Equipment | Evolving Consumer

Cabela’s Packs It In With New XPG Line

Outdoor retailer Cabela’s new XPG line features a collection that includes backpacking tents, shells, active apparel, running shows and even packs to pack it all in. The line is the eXtreme Performance Gear, and is aimed to help the company branch out beyond hunters and fisherman – and includes hikers, backpackers, peak-baggers and trail runners.

The new XPG line is launching this spring.

Cabela’s XPG Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Outdoors Retail Behemoth Cabela’s Goes ‘Fast & Light’ With New Product Line]

Shocking News

RockShox, the company that practically defines the mountain bike suspension fork, is turning things upside down. The company’s new RS-1 model features inverted legs and a full carbon chassis.

It is designed specifically for 29ers and features a totally integrated front end system that has been dubbed “Predictive Steering” as it combines the fork and wheel into one. By inverting the fork the damper legs can be more consistently bathed in oil, which means better lubrication and better small bump sensitivity along with more speed. About the only thing not to love about this concept is its high price! Continue reading Shocking News

Felt Picks a Cruiser

At the recent Sea Otter Classic Felt Bicycles unveiled its new cruiser model inspired by Mike Wolfe, the host of the History Channel series “American Pickers.” The new Red Wolf will be available this fall, and it will feature a hydroformed tank top tube, 1-1/8-inch threadless double crown fork, three-speed Shimano coaster brake with 50mm super-wide aluminum wheels, 26-inch Quick Brick tires, Felt Drillium 44T aluminum chainring, full-length fenders and a rear rack. The paint scheme mimics a post-war balloon bike, while it also features an oversize springer seat with embossed with the logo of Wolfe’s antique store, Antique Archaeology.

“This is a particularly exciting project for us,” said Alan Foster, Felt’s lifestyle product manager. “Mike is well-known to have deep cycling roots, not just as a collector, but in his life prior to becoming a television celebrity. He raced bikes and owned a shop for 11 years. He was also a rep in the industry, so his love for bicycles is genuine. He was actively involved in every aspect of the Red Wolfe’s look and knew exactly want he wanted going in. We are thrilled with this project and the relationship.”

Felt Bicycles Official Website

Scratch & Shred Turntable Snowboard

httpv://youtu.be/m9vO0Y2lBGQ

Scratch & Shred Turntable Snowboard: Every Third Thursday
In true hip hop fashion, Signal Snowboards put together the ultimate collaboration teaming up with one of the greatest DJs in history and contributing member of the Beastie Boys, Mix Master Mike, who not only provided direction on this build but also an original track

Signal Snowboards: Every Third Thursday Official Website

Shine Like a Eagle

The Eagle 600 bike light from Magicshine doesn’t necessarily soar higher than most lights, but it does have a little magic of another sort. Unlike most cycling lights this light features an OLED display that shows remaining battery and runtime.

It can be fully charged in about four hours and can run on full power for about 1.5 hours. It also has low modes plus flashing mode to preserve the battery life. On full blast it offers 600 lumens, which is enough to light the road ahead. The best feature is still that lets you know the runtime that is left with the light so you’re not left out in the dark.

Magic Shine Eagle 600 Official Website

Kid of the Road

While kids can’t get behind the wheel until they’re 16 years old they can still feel like they’re a kid-sized king of the road with the new Farrier 24 kid’s road bike from Swobo. Peter Disco, owner of Swobo, has launched Farrier Bikes as a separate brand that makes road bikes especially for junior sized rides.

These include 24-inch wheels – as well as the slightly larger 650c – along with 6061 butted aluminum frames and forks and Shimano Claris 8-speed STI shifters. At $750 these are aimed at those serious young riders, and yet aren’t meant to be the final bike for anyone – and that makes sense as most kids might outgrow it in a season or two.

Farrier Bicycles Official Website
[Via BikeRumor: SWOBO LAUNCHES FARRIER BICYCLES W/ PREMIUM KIDS’ ROAD BIKES]

Rudy Gets Cool With Airstorm

Spring can be a time with wild weather and the Rudy Project is forecasting quite the Airstorm – its new road and mountain bike helmet. It features 16 front vents along with six rear “extractor” vents, which along with the internal crown architecture is meant to help hot air flow outwards to dissipate heat.

The helmet weighs just 260 grams, and features an adjustable “chassis and ring” structure to allow one-handed adjustment on the bike. It also features two sets of interchangeable and washable pads, plus a bug stop mesh protection system.

“Rudy Project has come a long way since we began developing helmets, and the Airstorm is a testament to that evolution and our engineers’ commitment,” said Paul Craig, president of Rudy Project North America. “By listening to our athletes and using that data to improve our design, we’ve come up with an incredible combination of features that’s sure to impress anyone who gives it a spin, plus the Airstorm is competitively priced for the benefits it packs.”

Rudy Project Official Website

GoPro Goes Double

GoPro has doubled down so to speak with the introduction of the new GoPro Dual HERO system, which can capture synchronized footage that can be converted to 3D. This set up will also allow users to capture simultaneous photo and video footage. It is compatible with two HERO3+ cameras (sold separately) and the system will retail for $199.

Continue reading GoPro Goes Double

Harrison and Eleanor On the Bike

Linus Bike has introduced two new bike bags for spring – the Eleanor canvas bag (left) and the Harrison briefcase. Both are designed to easily attach to bike racks with covered hooks.

The Eleanor, which can be carried as an over-the-shoulder bag, is made of coated 16 ounce canvas, with a leather bottom and handle. It features a magnetic closure, an interior iPad pocket, brass key hook and a D-ring for locking. It even includes a padlock.

The Harrison is designed for use on a bike as well as being a functional briefcase for around town. It can hold a 15-inch laptop in a padded pocket, plus it is made of coated 16 ounce canvas with cotton webbing handles with reinforced leather. The Harrison has a large main compartment with two interior pockets, pen holders, a brass key hook and a detachable shoulder strap. A D-ring can add a lockable option and it includes a padlock.

Linus Bike Official Website

Sea Otter Classic: Razik Back on a Roll

At this year’s Sea Otter Classic Razik Bicycles introduced its new brand and redesigned IsoTruss road frameset. Originally released under the brand name Delta 7, the company lost the licensing rights to the technology, but this year formed a new company and acquired the rights to the develop and entirely new chassis and product lineup.

The company’s new offering is the Vortex, a frame that is 100 percent made in the USA. It has been completely redesigned inside and out, and is arguably the most distinctive-looking bike on the market. It features a frame with an open lattice structure that is made up of three-dimensional pyramid-shaped trusses consisting of carbon fiber and Kevlar strands–all meticulously wrapped by hand, instead of molded sheets of carbon fiber. The design delivers vibration damping and incredible handling in a bike that is sub-13 pounds, depending on component selection.

“The unique capabilities of the IsoTruss design allows us to tailor the properties of each characteristic of the ride,” explains Ryun Noble, president and director of engineering at Razik. “What’s truly astounding is its ability to absorb energy-robbing vibration while maintaining strength and rigidity to transfer power and deliver precise, razor-sharp handling all in an incredibly light frame.”

Razik Bicycles Vortex Official Website

Pack it Out

Don’t pack it in, pack it out with the Arc’teryx LEAF DryPack 70, a specialized bag that will function as a pack and keep all of its contents dry for maritime operations. This pack was manufactured utilizing Composite Construction (AC2), while the DryPack is built from 725D ACT MultiCam Cordura coated on both sides with urethane.

This makes the DryPack 70 completely waterproof piece of load-carriage equipment for over-the-beach maritime special operations, search and seizure, and small boat operations. It includes a full backpack carrying system that is completely removable, which can greatly aid the user’s land mobility. Moreover, the DryPack 70 is fully taped and seam-sealed, and incorporates a roll-down top with full-width RF-welded TIZIP Master Seal waterproof zipper.

Arc’teryx LEAF DryPack 70 Official Website

Good PR

Elizabeth Taylor said there is no such thing as bad PR – but the new Quintana Roo PRxis could be called truly awesome PR. This new top-end triathlon bike emphasizes easy assembly, component flexibility, adjustability and aerodynamics.

The $8,500 bike ($4,500 frame) can be assembled and adjusted with just two hex wrench sizes, which make it ideal for traveling racers. The PRsix will work with most available brake systems and comes with interchangeable horizontal or vertical dropouts. The frame features QR’s previously introduced “Shift” frame design, which is intended to shield the drivetrain from the wind and includes a massive left chainstay said to reduce air drag.

“Until this point triathletes have been presented with a selection of superbikes that are relatively heavy, expensive to maintain, and designed for the wind-tunnel alone rather than the variety of course conditions they are most likely to encounter,” said Peter Hurley, CEO of American Bicycle Group, the parent company of Quintana Roo. The complete bike is spec’d with Shimano Di2 Ultegra, Reynolds Strike wheels, an ISM saddle and the Profile Aeria bar. The frameset comes with headset, seatpost, stem and brakes. With all this there isn’t anything but good PR for the PRsix.

Quintana Roo Official Website

Print and Row

3D printing is poised to change the world. We’ve seen that it is being used to print custom running shoes and even parts for bicycles. Now Jim Smith of Grass Roots Engineering is showing that 3D printing can be used to float away. He used a large-scaled 3D printer to produce 28 colorful ABS plastic sections that were then bolted together to create a 16.7 foot long kayak. Each section has brass threaded thermoplastic inserts, which allows the 2D and 3D sections to be screwed together. Silicon caulk was used to ensure that the kayak was watertight and ready to head out.

It took more than a thousand hours – or just over 42 days to produce this kayak, so it isn’t exactly a quick print and go – but it is still a sign of the times to come. Video after the jump