Equipment | Evolving Consumer

Knock on Wood(en) Helmet

There is an old saying that “X doesn’t grow on trees.” This is becoming less and less true as many fitness related products are using sustainable materials. We’ve seen bikes made of wood, and shirts made of bamboo. Now Coyle Wood Design is looking to introduce a line of sports helmets that will rely on wood as well.

These brain buckets are handmade in Oregon and are the brain child of Dan Coyle, who has a personal interest in woodworking and sports. He’s reportedly made his own clothes and fitness gear by hand, and this year began to make helmets that are a natural alternative to the traditional ABS plastic and foam. The helmets are created using a patent-pending status designed for “natural fiber helmet shells’ that works with his CNC machining tools. Continue reading Knock on Wood(en) Helmet

No Need to Pump It Up With Self-Inflating Tires

Nothing can ruin a bike ride like a flat tire. While a crash of course is far worse, a flat is just downright annoying and frustrating because it is fairly minor but yet just enough to get you off the bike. Now Benjamin Krempel has developed a system that could keep you riding instead.

The PumpTire system consists of a tire, an inner tube that clips into it and an air valve. The concept is a different as clincher tires are from tubular tires. Basically the PumpTire is designed to automatically pump air into the inner tube by actually using the compressive effect when the tire rolls. To ensure that it doesn’t just keep inflating, the tube stops pumping when the desired pressure is reached.

Video after the jump Continue reading No Need to Pump It Up With Self-Inflating Tires

Made in America: TriActive America E-Line

Chin up bars, parallel bars and sit -up platforms are all items that you might have seen on your local walking or running path. These stations of yesteryear are typically constructed of steel pipe and wooden posts which work perfectly fine and shouldn‘t be replaced unless they are worn out. At some point, these fitness stations will deteriorate and once your community or company is looking to replace tired equipment or install a new fitness path with stations, there is an alternative to the steel pipes and wood. TriActive America offers a line of heavy duty, outdoor stations that are designed to keep people fit and stand the test of time all while offering many more choices of fitness activities.

TriActive America designs and manufactures this unique line of outdoor fitness equipment for use exclusively outdoors. TriActive America offers a few different product lines: the original TriActive Fitness products, premium E-Line equipment, Wheelchair Accessible equipment, and the E-Shade Line. All products are designed in the U.S.A. with components that are made of powder-coated steel for high durability against damage and the environment. TriActive America is so confident in their equipment that they stand behind every piece with a 10 year warranty. Not all lines are manufactured in the U.S., but the E-Line is all 100-percent American made. Continue reading Made in America: TriActive America E-Line

Ready Steady Go

There is a universal problem with bicycles – when you aren’t riding them they’re simply in the way. The New York Times recently ran an article on bike storage rooms in New York City apartments. Even if you’re not in an apartment, good bike storage is still an issue.

If you just lean your bikes (or use the kick-stand – gasp!) in the garage, you’ll want to check out a few of these space-saving racks and hooks to get your bikes out of the way.

Last year at Interbike we met with David Steadman, who showed off his invention SteadyRack – which made storing bikes after a ride a little easier. Now a year later, Steady Corp has signed an agreement with GearUp, Inc, which brings the rack to the United States.

“We are excited to be partnered up with the lads from GearUp and the great distribution network they have and the quality relationship and service level they have established in the U.S.,” says Steadman. “The SteadyRack has really taken off here in Australia and we are looking forward to great success in the U.S. as well.”

The new Steady Rack will once again be on display at Interbike 2011 at the GearUp booth, and hopefully will be in apartments and garages in America soon after.

Steady Rack official Website
[Via The New York Times: In N.Y. Apartment Buildings, Bicycles Muscle In]
[Via EcoVelo: NYT On Bike Storage in Apartment Buildings]

Turning on No Axle

Pedals are a very personal thing on bikes, and mountain bikers often times like prefer platform pedals that involve no clipping in. This is good for downhill and trials riding – as opposed to trail riding where riders typically want that clipped in feeling. Regardless of the system, most pedals are the same in that these are built around a sturdy axle.

But does it have to be that way? In other words, why can’t flat platform pedals in fact be actually flat? And not just flat but thin as well? To date the thickness of platform pedals has been determined by the thickness of the axle, which is where the Tioga ZEROaxle MT-ZERO comes in. It is ultra thin because it essentially loses the axle, with the result being a pedal that is just 7mm thick, making it the world’s “thinnest dual-concave mountain bike pedal.” And it is concave, so instead of the thickest part being the middle, it is actually the outer edges that are 7 mm, with the inside being just 4 mm thick, with the weight being just 450 grams or 15.87 oz. Continue reading Turning on No Axle

Moving the People that Move America

If it wasn’t for long haul truckers, you might not have many of the goods that you currently possess in your home, and if you did, chances are they’d cost a lot more. Those men and women spend just as many hours behind the wheel as you spend behind your desk; but for most they do not go home at the end of a long day, they eat at whatever restaurant is along the highway and typically sleep in their cabs. If you have driven across country, you know the restaurant choices can be very limited, and getting in a workout can be a little challenging.

When is the last time you have seen a gym next to one of these fast food restaurants or gas stations? However, Snap Fitness is looking to change this fact, and provide some fitness options for truckers. The company is partnering with Rolling Strong, a firm that specializes in health of truck drivers, to create Snap Fitness Rolling Strong clubs. Continue reading Moving the People that Move America

Hand Wipes Worthy of a Safari

If you’ve been to parts of Africa you know that having clean hands can be a difficult thing to obtain, even in urban centers such as Cairo. Being a germaphobe, this reporter typically carries all sorts of hand wipes and disposable towels, and while those are fine for walking through museums or past the Great Sphinx, they don’t quite do when it comes to wiping down after a bike ride.

Now you could use two or three moist towelettes, or you could pick up the Safari Towers, which are a massive 14-inches by 24-inches, making them ideal for cleaning up after a daily commute to work, or even making yourself presentable after a long training ride. The Safari Towels are about $1 each, or 42 cents per square foot. This might seem like a bit, but it could take several other towelettes to get just as clean.

As the Safari Towels come from the makers of Anti Monkey Butt Powder, we think they know something about surviving and getting clean in a jungle, urban or otherwise.

Anti Monkey Butt Official Website
[Via Urban Velo: Safari Towels]

CES 2012: Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones Returns to Las Vegas

Fitness is not a fad, at least not with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). This week it was announced that the Consumer Electronics Association’s International CES will feature dedicated TechZones on the exhibit floor in the areas of technology innovations in healthcare, fitness and other lifestyle-centric areas.

This will include the return of the Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones, which will be produced by Living in Digital Times when the show runs Jan. 10-13 in Las Vegas. Continue reading CES 2012: Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones Returns to Las Vegas

Hybrid Clubs Look to Be Game Changer for Miura Golf

Sometimes to stay ahead you need to change your game, and in the game of golf that can mean changing your clubs. British Columbia-Japanese golf-club manufacturer Miura Golf, which has made a name making high-quality forged irons for 44 years, is changing up. The company has officially introduced its MG Hybrids, which should be exciting news for golfers

Miura Golf has never had a fixed time frame for new-product introductions, and typically only debuts new models when the quality of new technological advances demands it. Apparently that time has come, and the MG Hybrids will be available in HB3 (20 degrees of loft) and HB4 (23 degrees of loft) models made from SUS455 steel in an I.P. Black finish. Continue reading Hybrid Clubs Look to Be Game Changer for Miura Golf

‘No Shoes, No Entry’ – Not with Adidas!

Summer is ending, and the days of going barefoot will soon give way to snow boots and parkas. That might be a stretch, but it is certainly going to be shoe weather soon. But now Adidas has a way to drag out the feeling of going barefoot with a new shoe – the adipure Trainer.

What makes this new offering from Adidas unique is that it is not designed for running, it is designed for use at the gym. The adipure Trainer promotes the ’natural movement’ of the body by harnessing the natural mechanics of your own body and uses that to strengthen the muscles, build balance and promote dexterity.

“A lot of engineering went into making your foot a high performance machine,” said Mark Verstegen, founder of Athletes’ Performance. “To achieve your full potential during a workout, focus on how your foot interacts with the ground in the same way you think about how your hand interacts with a ball or a bat. Using your foot’s natural power and movement will help you strengthen muscles you never knew you had in your feet, lower legs and throughout your core.”

(Video after the jump) Continue reading ‘No Shoes, No Entry’ – Not with Adidas!

Sound Protection

The sport of shooting requires that safety is addressed at absolutely all times, and this doesn’t just include gun safety in handling a firearm, but also in ensuring that proper protection is utilized for the eyes and ears. The problem is that many products that are offered to help protect the ears are uncomfortable, hot and just not effective. If sound is too greatly reduced, safety is an issue as shooters can’t hear their surroundings.

However, Starkey Laboratories has created a new in-ear protection that makes use of the same noise reduction technology found in quality headphones. The SoundGear by LaPierre provides electronic hearing protection in a instant fit device. It features digital processing to allow wearers to experience lower noise levels, with less feedback and yet have the ability to tune into the surroundings while protecting their hearing. It provides both sound enhancement and hearing protection in a single device. Continue reading Sound Protection

Smart Egg or Just Cracked Idea?

To prepare for the recently concluded USA Pro Cycling Challenge many European riders arrived days, even weeks prior to the big event to acclimate to the altitude. But what do you do if you are already at sea level, and can’t spend days in the mountains but still want the benefits of altitude training? You could climb into a really expensive egg.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, and now making rounds throughout the blogosphere, tennis star Novak Djokovic uses a special CVAC Pod every single day. He climbs into the egg-shaped pod, which sorts of evokes memories of Lady Gaga’s arrival at the Grammy Awards earlier this year, but whereas her egg was just for show, Djokovic’s $75,000 device – which is just one of only 20 in the entire world – is meant to compress the body’s muscles by using computer-controlled valve and vacuum pump to simulate being at high altitudes. Basically it is akin to a trip to the mountains without the need to be stuck in a tight and extremely uncomfortable airplane seat breathing recycled bad air.

On second thought, it seems the device is actually just like being on a coach airline seat, something Djokovic probably hasn’t had to endure in years. But the difference is he only has to spend 20 minutes at a time, and just three times a week – although reports suggest the tennis star is in the egg daily. All things considered it does seem to be more of a compression rather than decompression device, but if it helps his game he might prove to be one smart egg.

[Via Wall Street Journal: Novak Djokovic’s Secret: Sitting in a Pressurized Egg]

Nike Golf Goes for the Dunk

We normally think of Nike’s basketball shows when we think of “dunk,” but Nike Golf is unveiling its latest Nike Dunk (NG) Golf shoe, which will make the rounds on the PGA Tour this fall, and will be available to golfers starting in the New Year.

The shoes do have a link to the court, not the greens. The original Nike Dunk was created as a basketball shoe in 1985. After it was introduced to the world, the Nike Dunk started a commotion when basketball teams began wearing them to match their uniforms. The shoes caught on, and have and Dunks have become the prized shoes for sneakerheads as well as fashion statements for anyone looking to add vintage style to their shoe collection. Nike even kept original Nike Dunk shoes that were created 25 years ago, to ensure that the Nike Dunk NG feels just the same as the Dunks that people have grown to love. And as the shoes move from the courts to the fairways, Nike ensures that these will do so without compromising performance for golf. Continue reading Nike Golf Goes for the Dunk