httpv://youtu.be/vmZ1QfZ9Skk
In last week’s Every Third Thursday, Signal Snowboards’ founder Dave Lee left the factory to travel across the sea to an Italian glass factory to create a handmade glass snowboard—the most delicate build to date!
Category: concept
Big Wheel for Big Kids?
By the time most of us move from the Big Wheel to a real bicycle we tend not to look back. But Joe Hadzicki and his son Tyler have looked to create a grown up trike, and the result is the ONDA Cycle.
The duo have taken their concept to Kickstarter and are looking to the crowd sourcing site to produce what they stress is not a bike or board. They have promised that the ONDA Cycle could be the “most daring machine you’ll ever ride.” This isn’t exactly a getting from point A to point B with speed, but like many children’s toys – including those Big Wheels – allows riders to spin out. Continue reading Big Wheel for Big Kids?
Cloud-Based Tent
The high-tech world is moving to the cloud, but so too may those looking to camp out. And while maybe it isn’t exactly the “clouds” UK-based tent maker Tentsile has introduced the “Stingray,” which will get you off the ground at night. Currently being refined through a Kickstarter project the Tentsile Stingray is being viewed as ideal for flooded terrain or other areas where the ground is otherwise unsuitable for a traditional tent, but we like to think of it as a penthouse for the campsite! Video after the jump
Made in America: POV Backpack
We’ve seen a number of action camera accessories that are designed to change the perspective, including a few wearable systems that change the view from first-person to third-person – putting the rider/runner/athlete in the shot.
The latest gizmo to entry this market is the VuPackPole, a POV/action camera backpack mount, which is now being developed by creator/designer Rodger Dean through a Kickstarter project. This pack is being designed and assembled in Alaska, and the frame is made using a CNC process from HPDE plastic, while the subsystem all and joint is made in Washington.
While this will allow wearer’s to be in the shot, the designers also noted that one problem with typical head-mounted systems is that the video can be shaky and hard to watch. By moving the camera to a pack it is more stable as well. According to Dean the joints will still give under pressure so no worries about getting caught up on branches! Video after the jump
Team BMC Gets Commuter Bikes
Do pro cyclists “commute” to work? We’re not really sure but the BMC Racing Team has been “outfitted” with a new line of BMC commuter bikes, fitted with Gates belt-drive drivetrains. The new Urban Challenge line will reportedly be on the team trucks this season – which could indicate that the bikes could debut for the rest of us this fall.
[Via Bicycle Retailer: BMC team outfitted with official belt-drive commuter bikes]
RollerSafe Promises Safe Roller Skiing
Roller skis are commonly used to train in the off-season but with one serious drawback – it can be difficult to stop. Without snow to carve into stopping can be tricky. This is why it is said that necessity is the mother of invention, because the need to stop has resulted in the RollerSafe.
These street skis utilize a wireless disc-braking system that makes it easier to control the speed and more importantly come to a safe and complete stop. This is controlled via a small trigger-based toggle that is integrated in the pole handle, and allows users to control the speed without any major physical motion besides a flick on the stick. Video after the jump
Taking Kontrol
Beginning snowboarders often worry about how they’ll stop, but now Streetboardz Boarder Kontrol offers a solution with a special “brake” designed to crave into the snow. It features a curve on the metal blade to help riders learn to carve and turn while slowing down as well. The only downside to this system is that it does require a modification to the actual snowboard. For that reason the company is focused on supplying the hardware to schools and rental shops rather than bringing it to retail. Video after the jump
Innovative Geometry
There have been attempts to break from the traditional “double diamond” design that has graced bicycles for more than a century. But Italian designer Paolo de Giusti has created something truly revolutionary.
The XXXVI DG features the standard frame shape but with a unique twist that seems almost like an M.C. Escher painting. The result is an asymmetric frame that features an overlapping frame and fork, along with unconventional placement of the chainstay. This concept bicycle – and let’s be honest this will likely never see mass production – features 36-inch wheels, something that was once common once.
This bike has everything a bike should have. Two wheels, pedals, fork, frame, seat. But de Giusti has put together in a way we really haven’t seen before. What’s not to love?
Customized Sledges
A consortium led by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials is looking at creating custom-optimized ski sledges for use by the competitors in the cross-country and biathlon skiers competing in the 2014 Winter Paralympics. This could involve filming the competitors as they go through their racing motions on a standard sledge, and where the data is utilized to create a bio-mechanical model of the athlete to create a customized sledge. Will this give certain athletes an edge? Perhaps, but it could also just increase the spirit of competition.
[Via Fraunhofer Media Release: Optimized custom-made ski sledges]
ReFleece From Recycled Recycled Materials
We’ve seen much in the way of taking plastic bottles and other materials to create fleece fitness apparel, the question remains what happens when the fleece starts to wear out? Instead of it ending up in a landfill perhaps it go another step. ReFleece is a new company that is taking old Patagonia fleeces and turning the used fabric into protective tablet cases for the iPad and Kindle.
Jennifer Feller and Sam Palmer, who met while working at Patagonia, founded the company, which is made of discarded jackets. The outer shell comes from 100 percent post-consumer and post-industrial scrap fleece, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. Continue reading ReFleece From Recycled Recycled Materials
Seat Clamp
We know that a “seat clamp” is what holds the seat to the bike, but imagine if the seat/saddle can also be used as a bicycle lock? That’s the concept of the Saddle Lock, which was designed by Lee Sang Hwa, Kim Jin Ho and Yeo Min Gu. The idea here is to lock the rear wheel of the bicycle without needing additional locking accessories. Of course this doesn’t actually secure the bike to anything, but for those who need to grab a coffee or otherwise look to step away, the Saddle Lock can lock down the bike.
[Via UR Design: Saddle Lock]
Easy Breezing
There are plenty of wearable devices that can track activity as well as calorie intake. However the actual tracking isn’t actually accurate because these devices – including heart rate monitors – can’t determine an individual’s specific metabolism and thus can’t really determine how fast one is really burning calories. While the devices aren’t technically guessing, the results aren’t 100 percent accurate, and this is why some users don’t see the results they think they should be getting. Continue reading Easy Breezing
Antler Handlebars
There are the ram’s horn handlebars and of course the bullhorn handlebars, but Brooklyn Designer Taylor Simpson has created the Moniker Cycle Horn, a handcrafted handlebar that features real deer antlers! We’re not sure who exactly would want to ride with these but we suggest you stay out of the woods during hunting season!