There is the saying, “put a sock in it,” but the Sensoria Fitness Smart Sock Tracker lets you instead put a fitness monitor on your socks. This Smock Sock is designed to tell you your stride cadence and running form, and even monitors how your foot is landing. This device, which is now part of an Indiegogo project, is made up of a cloth-material Smart Sock that can be washed and dried like a normal sock, and a special anklet that magnetically snaps on the cuff of the sock. This Smart Sock can be paired with a mobile application and monitor your running and other fitness activity. Let’s just hope it is smart enough not to be lost in the dryer. Continue reading Put a Tracker On It
Category: Footwear
Golf Lite
Puma has introduced the Faas Lite Golf Shoes, which are lightweight and flexible, and promise to be comfortable round after round. These feature a waterproof microfiber leather upper that is equipped with stormCELL to keep feet protected from the elements. A lace closure ensures a snug fit, while the EverTrack carbon rubber forefoot and heal ensures you’ll be able to walk the course in confidence.
Behind the Curve
While you could buy a bag of socks and use those for cycling the Pro SL cycling sock from Curve is made with silver-infused polypropylene yarn that features an anti-bacterial treatment. The socks further include mesh ventilation on the top of the foot and reinforced areas in the heal cup and under the foot. The SST yarn is designed for moisture and thermal regulation. It has a flat toe seam and is ready to ride.
Nike’s Urban Camo
Camouflage isn’t just for hunters and Special Forces these days. The camo prints have long since become fashionable and the Nike Lunar 5 EXT Camo running shoes do make a statement. These also feature laser cut ventilation, Flywire technology and Lunarlon Sole unit for superior comfort while running in the urban jungle. There is even a subtle gray soosh!
Nike’s Ultra Toxic Shoes
With a name like Hypervenom you know this shoe is going to have some bite. Designed for soccer (football to the rest of the world), this new Nike shoe features a soft mesh outer that is coated in a polyurethane film and special weatherproofing technology that can stand up to the rigors of the pitch, yet offers an almost “not there” feel. The Hypervenom can bite into the field thanks to its stud configuration that allows for fast movement that makes for fast kicks.
No one would dare play soccer/football barefoot but this might be the next best thing! Continue reading Nike’s Ultra Toxic Shoes
Pedi Not Pedal Power
We write about “pedal power” a lot – as in bicycle transportation and ways that pedaling can create some energy. However, some mechanical engineering students at Rice University are looking to create PediPower, which can turn the motion from walking into a system to juice up portable electronics.
The students behind the project, who go by the name “Agitation Squad,” created a shoe-mounted generator mounted at the heel. Except for running the heel is typically the first part of the foot to make contact with the ground, and here the team mounted a device that is connected to a gearbox, and with every step a little energy is gathered as the gearbox turns a motor and sends electricity to a battery pack.
While still in prototype the goal of the Agitation Squad is for another team to pick up the project and see where they can take it. Perhaps in the future a walk to the store could provide some power to juice up the phone or portable music player. Video after the jump
Adidas On Board
While we are finally heading into the summer weather Adidas is looking ahead. The shoemaker recently announced that it would enter the snowboarding market, and bring out about 60 articles of snowboarding apparel that ranges from base to mid-layers, as well as technical snowboarding jackets and pants.
And since this is a footwear company the new lineup will include The Blauvelt (above) signature book. This has the classic Adidas look and is ready to get on the board – the snowboard that is. We’re sure some boarders can’t wait for winter.
Adidas Blows It Up With Nitrocharge
The soccer pitch won’t know what hit it. Adidas has introduced the new Nitrocharge soccer cleat/football boot, which offers a high-elastic upper element called the ENERGYSling to provide extra agility, while the ENERGYPULSE on the sole provides improved push-off and gives greater energy return to let the wearer go the distance.
The Sprintframe outsole offers TRAXION 2.0 stud placement to provide greater balance traction, stability and all in a lightweight shoe. The Nitrocharge also offers a miCoach speed cell fitness-tracking chip that allows the wearer to monitor speed, distance and even number of sprints. This can connect with an iOS device for a post game recap of the shoe’s explosive moments.
Shoes Leave Carbon Footprint!
While we always encourage walking when possible, according to an MIT study a typical pair running shoes actually generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to keeping a 100-watt bulb lit for one week!
The study noted, “The researchers found that more than two-thirds of a running shoe’s carbon impact can come from manufacturing processes, with a smaller percentage arising from acquiring or extracting raw materials. This breakdown is expected for more complex products such as electronics, where the energy that goes into manufacturing fine, integrated circuits can outweigh the energy expended in processing raw materials. But for ‘less-advanced’ products — particularly those that don’t require electronic components — the opposite is often the case.”
The “Porsche” of Golf Shoes
Adidas has often been called the “Cadillac of Athlete Shoes” but that apparently wasn’t good enough. The company has introduced the Adidas Porsche Design Cleat li Golf Shoe, which is made in the Scheinfeld plant in Germany fittingly enough. These feature a leather upper that offers the Porsche Design’s laser flex graphic, along with a low-profile Thintech outsole with PINS (Performance Inset System) that brings the golfer closer to the ground for improved footwork, balance and better ball strike.
The waterproof shoe also offers TRAXION configuration to provide a lock-down grip in all directions. Porsche, there is no substitute.
Boost’d
This winter Adidas unveiled the Energy Boost, which featured a revolutionary cushioning technology, and now the shoemaker has revealed the adizero Adios BOOST, a race-ready funning model that has already hit the pavement in a few marathons this year. This model features a full-length BOOST midsole that is complemented by a high-grip rubber outsole designed by tire-maker Continental to help runners go the distance. The only downside to this is that the shoes won’t be in stores until October.
Nike Golf Updates the Shoes of the Tiger
Nike Golf has unveiled its new TW’14 line of shoes, which Nike Athlete Tiger Woods debuted the new Nike shoe in a dramatic fashion with his 78th PGA Tour career victory at The Players Championship. The new iconic shoe is also the first Nike Golf shoe to be made available on NIKEiD with previews beginning this week.
The new TW’14 continued the collaboration with Woods, further enhancing the fit, feel and function of the golf shoes. The natural motion engineered outsole of the shoe is designed to mimic and conform to the natural motion of the foot, while still providing the protection and traction of a lightweight performance shoe. The new TW’14 footwear stays true to Woods’ signature colors, White, Black and Red, and also adds a new colorway to the mix, Cool Grey with Vivid Blue and Venom Green accents.
Tread Worn
We continue to follow the “upcycled” movement where old products are used in new ways, and this week we came across Rottua, which offers handmade sandals that feature repurposed bike tires and tubes along with other materials.
The sandals use tires for straps and the tube liner for the bit between the toes. The foot bed isn’t worn out either and features a high quality micro bier topsole with strap liner, as well foot-molding Eva midsole. Each sandal utilizes is made of about 20 percent upcycled materials, which include bike tires from Northern California.