Category: Equipment

Interbike 2011: Footbalance not Footloose

Kick off your Sunday shoes, it’s time to get footloose… but loose shoes or those with poor support and cushioning might make many an athlete feel like sitting it out rather than getting loose and active. However, Footbalance, an innovator in custom footbed technology is introducing its Performance model footbed at this week’s Interbike show in Las Vegas.

The device offers a thin support with a minimalistic feel for activities where speed and performance are crucial. The footbed is an insert that is ideal for tight, low volume or performance footwear such as cycling shoes, racing flats, soccer cleats and running spikes. It is made of D-200 silver ion, high abrasion, moisture wicking and anti-microbial material that also offers 100 percent custom-molded arch support, heel cup and cushioning. Continue reading Interbike 2011: Footbalance not Footloose

Interbike 2011: MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland

The U.S. bicycle lube market has a number of well known brands – White Lightning, Tri-Flow and Pedros just to name a few have been around for years, but there is another player in the market that has a fairly deep line of products to offer cyclists. MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland is showcasing their extensive line of cycling lubricants, greases, cleaners, fork oils and brake fluids at Interbike this year.

MOTOREX is the largest independent oil refinery in Switzerland and have developed a line of cycling related products that are being marketed throughout the world. Their products are so well thought of that they are used by many factory cycling teams throughout the world including BMC who recently competed in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and helped place Cadel Evans on the top of the podium at the 2011 Tour de France. Continue reading Interbike 2011: MOTOREX Oil of Switzerland

Interbike 2011: MACPI spa

httpv://youtu.be/vzsOf5oRD1o

What might be better reserved for a segment on the Science Channel’s show How It’s Made, MACPI spa is an Italian industrial machinery company that produces the equipment used by appeal companies to make your favorite athletic clothing. You may never even see any of their equipment in person, but you probably have a garment that has been assembled using one of their machines. Continue reading Interbike 2011: MACPI spa

An “Open” Solution to Measuring Your Heart Rate?

The idea of measuring a person’s heart rate using an optical pulse sensor is certainly not a new concept. Shine a light source through a fingertip or an ear lobe and the light either bounces back to the light sensor or it is absorbed by the blood. The number of times that the light is bounced back is the sensor is the number of time that your heart is beating or your pulse rate. It is pretty simple, so why are we still using heart rate monitors with straps that wrap around our torsos? Why can’t the average athlete clip on an optical sensor to an ear lobe, have their heart rate taken using an optical sensor and have that information transmitted (maybe via BlueTooth) to a recording devise with a digital display? That may all change with a new open-source optical heart-rate pulse sensor from two Physical Computing professors at the Parsons the New School for Design.

Yury Gitman and Joel Murphy have recently achieved, and far exceeded, their fund raising goal of $3000 using KickStarter.com to mass produce their new optical heart-rate pulse sensor, the Pulse Sensor. The new Pulse Sensor, along with the processing software, plugs right into another open-source item – the Arduino  platform. Their new sensor is currently being marketed to students, artists, athletes, developers or anyone else looking to develop a device to record a heart rate.

Video after the jump Continue reading An “Open” Solution to Measuring Your Heart Rate?

Interbike 2011: LOOK Kéo Power Pedals

Being able to measure the power output of a cyclist at the pedals is certainly not new. The Vector system, now owned by Garmin, has had this solution available for the past couple of years. The Garmin system is often used with the LOOK Kéo pedals, but now LOOK is selling an off the shelf option with a slight twist – the new LOOK Kéo Power.

The new LOOK Kéo Power pedal combines the expertise of LOOK with POLAR, one of the heart rate monitor market innovators. This new pedal allows very accurate cadence and power measurements by placing the electronics inside each pedal axle. Each axle is equipped with 8 strain gauges which measure the axle deflection, which along with the reed relay measured cadence information, is transmitted to the Polar head unit. The Polar combines this information to accurately determine the power output of each pedal – independently. Continue reading Interbike 2011: LOOK Kéo Power Pedals

Interbike/Health + Fitness Expo 2011: Virtual Travel in HD

Travel is not fun, and as we make our way to the Interbike and Health + Fitness Expo we can you that getting there isn’t half the fun. But there is a great big world to see, and unfortunately most of us will never be able to visit all of it. But the Passport media player is the next best thing to working out in a distant land – and without the crowded seats or security lines along the way.

Available only to Johnson Health Tech Passport, featuring Virtual Active technology, offers the a rich high-definition experience with real destination footage and matching ambient sounds. This exclusive technology, which to date has only been available at gyms around the world on Matrix line of equipment, is now being brought to the consumer market on the AFG 7.1 AT treadmill.

Since its founding in 2005, the 10-person, San Francisco-based company has been busy sending camera crews around the world to capture the most realistic, breathtaking footage available on an exercise machine.Users can connect to their own home entertainment system and get taken away during their workout. Sure beats watching the news during a workout – with all that’s going on that might not be good for your heart!

Virtual Active Official Website

Made in America: Chris King Precision Components

With Interbike kicking off next week, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to feature one of our favorite brands in our weekly Made in America spotlight. Since 1976, Chris King Precision Components of Portland, Oregon has been making what is arguably the best bicycle components available today.

What started off with bearings and a single headset design has evolved into a company that produces bearings, headsets, bottom brackets and hubs for every type of bike on the market. Chris King products are ridden by amateurs and professionals alike due to the high level of quality and craftsmanship that is put into every single product.

Chris King so strongly believes in the quality of their products that they stand behind their headsets with a 10-year warranty and their hubs and bottom brackets with a 5-year warranty – easily double of any other component manufacturer in the market. Continue reading Made in America: Chris King Precision Components

45North… a New Brand to Keep You Rolling in the Winter

With winter being only a few months away, some cyclists will choose to hang up their ride instead of braving the elements. Riding in snow, ice and darkness offers many challenges that some would rather skip in favor of the gym or the couch. A new brand is being created specifically with products geared towards cold weather riding. Based in one of the coldest areas in the United States, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) of Bloomington, Minnesota has announced the launch of 45North.

This new brand will include all sorts of cold weather gear, but the initial offering will be winter specific tires. A new studded tire, available in both a 26-inch and a 700c; along with the Husker Dü, a proprietary fat tire for all-terrain bikes, will hit the market first. Prototypes will be available for viewing at Interbike which we hope to have some photos posted during our trip to the show. The studded tires will be in stock at QBP and available to bike retailers in October, with the Husker Dü following in November. Continue reading 45North… a New Brand to Keep You Rolling in the Winter

Easton Packs In a Lot in Portable One-Person Tent

Smaller is better, at least when it is something you have to bring along while hiking or biking. Smaller is not better when it comes to having someplace to rest your weary head however. But Easton Mountain Products has come up with a solution in its new Kilo 1P ultra-light one-person tent. It basically 1 uPs the Kilo tent that was introduced last summer, and which turned heads at the 2011 Utah Innovation Awards.

The Kilo 1P is a three-season, minimalist shelter that is designed to be an alternative to traditional bivvy shelters, and includes shorter pole segments that make it easily packable into a daypack, kayak or bike pannier. It features one person capacity, is there-season usable, weighs 1 pound 14 oz, and is made of waterproof nylon ripstop material. Continue reading Easton Packs In a Lot in Portable One-Person Tent

Strap It On For When You Might Need It

When you’re out in the woods it never hurts to have an extra length of high-strength cord, but with all the gadgets, gizmos and gear that you might carry it might seem that bringing one more thing is the cord that broke the hiker’s back. However, the folks at Survival Straps had another idea.

Maybe they watched that old Wonder Women series on TV and saw that magic bracelets are the way to go. While the Survival Straps won’t stop a bullet, there is a lot these things will do. Essentially the straps are made of a paracord – 550 test military spec paracord to be precise – that can be untied and unfurled when the need arises. The Regular Survival Bracelet is about $25 and is an inch wide, resembling a watch band, and it unfurls to about 16 feet. This can be used in anyway where paracord might come in handy – to replace a boot lace, sling an arm, replace a broken strap on a pack or just about anything else. Continue reading Strap It On For When You Might Need It

U.S. Suits Up With Sunice

The Emerald Isles are known for many things, including their green beauty. This makes for scenic golf courses, but it can be a little… wet too. There is a joke that there are two kinds of weather in Ireland, which are raining and going to rain. The U.S. Solheim Cup Team will be able to beat the weather and stay warm and dry as it suits up with Sunice Outerwear for this month’s event at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland.

Rosie Jones, the U.S. team captain, selected Sunice for its attention to styling and exceptional performance in a difficult wet climate and the players will wear as part of their exclusive uniform multiple Sunice garments manufactured using only Gore-Tex fabrics to ensure they are provided ultimate performance and protection from the elements.

“As we get closer to the Solheim Cup, the anticipation is mounting as we anxiously await the appearance of Team USA in their custom-designed Sunice outerwear suits,” said Mark Fletcher, President of Sunice. “The design and development process that involved our top product people working in conjunction with Rosie Jones and her assistants was a fun experience and we worked well together as a team.” Continue reading U.S. Suits Up With Sunice

Newton (once again) Almost Defies Gravity

Back in January 2010 we posted, Newton Almost Defies Gravity, where we highlighted one unique shoe from the Boulder based company Newton Running; but it seems that they have one-upped themselves with a new shoe. The 5.8-ounce MV2 (pronounced ‘M V squared’) is Newton’s current answer to the other natural running shoes that are appearing on the market.

The new MV2, which will hit the ground running later this month, is super lightweight, zero-drop shoe that encourages a natural-running posture, provides protection and energy return. They are being advertised as “a unique solution for runners who want to run faster, perform better and avoid injury by adopting a natural running stride, but not sacrifice protection.” Typical ‘barefoot’ running shoes do offer some protection from road debris, but the MV2 is a little thicker giving even better protection while still not raising the heel. Continue reading Newton (once again) Almost Defies Gravity

Shaping The Bosworth Racquet

If you’ve hit a few balls on the tennis court, then you probably know that the swing is essential. But that said, the right racquet can really perfect the placement of each shot. While it’s not a new company, or racquet, Bosworth Tennis has reshaped the sport’s main equipment. And it’s that’s the sport’s best kept secret.

Bosworth’s signature racquet features a 10-sided head. It’s still the classic oval, but it’s curve is squared off. This reshaping on the classic doubles the sweet spot. That means more optimal surface to hit the ball.

Another element that really helps your game is that Bosworth racquets are custom fit to the athlete. The grip, the grip’s curve, playing style and experience are just a few elements that shape the final $399.95 product of the Bosworth Tour 96.

Czech player Radek Stepanek recently used a Bosworth Tour 96 to win the Legg-Mason Classic in Washington, D.C. The company reports several pros have used Bosworth racquets over the years, and that the company is well known by pros. Bosworth often does the custom fitting for pros, even when they choose racquets from other manufacturers.

Bosworth Tennis Official Website
[Via World Tennis Magazine: What strange racquet was used to win Washington last week?]