Category: Equipment

Rock Out With New Arbor Snowboards

Snow board maker Arbor is working “The System” and hopes it will get riders rocking out this season on the white stuff. The concept of a rocker snowboard – with no added camber or flat zone – is to deliver a wide range of performance benefits including improved turn initiation, more fluid spins, slides, presses and butters. The problem is that a lot of snowboard makers didn’t do this right, and meant that at speed these could hard to handle. So Arbor has worked it out with “The System” design for its 2011 models.

Unlike other makers that put camber back into the nose and tail, the designers at Arbor thought this resulted in a design that sacrifices much of the benefits of riding a rocker in the first place. So instead with its boards, Arbor has stayed true to the rocker snowboard concept while making it easy to control. Continue reading Rock Out With New Arbor Snowboards

Adidas Will Have You Looking and Seeing Good and Evil at the Same Time

Want to give someone the evil eye? Now you can give the look while sporting the look, thanks to the new Adidas Evil Eye Glasses Halfrim Pro, the latest in the line of Evil Eye line.

Our friends at BikeRadar.com announced that the company has released these new glasses that feature a reduced-frame design made from durable flexible SPX materials. The glasses further feature a removable sweat blocker that will keep the salty stuff out of your eyes. The glasses offer adjustable from nose pads and temples, so each wearer will get a snug fit. Continue reading Adidas Will Have You Looking and Seeing Good and Evil at the Same Time

Best Buy to Get Into Health and Fitness

It is hard not to love Best Buy. As a guy I love everything Best Buy, from the huge TVs to mobile phones, computers to even the appliances.  But the truth is that Best Buy has also sort of been one of those stores that made me feel a little guilty too. It has so much stuff that I love; but yet very little “active” type products for on the go. While there are plenty of digital cameras, GPS devices and now tons of video games that claim to inspire fitness, the truth is that Best Buy remains about those big, big TVs that draw you in, where you just want to sit back on a couch and let the day pass you by.

However, the retailer has announced a new national rollout of health and fitness products at 600 Best Buy stores across the country as well as online at Bestbuy.com. This is truly a good thing, as it should help inspire – dare we say “guilt” – visitors to do something besides sit on a couch whilst enjoying Blu-ray and HDTV. This also comes just in time for all those New Years’ resolutions that we hope readers will keep.

“We were encouraged by the enthusiastic response we saw from our customers during the initial pilot of these health and fitness products,” said Chris Koller, vice president of the Portable Electronics Solutions Group at Best Buy. “We clearly tapped into a desire for Best Buy to provide the latest and greatest technology to enhance health regimens, and to help people discover how they can integrate these devices with other personal technology to monitor and share their progress, and to stay motivated.” Continue reading Best Buy to Get Into Health and Fitness

Fitness Journal: Water, Water (Bottles) Everwhere – Here’s on Hands On Test Recap

Over the past month we rode, we drank, we tested. We tried out many water bottles and wrote up the findings. Here is a recap of Brian O’Connor’s hands on tests of this year’s water bottles:

Nalgene ATB Bottle with Black Closure
The 32 oz version didn’t fit many cages, but the wide neck opening of the bottles made dropping in an ice cube no problem at all. Read the full review.

Specialized Purist
No bad taste, just pure water with this bottle, which mostly rinses clean. Read the full review.

BioGreen ProX
Want to use the same water bottle in a century? Most of the time you can, as the bottles aren’t so biodegradable – but the BioGreenX is made from 20 percent post industrial recycled plastic and should biodegrade in just two years. Read the full review.

Hydrapak Gel-Bot
Like a burst of energy with some gels? The Hydrapak can supply water and gel from one bottle. Read the full review.

Polar Insulated Bottle
On a hot summer ride nothing is better than a cool drink. Too bad most bottles let the liquid heat up to a temperature resembling bath water. Not the Polar Insulated Bottle. Read the full review.

Clean Bottle
Getting a bottle clean can sometimes be no easy task. Wouldn’t be easier if both the top and bottom came off? Oh wait, with the Clean Bottle they do! Read the full review.

CamelBak Podium Bottles
Ready to make a dash for the finish line. The CamelBak Podium Bottle might just have you on the podium. Read the full review.

Nalgene Bottles
Are you tired of the same old bottles? If so consider the variety offered by the Nalgene Bottles that are made from Tritan plastic. Read the full review.

Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

If you ever played floor hockey in school you probably used a cheap plastic stick. But the wooden sticks aren’t just missing in gym class; they’re pretty much gone from the big leagues too. According to a story from The Montreal Gazette last month the last of the holdouts of wooden sticks has switched to the composite variety last season.

This is an interesting turn of events, as just 20 years ago wood was all the rage and hardly anyone used composite materials. But as leather skates gave way to other materials, so wood has left the ice. This isn’t the only example where composite, or other so-called “space age” materials have replaced the tradition. Just 20 years ago steel was still widely used in high-end road bikes and now virtually every pro rides on carbon fiber, while golf clubs have gone from steel to titanium and other materials. Continue reading Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

ROTOR Bike Components – More Than Meets the Eye as New Co-Sponsor

This week ROTOR Bike Components announced that it will supply both the Geox-TMC Transformer Team and the elite women’s Diadora-Pasta Zara Team. The company will supply both teams with its Q-Rings oval chainrings, 3D cranks, Press-Fit and BB1 bottom brackets as well as chain catchers and seat mast topper.

The ROTOR components have been popular with numerous riders include 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre,and Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana winter Denis Menchov.

For 2011 Geox-TMC Transformer Team and Diadora-Pasta Team will use the innovative equipment.

“We are very pleased to be part of this long-term project,” said Pablo Carrasco, ROTOR President and R&D Director. “The agreement with Fuji and Geox-TMC Transformers will be for the next five years. We are expanding our range of products, with the focus on ROTOR becoming a global company. Fuji is an important part of a truly global corporation as well as a great bike manufacturer with whom to work in achieving our goals for growth.”

ROTOR Bike Components

Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

While it seems late in the season – given that the playoffs are just around the corner anyway – for Nike to introduce new equipment. But enter the Air Zoom Alpha Talon shoes. These feature a fully adaptable traction system, with retractable cleats on the interior of the forefoot. These extend when pressure is applied, giving the player more traction at times when it is needed, and then retracting afterward. The cleats also utilize Nike’s new Flywire technology, which provides lightweight support for sideways movement, and to help cushion the foot the Air Zooms further provide Pro Deflex padding. The new shoes will hit the gridiron this weekend and will be used by a variety of NFL players. Continue reading Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

Kinetic(Mis)Shift: Failure to Launch

Watch the video above, but imagine our new voice over and music instead.

(Cue music: Fanfare of the Common Man)

Voice over: Ever since the dawn of time, man has dreamed of flying. OK, we’re not sure if that is in fact true. But TV shows such as Gilligan’s Island, movies like The Rocketeer and G.I. Joe cartoons have at least suggested it has been a dream for the ages.

The problem is that there has never been a way to solve the issue of weight vs. fuel supply. Most jetpacks could only stay airborne for 20 or 30 seconds, making it extremely impractical at best. But that problem is a thing of the past.

(Cue music: The Scorpion’s “Rock Me Like a Hurricane”)

Voice over: The Jetlev flyer is here and for just 129,000  € you can take flight. This jet ski technology can lift 400 to 500 pounds without trouble. It just needs a giant rubber hose to pump water to the pack. So if you need to fly over a small lake or have a really big pool you can be a true jet setter!

-End-

 Kinetic(Mis)Shift are products that we think deserve to be called out for their utter lack of fitness benefits.

Hands On: Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic

KineticShift.com concludes our hands on test of water bottles.

All good things come to an end, including our hands on test of water bottles. We wrap things up with the Nalgene bottles, which use Tritan copolyester plastic. The line includes the All-Terrain Bottle made from low density polyethylene, the On the Fly (OTF) and the On-the-Go (OTG). Here is our test.

Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic Description: Each of the bottles tested (unless noted) are manufactured using Eastman’s Tritan copolyester plastic.

Everyday Tritan
BPA-Free High impact resistance
Resistant to staining
Won’t retain odors
Withstands sub-freezing to boiling temperatures
Dishwasher safe away from the heating element
Max temperature: 100 degrees C/212 degrees F
Min temperature: -40 degrees C/-40 degrees F

Bottle Sizes: Varies – 16oz to 32oz
Plastic: Eastman’s Tritan copolyester
Country of Manufacture: USA except for the flip tops – those are made in China
Retail Price: Varies – $6.75 to $14.99 Continue reading Hands On: Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic

Ski Helmets Help Reduce Injuries, But Advanced Skiers Still Most Likely to Face Serious Injury

Ski helmets are finally catching on, but like cycling helmets it is only slowly gaining momentum. No doubt many people feel that the white stuff is fluffy and soft and thus not so bad in a fall. The truth is that hard packed snow can be deadly, as can rocks, trees and other obstacles. All this makes a “brain bucket” all the more important to wear.

However, common sense – as in using what’s inside the helmet – can be a key to staying safe. This week The Wall Street Journal noted that shorter skis and helmets have reduced ski injuries, but added that the average number of people who die on the slopes in America has remained about the same. The other disturbing fact is those who are more likely to die are intermediate or advanced skiers, who are often wearing a helmet. Continue reading Ski Helmets Help Reduce Injuries, But Advanced Skiers Still Most Likely to Face Serious Injury

LifeSpan Praised by Doctor and Professor

A doctor and a professor agree; the LifeSpan TR1200i folding treadmill is a great product. And by a doctor we mean retailer Treadmill Doctor, which named the product the “Best New Treadmill” in its 2011 fitness equipment review. The TR1200i, which is made by PCE Health and Fitness, was also named “Best Treadmill under $1000” by Fitness Professor Review.

The folding treadmill earned high marks for its quality construction, walking area and value, while Fitness Professor offered that the “all new TR1200i offers the quality consumers are looking for in an affordable package plus LifeSpan’s wonderful Fitness Club software.” Continue reading LifeSpan Praised by Doctor and Professor

Hands On: CamelBak Podium Bottles

KineticShift.com continues our hands on test of water bottles.

Time for another dash to the finish line, and this one might just be the water bottle to help you on the long ride to the podium and beyond. And we hear it’s good for the casual group ride too.

CamelBak Podium Description: Step up to the Podium. The New CamelBak Podium Bottle incorporates Jet Valve, a revolutionary self-sealing valve into a taste-free bottle with a high flow rate.

CamelBak is the official hydration sponsor of Team Garmin-Transitions, and proud to support the team’s 100% Clean initiative for untainted sports performance.

Bottle Sizes: 21oz and 24oz
Plastic: Polypropylene
Country of Manufacture: China
Retail Price: $8 (21oz) and $9 (24oz)

Continue reading Hands On: CamelBak Podium Bottles

Snow Won’t Stop the Bond Bike

While mountain bikes can handle reasonable amounts the white stuff, usually deep snow means it is time to hit the rollers or exercise bike instead. Two wheels and thick packed snow just don’t mix. But the British Environmental Transport Association (ETA) might have an alternate solution with a special bike kit that utilizes a caterpillar track-driven snow bike.

BikeRadar.com reported that the bike, which was designed as a proof of concept device for the Cycle Show 2010 in London, actually found use following the recent snow fall in Britain last week. The concept converts any existing 26-inch mountain bike (hard tail or full suspension) into a snow bike by replacing the front wheel with a single ski and using a rubber track setup with the rear wheel. This solution allows the rider to retain the use of the gears and rear brake. Super villain and Bond girl not included.

[Via BikeRadar: Taking the ‘Bond bike’ for a spin in the snow]