The roads of London can be dangerous for cycling, but the designers have Foster + Partners have a solution: ride in the sky! Instead of building new roads for cars, the firm along with Space Syntax has looked to develop the SkyCycle, which could follow existing suburban railway corridors and provide bicycle only roads to ride throughout London. By following the rail network this could provide more than 220 kilometers of car-free cycle route, which could be accessed via more than 200 entrance points. Each route could accommodate 12,000 cyclists per hour and improve journey times by as much as 29 minutes.
Peekaboos Donates Proceeds in Hats for Hope Program
Peekaboos, the maker of fitness hats for women that allows a ponytail to poke through the hat, has partnered with MS Run the US. A special knit orange cabled hat is being offered under the Hats for HOPE line, and 50 percent of all sales of Peekaboos orange HOPE hats will be donated to help improve lives and find the cure of those living with multiple sclerosis. Continue reading Peekaboos Donates Proceeds in Hats for Hope Program
Show of Force
Cycling apparel startup Soulforce is making a show of force with its new line. Designed for those who might not exactly be ready to hang in the peleton, performance cycling apparel offers a more forgiving cut. The company offers jerseys from sizes small to 5XL for men and S to 3XL for women.
Its line of relaxed fit jerseys offer two-way mechanical stretch fabric with UV-resistant and anti-microbial properties, raglan sleeves, three-quarter-length YKK hidden zippers and dye-sublimated graphics. These jerseys will appeal to those with racing in their blood as much as those with causal cycling in their souls.
CES: 360 Degree View
Last year the GEONAUTE 360 action camera made its debut at CES, and it was the first to provide a 360 degree view of the action. Since that time we didn’t hear much about it, but it has gone from proof of concept to actual product.
It features three wide-angle lenses that are each equipped with an 8megapixel sensor and together can capture a unique 360 degree spherical image. This can create 2K videos or even 4K photos, and truly immerse the viewer into the action.
CES: Magellan Gets Colorful
At this week’s CES Magellan will show its true colors and then some. It will introduce its sporting applications to its current Echo smartwatch and is looking to add golf, skiing, hiking and other outdoor activities to its capabilities, as well as adding Dark Blue and Gray to complete the line-up of 5 colors.
“After Echo initially launched, we quickly saw its potential for sports beyond running,” commented Clark Weber, senior director of fitness and wearable products at Magellan. “As an open platform, Echo is designed to work with any app that can leverage a ruggedized, sporty smartwatch. We are proud to announce that leading apps such as Golf Pad, FreeCaddie and AllTrails will be supporting Echo in the near future. Retailers, also, have recognized the advantages of a product focused on sport, rather than general-use smart watches, that don’t meet the needs of athletes.”
The Echo is compatible with iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S, while Android support is coming soon.
Weekend Reading List (01.04.2014): Trek Makes the Cross, Runner Resolutions, 2014 Apps
Trek Makes the Cross
From Bicycle Retailer: Trek unveils IsoSpeed ‘cross bike
Trek unveiled a new line of cyclocross bikes that feature the company’s IsoSpeed decoupler, previously used on its Domane endurance road bikes. The decoupler isolates the seattube from the toptube to increase comfort. The unveiling was done with Trek-sponsored athletes including Katie Compton, and world champion Sven Nys in Baal, Belgium. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (01.04.2014): Trek Makes the Cross, Runner Resolutions, 2014 Apps
January: The Month of Trade Shows
The holidays are over and it is time to get back to work! Whether you like it or not now ‘tis the season of trade shows and for KineticShift that means CES, SHOT Show, North American International Auto Show and SIA Snow Show, where we’ll be seeing all the products that will help you keep those resolutions this year.
Check back all month for our reports from these shows!
CES Official Website
NSSF SHOT Show Official Website
North American International Auto Show Official Website
SIA Snow Show Official Website
Million Dollar… Baby!
What does a million dollars get you at The House of Solid Gold? Try on the 24K Gold Extreme Mountain Bike, which has nearly every plated in gold – right down to the brake rotors. We’re not sure how durable this bike is, but we wouldn’t want to ride it far. You don’t just get gold either, as the THSG head badge on the bike is made from 600 Black Diamonds and 500 golden sapphires! For the record The House of Solid Gold offers plenty of expensive (dare we say useless) products, like a $375 gold-plated soccer ball.
Don’t plan on putting this one on your credit card – as only Cashier’s Check, Money Order or Bank Wire Transfer are viable payments! What no Bitcoin!
2014 Archery Trade Association Tradeshow Preview: Prois Hunting & Field Apparel for Women
January is truly a month of trade shows, which begins week with CES and continues next week with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and SHOT Show in Las Vegas. While SHOT Show is where we expect to see the latest and greatest in hunting and shooting sport equipment, the 2014 Archery Trade Association Tradeshow will take place later next week in Nashville.
We’re not up for yet another show (and will be heading to Vegas), but have been hearing news of what attendees will likely see. This includes new products from Prois Hunting and Field Apparel for Women, including the new 2014 Women’s Artemis Competitive Archery Shooting Shirt from Prois (above left), and the new Archtach Down Jacket by Prois Hunting. So whether it is competition archery at the range or a day in the woods it sounds like Prois will have women archers covered this year.
2014 Archery Trade Association Tradeshow
Prois Hunting Official Website
No Menace to This Phantom
There are plenty of methods for putting lights on bikes to help younger riders be seen at night, but instead of trying to add lights to the frame, the designers of Phantom Frames are looking to light up the bike. The concept, which is being developed via a Kickstarter project that ends today, looks to have a frame that is normal looking during the day – but at night it can’t be missed.
The concept came to light when Ken Spaulding in Santa Ana, California needed to replace his son’s rear bike light. When his son suggested why couldn’t the whole bike light up instead Ken decided to build one. The result was a series of designs including a polycarbonate frame filled with LEDs that resulted in the first prototype. Now Ken and his boy Jack are looking to bring their bright idea to the masses. Video after the jump
The Right Fit
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS announced that it is developing a wearable sports monitoring system. The FitnessSHIRT contains new technology that pairs it with a pedelec bike powertrain and smartphone app that can seamlessly manage motor output based on the user’s physiological data.
What this means is that as the rider tires the motor can kick in and give a boost of power. The FitnessSHIRT utilizes conductive textile electrodes as well as an elastic band that is worn around the upper body, and together these can track metrics including pulse, breathing and even changes in heart rate.
Researchers from IIS recently demonstrated how the FitnessSHIRT will work in conjunction with the MENTORbike, a new type of training device considering of a pedelec, smartphone and an online user service site, live at the Medica 2013 Trade Fair in Düsseldorf last November.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Official Website
Urge Not Overkill
In the 1990s the alterna-pop band Urge Overkill had their 15 minutes of fame, but the Urge Supacross helmet could prove to be more than overkill in a very good way. It is designed for cross country mountain bike riding, and is lightweight and offers plenty of vents – as well as internal channeling – to help keep the wearer’s head cool.
The new helmet will be ready to hit the trails later this year. Video after the jump
Crash Time
A crash on a bicycle is not something to take lightly, and the cycling charity the CTC has launched an iPhone app that most cyclists will hope they never, ever have to use. This app is for those who had a crash record vital details of the incident, which could be important if this involves a court case.
The CTC Crash Kit app allows victims to record time of the incident, weather conditions, and even witness contact details as well as weather conditions, photos of the scene and equipment damage, plus early injury details. Once the incident is recorded it can be sent to CTC’s lawyers, who can review the case.
This is of course for U.K. residents at present, but does make for an interesting app to watch. It is available now for iOS while an Android version will come out later this year.