Road cyclists have been able to do the electronic shifting thing for a while now. Shimano, which introduced the first successful (key word is successful) electronic shifters with its Dura Ace line that the pros seem to love, brought Di2 to its step down (but still very high-end) Ultegra line last year, and this season will see rival Campagnolo also going electronic. Meanwhile there have been efforts to develop electronic shifting for off-road, but only in the aftermarket world… until now.
BikeRadar.com reported that a Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain was spotted. Canadian cross-country racer Geoff Kabush posted an image on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that indicates that Shimano is indeed bringing Di2 to mountain bikes. Meanwhile Shimano has no official comment. Continue reading Is Shimano Di2 Electric Shifting Going Off-Road?
Video games have opened possibilities beyond mere “gaming.” While no one is actually going to be a rock star playing the various musical themed games, the wave of Rock Band and Guitar Hero have reportedly inspired some young musicians while more recent releases have actually utilized more realistic instruments. On the fitness side of things games have tried to encourage exercise, with motion control opening up new possibilities.
When you’re in a pool, swimming from point A to B is a no-brainer. Out in open water, however, tracking your performance and location is a bit more difficult. The new Hydro Tracker GPS from FINIS is a fitness device designed for open water swimmers that tracks, maps, and records performance.
There is underwear that might be fun to wear, underwear that is meant to entice and then there is the “Blast Boxers,” underwear developed by the British military to offer special protection down there! The U.S. Army apparently liked what it saw and has developed the Pelvic Protection System or “Kevlar boxers” or “combat underpants.”
Protecting the hands for shooting and other tactical uses shouldn’t keep the wearer from using a tablet PC. This spring 5.11 Tactical, which provides apparel and equipment for law enforcement, is introducing the Screen Ops Gloves, which feature specially constructed fingertips that enable efficient and precise operation of capacitive resistance touch screen devices with all five fingertips.
This weekend KineticShift.com shares a very personal story – one that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. Stuart Bates is one person who recently learned he has diabetes mellitus type 2, formerly known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. At present there are approximately 285 million people with the disease worldwide, up from just 30 million in 1985. This shocking increase has seen a rise in parallel with obesity rates, which is thought to be the primary cause of type 2 diabetes in people who are genetically predisposed to the disease.
If you know the name Shimano you either know the company’s cycling components or its fishing lures, but now the company is shifting gears, and will introduce a new line of products for next year – cycling bags. Our friends at BikeRadar are reporting that the company’s debut in the luggage category will arrive in October, so it won’t be on most wearers’ backs until next season, but this should certainly shake up the market a bit.
There seems to be a magnetic connection this winter season when it comes to ski helmets and goggles – at least as a means to keep the ear protection attached to the head protection. While Anon has introduced its Magne-Tech lens technology, Casco has now developed the Magne-Link system, which also replaces the traditional wraparound headband.
Being surefooted in the winter can be tricky. What works on ice might not work so well in slush or deep snow. Instead of changing the boots you can now change the soles with the Korkers , wading boots that can do double duty in a variety of winter conditions. 
Making something waterproof isn’t all that hard. But making something waterproof that is free of aerosols, fluorocarbons or volatile organic chemicals is another story. But Nikwax does just that, and all of its products are fluorochemical-free, derived from nature-based ingredients, not tested on animals, and biodegradable. Heidi Allen, Marketing Director of Nikwax North America, tells us how they do it!