Expensive bikes are just magnets for thieves. One solution is to never, ever leave a bike unattended. That isn’t always possible, but fortunately there are those inventors and innovators who are looking at ways to keep our bikes safe.
One such example is the BikeWatch, which is being developed through Indiegogo. This concept device combines an LED light, an alarm and a cable lock. This ensures that riders have a small but durable cable lock for those times when a bike needs to be left for just a minute. If the cable is cut an alarm will sound for 10 minutes at a far more than annoying 105 dB. Attempts to remove the BikeWatch from the bike will get various “warning” alarms as well.
The system also provides a rear “blinky” light that can run for up to 24 hours of continued use. The entire BikeWatch is housed in an IP53 water-resistant housing. The BikeWatch sounds like a good way to protect the bike when a rider can’t actually watch it. Video after the jump
We’ve seen many bicycle stems that claim to be lightweight but there is one new stem that promises to lite it up instead. The StemLite is – as the name suggests – a handlebar stem with a built-in light. This ensures that riders will have a light, which can’t easily be stolen or lost. It also frees riders of needing to worry about a handlebar mounted system, not to mention the bulky battery pack.
Last week we reported on a soccer ball that can harness energy from play. The 94Fifty practice basketball from InfoMotion Sports Technologies can’t do that but it can provide a variety of feedback data and help coaches and players determine what part of the game might need some work.
Jaybird has long understood that the needs of athletes when it comes to audio. Just any headset isn’t going to do, but the Bluebuds X are headphones that will go the distance as there are the official training headphones of USA Triathlon!
There are inflatable pillows for camping, but the LuminAID isn’t for resting your head, but rather lighting up the tent or campsite. It is a PVC plastic light that can be used as a lantern, and features a solar panel that charges an internal battery. As a light source it offers up to six hours with about 35 lumens. During the day it can compress to a small formfactor and clip on a backpack and soak in the rays of the sun to recharge for the coming night. 
Imagine if playing a game could not only burn calories but create energy? This is sort of the idea behind the Soccket Energy-Harnessing Soccer Ball, which is made of a durable, deflation-proof, water-proof EVA foam that also houses an internal engine that can harness the kinetic energy from movement and store it on a battery. From a little bit of kicking around it can reportedly be used to power an LED lamp for more than three days. 
Having a light jacket on a cool day is never a bad idea, but having a jacket that can light up is a great idea for those who run or cycle after dark. The Badger 360° LED Jacket incorporates small LED technology to help illuminate the jacket to ensure that wearer’s can be seen.
There are plenty of rugged cameras on the market, but the Nikon Coolpix AW110 Camo Camera stands out with its camouflage design that looks practically read for combat. It is a truly go-anywhere camera, and is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof, while not being light on the features. It offers built-in Wi-Fi for fast sharing of photos, while built-in GPS tagging records the location of every shot. It features a 16MP sensor and also doubles as a Full HD 1080p video camera.
Many companies opt to use the “extreme” – or worse the “xtreme” – moniker, but the i-Kam Xtreme glasses from Hunter’s Specialties could be one that lives up to the name. These outdoor ready sunglasses feature a built-in mobile video recorder, with 4GB of internal memory for up to two hours of recording, while a micro SD card is available for extra storage.
GoPro has announced that it has become a title sponsor for the Vail Valley Foundation’s extremely popular Mountain Games, a celebration of mountain sport, lifestyle and music. The GoPro Mountain Games will be held June 6-9, and will see athletes from around the world compete in nine sports and 25 disciplines including running, cycling, climbing, rafting and slacklining. We’re sure this year will see GoPro provide even more ways for athletes to share the experience with the world.
Those looking to create their own semi-custom fitness apparel can turn to their iPad, as clothing maker Mt. Borah has released an app for the Apple tablet. This free app allows users to specify color variations on tops and bottoms and chose upgrade options such as fabrics and pads, and then send it off to Mt. Borah for a price quote.
We’ve seen a number of action camera accessories that are designed to change the perspective, including a few wearable systems that change the view from first-person to third-person – putting the rider/runner/athlete in the shot.