podium Position: What Did They Wear in the Tour?

Hands On: Ryn X-Run Shoes

When MBT shoes first came out I looked into them. I ultimately decided not to get a pair. Since then I’ve remained one part curious and one part skeptical. I’ve watched all the brands come out, at every price, and I’ve watched more and more people wearing them.

One of the newer brands to reach the U.S. market is Ryn: Walking Science. Ryn is a Korean company that produces shoes that are said to tone your leg muscles as you walk. We covered Ryn earlier this spring when they were introduced to the U.S. market. We were able to get a pair for review, and here are the impressions we got. Continue reading Hands On: Ryn X-Run Shoes

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Jerseys Being Auctioned for Charity

This coming August, sandwiched between two of the three Grand Tours, is the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is expected to be the largest spectator event in Colorado history and may possibly be one of the largest sporting events to ever take place in the United States. For seven consecutive days, 128 of the world’s top athletes will race across 518 miles through the majestic Rockies, reaching higher altitudes than they’ve ever had to endure, more than two miles in elevation. The inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge will take place August 22-28, 2011, starting in Colorado Springs and traveling to Salida, Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison, Aspen, Vail, Avon, Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge and Golden, ending in Denver for the finish.

Just about every cycling stage race has custom jerseys created to designate the ‘race leader’ from day to day – the USA Pro Challenge is no different. USA Pro Challenge will award jerseys daily to top athletes in various standings including the leader, sprinter and climber. In addition, the best young rider as well as the rider who tackles the course with the most tenacity and aggression will wear jerseys commemorating their accomplishments. Continue reading USA Pro Cycling Challenge Jerseys Being Auctioned for Charity

Dare to wear (Cold)Black in the Sun

A shirt using coldblack made by Flying Cross

You may wear black clothes daily, but when you go to work out or spend time in the sun, you probably look for lighter colored clothing. Dark fabrics, especially black fabrics, absorb the heat from the sun and transfer that heat right to your skin. It doesn’t help your workout at all.

A new finish on fabric called coldblack made by textile company Schoeller Technologies makes for a new class of functional clothing. With coldblack, darker colors can be worn in the sun without worries of providing extra heat. The heat bounces off the textile rather than shooting straight through.

An additional advantage to coldblack is protection from UV rays. The fabric provides a minimum Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 30 when applied to any textile. This protects against UV-A rays and UV-B rays. Continue reading Dare to wear (Cold)Black in the Sun

Far Infrared Clothing Bounces Energy Back to You

energear fabric uses Far Infrared Rays to reflect energy back to the wearer

Functional fabrics go a long way for an athlete toward adding performance to a garment. There’s breathable fabric that wicks moisture and heat away from the skin. There’s compression fabric that stays tight around targeted areas to tone or heel particular muscles. And now there’s fabric that uses Far Infrared Rays to reflect energy back to the body.

A company called Schoeller Textiles AG is producing clothing made from a titanium and mineral matrix to produce a Far Infrared effect on its clothing, called energear. Far Infrared Rays are a component of infrared rays. The sun, certain stones and metals, and the human body radiate this form of infrared. In this case titanium and minerals are used to reflect energy back into the body of the wearer. The fabric remains breathable even with the Far Infrared coating. Continue reading Far Infrared Clothing Bounces Energy Back to You

Jawbone Thinks Things are Looking UP for Disease Prevention

Is functional jewelry the next trend in fitness? Mobility lifestyle company Jawbone certainly plans to make a play in that category with UP by Jawbone. UP is a wristband that monitors your activity including movement, diet and other vitals.

Jawbone first entered the market with a noise-reducing headset for mobile phones that transmitted sound from vibrations on your jawbone instead of using a microphone. According to the CDC lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer cause more deaths than communicable diseases. The company believes eating healthier, getting quality sleep and moving more can prevent many of those lifestyle diseases.

UP by Jawbone will be available later this year. Jawbone started talking about the device, which connects to the iPhone via an app, at the TEDGlobal conference. “We are excited to share our vision at TEDGlobal because this epidemic will take an entire community to affect a global change,” said Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. “TED is a community of thought leaders that can help propel this idea into a global movement.”

UP integrates robust computing and sophisticated sensor technology in the form of functional jewelry. It tracks your movement, sleep patterns, and nutrition and gives you feedback on how you’re doing based on data. The wristband connects to a mobile app that analyzes the activity, and an open platform that motivates you with personal social recommendations and challenges tailored to your goals.

“We’re passionate about creating products for the mobile lifestyle that people love to use every day. And now we’re harnessing that passion to approach a major global issue – health,” Rahman said. “We are focused on creating a highly accessible solution for this particular space that integrates seamlessly into a user’s daily life with the goal of making it absolutely easy for them to live better.”

It’s still early for details on the UP device, but Jawbone is collecting email addresses for notification when it’s ready for use.

Official UP by Jawbone site.

Interbike 2011: Think you know style?

Clothes they say make the man, but do clothes make the rider? We’ll find out in September as Interbike, the largest bicycle trade show in North America, is once again hosting the Interbike City Style Fashion Show. This is not a show of Lycra-clad racers, but a show of stylish, lifestyle types of clothing including many entries which can be worn on the bike as well as stroller around town to run errands.

Presented by Momentum Magazine, this year Interbike show attendees will get to enjoy two shows. On September 14 and 15, at 2 p.m., both shows will happen in the Urban Lounge which is in the Hall ‘G,‘ on the street level of the Sands Convention Center. Different from other fashion shows is how the catwalk is setup…instead of pouty looking models stomping down the runway, an indoor road loop is laid out so that the models can ride around in the clothing submissions and best display the cycling apparel and bikes in action – giving each attendee a front row seat.

Even though Interbike is an ‘industry only’ trade show, companies and fashion designers are invited to submit clothing and accessories for consideration. Represented clothing, accessories and bikes will include a variety of lifestyle categories including Work, Daytime Casual, Weekend Casual, To the Gym, Semi Formal and Formal. Companies and designers interested in potential inclusion should return the completed submission Interbike Fashion Showform and clearly labeled low-res product photo to Mia Kohout at mia@momentumplanet.com or via fax at (604) 669-9870. Product submissions are due on or before August 1, with accepted companies being notified of inclusion on August 8. Below you will find a link to the submission form.

Submission Forms
Interbike Official Website

Look Buff in the Summer Sun

Everyone likes to get a little “buff” in the summertime, but too much time in the sun can leave you burnt and blistered instead. One solution is a large hat, or you could put on sun screen with a trowel. The other solution is to look a little Buff, as in put on a headwrap.

The Buff High UV Protection headwrap can be used as a bandana, scarf, headband, mask, neckerchief or even ponytail holder. Made of a cloth material that blocks up to 95 percent of the UV rays it will also wick sweat and features an active-odor control that actually resists odor-causing bacteria. It can keep you cool, dry and a bit fresh.

The wrap is made of a single piece of cloth, and yet is elastic. Since one size, 21×9.5 inches may fit all, but colors certainly won’t it comes in a variety of patterns and colors. And of course it is machine washable and needs no ironing. Time to Buff up.

Buff Official Website

Made in America: Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel

Fashion vs. function…the discussion that my wife and I have each time we are shopping for a new piece of furniture, apparel or sporting equipment together. Sometimes the two concepts work cohesively, but often one must be sacrificed over the other. Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel has been able to successfully merge the two concepts together and has a line of cycling clothing that is both functional and fashionable all while being made in America.

Based in Emeryville, California, the entire line of apparel is manufactured across the bay in San Francisco. Mostly geared towards women, the Sheila Moon line of apparel is whimsical and colorful without being ‘fruity’. From active wear clothing and accessories to casual apparel, the Sheila Moon collections are just plain ‘fun’.

The cycling clothing can be worn on a century ride just as easily as it can be worn on a cruiser ride down to the coffee shop for the afternoon – it just looks fashionable. The construction is on par if not better than that of the bigger names in the cycling apparel world. Most of the jerseys have at least one pocket for carrying nourishment or as my wife puts it…a place for her lip gloss. Sheila Moon offers all different styles of tops ranging from tanks to long sleeve jerseys all with the same pattern as the other cycling tops so that a rider can be coordinated if they so desire.

Along with tops, a wide variety of bottoms are also available. The cut of the traditional, padded cycling shorts is a little unique compared to other manufacturers. My wife described the waist as having a ‘yoga’ pants cut – instead of the waistband being straight across, it forms a ‘V’ below the navel area. Along with traditional shorts, Sheila Moon also offers skirts, knickers and padded liners all geared towards on the bike use.

Not only does Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel manufacture cycling tops and bottoms, but they also offer a line of accessories and street wear for those times that you are off of the bike. When the weather turns chilly or a normal summer day in San Francisco, a line of coordinated arm warmers, caps and headbands can help keep you warm while still looking good.

For the men out there, you may have to look elsewhere for your apparel needs. Even though there is a men’s section on the Sheila Moon website, it appears to be only listed under the ’outlet’ link with no new offerings apparent for 2011.

Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel is available at numerous cycling and outdoor retailers around the country. If you do not find one near you, the full line can also be ordered directly from their website. And if you were wondering if there is a real Sheila Moon, do a little search on Facebook…someone appears to be a huge Thor Hoshovd fan!

Sheila Moon Official Website

Pearl Izumi Brings Baggy Shorts for Biking

We understand that not everyone wants to wear Lycra shorts when cycling. There are times when riders don’t want the skintight shorts, but still would like the padding of cycling shorts. There are also times when longer shorts can be good too.

There have been no shortage of knicker length cycling tights, but now Peral Izumi has introduced the Launch line of baggy knicker shots. There promise to offer a little style, just enough padding and yet won’t sag while riding.

The Pearl Izumi Launch Knicker feature 4-way stretch, with plenty of pockets, as well as a datable liner with MTB 3D chamois, and adjustable interior waistband. There are snap and Velcro front closure with zip fly. Best of all these feature a longer cut that is good for those cool days around down, or just for looking cool on the trail.

Pearl Izumi Launch Knicker Official Website

Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision

The Belgium helmet company, Lazer Sports, has recently announced the fall release of a new line of sports eyewear designed for cyclists. Established in 1919, Lazer is the oldest, continuously run manufacturer of helmets, for the bicycle, motorcycle and leisure helmets markets in more than 50 countries, over 5 continents. Brian Kee, part of the new vision division at Lazer Sports, introduced the eyewear the will be appearing in retailers later this year during a presentation at this years PressCamp. The new line of glasses has five different styles with estimated retail pricing ranging from $40 to $90. Continue reading Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision