Louis Garneau Introduces Europcar Pro Cycling Styled Brain Bucket

Louis Garneau has always taken helmet design very seriously, and while function remains key, the line of helmets has a excellent form as well. This is certainly the case with the Quartz line of helmets, which were introduced last year.

The Quartz helmet allows the rider to keep cool even when things heat up, thank to the enormous ventilation channels made possible by the MSB technology – a monocoque structural base at the base of the helmet that reinforces the perimeter for enhanced protection. This is further enhanced by the Composite Reinforcements that spread the shock of impacts, provide support, and are lightweight. Finally, the Patented Spiderlock Elite Retention has been hailed as one of the best in the cycling industry, and this allows the user to adjust the helmet with only one hand to ensure safety while on the bike. Continue reading Louis Garneau Introduces Europcar Pro Cycling Styled Brain Bucket

Indian Goes Cruising

For 2011, Felt Bicycles is releasing a cruiser that is a little bit different from the norm – instead of being inspired by balloon tired bicycles from the past, it is inspired by motorcycles from the past. The Felt Chief cruiser takes design cues from the early Indian motorcycles up through approximately the late 1920s. The deep red paint, tank frame, gold decals, the typeface, Thick Brick 3” white tires, springer seat and spoked wheels are all details that can be seen in the early Indian Motorcycles. Continue reading Indian Goes Cruising

iBike Cruises into the Apple Store

Velocomp LLP, the makers of the iBike Dash and iBike Phone Booth line of iPhone/iPod Touch cases and cases that convert your iPhone into a cycling computer, is pleased to announce that Apple Computer views their products worthy of selling in the Apple Retail and Apple Store online. On May 9th, they announced that Apple has decided to offer the iBike Dash Cycling Computer, iBike Dash Cycling Computer Deluxe and iBike Phone Booth online and at all of the retail locations. As you might expect, this is big news for a company breaking into the iPhone and iPod accessory market – especially with the recent news that Apple is now considered the most expensive brand in the world. Personally, this is no surprise as the representatives at the iBike Dash booth eluded to being in ‘talks’ with Apple during the 2010 Interbike tradeshow in Las Vegas last September. The surprising part is that it took eight months to get this existing product into the Apple Stores.

You maybe unfamiliar with the iBike Dash and iBike Phone Booth – they are rugged cases designed to work with all generations of the iPod Touch, the iPhone 3/3GS and the iPhone 4. The iBike Phone Booth is strictly a hard sided plastic case that iPod Touch or iPhone device slips into then the user is able to securely attach it onto their bicycle. It offers some of the best weather protection on the market while still allowing the user to operate the device while riding their bike. Continue reading iBike Cruises into the Apple Store

SRAM Powers Up

Back in the beginning of 2006, James Meyer wanted to purchase a power meter for his bike, but Mieke Meyer would not let him make the purchase due to student loans. By mid-2006, Jim convinced Mieke that he could build a power meter and he set out soldiering – 10 hours later he had a prototype. After two years of testing and refinement, production units of the CinQo were finally shipping out to customers. Continue reading SRAM Powers Up

Table Tennis Gets Space Age Paddle

If those pressed wood table tennis paddles were good enough for Forrest Gump, they should be good enough for everyone else. Of course Tom Hanks didn’t actually spend years learning to play like Gump – those scenes were as digitally enhanced as the ones with Kennedy or Nixon. So maybe the paddle can give you an edge.

That’s the thinking of the Donic-Schildkröt CarboTec 100 paddles, which as the name does suggest are made of the space age carbon fiber. These ultra-light weight paddles, which feature a conclave grip, supposedly can enable players to have faster shots, and better ball control. And they are reportedly legal for competition play.

At $145 for each paddle we’d certainly hope so!

Donic Schildkrot Official Website
[Via Besportier: Carbon Fiber Table Tennis Paddle : Donic Schildkrot CarboTec 100]

When Race Car and Bicycle Engineers Collaborate

Two years ago the sports car company, McLaren, approached the bicycle manufacturer, Specialized, to collaborate on a bicycle frame project utilizing a material that both companies are familiar with – carbon fiber. McLaren pioneered the carbon fiber monocoque construction technique used in their Formula 1 race cars all the way back in 1981. Since the 1990s, Specialized has been using carbon fiber in their higher end bikes either as main tubes with aluminum lugs or as complete carbon fiber frames. In 2009, McLaren’s Applied Technologies division approached Specialized with the idea of designing a carbon fiber bicycle frame utilizing their years of extensive research and racing know-how to make an even lighter, stiffer and more aerodynamic frame. McLaren hoped they too could learn something from this endeavor to make an even better sports and racing car.

Continue reading When Race Car and Bicycle Engineers Collaborate

Do you Have a Drinking Problem?

When you are out riding your bike, hiking or engaging in any other outdoor activity do you use a hydration backpack to carry your water with you? Have you ever gotten back from an activity and found that your pack was full of water, but you were dehydrated since you did not drink enough?

Or worse, you ran out of water miles from home since you did not know how much was left in your pack and you did not ration your water accordingly? The Flow Meter from CamelBak might be the drinking aid for you.

(Video after the jump)

Continue reading Do you Have a Drinking Problem?

Giant Bikes Makes Giant Donation to Trips for Kids

This week Trip for Kids, which helps provide bicycles to at risk children, announced that Giant Bicycle USA recently made a giant sized donation that will help insure that around 200 mountain bike rides will be available for youngsters this summer. The product donation to Trips for Kids and Re-Cyclery actually required that staff flew to Los Angeles, rented a U-Haul truck and drove a number of the bikes and parts back to their San Rafael warehouse.

“Trips for Kids is one of the most important organizations that Giant supports,” said Patrick VanHorn, Corporate Communications Manager for Giant USA. “I lived in Marin County before I ever worked in the bicycle industry, and I’ve seen the great work TFK has done. To now be able to help continue Giant’s backing for the organization is really quite an honor.” Continue reading Giant Bikes Makes Giant Donation to Trips for Kids

Let’s Rollors

While there is increasing concern of the increasing size of children today, and there is no doubt that childhood obesity is on the rise, the truth is that many outdoor activities have fallen out of vogue. Worse still, old favorites like lawn darts have actually been banned for sale in the United States.

It is true, this type of “nanny state” that tries to protect children, actually has taken some of the fun out of playing on the lawn. But now a new game called “Rollors” could bring a return to the grass. Played with wooden disks that are basically like over-sized hockey pucks, the game promises to get things rolling. Players try to aim at a colored coded goal, thus the game takes traditional yard games and dare we say puts a new spin on it! Let the good times Rollors.

Rollors Official Website

A Better “Mouse Trap?”

As long as bicycle racing events have been occurring, riders have been using a number of containers to hold water or other liquid nutrients on their bikes. Aluminum canteens, glass bottles, plastic bottles and more recently hydration backpacks, worn on the rider, have been used. Bottles have been mounted or carried on the handlebars, down tube, seat tube, behind the seat or in a jersey pocket.

Hydration backpacks have been worn on the back or as a fanny pack, but usually mounted to the body with the liquid being delivered to the rider’s mouth using a tube. Now the Portland, Oregon company, Shower Pass, is looking to merge the bike mounted bottle with the convenience of the hydration pack delivery system into one unique system.  (Video after the jump) Continue reading A Better “Mouse Trap?”

New Study: Wii Could Motivate Inactive and Overweight People

The jury has been out for a while now on the exact “benefits” of video games as fitness. We agree that video games alone can’t really replace actual trips to the gym or other physical workouts, but a new study has found that the Nintendo Wii could play an important role in getting “inactive and overweight people into exercise regimes.”

This is among the findings from a new study from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), conducted by Creative Industries Research Associate Dr. Harvey May, a former personal trainer. He worked with a small group made up mostly of women, and found that they felt more motivated to exercise after a two-week fitness regime using the video game system.

In the study the participants showed significant reduction in body mass and fat deposition around the abdominal area and improved strength, balance and walking fitness. The study, which was conducted with QUT alumnus Dr. Kagawa from Kagawa Nutrition University in Japan, included one-hour sessions with the Wii that included yoga, strength exercise, aerobic activities and balance games.

There was some negative findings as well, notably that the video games could result in repetitive stress and “poor direction for some activities.” Still, anything that helps motivate people to do more is good in our book.

[Via HealthCanal.com: Game consoles can help inactive adults get fit]

Kinetic(Mis)Shift: Skataz Goes Electric

http://youtu.be/KIGTyCdo31U

While we love the idea of convergence and technology, we’re not sure everything benefits from being “juiced up,” and this includes roller skates. The latest to add some power to the skates is Skataz, a new version of the iShoes. Any trust us just because a products adds an “i” to the front, doesn’t make it better.

But judge for yourself in the video. Electric skates: just a bit silly or downright dangerous? Either way, we say powering up the traditional roller skate is just a Kinetic(Mis)Shift.

Kinetic(Mis)Shift are products that we think deserve to be called out for their utter lack of fitness benefits.

Serious Post Work Cool Down

There is no denying that if you workout hard there is a chance you can over do it. A lot of times that means changing from your fitness attire and grabbing the ice pack, but in many cases people don’t ice post workout as they get down to other things.

The folks at 110% Play Harder solved this problem by creating compression clothing that helps during your workout, and by letting you add the element of ice after you’re down. This attire features sleeves that allow you to slide pre-chilled ice sheets and seriously cool down after your workout.

The sports compression clothing is available as Transformer Shorts, Juggler Knickers, Sleeves and even Crew Neck Ts. There is even a tote bag that keeps the ice sheets chilled for six hours. So you can even workout and cool down before you head home.

110% Play Harder Official Website
[Via BeSportier: Sports Compression Wear : 110% Play Harder Transformer Shorts]