Category: Equipment

Roller Skating Tries to Make a Skatement

Roller skates have been around for a long time, but in the last two decades have taken much of a backseat to rollerblades and scooters. Before that roller skates faced competition from skateboards and an earlier generation of scooters. But now roller skate industry is looking to wheel back with a new industry campaign where roller skates “Make a Skatement.”

“While we have seen some double-digit growth in certain areas of the country over the past few years, we want to ignite a national movement to make roller skating more top-of-mind with young people and their families across the country,” says Ron Creten, an industry veteran of 35 years, who is leading the effort as president of Roller Skating Rocks, Inc. “When you look at research, America’s youth like to hang out with friends, listen to music, be active and go to social events. That’s roller skating! It’s our job to remind them of that.”

Based on a 2007 industry study commissioned by the Roller Skating Association (RSA), there are an estimated 39 million active roller skaters in the USA. In addition, there are approximately 1,500 roller rinks and hundreds of roller hockey teams across the country. Roller derby’s explosive growth from 350 teams to nearly 700 in a one-year span (according to research conducted by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) continues to help the industry.

This new campaign will rely heavily on social media, mobile and digital mediums that will disseminate an exciting brand platform. The theme for the campaign is Make a Skatement – Join The Roller Revolution.

Creten is also looking for corporate partners that might interested in teaming up with the industry to gain exposure among skating’s core demographic age groups, which range from 6-29 years of age, and added that industry leaders would like to see a five percent per annum average growth rate over the next five years. “We recognize this is a journey that will take the next few years versus a quick sprint to the finish.”

That is a major skatement – or statement indeed.

Make a Skatement Official Website

Recall: Yakima FlipSide Bicycle Carriers

Yakima Products, Inc. of Beaverton, OR, in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act has recently announced the recall of their FlipSide rear bicycle racks that mount to the receiver hitch of vehicles. Apparently a small number of units shipped from April 2008 through June 2011 have malfunctioned while transporting bikes.

It seems that the pin that holds the rack upright might be slightly too short in the affected units and can not hold the loaded rack upright.

Only those racks with a red knob in the photo are being recalled. Yakima will send the owners of those racks a new, longer pin along with instructions on how to replace the current red pin. The fix is reported to only take 15 minutes.

Yakima recommends the removal of this product from your vehicle and the owner fill out the online registration form, or call 1-888-925-4621 to speak with customer service.

Along with the FlipSide being recalled, Yakima also recalled the FrontLoader roof rack bicycle mount earlier this year due to the mount becoming loose or actually ejecting the bike while driving.

Yakima Flipside Recall Official Website

A New Cassette Standard? Hopefully…

For almost twenty-five years, cycling has been a major part of my life. From building bikes to breaking bones; being that kid hanging out at the bike shop to managing one in college; and racing to the top of a mountain or riding to work, bikes are a part of who I am. As long as I can remember, there has always been issues when assembling bikes from parts… especially when it comes to mixing drive train parts.

Usually, Campy shifters would not be mixed with Shimano derailleurs or vice versa, but it was fairly common to try to use Shimano compatible wheels with Campy shifting as there is just a much wider and usually better selection of wheels. Companies such as Wheels Manufacturing of Colorado do an excellent job reworking Shimano cassettes to work with Campy shifting, but the system of combined parts is still a little finicky. Enter the picture, Kirk Pacenti and his proposal for a universal, ’open source’ cassette body. We are starting to see more standards in the cycling world when it comes to parts, so this is not an unachievable goal. Continue reading A New Cassette Standard? Hopefully…

Ride the Tour de France With Google Powered Training Bicycle

The Tour de France is well under way, and chances if you’re like us, you are watching it from your couch. Wouldn’t you like to get in a ride while watching it? Sure there are rollers and trainers, and then there is the Pro-Form Le Tour de France Indoor Cycle, which is the next best thing to a trip to France. And you won’t have to stop on the side of the road should nature call.

The Pro-Form Le Tour de France Indoor Cycle lets users choose and even create real-world routes using Google Maps. If that was all it did we’d still think this was pretty darn cool, but oh it does so much more. This is no ordinary spin bike, and it utilizes Pro-Form’s iFit Live technology to simulate the grade and position of climbing stages. As the grade of the route increases, the bike titles forward or backward up to 20 percent! This is of course based on satellite image of a chosen area. Continue reading Ride the Tour de France With Google Powered Training Bicycle

Best Buy Has New Buds

Consumer electronics retail giant Best Buy has a new bud of sorts. The retailer’s venture capital arm, Best Buy Capital, led a $5.5 million series of B round of venture financing in Raleigh-based Valancell, the developer of mobile health and fitness earbud technology.

Valencell has created new technology to track physiological metrics such as heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and speed. The data can be tracked in real time while the user listens to music or talks on the phone. Data can be streamed to smart phones or mp3 players through wired or wireless links, which would allow the user to use that personal information with training, coaching or fitness applications on mobile devices and online.

“People everywhere are listening to music while running and exercising,” CEO and co-founder Steven LeBoeuf said in a prepared statement. “Integrating heart rate sensors directly and seamlessly into music earbuds fits right into the behavior of consumers today.”

It was just late last year that Best Buy entered the fitness arena, and this could be further proof that the company is serious about sport and workout equipment being part of the offerings at its big box stores.

Valancell Official Website

Solar Panels to Aid Pedal Power

There are numerous bicycle assist aids that can help a rider when the going gets to be a bit too much. But the problem is that most of those require a battery charge or use some of fuel to propel that motor. Now Terry Hope, a Canadian inventor who created the Kinetic Photovoltaic Vehicle (KPV), might have a solution.

Hope’s KPV was a one-of-a-kind solar-electric suitcase, and could reportedly fit in a suitcase. Now Hope has taken this innovative technology and used it to craft the Solar Cross ebike, which would be great for riding on a sunny day – not just because it is nice to ride a bike on a sunny day, but also because the rays from the sun will help power the bicycle.

His creation is powered by panels made of eight-inch polycarbonate sheeting, aluminum and 18 x 6 x 6 mono crystalline cells. Holes were further drilled in the aluminum to cut down on the weight. Each cell puts out 3.8 to 4 watts, providing a combined 8.7 volts of electricity.

All told it is enough to help make a long ride in the hot sun seem not so long.

(Video after the Jump) Continue reading Solar Panels to Aid Pedal Power

Made in America: Platypus ‘Bottles’

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, most of the U.S. is entering into the hottest months of the year, yet some of us forget the importance of staying hydrated. Our bodies can survive for weeks without food, but deprive us of water for a few days and our outlook is bleak. There are plenty of water bottles and hydration packs on the market, but the Platypus bottles from Cascade Designs, Inc. have the unique feature of being able to be stored flat when empty.

Originally designed to conserve space while backpacking, the Platypus bottle was introduced to the outdoor market back in 1996 as a lightweight option to the bottles that were then available . Over the years the line of bottles have grown to include three different types of bottles; three different bladders for hydration backpacks; a number of reservoir packs for transporting larger quantities of water while camping; and a wine preservation bottle – all made in America. Each of these products store flat for transportation when empty, are BPA-free and typically weigh 80% less than a hard-sided bottle of the same volume. The bottles start at a suggested retail price of $7.95 and top out at around $35 for the largest Platy Water Tank.

Since the Platypus bottles are essentially flat, flexible, durable bags, they can actually be frozen and used as ice packs. As they start to melt, the user is treated to ice-cold water, but remember that these bottles should only be filled up halfway with water as expansion occurs when the liquid becomes ice causing a possible bottle burst if they are overfilled.

Not all of the products that Platypus sells are made in America, but the do a very good job on their website labeling where each product is made. Platypus bottles are easily available from local retailers, online retailers and directly from Cascade Designs.

Cascade Designs Official Website

Made in America: Veteran-Owned Wiley X Celebrates the 4th of July

From WileyX:

Wiley X Eyewear, a leading provider of protective eyewear for U.S. soldiers and law enforcement, wants all Americans to pause on this Holiday to reflect on why it is and what it is we celebrate — the independence and freedoms we enjoy not only on this particular day, but every day of our lives.

As a veteran-owned company, Wiley X is keenly aware that our nation’s independence and our personal freedoms have been challenged and defended many times over the years — often by brave men and women far from home.

“We gather on July 4th to celebrate the birth of our great nation,” said Myles Freeman, Jr. Co-Owner of Wiley X Eyewear. “However, we tend to think of Independence Day as an historical Holiday, a celebration of events that happened more than 200 years ago. We need to remember and celebrate the uniquely American freedoms we enjoy today — and the sacrifices required to preserve them for future generations. As modern technology lets us see more of what goes on around the world, we’re reminded that freedom should never be taken for granted,” added Freeman.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Hands on: StemCAPtain Thermometer

KISS…“Keep It Simple, Stupid!” This is the acronym for a principle to remind designers and engineers to avoid unnecessary complexity. Sometimes I feel that certain manufacturers miss this concept and make their products overly complicated. I was reminded of this recently while trying to program a cycling computer…I was so frustrated by the unclear layout and logic of programming that I nearly chucked it out the window. StemCAPtain has a product out there that reminds me all of the time of the ‘KISS’ concept. It is simple, yet provides information at a glance with not fuss once it is setup properly.

For the past couple of months, I has been using the thermometer version of the StemCAPtain on three different bikes. If you are not familiar with their products, we did an entry on the company back in March of all of the different versions of their products under that they offer. We received both the clock and thermometer versions to evaluate a few weeks later. I was most interested in the thermometer version since the none of my cycling computers have a thermometer feature. Continue reading Hands on: StemCAPtain Thermometer

Ice (Hockey) Fusion

There has been a long debate whether cold fusion could ever actually be a renewable source of energy. We’ll let that debate sit for now and instead look at a different kind of cool fusion technology. This isn’t exactly cold fusion but instead is ice hockey Fusion technology, as in Easton’s new Fusion EQ50 hockey sticks, which come from the Synergy line offering power, balance and energy control. We knew there was energy somewhere in this.

The new technology hockey sticks give players greater puck authority with an innovative feature called Visible Focus Weight Technology, which is there to redistribute weight to the impact area to help offer better control and keep the puck on the blade.

This is a step forward from the SE16 stick, and the Easton EQ50 features a customizable weighted end cap for improved balance (customizable from 6.5 to 26.5 grams), and features an adjustable swing weight via four 5-gram end weights inside. The stick also features a Kevlar wrapped shaft to protect it from impacts and to help dampen vibrations. The Easton EQ50 is available now for $210, a small price to pay for this cool Fusion!

Video after the jump Continue reading Ice (Hockey) Fusion

Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets

This year at its PressCamp Cannondale turned heads with its entry into the head protection market. The company has introduced its first line of helmets, which are big on features but light on weight.

There were four new models that will be offered and these feature Internal nylon chassis to keep the EPS foam together during impact, while offering larger vents for better cooling. The helmets include SI Alloy Reinforcement Bridges that are aluminum plates that span several vents under the shell in several locations to provide further exoskeleton reinforcement. The Dual Density EPS foam, with firmer sections on the outer parts of primary impact areas of the front and occipital lobes (rear sides) that use a cone-shaped texture facing into the softer main EPS.

And since cycling isn’t just for men (or at least men with short hair), the helmets offer ponytail friendly rear micro adjust occipital lobe retention mechanism with a soft, water- and odor-proof padding that’s made from the same material as Crocs; and a polycarbonate outer shell that’s fused with the EPS body to create a one-piece design. Continue reading Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets

Elliptical Office Chair

We’ve heard of the office treadmill before, and actually liked the idea. After all, if you spend as much time in front of the computer as we do you probably feel a longing to get out and do something. There are only so many hours in the day, and then there are those rainy days and winter evenings when you try to be more productive. But work shouldn’t stop you from working out.

So enter the Elliptical Machine Office Desk, which is suitable for users ranging in height from 5’2” to 6’9” and weighting up to 300 pounds. It allows users to sit and spin, and therefore is probably better than the office treadmill, which seems like something users might give up quickly.

The machine features a padded swivel chair with adjustable backrest, while resistance to the pedals is electronically controlled. It even comes with an external monitor that can display distance, watts, RPM and calories burned. So if you can sit and read at the gym you should have no probably sitting and spinning and doing some work. Of course at $8000 you might have to put in a lot of overtime to pay for it!

The Elliptical Machine Office Desk at Hammacher Schlemmer
[Via BornRich: The Elliptical Machine Office Desk: for the fitness freak rich executives]

Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision

The Belgium helmet company, Lazer Sports, has recently announced the fall release of a new line of sports eyewear designed for cyclists. Established in 1919, Lazer is the oldest, continuously run manufacturer of helmets, for the bicycle, motorcycle and leisure helmets markets in more than 50 countries, over 5 continents. Brian Kee, part of the new vision division at Lazer Sports, introduced the eyewear the will be appearing in retailers later this year during a presentation at this years PressCamp. The new line of glasses has five different styles with estimated retail pricing ranging from $40 to $90. Continue reading Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision