Fitness Journal: Water, Water (Bottles) Everwhere – Here’s on Hands On Test Recap

Over the past month we rode, we drank, we tested. We tried out many water bottles and wrote up the findings. Here is a recap of Brian O’Connor’s hands on tests of this year’s water bottles:

Nalgene ATB Bottle with Black Closure
The 32 oz version didn’t fit many cages, but the wide neck opening of the bottles made dropping in an ice cube no problem at all. Read the full review.

Specialized Purist
No bad taste, just pure water with this bottle, which mostly rinses clean. Read the full review.

BioGreen ProX
Want to use the same water bottle in a century? Most of the time you can, as the bottles aren’t so biodegradable – but the BioGreenX is made from 20 percent post industrial recycled plastic and should biodegrade in just two years. Read the full review.

Hydrapak Gel-Bot
Like a burst of energy with some gels? The Hydrapak can supply water and gel from one bottle. Read the full review.

Polar Insulated Bottle
On a hot summer ride nothing is better than a cool drink. Too bad most bottles let the liquid heat up to a temperature resembling bath water. Not the Polar Insulated Bottle. Read the full review.

Clean Bottle
Getting a bottle clean can sometimes be no easy task. Wouldn’t be easier if both the top and bottom came off? Oh wait, with the Clean Bottle they do! Read the full review.

CamelBak Podium Bottles
Ready to make a dash for the finish line. The CamelBak Podium Bottle might just have you on the podium. Read the full review.

Nalgene Bottles
Are you tired of the same old bottles? If so consider the variety offered by the Nalgene Bottles that are made from Tritan plastic. Read the full review.

iMapMyApp Tracks Your Whole Workout

Whatever mode you plan for your outdoor workout, iMapMy apps tracks it. MapMyFitness apps include iMapMyRun, iMapMyRide and iMapMyWalk. The iPhone programs are part of a partnership between MapMyFitness and Wahoo Fitness. The free apps work with the Fisica ANT+30 pin Sensor Key to track heart rate, which translates into other data. The app uses the GPS technology of the iPhone to record and chart workout route, pace, time, calories burned and heart rate, then saves the data to the MapMyFitness websites, whichever matches your mode of exercise. Continue reading iMapMyApp Tracks Your Whole Workout

Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

If you ever played floor hockey in school you probably used a cheap plastic stick. But the wooden sticks aren’t just missing in gym class; they’re pretty much gone from the big leagues too. According to a story from The Montreal Gazette last month the last of the holdouts of wooden sticks has switched to the composite variety last season.

This is an interesting turn of events, as just 20 years ago wood was all the rage and hardly anyone used composite materials. But as leather skates gave way to other materials, so wood has left the ice. This isn’t the only example where composite, or other so-called “space age” materials have replaced the tradition. Just 20 years ago steel was still widely used in high-end road bikes and now virtually every pro rides on carbon fiber, while golf clubs have gone from steel to titanium and other materials. Continue reading Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

ROTOR Bike Components – More Than Meets the Eye as New Co-Sponsor

This week ROTOR Bike Components announced that it will supply both the Geox-TMC Transformer Team and the elite women’s Diadora-Pasta Zara Team. The company will supply both teams with its Q-Rings oval chainrings, 3D cranks, Press-Fit and BB1 bottom brackets as well as chain catchers and seat mast topper.

The ROTOR components have been popular with numerous riders include 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre,and Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana winter Denis Menchov.

For 2011 Geox-TMC Transformer Team and Diadora-Pasta Team will use the innovative equipment.

“We are very pleased to be part of this long-term project,” said Pablo Carrasco, ROTOR President and R&D Director. “The agreement with Fuji and Geox-TMC Transformers will be for the next five years. We are expanding our range of products, with the focus on ROTOR becoming a global company. Fuji is an important part of a truly global corporation as well as a great bike manufacturer with whom to work in achieving our goals for growth.”

ROTOR Bike Components

Zumba Deals for the Holiday, New Year

Here’s an opportunity to get yourself or someone on your list set up for their New Year’s resolution. Zumba Fitness, that Latin Dance Workout, is offering a collection of its workout DVDs plus a pair of Zumba Fitness Toning Sticks. Seven DVDs plus the toning sticks that rattle like maracas can be yours for the price of three payments of $19.95, plus $12.95 in shipping and handling. That’s a total of $72.80.

The Zumba Fitness website is counting down the days until Christmas, and then this deal will likely go away. In the set you’ll get

  • Zumba Fitness Basics Workout
  • Zumba Fitness 20-Minute Express Workout
  • Zumba Fitness Sculpt & Tone Workout
  • Zumba Fitness Cardio Party Workout
  • Zumba Fitness Flat Abs Workout
  • Zumba Fitness Live! Workout
  • Zumba Fitness Toning Sticks (2)

The seven DVDs give you a variety of workouts to keep you busy and engaged well into the New Year.

Zumba Fitness

Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

While it seems late in the season – given that the playoffs are just around the corner anyway – for Nike to introduce new equipment. But enter the Air Zoom Alpha Talon shoes. These feature a fully adaptable traction system, with retractable cleats on the interior of the forefoot. These extend when pressure is applied, giving the player more traction at times when it is needed, and then retracting afterward. The cleats also utilize Nike’s new Flywire technology, which provides lightweight support for sideways movement, and to help cushion the foot the Air Zooms further provide Pro Deflex padding. The new shoes will hit the gridiron this weekend and will be used by a variety of NFL players. Continue reading Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

Rugged Convertible Notebook for World Travelers

Planning a trip around the world, or just need to update your Facebook page while you’re off hiking? Either way the GammaTech D12C rugged notebook will survive the journey. This convertible notebook does the transformer thing, going from a traditional notebook to a tablet in a blink of the eye. It features a 12.1-inch Touch Screen display, along with a Web cam and HD stereo audio.

It is drop and shock resistant and tested to stringent MIL-STD-810G requirements. It further features a unique spill resistant design protects it from accidental spills, utilizing a C-face that helps protect the area around the keyboard, touchpad, speakers and wireless and power switches. When off in the wild the D12C is practically air tight as all input/output ports are fully dust resistant as well. Continue reading Rugged Convertible Notebook for World Travelers

Fitness Journal: Can You Keep a Secret?

Do you participate in a sport or fitness activity regularly? Do you enjoy trying out the latest technology? Can you offer technical praise or criticism of a product? Can you keep a secret? I you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you might be a perfect candidate to become a ‘wear tester.’

A wear tester is an individual under agreement with a manufacturer to test and evaluate a product before it arrives to market. This is a non-paid position, but can be rewarding if you enjoy testing new products and you can provide written product evaluation in a timely manner. As a bonus, you may even be allowed to keep the product after testing or evaluation by the manufacturer. The downside is you cannot tell anyone that you are participating in the program; you cannot give away, loan or sell the item; you cannot photograph the item; you cannot post pictures on a social networking site… basically the first rule of wear testing is to not talk about wear testing. Continue reading Fitness Journal: Can You Keep a Secret?

The Social Network for Pirates, Geocaching

GPS devices do more than give you driving directions. They can be treasure maps. X might not mark the spot, but akin to the old pirate days, you can find markers in your GPS maps that tell you where others have left little goodies and sights for you to venture.

Continue reading The Social Network for Pirates, Geocaching

Kinetic(Mis)Shift: Failure to Launch

Watch the video above, but imagine our new voice over and music instead.

(Cue music: Fanfare of the Common Man)

Voice over: Ever since the dawn of time, man has dreamed of flying. OK, we’re not sure if that is in fact true. But TV shows such as Gilligan’s Island, movies like The Rocketeer and G.I. Joe cartoons have at least suggested it has been a dream for the ages.

The problem is that there has never been a way to solve the issue of weight vs. fuel supply. Most jetpacks could only stay airborne for 20 or 30 seconds, making it extremely impractical at best. But that problem is a thing of the past.

(Cue music: The Scorpion’s “Rock Me Like a Hurricane”)

Voice over: The Jetlev flyer is here and for just 129,000  € you can take flight. This jet ski technology can lift 400 to 500 pounds without trouble. It just needs a giant rubber hose to pump water to the pack. So if you need to fly over a small lake or have a really big pool you can be a true jet setter!

-End-

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

Hands On: Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic

KineticShift.com concludes our hands on test of water bottles.

All good things come to an end, including our hands on test of water bottles. We wrap things up with the Nalgene bottles, which use Tritan copolyester plastic. The line includes the All-Terrain Bottle made from low density polyethylene, the On the Fly (OTF) and the On-the-Go (OTG). Here is our test.

Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic Description: Each of the bottles tested (unless noted) are manufactured using Eastman’s Tritan copolyester plastic.

Everyday Tritan
BPA-Free High impact resistance
Resistant to staining
Won’t retain odors
Withstands sub-freezing to boiling temperatures
Dishwasher safe away from the heating element
Max temperature: 100 degrees C/212 degrees F
Min temperature: -40 degrees C/-40 degrees F

Bottle Sizes: Varies – 16oz to 32oz
Plastic: Eastman’s Tritan copolyester
Country of Manufacture: USA except for the flip tops – those are made in China
Retail Price: Varies – $6.75 to $14.99 Continue reading Hands On: Nalgene Bottles Made from Tritan Plastic

Ski Helmets Help Reduce Injuries, But Advanced Skiers Still Most Likely to Face Serious Injury

Ski helmets are finally catching on, but like cycling helmets it is only slowly gaining momentum. No doubt many people feel that the white stuff is fluffy and soft and thus not so bad in a fall. The truth is that hard packed snow can be deadly, as can rocks, trees and other obstacles. All this makes a “brain bucket” all the more important to wear.

However, common sense – as in using what’s inside the helmet – can be a key to staying safe. This week The Wall Street Journal noted that shorter skis and helmets have reduced ski injuries, but added that the average number of people who die on the slopes in America has remained about the same. The other disturbing fact is those who are more likely to die are intermediate or advanced skiers, who are often wearing a helmet. Continue reading Ski Helmets Help Reduce Injuries, But Advanced Skiers Still Most Likely to Face Serious Injury

LifeSpan Praised by Doctor and Professor

A doctor and a professor agree; the LifeSpan TR1200i folding treadmill is a great product. And by a doctor we mean retailer Treadmill Doctor, which named the product the “Best New Treadmill” in its 2011 fitness equipment review. The TR1200i, which is made by PCE Health and Fitness, was also named “Best Treadmill under $1000” by Fitness Professor Review.

The folding treadmill earned high marks for its quality construction, walking area and value, while Fitness Professor offered that the “all new TR1200i offers the quality consumers are looking for in an affordable package plus LifeSpan’s wonderful Fitness Club software.” Continue reading LifeSpan Praised by Doctor and Professor