To celebrate its three-year sponsorship of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), Gates Carbon Drive is holding a frame design contest for the 2012 NAHBS taking place in Sacramento March 2-4. The contest encourages bike makers to build frames for use with the Gates Carbon Drive. Bike entries will be judged on sliding dropouts, belt tensioning systems, frame splits and a number of other design factors.
Continue reading Gates Holds Frame Design Contest for 2012 NAHBS
A desk job – is there no worse curse in the world? If you live an active lifestyle and have worked a desk job you know that itching feeling that can come over you after sitting for hours or not getting to workout at all. You have to stand up and walk around just to get the feeling to dissipate even a little. Stand up desks have been around for decades and a few are even paired with fitness equipment. The folks from Kickstand Furniture LTD have designed a desk for cyclists to allow them to ride and work, all at the same time.
Many of the point of view videos you see from outdoor sports enthusiasts are taken with a GoPro camera. I’ve been using one for several years now and the image quality and ease of use are fantastic. There is a vibrant user community for the GoPro HD HERO camera and members have pointed out improves that would be useful. It appears GoPro has been listening with the HD HERO2 release. If you want to capture your sporting activities in video or pictures, take a look at this new camera.
httpv://youtu.be/vqAzSTs6jG8
Medical ID bracelets are an old brand of jewelry. For years bracelets existed for seniors or someone with a condition, to assist first responders when they arrive on the scene of an emergency and find the victim unconscious. In recent years we’ve seen a push for ID bracelets designed for athletes – specifically designed for those people whose activity or training program often takes them hours and miles away from home. Now there is a new ID bracelet that not only provides your invaluable medical information for first responders, but also allows you to travel cash-free. Nathan Performance Gear and VITAband have teamed up in a long-term partnership to bring the Nathan VITAband to the masses. The Nathan VITAband is the first ID bracelet that combines the information needed by first responders and a debit card all electronically on your wrist.
Gone are the days of the cycling computer with one or two buttons that cycle through speed, distance, cadence and limited readings. The smartphone is the perfect venue for the cycle computer, with the appropriate app. It’s got a nice big screen, and connectivity offers real-time maps and location data along with those stats of speed, distance and time on the bike.
Velocomp just introduced its iBike Coach for the iPhone. It’s a handlebar-mountable case that holds the iPhone and protects it from water and other damage. The case encloses the phone and protects it in the event of a crash or other blunt force.
In cycling technology we’ve seen numerous developments that have cut the cords and removed the wires. Cycling computers have gone wireless, and even the gear shifting has been made wireless (although it is still far from standard). The next big change could be wireless brakes, as Germany’s Saarland University has created a prototype wireless braking system, which could stop a bike in just 250 milliseconds. That equates to a rider traveling at about 18.5 miles an hour stopping in about 6.6 feet – not exactly the best, but researchers think they could do better with anti-lock and traction control functionality.
Professor Holger Hermanns, who is leading the research at the Saarbrücken Computer Science department, is already reportedly in contact with bike manufacturers about a commercial version. Currently the system utilizes multiple senders to transmit the same signal, and the whole system has 99.999999999997 percent reliability, which Hermanns notes isn’t perfect, “but acceptable.” We’ll be sure to watch this technology as it could give new meaning to stopping on a dime… or in the German’s case the 10 cent Euro.
[Via BikeRadar.com: World’s first wireless electronic bicycle brake]
httpv://youtu.be/0CofKpGRdb0
We thought that we would pass along a little bit of humor for your weekend. Make sure to start watching past the first minute to see the 2011 Tour de France 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Fränk & Andy Schleck, get squeamish on the couch as they are interviewed for Japanese TV.
Ushi Hirosaki of Tokyo Broadcasting, is a Japanese interviewer. Together with her partner Hiromi Tojo she travels around the world to surprise international stars with her shameless questions.
What is holding back bicycle commuting in the United States? Washington-born designer Gabriel Wartofsky has suggested that it is the lack of options available. To this end he has been working on an electric assist bike that could help users get to the nearest transit hub or final destination sweat-free, grease-free, and without a hassle.
As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, cyclists and runners who still want to get outside to ride or run are always looking for ways to keep warm. Shorts have given way to tights to keep the legs warm, but there might be a base layer that you are missing – embrocation. If you are not familiar with this product, embrocation is a cream that is rubbed onto skin, particularly the legs, before going outside for a sports activity. This cream has a warming sensation that promotes the blood circulation to the extremities, which in turn keeps you feeling warmer and helps stave off the mental toll on your workout due to the cold temperatures.
There are quite a few companies making embrocation, but they all come in a cream form that needs to be applied using your hands and fingers. This is not a big deal until you rub your eyes without washing your hands or having worn gloves, just like rubbing your eyes after cutting a hot pepper, they will burn.
The Joshua Tree Skin Care of Pinckney, Michigan has announced the release of a new line of embrocation in a stick form. Similar to a deodorant stick, this new line of organic embrocation should be easier and safer to apply. This new line of embrocation has three levels of ’heat’, referring to how hot your skin will feel – similar to the feeling of being in the sun for an extended period of time.
Each year helmets get lighter, but they also get stronger. Technology lends itself to a higher degree of protection using lighter-weight materials. However, even when you’re going to get down and dirty off road you’ll still want to look good doing so. For 2012 Louis Garneau will release the Carve helmet, which will offer that higher degree of protection without sacrificing style. This new helmet promises to be lightweight, highly ventilated and totally geared toward mountain bikers.
One of the drawbacks of adding a heart rate monitor, cycling computer and other devices to your workout is that you have to take your focus from the road ahead. With a heart rate monitor, you have to look at the watch for heart rate, calories and time. A separate cycling computer requires you to look at the screen by your handlebars to find out your speed, cadence and other measures.
(Video after the jump)
Continue reading Sportiiiis Gives Visual Feedback to Workout Stats
Showers Pass Elite Pro Cycling Jacket Review
The weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. Sunshine, hail, high winds, and snow can all happen within a few hours even on a summer day. With this kind of variability you learn to carry a jacket at all times while on the bike.
The Elite Pro jacket is made with a three layer proprietary fabric and is highly waterproof. The wind-blocking is exceptional. Beyond the basics, the jacket is loaded with features designed specifically for cycling. The Elite Pro is light, form fitting and doesn’t flap in the wind. At the waist, it is short in front and ultra-long in the back. This feels a bit awkward when you try on the jacket, but once on the bike, it is spot on. The sleeves have the same style. They feel freakishly long when standing and perfect when on the bike. I’ve learned to cinch the wrist up when off the bike, positioning the sleeves at the wrist to keep them from falling over my hands.
The jacket has tremendous ventilation. There are two core zipper vents that replace armpit zippers on previous models.
Continue reading Hands on: Elite Pro Cycling Jacket by Showers Pass
“There’s nothing cool about being cold.” I’m probably not alone in saying that I’m not the only one that couldn’t agree more with that tag line. As with many riders I like to get out throughout the winter, but no matter how much I bundle up, I often feel a chill in the fingers. This is because when your gloves become saturated with sweat or water, it can be very difficult to keep your hands warm. British-based BreezeBlockers has a novel solution for this all too common problem – block your hands from being in the wind.
The entire line of BreezeBlockers products are designed to keep your hands out of the wind while cycling, and use your natural body heat to create a warm air pocket inside the BreezeBlockers. Keeping this warm air pocket outside of the glove should reduce the amount of sweat that could potentially build up inside your gloves. Along with keeping the sweat from building within your gloves, they are also designed to keep water out. The BreezeBlockers are constructed of ABS or polypropylene plastic (depending on the model) which will help shield your hands from outside water from coming in contact with your gloves.