For the first time in its history Lynskey Performance Designs of Chattanooga, Tennessee will be offering a full suspension mountain bike frame. The company has decided to jump into the full suspension pool, and are going in head-first hoping to make a big splash. Not only is their new frame, the Pro29 FS, going to be a 29er (as the name implies), but they have designed it with 120mm of travel. This is on the long end of travel for any cross country 29er frame, especially one almost entirely constructed of titanium.
Category: Cycling
Selle Italia Lightens Up for 2012
Most cycling enthusiasts do not set out to build a heavier bike or increase the weight of their bike when upgrading a component. Weight is always a consideration since you have to haul it all uphill at some point. The Italian company, Selle Italia, is making it easier to build a light weight bike with their two new SLR Tekno saddles.
Made in America: K-Edge Cycling Solutions
The Boise, Idaho based cycling component brand, K-Edge Cycling Solutions, was created from a singular and focused ambition. The goal was to help an Olympic cycling athlete secure a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. To see how this happened and the resulting product we take a quick look to France, Austria, China, and return to the USA for how it all played out.
Oregon Scientific Mounts ATC Mini Waterproof Camera
These days if you participate in an extreme sport, you may not be a part of it unless you film the action. Now there’s several cameras that make that bit easy. The newest is the ATC Mini from Oregon Scientific. The ATC Mini is a waterproof video camera that is mountable on many objects including helmets and weighs only 70 grams.
Continue reading Oregon Scientific Mounts ATC Mini Waterproof Camera
Thursday Reading List (11/10/2011)
Welcome to a weekly digest of web links I think are worth checking out. These items include articles, images, and video. Please comment on what you find interesting. If you have something to share, please submit links of interest to mike@kineticshift.com.
British TV Ad for Christmas
This week sees the Christmas installment of the British store Halfords ad ‘ That’s Helpful, That’s Halfords’ campaign, with a 30 second Bike TV commercial, designed to encourage parents to come to Halfords to buy bikes for their children’s Christmas presents. The young girl is shown riding and enjoying her new bike in all seasons and weather. So take a cue from her and get out and scream while you are at it.
Looxcie 2 Allows You to Record What You See
At first glance the Looxcie 2 appears to be a BlueTooth hands free headset, but it is actually much more. It is a video camera as well as hands free device all in one small package that is being advertised as the “world’s first ‘Wear & Share’ video cam.” The Looxcie 2 is worn over the ear and allows the user to capture video while engaging in just about any activity. If something happens that you simply must share through your social network, you can do it instantly by uploading the video using your smartphone.
Continue reading Looxcie 2 Allows You to Record What You See
SRAM pART Project to go to Auction
There is an old saying, “I don’t know art, but I know what I like.” We may not know art either, but we did like the SRAM pART Project that we saw at Interbike. This project consisted of sculptures made of bicycle components and now SRAM President Stanley R. Day is making sure that the art does some good.
He has joined with World Bicycle Relief Founder F.K. Day to announce an exhibition and auction at Chicago’s Gallery 1028 to take place on Wednesday, November 30. This will be the grand finale of the SRAM pART Project, with the proceeds, including the admission fee of $134 fee, going to World Bicycle Relief – that price essentially is the cost of one donated bicycle. Continue reading SRAM pART Project to go to Auction
Study: Cycling Offers Economic as Well as Health Benefits
There is no denying that we at KineticShift love our bicycles. While not everyone on our staff is a regular bike rider, even those that don’t do the two wheel thing admit it has many benefits. And according to a study just published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives cutting out short auto trips and replacing them with mass transit and active transport would yield major health benefits, but also save about $3.8 billion per year from avoided mortality and reduced health care costs for conditions like obesity and heart disease.
The report calculated that these measures would save an estimated $7 billion, including 1,100 lives each year from improved air quality and increased physical fitness.
“We talk about the cost of changing energy systems, the cost of alternative fuels, but we seldom talk about this kind of benefit,” says Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Continue reading Study: Cycling Offers Economic as Well as Health Benefits
QuickFix to Keep You Clean
We’ll admit it, we like our bikes to have a clean look but we also like to stay clean. The two are sometimes mutually exclusive if it requires riding in the rain or on wet roads. The solution to the latter is mudguards, but those sort of detract from the clean lines of our bikes.
If only there was a quick fix solution to this problem. But wait, there is from Full Windsor with its QuickFix, a new line of plastic mudguards that slide in and out of place within seconds and yet still remain snugly in place and ready to keep the dirt from flying and the water from spraying. Continue reading QuickFix to Keep You Clean
Campagnolo Gets Electric
Bicycle shifting in the 21st century has gone electric. Japan’s Shimano entered the juiced up gear controls a few years ago with its high-end Dura-Ace Di2, which is favored today by many pro riders. This year at Interbike Shimano also officially introduced itsDi2 electronic system in its step down – but still high-end – Ultegra groupo. In fact, it has had many deciding whether to go with the mechanic Dura-Ace or the electric Ultegra Di2. Not an easy choice, and now one that is even harder to make as Campagnolo is getting in on the action.
Our friends at BikeRadar reported yesterday that Campagnolo has finally announced its own electric shifting system, with not one but two groups. This includes the Record EPS (Electronic Power Shift) as well as the Super Record EPS. These will reportedly have identical functionality but differences in weight. Continue reading Campagnolo Gets Electric
A Single Speed Solution for the Masses
In a previous post, we mentioned the Eccentric 46 Bottom Bracket for use with PressFit-30 (PF30) bike frames. This aftermarket accessory allows you to be able to purchase a geared PF30 frame or bike and easily convert it to a single speed. But what about those of us who do not own a frame with a PF30 frame? Are we left out in the cold? Nope! There are solutions out there for those of us with the standard bottom bracket shell. Continue reading A Single Speed Solution for the Masses
A Bamboo Bike That You Can Build
Pottery, sewing, knitting and jewelry making are just a few of the weekend workshops that are available to people wanting to learn a new art or hone a skill. Now bicycle frame building can be added to this list. Bamboo Bike Studio is offering a multi-day, hands-on class in the art of building a bicycle frame and best of all you’ll bring home your very own frame or bike!
Made in America: Tazi Ultimate Hydration Bottle
Most of us are fully aware of the need to stay hydrated in our daily lives, even while not engaging in a physical activity. We have to drink water to stay alive. There seems to be a countless number of companies making water bottles. Participate in any sort of organized sporting event and you are bound to find a bottle or two in your goodie bag. So why are we mentioning another water bottle? Because this one has a twist, or should we say ‘bend’, to the design – and you probably guessed, it is made in America.
The Tazi Ultimate Hydration Bottle has unique design. The base and the cap resemble a typical water bottle, but the body has a bend towards the top. This design allows the user to not have to turn their head while taking a drink and keep their eyes focused in the direction they are traveling. It is a simple as that – a bottle with an angled top, but it was not originally designed for that purpose as explained on their website.
The angle was originally designed to facilitate an accessory that would allow the bottle to be hung from different health club equipment and still maintain a perfectly vertical disposition. More recently, the angle has proved itself to be an ergonomic feature that allows runners, skater, cyclist, and those who carry bottles to hydrate without cocking ones head. Continue reading Made in America: Tazi Ultimate Hydration Bottle