KineticShift wasn’t able to head to Europe this year, and while we’re about to shift into full gear for Interbike in Las Vegas next week a number of product announcements caught our eyes. We have compiled a round-up of the can’t miss products for 2012 and beyond. Continue reading Eurobike 2011 Recap
Trek Makes Bike about Art
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELrnwZWXkwk&feature=youtu.be
Trek and bike-related art organization ARTCRANK collaborated to create a bike about art. The result is the Trek District ARTCRANK Edition. The Trek District is Trek’s top commuter bike. The limited edition features graphics created by ARTCRANK Lead Designer Rob Angermuller.
The Trek District ARTCRANK Edition is a single-speed belt drive bike that’s predominantly white with black and red graphics on the frame and rims. We at KineticShift find white bikes to be striking, and this bike with its bold white black and red graphics is no exception. Continue reading Trek Makes Bike about Art
Made in America: TriActive America E-Line
Chin up bars, parallel bars and sit -up platforms are all items that you might have seen on your local walking or running path. These stations of yesteryear are typically constructed of steel pipe and wooden posts which work perfectly fine and shouldn‘t be replaced unless they are worn out. At some point, these fitness stations will deteriorate and once your community or company is looking to replace tired equipment or install a new fitness path with stations, there is an alternative to the steel pipes and wood. TriActive America offers a line of heavy duty, outdoor stations that are designed to keep people fit and stand the test of time all while offering many more choices of fitness activities.
TriActive America designs and manufactures this unique line of outdoor fitness equipment for use exclusively outdoors. TriActive America offers a few different product lines: the original TriActive Fitness products, premium E-Line equipment, Wheelchair Accessible equipment, and the E-Shade Line. All products are designed in the U.S.A. with components that are made of powder-coated steel for high durability against damage and the environment. TriActive America is so confident in their equipment that they stand behind every piece with a 10 year warranty. Not all lines are manufactured in the U.S., but the E-Line is all 100-percent American made. Continue reading Made in America: TriActive America E-Line
Ready Steady Go
There is a universal problem with bicycles – when you aren’t riding them they’re simply in the way. The New York Times recently ran an article on bike storage rooms in New York City apartments. Even if you’re not in an apartment, good bike storage is still an issue.
If you just lean your bikes (or use the kick-stand – gasp!) in the garage, you’ll want to check out a few of these space-saving racks and hooks to get your bikes out of the way.
Last year at Interbike we met with David Steadman, who showed off his invention SteadyRack – which made storing bikes after a ride a little easier. Now a year later, Steady Corp has signed an agreement with GearUp, Inc, which brings the rack to the United States.
“We are excited to be partnered up with the lads from GearUp and the great distribution network they have and the quality relationship and service level they have established in the U.S.,” says Steadman. “The SteadyRack has really taken off here in Australia and we are looking forward to great success in the U.S. as well.”
The new Steady Rack will once again be on display at Interbike 2011 at the GearUp booth, and hopefully will be in apartments and garages in America soon after.
Steady Rack official Website
[Via The New York Times: In N.Y. Apartment Buildings, Bicycles Muscle In]
[Via EcoVelo: NYT On Bike Storage in Apartment Buildings]
Turning on No Axle
Pedals are a very personal thing on bikes, and mountain bikers often times like prefer platform pedals that involve no clipping in. This is good for downhill and trials riding – as opposed to trail riding where riders typically want that clipped in feeling. Regardless of the system, most pedals are the same in that these are built around a sturdy axle.
But does it have to be that way? In other words, why can’t flat platform pedals in fact be actually flat? And not just flat but thin as well? To date the thickness of platform pedals has been determined by the thickness of the axle, which is where the Tioga ZEROaxle MT-ZERO comes in. It is ultra thin because it essentially loses the axle, with the result being a pedal that is just 7mm thick, making it the world’s “thinnest dual-concave mountain bike pedal.” And it is concave, so instead of the thickest part being the middle, it is actually the outer edges that are 7 mm, with the inside being just 4 mm thick, with the weight being just 450 grams or 15.87 oz. Continue reading Turning on No Axle
Moving the People that Move America
If it wasn’t for long haul truckers, you might not have many of the goods that you currently possess in your home, and if you did, chances are they’d cost a lot more. Those men and women spend just as many hours behind the wheel as you spend behind your desk; but for most they do not go home at the end of a long day, they eat at whatever restaurant is along the highway and typically sleep in their cabs. If you have driven across country, you know the restaurant choices can be very limited, and getting in a workout can be a little challenging.
When is the last time you have seen a gym next to one of these fast food restaurants or gas stations? However, Snap Fitness is looking to change this fact, and provide some fitness options for truckers. The company is partnering with Rolling Strong, a firm that specializes in health of truck drivers, to create Snap Fitness Rolling Strong clubs. Continue reading Moving the People that Move America
Hand Wipes Worthy of a Safari
If you’ve been to parts of Africa you know that having clean hands can be a difficult thing to obtain, even in urban centers such as Cairo. Being a germaphobe, this reporter typically carries all sorts of hand wipes and disposable towels, and while those are fine for walking through museums or past the Great Sphinx, they don’t quite do when it comes to wiping down after a bike ride.
Now you could use two or three moist towelettes, or you could pick up the Safari Towers, which are a massive 14-inches by 24-inches, making them ideal for cleaning up after a daily commute to work, or even making yourself presentable after a long training ride. The Safari Towels are about $1 each, or 42 cents per square foot. This might seem like a bit, but it could take several other towelettes to get just as clean.
As the Safari Towels come from the makers of Anti Monkey Butt Powder, we think they know something about surviving and getting clean in a jungle, urban or otherwise.
Anti Monkey Butt Official Website
[Via Urban Velo: Safari Towels]
CES 2012: Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones Returns to Las Vegas
Fitness is not a fad, at least not with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). This week it was announced that the Consumer Electronics Association’s International CES will feature dedicated TechZones on the exhibit floor in the areas of technology innovations in healthcare, fitness and other lifestyle-centric areas.
This will include the return of the Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones, which will be produced by Living in Digital Times when the show runs Jan. 10-13 in Las Vegas. Continue reading CES 2012: Digital Health and Sport and Fitness TechZones Returns to Las Vegas
Interbike 2011: Competition Heads Up With Mobile Challenge
Interbike is less than two weeks away, and attendees will have a bit of extra incentive to bring their A game. Last week Interbike announced it has a new mobile app that will help attendees interact and stay connected with the industry during next month’s trade show.
Now, in partnership with Stravea, Interbike will add a little friendly competition to the mix during the OutDoor Demo event. Any rider attending the trade show’s OutDoor Demo will be able to visit Strava.com and create a free account to take part in the Strava OutDoor Demo Challenge, where riders can track performances of one another. The app is free for download to iPhone and Android devices. Continue reading Interbike 2011: Competition Heads Up With Mobile Challenge
2012 Moots MX Divide – Interbike Sneak Peek!
Typically if a bike company has a major product announcement, it will be reserved for an industry trade show like the upcoming 2011 Interbike in Las Vegas, but it appears that Moots of Steamboat Springs, Colorado has decided to let their ‘friends’ on Facebook have a sneak peek of what appears to be an exciting new design.
There are few details as of right now, but it appears that the new 2012 MX Divide is a complete redesign of their somewhat archaic current cross country bike, the Zirkel. The most significant difference with the new MX Divide is that Moots teamed up with the Sotto Group of Watsonville, California to design this new frame using a single pivot design and position the rear shock more inline with the travel of the rear triangle. Sotto Group is well known in the bicycle industry, plus they have the experience to design and test making them a perfect resource for this new design. Since the MX Divide is designed to be a cross country bike, the frame has 4-inches of rear travel and is designed to work with a 100mm (4-inch) suspension fork. The rear triangle uses a combination of titanium seat stays and aluminum chain stays with a carbon fiber swing link connecting the seat stays and rear Fox shock.
Along with the new frame design, the MX Divide features an inset 44mm oversized head tube and press fit BB30 bottom bracket which is becoming more standard on mountain bikes due to both items increasing the overall stiffness of a frame.
Another feature that will be appreciated by current Moots owners (such as this reporter) is the curved down tube. I had recently completed building a 2011 Mooto X YBB and personally had an issue with the adjusting knobs of the 2012 Fox F29 fork hitting the down tube. The new curved down tube alleviates this issue and will hopefully appear on other 2012 Moots frames.
This ground-up approach by Moots has produced what appears to be an exciting new bike that we hope to swing a leg over at Interbike to hit some trails. The 19-inch frame MX Divide shown in the photo reportedly weighs just 24.5 pounds which should make this one fast bike on the trails!
Walk a Mile to Juice Your Cell Phone
What does it take to get you to walk more? Would it get you on your feet to know each step you take will power your cell phone? That may soon be a possibility. InStepNanoPower is developing a shoe with a device in the sole that captures the energy created with each step. This energy is typically lost as heat in our tracks as we keep walking and creating more energy. Continue reading Walk a Mile to Juice Your Cell Phone
Twister Goes Digital With Kinect for Xbox 360
That silly family game Twister has long been a way to get people off the couch, and now Majesco Entertainment looks to do it again, this time with a new “twist.” Majesco has announced a team up with Hasbro to bring Twister Mania to Kinetic for the Microsoft Xbox 260 this holiday season.
“It’s hard to think of a more popular, cherished and culturally significant board game than Twister. I myself have fond memories of the laughs and outrageous fun I’ve had when playing with friends and family,” said Jesse Sutton, CEO, Majesco Entertainment.”Our game introduces a brand new play pattern that is perfect for what Kinect was designed to do. Twister Mania for Kinect is as much fun to watch as it is to play and it’s shaping up to be one of the most contagious Kinect party games released.” Continue reading Twister Goes Digital With Kinect for Xbox 360
Hybrid Clubs Look to Be Game Changer for Miura Golf
Sometimes to stay ahead you need to change your game, and in the game of golf that can mean changing your clubs. British Columbia-Japanese golf-club manufacturer Miura Golf, which has made a name making high-quality forged irons for 44 years, is changing up. The company has officially introduced its MG Hybrids, which should be exciting news for golfers
Miura Golf has never had a fixed time frame for new-product introductions, and typically only debuts new models when the quality of new technological advances demands it. Apparently that time has come, and the MG Hybrids will be available in HB3 (20 degrees of loft) and HB4 (23 degrees of loft) models made from SUS455 steel in an I.P. Black finish. Continue reading Hybrid Clubs Look to Be Game Changer for Miura Golf