From Runner’s World: Should Runners Jog In Place At Stoplights?
You’ll look ridiculous if you do. Then again, the world’s best runner does it, so maybe you should too? Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.29.2014): Stop Running, Take or Share, Crowd Funding
The long winter could soon give way to a long wet spring, but the small bags and packs from ZPacks will keep the contents – including mobile phone, ID, money and card cards – dry inside. These are made of a hybrid Cuben fiber material that resembles paper but is tough and waterproof! Just what we need this spring.
Yuba Bicycles has updated its Boda Boda cargo bike with new accessories for carrying children, adult passengers, groceries or a surfboard – yes a surfboard. The bike, which is also available in “Step-Over Red,” features a redesigned rear cargo and passenger rack, which is now compatible with Yepp child seats. The 2014 Boda Boda also offers new mounts for its Bread Basket front basket, new Cruz Cream tires, rear disc brake tabs, new handlebars and saddles and removable Love Handle side loaders for easier shipping.
Spyderco has you fixed for folding blades with the Double Bevel, which draws its name from its most distinguishing characteristic—its unique double-ground blade. As with all Spyderco folders, the Double Bevel’s VG-10 stainless steel blade features the maker’s Trademark Round Hole for ambiidextrous one-handed opening, while the flat-ground section offers a distal taper that terminates in an Americanized tanto-style point for an exceptional balance of tip strength and sharpness. The tip is also full-flat-ground for superior edge geometry and low-friction cutting performance. This is a pocket knife that will get the job done.
The Allo promises to be the world’s first bike mount-speaker combination, which can provide riders with a safer way to access a smartphone while riding. The Allo features a built-in speaker that can allows users to listen to music, navigation and even make phone calls without having to take their hands off the handlebars and without the need of headphones.
“I’m passionate about biking and music and saw there was no safe product out there that let me combine the two,” said Benji Miller, inventor of the Allo. “After seeing many cyclists illegally and unsafely use their earbuds or phones while riding, I wanted to create a way for people to use their smartphones while still being safe, which is when I first started designing and creating the Allo. With design experts on the team, they fine-tuned the concept to what it is today.”
Miller launched a Kickstarter project earlier this month to help produce the Allo. Video after the jump
PeopleForBikes – formerly Bikes Belong – has selected six more cities for its Green Lane Project. The bicycle advocacy group will conduct a two-year program to build protected lanes in six new U.S. cities including Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle. This follows the original Green Lakes Project that brought lanes to Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Green lanes are on-street lanes separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts intended to help organize the street and make riding a bike an appealing option for more people.The six cities, which were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program, will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create the lanes.
The British AA – equal to America’s AAA – has launched a Think Bike campaign that will provide drivers with stickers that could placed on sideview mirrors to remind them to watch for bikes.
BikeRadar reported that the campaign was launched after an AA survey of more than 17,500 drivers found that 93 percent sometimes found it hard to see cyclists and more than half admit to being surprised when a ‘cyclists appears from nowhere.’ Perhaps this program could eventually come to America.
It isn’t reinventing the wheel, but Davici’s Hillboard is reportedly working to develop a device to capture the thrill and excitement of skateboarding and snowboarding. We’re not sure what this simulation might be, but the original design was submitted to the Atlanta office of InventHelp.
“I invented this idea because I love board sports, and I am fascinated by the hover board from the movie Back to the Future II,” said the unnamed inventor. “I thought it would be awesome to design a board that works similarly to that.”
We’ll be looking forward to what this device could actually be!
InventHelp Official Website
[Press Release: InventHelp Client Develops Redesigned Skateboard (ALL-308)]
With the continued Arctic blast – aka the “Polar Vortex” – that doesn’t seem to want to leave it can be cold out there. A scarf over the face can help keep the chill at bay, but if you’re wearing goggles you might find yourself in a fog. The new North45 scarf – produced up north in Canada where they know a thing or two about the cold – is made of Merino wool.
Its two piece design along one part to wrap around the chin, protecting the neck and lower face, while the second half wraps the nose and this allows for hot air to be exhaled so the scarf won’t get wet and it won’t fog the goggles either.
There never can be too much light around the camp site, and while an old Zippo can start a fire the Zippo Outdoors LED Rugged Lantern can bring a whole lot of illumination where it is needed. It features a metal support cage and rubberized corners, which help cushion it from everyday use. This lantern can even survive drops up to five feet, plus it is water-resistant — and will float if knocked into the drink.
It offers three brightness settings as well as a flashing SOS feature for use in emergencies, and it runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery – with runtime as long as 40 hours on low.
The concept of Walkie Talkies is so old school, and the new Motorola Talkabout MU350R two-way radios blend powerful wireless communications with practical emergency preparedness features and robust weather-proof housing. These can be paired with a Bluetooth headset, which allows for easy outdoor hands free communication, with the option to monitor radio channels and built-in push-to-talk (PTT) functionality.
The MU350R features Talkabout Clear, which enhances sound quality for clearer transmissions at a higher volume by reducing distortion with a Class D amplifier.
We typically think of suspension forks for bicycles as being something intended for off-road riding. However, this winter has left many urban roads in conditions that are worse than some mountain bike trails and fortunately RockShox has just the thing.
The company’s new Paragon fork is intended for urban and trekking cyclists. The 700c fork is designed to take the edge off vibrations from the road and trail. It features a lightweight tunable Solo Air spring paired with an in-ride adjustable lockout, with a PopLoc remote option. The fork legs feature fender mounts and are available in rim brake and disc brake options Without a fender, the Paragon provides room for tires up to 45c in width.
Since city riders might want to see where they are going the Paragon also comes with an integrated wiring management system for dynamo hub-powered lighting; while a headlight can be secured to an integrated mount on the fork brace.
Shooting cans is a good way to hone your marksmanship, but most communities today probably don’t even like the idea of shooting BBs let along actual guns at targets in the backyard. However, LaserLyte has created a laser training system and now offers a set of Laser Plinking Cans.
When hit with a laser from one of the company’s training tools the cans react and jump just as if it were hit by a projectile. Continue reading Shoot the Can