Ecoalf and Cool Hunting have created a new Limited Edition Anorak for this spring; a jacket that feature a uniquely bold green color with just a hint of contrasting camouflage. It is made from 60 percent recycled fishing net and 40 percent regular nylon and the result is a lightweight yet highly durable jacket that is water-resistant and will keep you dry this spring and summer.
Category: Sustainable
One Street Makes the Shift
Our friend Sue Knaup, executive director of One Street, has updated on the progress on the efforts to bring out the simple Bike Shift Lever. The group has been working to develop and produce easy to use, easy to repair bike components. It seems like progress is really being made.
The long hunt for a machine shop willing and happy to make our permanent casting mold for our Bike Shift Levers, has finally come to an end. They will begin machining the first mold out of steel this week at their shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m thrilled that we have finally reached this next important step in the production process to create these simple, durable shift levers designed for people who rely on their bicycle every day.
This first mold will be a prototype marked as “Mold #1 2014” so that the shift levers I produce with it here in Prescott will be collector quality, sent only to supporters of our Kickstarter campaign last October. With their feedback, we will adjust the mold design so that the next mold will be ready for full production.
If all goes well, I should be using that second mold here in Prescott to produce shift levers for sale by late summer. At that point, we’ll also be ready to sign up license partners who are prepared to buy in and receive their own mold for producing these shift levers for their region of the world.
Made in America: Totally Hosed
Sadly many of the old industrial centers of the United States are now just crumbling ruins – but Detroit Cargo is preserving the past with some upcycled products including a new card holder made from very old fire houses.
As Detroit Cargo noted, these fire hoses have not been up to code since the 1960’s and only in Detroit can you find buildings that have been abandoned long enough to find these old hoses. They’ve salvaged them, clean them and sew a leather strip to the bottom. They’ve created card holders that can carry ID, credit cards, business cards and more. These are cycle friendly as the card holder fit in the products.
And just like America’s industrial past this product won’t last forever. Detroit Cargo expects to run out of hose later this year, so grab them while you can.
School Commute
The nation’s largest bike-to-school challenge will start next Monday. The 7th annual Century Cycles’ Bike to School Challenge will see 4,000 students from six schools try to “rack up” the most bike rides.
The program is sponsored by local retailer Century Cycles with support from Raleigh Bicycles, and this year each rider is eligible to win daily prizes from PeopleForBikes and other gifts from Century Cycles. At the end of the challenge, students are entered to win grand prizes including new bikes from Raleigh. Raleigh is donating one bike per week, either a Talus 3 or Retroglide, to each of the six schools. Raleigh also is hosting a water bottle day with Century Cycles, giving away 700 bottles to participants.
Last year the participating middle school and high school students rode more than 57,627 combined miles, which reportedly added up to 975,000 calories burned as well as $10,125 in saved gasoline. Last year’s participation in the three-week program was up 11 percent of the prior year.
[Via Bicycle Retailer: Nation’s largest bike-to-school challenge starts Monday in Ohio]
Product Placement
The Utah-based company is a new “one for one” startup where proceeds from purchases are used to help those in need. For example, the purchase of a water bottle from Cotopaxi will help provide a child in India with access to water for six months. The video above allows the Smiths to tell their story in their own words.
Broken Board to Bottle Opener
What do you do with a broken skateboard? A bonfire might be one option, but Virginia skate shop Scene 3 is taking old skateboard decks and transforming these into colorful bottle openers. The broken boards are cut, glued and pressed so it is more than just a trashed piece of wood – and it allows that favorite deck to live on, and even open the bottle to toast its demise.
[Via HiConsumption: Recycled Skateboard Bottle Openers by Scene3]
Biodegrading in Memphis
While you can be walking in Memphis, you can know that the new Zeal Optics’ Memphis sunglasses won’t last forever. These are part of the company’s Crafted series of biodegradable sunglasses, and are made of acetate based on Italian-grown cotton.
“Taking its hints from the retro classics, Memphis stands as a piece that transitions from suit and tie to an afternoon on the boat and is wearable by all,” said Zeal director of marketing Joe Prebich. “Subtle eye shape with a flat bridge on the brow of the glass allows for a closer, more comfortable fit. Lightweight sculpted temples help to increase comfort as well, for a long-term wearable sunglass.”
The Crafted Collection includes the Memphis, Ace, Fleetwood and Dakota models, and all are biodegradable, designed in Colorado and made in Italy.
Tripping Up
Raleigh Bicycles will be the new Trips for Kids International (TFK) North American program sponsor and will provide a fleet of bikes to emerging TFK chapters. TFK’s programs give underserved youth the opportunity to experience mountain biking while learning valuable life skills and an appreciation of the outdoors. The 50 new bikes donated by Raleigh will enable newly formed TFK regional chapters across North America to provide mountain bike outings for low income, at-risk youth in their communities.
“We created the Trips for Kids program model to help individual entrepreneurs, established community organizations, cycling clubs and other organizations streamline the formation of their own regional chapters,” said TFK Executive Director Marilyn Price. “A safe bike fleet is a critical and often costly component of forming a chapter. Thanks to Raleigh we can provide new bicycles as part of the start-up services we offer.”
Made in America: Wood Grain
Why knock on wood when you can ride it. We’ve seen some wooden bikes that have impressed us, but Mick Pecsok of Grainwoods has taken it up a notch with his bicycles that utilize African mahogany, yellow heart, walnut, maple and birch plywood. He is building truly “customized” bikes at his workshop in Camarillo, CA.
A Mightly Wind
Nike’s new Hyperadapt Wind Jacket, which was released last month, might just blow you away. This jacket features four-way stretch technology but with a sweater-like feel that is windproof and rain-resistant, while elastic cuffs will keep the sleeves from moving up and down during the swing.
Nike also used reclaimed materials – in this case recycled coffee grounds – to produce the windproof coating on the outer shell. This helped reduce odor from perspiration while also assisting in UV protection. It is ready for spring… if that ever gets here!
Press Release: Nike Golf Introduces the Hyperadapt Wind Jacket
Totally Disposable Paper Board
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZRTgrrLH_A&list=PL34695342B698FC80&feature=share
While we know we live in a somewhat disposable society that isn’t always a bad thing. The crew at Signal Snowboards did it again, and this month’s Every Third Thursday project involved a totally disposable paper snowboard.
Because it was paper it should be mostly biodegradable.
CamelBak Releases High-Flow Chute
Refillable water bottles have become quite the accessory whether you’re taking one on a workout, a hike or even just a long shopping expedition. CamelBak makes a number of rigid bottles, but one recurring complaint is that to get the water, you have to bite down on a nozzle and then draw the water from a straw. CamelBak has just released Chute, a high-flow bottle that is made with the same durable, rugged body of the existing line, but with a high-flow opening that pours water. Continue reading CamelBak Releases High-Flow Chute
Made in America: Hang On
We like to see products recycled or better still “upcycled” where an old product finds new life. Velocity USA fitting has used bicycle rims that don’t meet quality control standards and repurposed them as clothes hangers. This is a true “upcycling” of bicycle gear. Each hanger is apparently made in Grand Rapids, Michigan out of Velocity Deep V rims that weren’t quite good enough for the road. However, these seem perfect for hanging that favorite jersey.