KineticShift says to have a safe and Happy Fourth of July
Made in America: Platypus ‘Bottles’
With the Fourth of July just around the corner, most of the U.S. is entering into the hottest months of the year, yet some of us forget the importance of staying hydrated. Our bodies can survive for weeks without food, but deprive us of water for a few days and our outlook is bleak. There are plenty of water bottles and hydration packs on the market, but the Platypus bottles from Cascade Designs, Inc. have the unique feature of being able to be stored flat when empty.
Originally designed to conserve space while backpacking, the Platypus bottle was introduced to the outdoor market back in 1996 as a lightweight option to the bottles that were then available . Over the years the line of bottles have grown to include three different types of bottles; three different bladders for hydration backpacks; a number of reservoir packs for transporting larger quantities of water while camping; and a wine preservation bottle – all made in America. Each of these products store flat for transportation when empty, are BPA-free and typically weigh 80% less than a hard-sided bottle of the same volume. The bottles start at a suggested retail price of $7.95 and top out at around $35 for the largest Platy Water Tank.
Since the Platypus bottles are essentially flat, flexible, durable bags, they can actually be frozen and used as ice packs. As they start to melt, the user is treated to ice-cold water, but remember that these bottles should only be filled up halfway with water as expansion occurs when the liquid becomes ice causing a possible bottle burst if they are overfilled.
Not all of the products that Platypus sells are made in America, but the do a very good job on their website labeling where each product is made. Platypus bottles are easily available from local retailers, online retailers and directly from Cascade Designs.
Made in America: Veteran-Owned Wiley X Celebrates the 4th of July
From WileyX:
Wiley X Eyewear, a leading provider of protective eyewear for U.S. soldiers and law enforcement, wants all Americans to pause on this Holiday to reflect on why it is and what it is we celebrate — the independence and freedoms we enjoy not only on this particular day, but every day of our lives.
As a veteran-owned company, Wiley X is keenly aware that our nation’s independence and our personal freedoms have been challenged and defended many times over the years — often by brave men and women far from home.
“We gather on July 4th to celebrate the birth of our great nation,” said Myles Freeman, Jr. Co-Owner of Wiley X Eyewear. “However, we tend to think of Independence Day as an historical Holiday, a celebration of events that happened more than 200 years ago. We need to remember and celebrate the uniquely American freedoms we enjoy today — and the sacrifices required to preserve them for future generations. As modern technology lets us see more of what goes on around the world, we’re reminded that freedom should never be taken for granted,” added Freeman.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
Ride 2 Recovery Heads to the Beach
A trip to the beach usually sounds like… well, a day at the beach. For 139 injured U.S. veterans and their supporters it will likely mean much more. These American heroes are heading to France, where they’ll get to bicycle in historic World War II sites as part of the first ever Ride 2 Recovery Normandy Challenge, presented by UnitedHealthcare.
“Our goal at Ride 2 Recovery is to provide our injured veterans with the opportunity to spend a week on a cycle, challenging themselves both physically and mentally,” said John Wordin, president of Ride 2 Recovery. “Having Air Compassion for Veterans and American Airlines provide transportation for them removes one more barrier as we are introduced to the famous battle and landing sites of our World War II heroes with local historians.”
The riders arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport this week and are traveling to Caen, where their tour will begin. During the six-day, 240-mile ride, participants will cycle Normandy for a first-hand history lesson that will highlight the landing sites, battlefields and museums of D-Day. The group will be joined by five injured veterans from the French armed forces. The Ride 2 Recovery Normandy Challenge cyclists, including veterans using hand cycles, recumbents, tandems and traditional road bikes, will have overnight stops in Carentan, Cherbourg, St. Lo, Lisieux and Paris. In Lisieux, the Ride 2 Recovery cyclists will be at the finish line of the Tour de France Stage 6.
With this marking the beginning of our Fourth of July Holiday weekend we salute all our men and women in uniform and wish them a fantastic ride.
Follow the Ride 2 Recovery Normandy Challenge and look for daily updates at the Ride 2 Recovery Facebook page.
Hands on: StemCAPtain Thermometer
KISS…“Keep It Simple, Stupid!” This is the acronym for a principle to remind designers and engineers to avoid unnecessary complexity. Sometimes I feel that certain manufacturers miss this concept and make their products overly complicated. I was reminded of this recently while trying to program a cycling computer…I was so frustrated by the unclear layout and logic of programming that I nearly chucked it out the window. StemCAPtain has a product out there that reminds me all of the time of the ‘KISS’ concept. It is simple, yet provides information at a glance with not fuss once it is setup properly.
For the past couple of months, I has been using the thermometer version of the StemCAPtain on three different bikes. If you are not familiar with their products, we did an entry on the company back in March of all of the different versions of their products under that they offer. We received both the clock and thermometer versions to evaluate a few weeks later. I was most interested in the thermometer version since the none of my cycling computers have a thermometer feature. Continue reading Hands on: StemCAPtain Thermometer
Polk Audio Introduces Its First Performance Headphones
Sports- and fitness-centric headphones aren’t anything new. Go to any shop that sells headphones and you’ll most likely find a pair with the word “sport” on the packaging. Many of them are just ordinary tinny-sounding speakers rebranded and repackaged for the “active lifestyle.” But Polk Audio’s new performance headphones might be something worth looking into and not an exercise in clever marketing.
Available in the fall, Polk Audio’s new performance lineup includes sports headphones and noise canceling headphones designed for exercise and fitness (as well as those who don’t participate in any activity, naturally). The UltraFit sports headphones are available as in-ear, on-ear and in-ear canal models that come in a variety of colors. They feature water resistance, iPhone/iPod controls, Kevlar-reinforced hinge points for durability, and comfortable non-slip materials in the ear area. For its two UltraFocus models, Polk Audio designed active noise cancelation for an in-ear model and an over-ear version. No water resistance or Kevlar here, but features include comfortable design and iPhone/iPad controls.
Polk Audio makes good stuff. We have tested their products in the past and know they put lots of effort into making great-sounding speakers. But we have only known Polk Audio for their home speaker products, and, as this is Polk Audio’s first step into the performance headphone market, we’ll reserve any opinion until we actually test one out. But if the headphones are anything like their home speaker products in terms of build and performance, the UltraFit and UltraFocus products might be some of the few legit sports headphones available.
Ice (Hockey) Fusion
There has been a long debate whether cold fusion could ever actually be a renewable source of energy. We’ll let that debate sit for now and instead look at a different kind of cool fusion technology. This isn’t exactly cold fusion but instead is ice hockey Fusion technology, as in Easton’s new Fusion EQ50 hockey sticks, which come from the Synergy line offering power, balance and energy control. We knew there was energy somewhere in this.
The new technology hockey sticks give players greater puck authority with an innovative feature called Visible Focus Weight Technology, which is there to redistribute weight to the impact area to help offer better control and keep the puck on the blade.
This is a step forward from the SE16 stick, and the Easton EQ50 features a customizable weighted end cap for improved balance (customizable from 6.5 to 26.5 grams), and features an adjustable swing weight via four 5-gram end weights inside. The stick also features a Kevlar wrapped shaft to protect it from impacts and to help dampen vibrations. The Easton EQ50 is available now for $210, a small price to pay for this cool Fusion!
Video after the jump Continue reading Ice (Hockey) Fusion
Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets
This year at its PressCamp Cannondale turned heads with its entry into the head protection market. The company has introduced its first line of helmets, which are big on features but light on weight.
There were four new models that will be offered and these feature Internal nylon chassis to keep the EPS foam together during impact, while offering larger vents for better cooling. The helmets include SI Alloy Reinforcement Bridges that are aluminum plates that span several vents under the shell in several locations to provide further exoskeleton reinforcement. The Dual Density EPS foam, with firmer sections on the outer parts of primary impact areas of the front and occipital lobes (rear sides) that use a cone-shaped texture facing into the softer main EPS.
And since cycling isn’t just for men (or at least men with short hair), the helmets offer ponytail friendly rear micro adjust occipital lobe retention mechanism with a soft, water- and odor-proof padding that’s made from the same material as Crocs; and a polycarbonate outer shell that’s fused with the EPS body to create a one-piece design. Continue reading Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets
Elliptical Office Chair
We’ve heard of the office treadmill before, and actually liked the idea. After all, if you spend as much time in front of the computer as we do you probably feel a longing to get out and do something. There are only so many hours in the day, and then there are those rainy days and winter evenings when you try to be more productive. But work shouldn’t stop you from working out.
So enter the Elliptical Machine Office Desk, which is suitable for users ranging in height from 5’2” to 6’9” and weighting up to 300 pounds. It allows users to sit and spin, and therefore is probably better than the office treadmill, which seems like something users might give up quickly.
The machine features a padded swivel chair with adjustable backrest, while resistance to the pedals is electronically controlled. It even comes with an external monitor that can display distance, watts, RPM and calories burned. So if you can sit and read at the gym you should have no probably sitting and spinning and doing some work. Of course at $8000 you might have to put in a lot of overtime to pay for it!
The Elliptical Machine Office Desk at Hammacher Schlemmer
[Via BornRich: The Elliptical Machine Office Desk: for the fitness freak rich executives]
Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision
The Belgium helmet company, Lazer Sports, has recently announced the fall release of a new line of sports eyewear designed for cyclists. Established in 1919, Lazer is the oldest, continuously run manufacturer of helmets, for the bicycle, motorcycle and leisure helmets markets in more than 50 countries, over 5 continents. Brian Kee, part of the new vision division at Lazer Sports, introduced the eyewear the will be appearing in retailers later this year during a presentation at this years PressCamp. The new line of glasses has five different styles with estimated retail pricing ranging from $40 to $90. Continue reading Lazer Sports Now Has Lazer Vision
Google Shutters Its Health Record Service
Google announced last week that it is ending its free Google Health program by the end of the year (although data will be available for download until January 1, 2013). Partnering with a variety of health-related companies and providers, such as CVS, Quest Diagnostics, Walgreens, Withings, and the Cleveland Clinic, the personal health record service allows users to manage their personal health and wellness info by volunteering their health records. We have written about the Withings WiFi body scale that works in conjunction with Google Health on Kinetic Shift. Unfortunately, Google Health failed to achieve the type of impact and widespread adoption that the company had hoped, the company said. The service has also had to deal with issues concerning privacy, as it is not a covered entity under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws. Continue reading Google Shutters Its Health Record Service
Ain’t Got That Swing – Gold Flex Golf Swing Training Aids Can Help
With respect to Ella Fitzgerald, “It just don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing.” But she was probably talking about music and we’re thinking about golf. If you “ain’t” got that swing, then maybe give the Gold Flex Gold Swing Training Aids a go.
These are strength and tempo training devices that are designed to improve your swing while providing a core muscle workout. It also provides a great low-impact stretch to help get you warmed up. It further encourages users to make a flatter swing plane. It sounds to us like this could mean quite a thing and make sure you got that swing!
Golf Flex Gold Swing Training Aids at SKLZ
[Via BeSportier: Gold Flex Golf Swing Training Aids Provide Workout And Training]
What a Bike – the Wattbike
While summer is here and that means hitting the long and (hopefully) winding roads, the weather isn’t always so forgiving. When it comes time to head in doors there will be the Wattbike Trainer and Pro Bikes, the world’s first affordable indoor bikes that accurately measure a rider’s power.
Watt computers allow athletes to instantly see how much power (Watts) they are producing versus waiting on their heart rate to reach a certain point. Signed off by the English Institute of Sport as being accurate, it is the first indoor bike that has ever been endorsed by British Cycling and is widely used by UK and European elite athletes, sports bodies and professional sports teams as their preferred high performance cycle training device.
The founders of Wattbike first approached British Cycling in 2000 with the idea to create an indoor bike which accurately measures a range of high-performance parameters, and six years later the governing body was satisfied that the Wattbike met their criteria.As a result, today Wattbike remains the first and only indoor cycle trainer to be endorsed by British Cycling. Continue reading What a Bike – the Wattbike