Category: Outdoors

Avoid Bang-ups with the HeadsUp System

You are driving home after a long road trip and all that is on your mind is a plate of food and a hot shower. As you turn down your street and push the button for your garage door opener, you zip into the garage just like you would any day after work…but this time you hear a crunch and have that horrible, sinking feeling in your stomach. Your $3000 bike now looks like a metal pretzel and you could literally cry.

Roof racks on cars is such a convenient way to transport your bike, but sometimes really bad and costly accidents occur that could easily be avoided through the use of a small reminder to ‘stop’ before entering your garage. A new wireless visual and audio system is shipping in July to help you avoid this type of situation. The HeadsUp System, founded by two cyclists in Colorado, is designed as a complete solution to avoid the dreaded ‘crunch’. Continue reading Avoid Bang-ups with the HeadsUp System

Slide Into More Control with Slidepad

Sometimes there are products out there that seem so simple that it is hard to believe that it took this long to see them offered on the market. The new braking system from Slidepad Technologies, located in Palo Alto, CA, is one of those products.

The Slidepad is a braking system that controls both the front and rear brakes on a bicycle through the use of one brake lever. The rider of a bike that has the Slidepad system installed simply pulls one brake lever which applies braking pressure to the rear wheel. As the pads make contact with the rear wheel, the Slidepad (which looks like an over sized brake pad) ‘slides’ forward pulling a cable that is connected to the front brakes. This in turn applies enough braking pressure to the front wheel to slow the rider, but not too much to cause them to flip over the handlebars. Continue reading Slide Into More Control with Slidepad

Wiley X Yaks About the Zak

Black glasses just look cool, especially when they have that covert ops style. The company says these are not about looking or cool or making a statement – yet they do – but this is made for those who get in, get the job done and get out. In other words the type of wearers who let their actions speak for them in just about everything they do.

And it is an interesting name for a stylish, yet protective pair of eyewear and it is now part of the Wiley X Black Ops Collection. Introducing the Zak, the new eyewear inspired by the shadowy world of covert operators and designed to meet the demands of elite military personnel, law enforcement or just serious shooters or anyone who wants to look totally badass. Continue reading Wiley X Yaks About the Zak

Columbia Drainmaker: The Shoe That Won’t Drown

You might be familiar with the Columbia Sportswear Company through the number of TV ads that they run touting their outdoor, cold weather jackets and extensive testing; but you might not be aware that they also make a number of products for the summertime outdoor enthusiast. Columbia has released a shoe to help the fisherman stay out of slick situations and drain quickly when their feet become submerged.

Inspired by observing fisherman in the Florida Keys wearing running shoes in and around the water, the designers at Columbia figured that they could come up with a better shoe. They created a hybrid shoe that combines the lightweight comfort of a running shoe with the quick-dry capabilities of a water shoe. The upper features breathable open cell mesh with a durable TPU toe cap, while the Techlite midsole has built-in drainage ports in the heel and forefoot to allow water to instantly escape. Wet/dry traction is assured by a siped, lugged outsole with Omni-Grip Wet Grip rubber for sure footing on slick surfaces.

Though the Drainmaker ($80 MSRP) is designed for fishermen and fisherwomen (yes, they are offered for both sexes); these shoes are based on the structure of a running shoe, offer lightweight construction and give more cushioning than a traditional water shoe. If your ‘catch of the day’ is to complete an event like the Tough Mudder, you may want to look at the Drainmaker from Columbia and add it to your arsenal.

The shoes feature an open cell sandwich mesh upper with translucent TPU toe cap, micro suede eyestay and Techlite heel, along with Techlite midsole that includes drainage ports in heel and forefoot, and siped, lugged outsole for extra traction made with Omni-Grip Wet Grip rubber. The shoes easily go from the wet to the dry and help your feet do the same.

Columbia Drainmaker Official Website

OtterBox To Show It Is a Tough Mudder

The Tough Mudder is considered one of the most intense events out there. It was designed by the British Special Forces and features rugged terrain, steep inclines, water hazard, military-style obstacle challenge and enough mud for a thousand pies, plus a mud bath for a full platoon of soldiers.

In other words it lives up to its name as a down and dirty and just plain “tough mudder” of an event. It is designed to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), and even includes participation from actual wounded warriors. They prove they’re tough enough for it… which makes us wonder, what about our phones and computers?

As high-tech people we mountain bike, run and trek around the globe with our gear, and have learned the right case can make all the difference. OtterBox, makers of rugged smartphone and tablet protection, are going to the mud and will be at this weekend’s Tough Mudder! We’ll be curious what they think!

OtterBox Gets Down and Dirty
Tough Mudder Official Website

Flash Sonar Helps The Visually Impaired Lead More Active Lives

We came across this interesting story about an echolocation method called “Flash Sonar,” which essentially uses the subtle – yet seemingly effective – technique of tongue clicking to create sounds that in turn help blind and visually impaired people interpret their surroundings, and remarkably even at high speeds.

The process is the brain child of Daniel Kish, founder of World Access for the Blind, who devised it as a way to allow those with limited or even without sight to navigate the world through sound.

World Access for the Blind Official Website

Blaze a Virtual Bike in the Bike Lane

Back in 2009 there was LightLane, which provided a virtual bike cast as an image just ahead of you while you rode. Now there is Blaze, a handlebar-mounted laser that projects a personal bike lane marker. Developed by University of Brighton student Emily Brooke in the U.K., her concept could do what LightLane never did – that is actually make it to critical mass.

While Ms. Brooke still has yet to bring her product to market as well, it seems like a winner to use. The battery power Blaze essentially projects a bright green laser image, which is bright enough to be seen in daylight, of a bike onto the road ahead, warning drivers that you could be in their blind spot. Brooke reportedly consulted with road safety practitioners, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Brighton & Hove Bus Company as well as psychologists who specialize in driving.

Brooke’s idea reportedly won her a place on the Entrepreneurship Program at Babson College in Massachusetts, and hopefully this would be enough to make sure that future riders don’t win the “door prize.”

[Via BikeBiz: A bike lane on your handlebars]

Nike Goes to the Moon – Sort of…

This week Nike Golf announced that its latest shoes for the US Open, the Lunar Control golf shoes will be available to the public. Traditionally these shoes are usually only created for Nike’s tour athletes, but this year everyone can take a swing at getting a pair.

The Limited Edition Nike Golf Shoes were created and developed with insight from the number 10 golfer in the world and US Open contender Paul Casey. These shoes deliver just the right combination of stability and comfort, while still be the lightest-weight performance shoe on the tour – and they look good too!

The shoes feature Flywire construction; offer ultra light, springy Lunarlon cushioning, and feature waterproof performance leather by Sadesa, so you can hit a full 18 holes without making your feet like they’re on a walk to the moon!

Nike Lunar Control Men’s Golf Shoes Official Retail Site
[ Via BeSportier: Limited Edition Nike Golf Shoes : US Open Lunar Control]


New York Cyclist Responds to Ticket for “Not Riding in Bike Lane”

As a former resident of New York City for 18 years I relate to filmmaker Casey Neistat, 29, who was ticketed for not riding his bicycle in the bike lane. We feel his pain.

I for one can add that in Harlem, the Police actually parked their cars in the bike lane by the local precinct, claiming there was no other nearby parking. So thank you Casey for making your film that shows how almost useless the NYC bike lanes can be.

Photos of the Harlem bike lanes after the jump.

Continue reading New York Cyclist Responds to Ticket for “Not Riding in Bike Lane”

Tees Worthy of an Epoch

It might be easy to dismiss a golf tee as a small part of the game, but the pros go the extra distance with the Epoch Golf Tees from Evolve Golf. The company lives up to its name by creating tees that will stand the test of the time and help players evolve to the next level.

Since 2004 the tees have been used in 127 wins on tour. The revolutionary/evolutionary tees feature “radius posts” that span the width of the ball’s dimples, and this creates the lowest coefficient of friction of any tee currently on the market, and thus eliminates deflection at the moment of impact, while further increasing ball speed and control off the tee. The result is longer shots on the fairway.

The Epoch are available in three lengths – 3.25-inchs, 2.75-inches and 1.5-inches and are priced from $3.99 to $6.99. But can you put a price on evolution?

Evolve Golf Official Website
[Via BeSportier.com: Professional Golf Tees : Epoch Golf Tees]

Sunice Makes for Nice Fitness Attire

There have long been clothes that look stylish and clothes that are good for fitness. Sunice is working so that this doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive ever again. Canada’s number one outerwear company announced last week a new fabric for its Typhoon category.

Zephal is a lightweight, quieter performing fabric that feels good and provides a whole lot of style. The Typhoon category encompasses all that represents a very well designed, lightweight rainsuit with a 3 year waterproof guarantee. Textured materials accentuated with strategically placed stretch inserts makes Typhoon a great fashion essential for golf by fulfilling expectations of looks and performance.

“As Sunice continues its search for the most technical, performance driven fabrics for golf, we are confident that the Zephal collection will continue to grow as it’s supple hand feel and light weight are so perfectly suited to the sport,” said Heidi Rowsell, Marketing Manager for Sunice. “This category makes fashion and function very affordable in a fully waterproof and breathable suit. It’s tough to beat on price, performance and looks.”

The fact that it is waterproof yet breathable means that the Sunice attire will be good in the sun or rain. So very NICE from Sunice.

Sunice Official Website

Nekdoodle No Wet Noodle

Last week’s 2011 International Aquatic Fitness Conference saw the arrival of the Nekdoodle, a head and neck support for use in water fitness, recreation and relaxation. While some water floatation aids are about as effective as a wet noodle, the Aquatic Exercise Association and the Aquatic Therapy & Rehab Institute (ATRI) tested the Nekdoodle and gave it a solid “thumbs up.”

The Nekdoodle was demonstrated during the Open Pool time during Conference, which was hosted by the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA), and which drew some of the best presenters in the world from Spain, USA, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Germany, Trinidad and Portugal and over 800 participants from 37 countries and 48 states. Continue reading Nekdoodle No Wet Noodle

GPS Device Adds Camera

Over the years we’ve seen GPS added to smartphones and many digital cameras now offer GPS tags. But now Garmin, the maker of satellite navigation technology, sees that turnabout is fair play. The company has announced the addition to the GPSMAP 62 series of rugged outdoor handheld devices – a built-in 5 megapixel camera with automatic geotagging to capture the highlights of any adventure and allow you to share the locations or navigate back to that site. GPSMAP 62stc and GPSMAP 62sc were unveiled at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO, capping a week of exciting new Garmin outdoor handheld announcements by Garmin that included innovations in the popular eTrex, Rino and Astro families.

In other words this is a GPS device with a build camera. Continue reading GPS Device Adds Camera