Apparel | Evolving Consumer

Fitness on the Brain(Waves)

Some people just have fitness on the brain. We like those kind of people, but we understand that not everyone has mental concentration to get in the mindset to workout. But now B-Bridge International has unveiled the first brainwave athletic trainer. It is powered by NeuroSky, a maker of mass-market Brain Computer Interface technology.

The BrainAthlete system is designed to help consumers track their athletic level of concentration, and find the “zone.” It is built into a standard golf visor, and contains three non-invasive contact points in the headband. These monitor the EEG electrical activity from the wearer’s brain and determine the mental state, allowing users as well as trainers to track concentration levels during a workout activity. This can be later analyzed and to help training.

“When it comes to expert level players or athletes, the difference between win or lose, gold or silver is often the athlete’s mind,” says Dr. Lee, NeuroSky’s CTO.

NeuroSky has been already working with the technology with the USA Olympic Archery team for more than four years, and now the partnership is looking to take a swing at the golf market. Time to concentrate on the game, and see if your mind was really there when it counted.

NeuroSky Official Website

B-Bridge International Official Website

Lose a Finger to Snap a Photo

There are plenty of gloves out there to keep your hands nice and toasty whilst you ski, snowboard, skate or partake in other winter wonderland activities. But try taking a photo… not so easy is it? The solution offered typically just involves removing the glove.

But the POW Pho-Tog Gloves were designed with input from action sports photographers, and feature a convertible finger as well as pocket on the backhand. This allows the thumb and point fingers to go “fingerless” for easy camera access. The gloves feature hook and loop cuff closures for easy adjustment as well, and are made of softshell and neoprene, with a Clarino Synthetic leather palm, so they’re keep you warm up to 32 degrees.

And while designed for using a camera, these will be good for using a portable music player, making phone calls or just anything else that would require you to take off your gloves. We like that a lot.

POW Gloves Official Website

Smart Workout Apparel in Development

Currently, we are seeing workout attire that breathes better, doesn’t retain that foul gym smell and even helps provide extra “squeeze” to compress muscles. That’s all good and clever, but truly “smart” clothing is now being developed that could change the way we work out.

Reebok and start-up MC10 have partnered up to develop apparel that would utilize stretchable silicon electronics. Reebok would utilize the flexible electronics from MC10 into its sportswear, resulting in clothing that can actually monitor a user’s health and performance during training and post-workout cool down. Continue reading Smart Workout Apparel in Development

Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

While it seems late in the season – given that the playoffs are just around the corner anyway – for Nike to introduce new equipment. But enter the Air Zoom Alpha Talon shoes. These feature a fully adaptable traction system, with retractable cleats on the interior of the forefoot. These extend when pressure is applied, giving the player more traction at times when it is needed, and then retracting afterward. The cleats also utilize Nike’s new Flywire technology, which provides lightweight support for sideways movement, and to help cushion the foot the Air Zooms further provide Pro Deflex padding. The new shoes will hit the gridiron this weekend and will be used by a variety of NFL players. Continue reading Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

Fitness Journal: Can You Keep a Secret?

Do you participate in a sport or fitness activity regularly? Do you enjoy trying out the latest technology? Can you offer technical praise or criticism of a product? Can you keep a secret? I you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you might be a perfect candidate to become a ‘wear tester.’

A wear tester is an individual under agreement with a manufacturer to test and evaluate a product before it arrives to market. This is a non-paid position, but can be rewarding if you enjoy testing new products and you can provide written product evaluation in a timely manner. As a bonus, you may even be allowed to keep the product after testing or evaluation by the manufacturer. The downside is you cannot tell anyone that you are participating in the program; you cannot give away, loan or sell the item; you cannot photograph the item; you cannot post pictures on a social networking site… basically the first rule of wear testing is to not talk about wear testing. Continue reading Fitness Journal: Can You Keep a Secret?

Clever Socks From SmartWool

Winter means extra thick socks. These help keep the toes warm, but the right socks can also ensure that they stay dry and in place through athletic activity as well. SmartWool has new pairs of socks for the upcoming ski and winter sport season that are downright clever.

The SmartWool PhD Ski and Snowboard collection offers high performance socks (yes, there is such a thing these ays), which are keep feet warm, protected and dry throughout a day on the slopes. A mesh ventilation zone further helps the feet breathe to reduce sweaty feet – which in turn can mean cold feet as activity slows down. These feature a unique 4 Degree Fit System that ensures that socks stay in place and won’t bunch up or worse slip down. This not only makes for more comfortable socks, but also helps prevent friction and potential blisters.

The SmartWool PhD socks are made from high grade Merion wool, which is a natural insulator and can help regulate temperature to keep feet warm when it’s downright cold outside. Wool in itself is an antimicrobial that can further prevent odor causing bacteria from building up.

Additionally, the socks are nothing short of genius too, and can do much more than just piling on a second pair. These will actually provide cushion thanks to SmartWool’s WoW technology that includes high density impact zones with custom-fit feeling. There is even extra cushioning provided around the shin, heel and instep. This won’t exactly put springs in your step, but will help you feel like you’re walking on fluffy snow even if it is hardpacked.

SmartWool Official Website

Run Into the Ground in a Good Way

Running shoes can go the distance but the truth is that most shoes are deemed “dead” before they’re exactly falling apart. This is because it is a good idea to replace shoes long before they reach that state. The problem is that the synthetic materials used to make many shoes can last a long time. Now that’s good when you’re using them, but bad once they’re past the “use by” date.

Currently, there aren’t exactly recycle bins for old running shoes. So instead when the shoes are done, they end up in landfills. The way many of these are built they could be dug by some future garbage-archeologist. One solution is from Brooks Sports with its $100 “Green Silence” shoes, which are designed to break down in a landfill. The process is still more of a distance race than a sprint, and takes 20 years, but that’s a far cry from the marathon pace of many traditional running shoes. Continue reading Run Into the Ground in a Good Way

Luxembourg Pro Cycling Get Crafty With Apparel

Andy and Frank Schleck, along with Fabian Cancellara, Jakob Fuglsang, Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady will be looking crafty this summer as they take to the roads of France and beyond. As part of the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling project they’ll be deck out in Craft Performance Apparel reports Velonation.

The apparel company will work with the team in 2011 and beyond, and offer riders the sleek clothing that it has developed for skiing and speed-skating. For the Schlecks as well as Cancellara it won’t be much of a change as they wore Craft attire with Saxo Bank as well.

Craft is the latest sponsor to join the new Luxembourg squad, as equipment suppliers Trek and Mercedes were previously on board. Now all that’s left is to see the actual uniform take shape.

[Via Velonation: Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project to use Craft Performance Apparel clothing]

Nike Moves Toward Sustainability with Collaborative Design Tool

Expect to see more environmental, sustainable products from Nike and hopefully the industry. The company just released its Environmental Apparel Design Tool to foster collaboration between companies, and maximize the use of sustainable materials and processes.

The Environmental Design Tool is an open source tool based on Nike’s Considered Design Index. This is seven years in the making and the company has made a $6 million investment in the software-based system to help designers make real time choices that decrease environmental impact in their process. Continue reading Nike Moves Toward Sustainability with Collaborative Design Tool

Be Seen on the Road with Traffic Master

The fast-approaching winter means two things: longer hours of darkness and colder temperatures. The Traffic Master jersey from ElevenGear addresses both. Bright and warm, this jersey will serve you well through the winter months.

This long sleeve jersey is made from a material that’s lightly textured exterior is paired with a fleecy interior to keep you warm as the temperatures approach freezing. The two layers work to transfer moisture away from your skin, which keeps dry warmth next to your skin. A full zipper gives you options, including adding the jersey as an outer layer or jacket. Continue reading Be Seen on the Road with Traffic Master

Holiday Shopping Season Begins With Primal

The holiday shopping season is here, and for many parts of the country that also means winter is around the corner. The primal instinct might be to stay close to a warm fire, not head out on a long ride. But fortunately Primal Wear has you covered, or rather has a jacket that keeps you covered and warm. And it would make a great holiday gift for that cyclist in your life.

This is the Team Eleven Paradigm Thermal Jacket (MSRP: $199.95), which features HXT-Hexathermal fabric, extended tail, rear zip pocket and luminite reflective piping. It features the Primal T3D cut that ensures the sleeves and tail of the jacket won’t creep up which riding. The HXT-Hexathermal fabric is further embedded with a special filament membrane that allows airflow out and prevents moisture or cold air from coming in. For those long winter rides that means you can stay warm even if the weather outside is frightful.

Primal Wear

Prepping for Those Winter Rides

Winter arrives sooner in some areas. In Minnesota, there’s already a slushy blanket of snow on the ground and temperatures to match. Scott Thayer, GM at Civia, Cycles discussed his morning commute during his morning commute and details gear that’s helpful to make the cold more endurable in those winter months.

Civia Cycles

via [EcoVelo blog]

Socks that Fit Like a Glove

Each foot has five toes, yet they all go into one sock and get pushed together in the shoe. Some people believe each toe should go in its own fabric, like a glove. The Tetratsock from injinji is designed to allow the entire foot to perform naturally and freely inside the shoe.

Toes provide proper balance, posture, stability and grip. These abilities are kept when toes are in toe socks, as injinji calls them. The company just release a midweight toesock in its Tetratsock line. The midweight sock is designed for sports such as running, walking, cycling. The toesock provides more padding and several additional properties.

Restriction-free movement of the five toes eliminates skin-on-skin friction and therefore blisters, hot spots and other common foot ailments. The socks are designed with a reinforced compression arch and Achilles heel support.

In conventional socks, injinji claims your toes are forced to work together as one unit creating heat and moisture build up. Blood circulation is reduced by skin-on-skin friction that reduces healthy air around your toes. If you want to use the mitten and glove analogy, mittens keep your fingers warmer since they’re all together, though you lose dexterity. Gloves may offer less warmth, but increased dexterity.

The Midweight Performance Toesock ($16) is made from CoolMax freshFX fabric, which bonds wicking CoolMax fibers with anti-odor and antimicrobial silver. The socks also have nylon and lycra added for strength, flexibility, and a glove-like fit. We don’t know if these socks will work with shoes such as the Vibram Five Finger ones, but the concept is along the same lines.

Injinji Footwear