Category: Equipment

Made in America: Kontrol Wheels

Skateboarding was born in America, but the sad truth (at least for purists) is that many of the parts are now made overseas. Fortunately there are still a few companies out there that are producing products to let boarders grind it and show some American made pride.

Based in San Diego, California, Kontrol Wheels is still producing skateboard wheels in America. The company was founded by Dan Eager in 2004, after he and few other engineers came up with a new technology to mold urethane wheels.

This new urethane-molding process not only eliminated much of the physical labor, but also created a superior skateboard wheel. It even reduced the amount of waste that came with conventional manufacturing.

Video after the jump

Continue reading Made in America: Kontrol Wheels

New “Impact Indicator” Being Added to Football Helmets for 2011 Season

Football season officially kicks off in a few weeks, and players in the United States and Canada will be taking to the field with the Impact Indicator as part of this season’s newest additions to the protective equipment. Fittingly it was developed by Battle Sports Science USA, as a way to measure the G-force and duration of hits (impact) sustained by an athlete’s head during play or activity in sports. It uses highly sophisticated technology and proprietary software, embedded in a helmet chinstrap, to signal the possibility of a head injury. This revolutionary new product will alert parents, referees, players and coaches to get a player off the ice or field for a medical assessment – maximizing treatment, recovery and possibly preventing subsequent brain injury.

In addition to making its way to the gridiron the Impact Indicator is being introduced as a safety device for use in the sports of hockey as well. Now players can keep their head in the game and protect it too!

Battle Sports Science USA Official Website

Road Bike Grips Heat Up!

For years motorcyclists or snowmobile riders have had the option of heated grips to warm their hands during times of colder weather. If your hands get too cold, the ability to control your ride can be made much more difficult and become dangerous. Coming this September, A’ME Grips is introducing their new Heated Road Bike Wrap for cyclists. This unique product will be a nice cold weather option for road cyclists, cyclocross riders and bike commuters; and provide a comfortable hand temperature to improve blood flow reducing fatigue and maximizes dexterity and performance. Continue reading Road Bike Grips Heat Up!

Leadville Trail 100 Sponsor Product Highlights

This past Saturday was the 18th running of the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike race in Leadville, Colorado and the 6th time that I have partaken in the race. This event has really grown in popularity and size during the past few years due to the highest level of professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer showing up to compete. Along with the professional racers, larger corporate sponsors are becoming involved with this race and the whole Leadville race series, especially after Life Time Fitness took over the reins from Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin. As a racer, we have to be up in Leadville early on Friday for our medical check in which gave me a few hours to walk around and chat with the sponsors. Here are some interesting products from a few of the Leadville Trail 100 MTB sponsors.

Continue reading Leadville Trail 100 Sponsor Product Highlights

Yoga Gets a Leg Up with Stick-e

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Practicing yoga during the summer, or in hot studios as practiced with Hatha (or “hot”) yoga, sometimes doesn’t seem compatible. The heat makes you sweat, and sweat makes you slip on the mat or floor. Continue reading Yoga Gets a Leg Up with Stick-e

Go Deep With This HD Pocket

Summer may be winding down, but there is still time to hit the beach. Most cameras don’t play well in the water, but now you can record those fleeting moments of summer, and time in the sand and surf with the new Vivitar DVR 690 HD underwater digital pocket video camera. While a sleek camera, it might still have you feeling almost like Jacque Cousteau.

The camera is sleek, easy to use and offers waterproof features with a built-in microphone and speaker, and even includes an SD memory card slot. The HD camera, which is available now for $59.99 also features 4x zoom capability so you can get your close ups.

The camera also comes with software so you can upload your underwater adventures to Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Picasa Albums, Photobucket, and YouTube, so you can remember what it was like when life was a beach.

Vivitar Official Website

Transforming Laptop – More Than Meets the Eyes

The popularity of “Transformers” is a mystery to me, as I don’t exactly get why a robot would want to “transform” into the shape of a car or airplane. What’s wrong with being a robot? But when it comes to computers, transformers make a lot more sense.

GammaTech proves this fact with its newest mobile, rugged and convertible Durabook, the U12C. This computer is both regular laptop with a full-sized keyboard and is a tablet computer with LCD touch screen. It is ideal for on-the-go field technicians, mobile professionals, journalists who don’t work in a press room and just about anyone who needs to take their computer on the go.

“U12C is designed so it can be easily used in the most demanding professional environments,” says Jen Chen, GammaTech president. “Mobile professionals should have access to fully featured, convertible notebook computers that are rugged enough to stand up to grueling conditions. The GammaTech U12C has answered the call for dependability in mission critical situations.” Continue reading Transforming Laptop – More Than Meets the Eyes

Does WingFlyer give you wings?

It seems nearly everyday a new fitness or sports product comes around with a campaign promoting how much fun, revolutionary or weight you will loose once you buy the product. Some are outright scams, some are fads that are short lived, a few have actual staying power as a new sport, and some turn out to be similar to an existing sport, but eclipse it using new technology. When is the last time you have seen someone on roller skates going down the street? More than likely though you have recently seen an inline skater. This past July, the WingFlyer made its debut. Part scooter, part bike and part stair stepper, the new WingFlyer is promising a fun experience, easy to use and a good workout all in one package. The WingFlyer is very easy to use. Simply place one foot on the lowest pedal, push off the ground once or twice with the other foot, and begin to pedal. The faster you pedal, the smoother your flight! Gently squeeze the right hand control to active your brakes when needed. The WingFlyer is not only a good workout, it’s a fun workout which means you’ll do it more often! You’ll quickly feel the work in your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, and the cardio will certainly make you sweat! Continue reading Does WingFlyer give you wings?

myTREK Treks Over to iPhone and iPod Touch

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Want to monitor your pulse but want to ditch the bulky chest strap? Scosche Industries has released its myTREAK pulse monitor and app for for iPhone and iPod touch. The Scosche myTREK, an International CES Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree, allows users track their pulse, calories burned, distance, speed, pace, store past workouts and much more.

“At 24 Hour Fitness, we know that fitness tools can be very useful in helping people achieve their goals; whether it’s to lose weight, run a faster marathon or to get healthier,” said Bill Quinn, senior vice president of merchandising, 24 Hour Fitness. “We are excited to be a Scosche launch partner for the new myTREK pulse monitor and offer our members another option to support them with their fitness journey.” Continue reading myTREK Treks Over to iPhone and iPod Touch

Made in America: Vectra Fitness

Trying to get into shape or maintaining your fitness level is no easy task. For most people, it takes a few hours each week working out just to stay at a certain level. Going to the gym can add time to a workout that some people just do not have in their busy day. If you have the discipline to use one, a home gym can allow you to squeeze in a workout whenever you have the time.

For almost 25 years, Vectra Fitness has been manufacturing high-end compact multi-station weight gyms for home and institutional use. Founded in 1987 and based in Kent, Washington, three of the four original founders are still owners today and actively involved in the business. Doug MacLean, Bob Rasmussen and Buell Ish have combined their engineering principles with unprecedented and creative designs resulting in approximately 30 patents being issued to Vectra innovations over the years. Most of these innovations are not obvious to the user, but one that will please most people is the fingertip release lever. Available on most Vectra models, the feature allows easy adjustment of exercise handles with the flip of a lever – no more struggling with pins to adjust the arms of the machine. Continue reading Made in America: Vectra Fitness

IDEA: NewYu Helps Users Get Fit to a New You

This week at the IDEA Show in Los Angeles attendees were given a chance to see a product that could help make a “new you.” The NewYu Connected Fitness Monitor and Services is a comprehensive system for monitoring and managing wellness goals all day long. It tracks exercise and everyday activities, providing wearer’s with information on how many calories were burned.

It utilizes motion detection and advanced pattern recognition technology that detects and identifies specific body movements, the small and lightweight NewYu easily clips anywhere on the torso or to the pocket. It can monitor basic activities including walking and running, but also more complex fitness workouts with bikes, elliptical and step machines, and even keep track of activities like cleaning, cooking and shopping. The result is a complete picture of calories burned throughout the day – not just while working out. Continue reading IDEA: NewYu Helps Users Get Fit to a New You

Multiuse Headlight

As summer comes to an end dusk comes a little earlier. This means night time riding is picking up as well, and here is where a little illumination can ensure that you get home safely. River Rocks Designs has introduced a new affordable wearable light for cycling, hiking or even for spelunker helmets.

The TecTrek Headlamp is hands free and compact. It features a weather proof O-ring polycarbonate casing, with a l125 lumen LED light that is ideal for dark inside and outdoor activities. The light features multiple color modes – including red for night vision retention or emergency use, blue for fluid tracking, and green for night map reading. The red can also be switched to repeat to be used as single light.

The headlamp also allows for an adjustable focus, from long range to wide field soft light, and can be dimmed when the brightest light isn’t needed. It can run on full power white light for more than four hours, or low setting for over 20 hours, and green for greater than 100 hours! About the only downside is that it runs on AAA alkaline batteries, but at $34.99 it still sounds like a great deal and a good way to shed some light on your nighttime activities.

River Rock Designs, Inc. Official Website

Trek Bicycles Syncs With Online Sales

Some products are easy to buy online. A book, a DVD, even some basic clothing can be bought without a visit to an actual brick and mortar retailer. But some products, such as bicycle accessories, are better when bought at a retail outlet, where size and feel aren’t just important, they’re crucial.

The downside for many retailers is that it is difficult to carry endless models of every product available. But now Trek Bicycle has announced that it will be helping qualified brick and mortar retail shops get the best of both worlds. The manufacturer has launched “Trek Sync” and fulfillment services, where Trek will warehouse and fulfill aftermarket product orders placed on Trek retailers’ websites. To ensure a seamless transition to ecommerce, retailers will have access to Trek’s network of warehousing facilities, professional distribution staff, and logistics expertise while remaining the point of transaction. Continue reading Trek Bicycles Syncs With Online Sales