North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2011: Innovation on Two Wheels

This past weekend proved that it could be a very good year on two wheels, as the world’s largest show for handmade bicycles took place in Austin, Texas. The National American Handmade Bicycle Show 2011, which ran from Friday to Sunday, saw the event set a new exhibitor record.

“After all the hard work over the years it is rewarding to see the show continue to hit new highs,” said Don Walker, founder and director of the annual bicycle show.”And being a former resident of Texas, I am deeply pleased to bring the show back here, to the state where it began. Six years later, there is not a bicycle show on the planet that matches NAHBS for sheer quality, and precious few shows of any type present such a smooth interface between art and engineering. This is the largest presentation of the best in the custom bicycles industry anywhere, period. In the cycling world, it’s worldwide news. In Austin, we see great potential for this show to bring together the sporting, artistic, health, transport, and engineering communities.”

A total of 172 exhibitors from more than 20 states and four continents were reported to have signed up for a booth at the show, with international exhibitors coming from Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. These included the finest examples of manufacture, design and style in the world of handmade bicycles – and the show reported to attract more than 7,000 members of the public, as well as 100 journalists.

While mass market bicycles continue to dominant the industry, it is still refreshing that so much innovation is taking place in the world of handmade bicycles.

North American Handmade Bicycle Show Official Site

Under Armour For Those Soon to be Under Pressure

Hopefuls for the NFL will feel a lot of things, and will likely be under pressure – but to help them, they’ll soon be able to be Under Armour today, as the company announced this week that the E39 shirt, powered by Zephyr Technology, will be used in the NFL Scouting Combine.

“When we decided to create the E39 biometric compression shirt for some of the most talented athletes in the world to wear on one of the most important days of their lives,” says Kevin Haley, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Under Armour. “We were thrilled to partner with Zephyr because the technology has already been proven on the most demanding consumer of all — the U.S. Special Forces.”

Zephyr’s Physiological Status Monitor (PSM) technology is used by U.S. Special Forces, first responders, and consumers in the Connected Health arena to monitor vital sign information within the context of activity.  The NFL Scouting Combine promises to be the perfect environment for the Zephyr to prove it can make the grade for these athletes. With this “under wear” these athletes will be anything but under dogs in the coming scouting Combine.

Zephyr Technology Official Website

Kinetic(Mis)Shift: Galloping to Better Fitness?

Where exactly did the Japanese get the idea that riding a horse made for better fitness? Strangely that is the idea behind Osim iGallop. First, this is just yet another product that is so stupid that the makers think putting an “i” in front of a generic word will make for a potentially blockbuster product – apparently if it works for Apple, it will work for everyone else!

Unfortunately, we see nothing particularly fitness worthy with this product. And the video comes off as soft core porn. Finally, what is really interesting is that this product isn’t all that new. It has been around for a few years, and has inspired dozens of YouTube videos. So while we missed it previously, we still think it is so bad it earns a Mis(Shift) Shout Out!

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

Case Turns iPhone Into iBike Cycling Computer

The iBike Dash CC (Cycling Computer) is a case and app combo that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a cycling computer. The iBike is a top-loading case that fully encloses your iPhone and mounts it to your handlebars. The phone then displays a number of readings such as maps, speed, heart rate and other data.

Five colored heart rate zones tell you how hard you’re pushing it. You can use the meter to tell you when you’re at 50 percent to 100 percent of your max and when you’re in a fat-burning zone if that’s your goal.

Continue reading Case Turns iPhone Into iBike Cycling Computer

Cycling Shoes For City Slickers

If you’ve ever commuted by bicycle in the big city you know there are a few issues to overcome. The first is making sure you actually make it to work safely, the next is making sure you’re not a huge sweaty mess when you arrive, and finally be dressed in the proper clothing for a day at the office.

The latter can be addressed by leaving a pair of shoes at the office and wearing cycling shoes for the commute – but what happens when you think you have shoes at the office and don’t? This happened to me personally once, and I spent the day wearing cycling shoes. While a good look on the bike, these don’t exactly work well the rest of the day. But Italian bike maker Cinelli and skateboard clothing company DVS are teaming up to create a urban cycling shoes reports our friends at BikeRadar.

The shoes are based on the DVS Luster skate trainer and will be available in two versions. One will be based on the Cinelli Pro Best of Italo 79 road bike, whilt he other will be based on the Vigorelli track racer. Either way the upcoming Luster Cinelli, which will arrive stateside in July (MSRP $68), will reportedly feature a high-abrasion rubber sole, full grain leather upper, stiffeners to aid efficient pedalling, reflective detailing, and a hidden tongue panel that also serves as a lace protector. These shoes look like they’ll be good for urban commuting, and look good off the bike.

[Via BikeRadar.com: Cinelli release urban cycling shoe]

Cinelli Official Website

DVS Official Website

Triathlon to Bring Awareness to Renewable Technology

The organizers of the Encap Triathlon, to be held this September, on Arran Island hope to attract 2,000 entrants of all abilities, but given that the swimming will be held in Lamlash Bay, which is on the Irish Sea we can only expect this be a rather chilly experience.

But that’s not the point. For organizer Nick Scott, co-founder of Encap, a Glasgow-based firm that works to help its clients reduce cost by reducing energy consumption, while also working to identify renewable technologies, the event could still be the largest held yet in Scotland. And it could further give an economic boost to the island, while helping shed light on Encap’s goal of bringing out green technology for business. Many of the competitors will also be there to raise money for various local charities.

Triathlons are growing in popularity in the U.K., and the Encap Triathlon will consist of a 1.5km swim, a 23-mile cycling course followed by a six mile run. In addition to the cold water, and good cause we expect this event will have some spectacular scenery as well.

[Via Telegraph.co.uk: Arran to host Scotland’s biggest triathlon]

Encap Arran Triathlon

Encap Limited Official Website

ANT+: Wireless Protocol For Fitness That Promises More With Less

With wireless technologies as prevalent as they are today, the thought of connecting two gadgets using a wire is almost unthinkable. File transferring between computers can be done over-the-air through Wi-Fi, while many headsets and headphones can connect to portable devices like cell phones via Bluetooth. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are just two of the technologies available, all in the name of helping you cut the cord.

In the health and sports/fitness sectors, you may start hearing more and more about products adhering to the ANT+ protocol. This proprietary wireless protocol allows devices like heart rate monitors, speed sensors, blood pressure monitors, and blood glucose meters to talk to another device like a computer, smartphone, sports watch, GPS-enabled trainer, or exercise equipment (e.g. treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.), provided they are also ANT+ enabled. For example, while you’re exercising on a ANT+ fitness equipment, the data is wirelessly transmitted to the ANT+ sports watch you’re wearing, without the need to physically attach the watch to the fitness equipment. All this info can be transmitted and stored on your computer or in the cloud (such as Microsoft’s HealthVault or Garmin Connect), allowing you to analyze and track your progress. (At a gym we use, the Life Fitness elliptical can only download our workout info to a USB thumbdrive or a connected iPhone or iPod with Nike+, but would be much more useful if it could wirelessly transmit that info.)

ANT+ was built upon the ANT wireless sensor network technology, which is owned by a subsidiary of Garmin. A group of companies that include Garmin, Stairmaster, Timex, Microsoft, Adidas, Star Trac, Trek, Suunto, Nautilus, Sony Ericsson, and Specialized comprise the ANT+ Alliance, which oversees the standard and its branding, and ensures interoperability. The low-power technology is similar in functionality to Bluetooth, in which it allows two devices to pair and exchange data. Also, like Bluetooth, an ANT+ product connects to only one other product at a time, even though there may be several ANT+ devices in the area; this mean you won’t accidentally receive data from another product, say a treadmill that’s next to but isn’t being used by you. Although both Bluetooth and ANT operate on the 2.4GHz spectrum, the two technologies are not the same. Interestingly, a new feature of Bluetooth 4.0 called Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) will most likely compete with ANT+ in the future if it receives adoption as widespread as ANT+.

So why go with ANT+ at all, especially if Bluetooth can do the same thing? Well, the problem so far has been that Bluetooth has made many promises but in essence failed to deliver, and while it is possible to upgrade existing Bluetooth networks to the BLE, most experts say this isn’t so cut and dry. In the end it is all going to come down with support from product makers – and given that ANT+ has lined up many partners in the fitness space it is a safe bet that the ant will more can than can’t.

ANT Official Website

K-Swiss Introduces 2011 Running Shoes

Triathlon season, despite what the current weather situation, is just around the corner, and this month Trek and K-Swiss held a tam camp in Kona, Hawaii, where the latter introduced four new running shoes for 2011, as well as a new trail shoe that will hit it in 2012.

This is quite a step forward for K-Swiss, which just a few years ago was primarily a tennis brand. Now the times have changed and K-Swiss looks to be a major player in the running market – despite the fact that the company has been on somewhat shaky ground, recently noting that worldwide revenue for 2010 was down almost 10 percent.

But now the company looks to be putting its best foot, or rather shoe forward for 2011. Triathlete reported last week that K-Swiss rolled out the four new shoes, which include the Kwicky Blade-Light, a trainer/racing shoe built upon the Blade-Light sole; the K-Ruuz 1.5, ultra-light flat; the Blade-Light Run, which will be available in a safety-oriented neon reflective sole; and finally the Blade-Max Trail, which features  a sturdier version of the Blade-Light sole.

[Via Examiner: Atlana Shoe Market: new models from K-Swiss]

[Via Triathlete: K-Swiss Reveals 2011 Running Shoes At Trek/K-Swiss Triathlon Camp]

K-Swiss Official Website

Panasonic Lumix Cameras Ideal for Winter That Won’t End

Earlier this month that silly groundhog failed to see its shadow, and we were promised an early spring. Well, of course that isn’t happening. Parts of the country continue to be buried in snow, and since it doesn’t look like it will end for a while, we might as well enjoy it.

To that end capture these winter memories with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-Z210 hybrid digital compact camera. It features advanced GPS functionality, along with a 24mm ultra wide-angle, 16x optical zoom Leica DC lens. No mere point and shoot camera, this one features a 14.1megapixel MOS sensor and advanced image processor Venus Engine for 1,920×1,080 full-HD movie recording and high speed burst shooting.

And whether you hit the local slopes or want to head out on a global trek, this camera is ready to go. It features the built-in GPS system, where it can provide details on where the photo was taken with latitude and longitude automatically provided in the Exif data. Geo-tagged images can even be pinpointed on maps of social media Internet maps. Continue reading Panasonic Lumix Cameras Ideal for Winter That Won’t End

Powerbeats, Recommended by a Doctor

Truth be told, when we heard that the Powerbeats headphones were endorsed by rapper Dr. Dre, we didn’t actually think these would be athletes exactly. The good doctor may be many things but the model of fitness isn’t something that immediately comes to mind. And when we found out that the headphones were part of the Monster line we knew they’d sound good, but we weren’t convinced that these were for the fitness crowd.

But Lebron James and other athletes do swear by these. The headphones promise a full range of sound with “clarity and power,” which is what we’d expect from Monster. But then a look at these convinced us these headphones are ready for the game. These feature a flexible earhook to keep the headphones in place, while they’re also sweat resistance as well as UV protected. This means they can get down and dirty and keep performing.

The phones can also be used with a phone, as a Monster ControlTalk cable is also provided. Thus you can play hard, and trash talk on the way home.

Powerbeats by Dr. Dre Website

Product Recall: Pull-up Bars Far From Perfect

About the only thing that might be perfect about some of the Perfect Pullup adjustable height pull-up bars, which were imported by Perfect Fitness of Mill Valley, California, is that these are perfect for causing an injury. The company has issued a recall of these products because the plastic handles can crack, posing an injury hazard for the user.

So far the company has received about 2,200 reports of handles cracking, with nearly 40 users complaining of injuries that included bruises, strains and sprains. The products were sold online at the company’s website, as well as from Amazon.com, and from sporting goods stores nationwide since January 2008. Continue reading Product Recall: Pull-up Bars Far From Perfect

Wired Calls This Bike Ugly – Yeah We Agree

While quite worthy of a Kinetic(Mis)Shift the new “Only the Brave Bicycle” is indeed one only for those brave enough to be caught dead riding it. The bike, which was reviewed recently by Wired.com, is the result of a collaboration between clothing company Diesel and bicycle maker Pinarello.

As Wired noted, it features something that has become all too common in hipster friendly fixies, namely odd-colored wheels, but this one takes it a step further and mismatches them to boot. We also don’t get the bent frame either… maybe that is to make it look like it was already in a crash, and thus matches the pre-worn jeans for its urban dweller rider.

And then there is the kicker… namely the price. While there is no shortage of fixies in all price ranges, this one comes in at $1,200, which is a lot of money for an aluminum frame bike that just says “fail” all over it. It also seems that Wired isn’t the only ones that think this bike is an eyesore. The “negative” reviews are piling up.

Diesel and Pinarello Team Up to Make World’s Ugliest Hipster-Bike [Wired]

Diesel/ Pinarello urban bike [Bicycle Design]

Pinarello for Diesel: Only the Brave Bicycle [Prolly]