Zoobombing
The US city of Portland in Oregon is home to a unique weekly cycling event known as zoobombing. Take a look at this BBC news story. Continue reading Thursday Reading List (12/08/2011)
Tag: carbon fiber
From Hockey Sticks to Canes
Much has been made of turning swords into plow sheers, but Jill Pull of Fountain Valley, California, has started a unique charity that turns broken hockey sticks into walking canes for disabled vets. Pull, who has had leg problems his whole adult life, produces the canes from used hockey sticks, many of which come from the Anaheim Ducks, and his own personal cane is from a stick that had once been used by Bobby Ryan.
The idea to reuse what would have otherwise ended up in the trash came to Pull while he was at a Ducks game in the spring of 2010, and saw that there were many broken hockey sticks by the bench. The sticks were made of the same carbon fiber material as Pull’s cane, and from there he realized that he could use the shaft of the sticks to make canes.
But so far the business hasn’t taken off as he hoped. With a few prototypes under his wing, Pull contacted the NHL – but found himself on thin ice due to licensing restrictions and regulations. While it couldn’t be a for profit business, Pull was not to be deterred and instead started a charity. With this Canes 4 Vets was born. The goal (no pun intended) is to give canes to those injured serving our country.
Today most of the sticks come from private donors,where the shaft of the old stick becomes the shaft of the new cane, complete with whatever tape job the owner originally may have originally applied. This makes a unique cane with no two exactly alike. Pull continues to reach out to the NHL, but in the meantime he’s continuing to help get the canes to those in need, especially veterans returning home.
Canes 4 Vets Official Website
[Via The Orange County Register: Ducks fan uses broken sticks to help vets]
Enve Releases Carbon Fiber All Mountain Tubeless Rims
Those looking for the tubeless ride off road are in luck. While tubeless compatibility was once an exception to the rule off road, bike parts manufacturer Enve has stayed true to its goal. The company released the first mountain clinchers in 2006, and brought out the first full carbon fiber mountain clincher in 2008. Enve has now had several years to tweak the product as the clincher wheel has gained popularity. The latest is one to get up early for, the Enve AM.
Enve uses a proprietary manufacturing process to produce the Enve AM. It involves targeted laminate and a purpose-driven design. The rim is 30 mm deep and features a 24 mm width between the hook beds, which works for tires between 2.2-2.4-inches wide. Several structural modifications give the AM clinchers better ride performance and strength without adding weight.
The new tubeless compatible Enve AM rims are available in both 26- and 29-inch models and in hole counts of both 28 and 32 holes. A set will retail for $860 with pre-built wheelsets on DT Swiss or Chris King hubs start at $2400.
Enve Official Website
[via Bike rumor: Enve Official Launches Carbon Fiber All Mountain Tubeless RIMS]
Selle Italia Lightens Up for 2012
Most cycling enthusiasts do not set out to build a heavier bike or increase the weight of their bike when upgrading a component. Weight is always a consideration since you have to haul it all uphill at some point. The Italian company, Selle Italia, is making it easier to build a light weight bike with their two new SLR Tekno saddles.
Galaxy on the Go
File this under strange tablet accessory – a holder for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which allows the tablet computer to be tucked under the top tube. But look again, that isn’t a holder that attaches to the bike, because it is actually the bike itself.
Samsung is rolling out a branded bike that puts the tablet between your legs so you can take it on the go, making it the perfect accessory for the urban hipster. Continue reading Galaxy on the Go
Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech
The big auto shows—Detroit, L.A., Tokyo, Geneva, etc.—are where car manufacturers show-off dreamy, almost-out-of-this world concepts; many will never make it into production, while some will morph into practical variants, but they showcase the direction a carmaker is taking and new technologies it is using. These concepts tend to be of the four-wheel variety, however, Ford’s newly unveiled vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month isn’t what’s usually shown on the show floor.
Behold Ford’s beautiful E-Bike Concept. It has the recognizable two-wheel frame of a traditional bicycle, yet it has lines and accents that evoke a modern car. According to Ford, the E-Bike is an exercise in translating Ford’s “design language” to a bicycle and demonstrating “Ford’s electric mobility competence.” Ford recognizes major growth in the electric bicycle market and sees e-bikes as a major part of urban transport in the future. Continue reading Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech
Interbike 2011: 29ers Worth Riding
With so many manufacturers offering 29er hardtail mountain bikes, it can be difficult to pick one that is right for you. Just as demo days that many companies host around the country for the public, the Interbike OutDoor Demo, that occurs each year before the Interbike tradeshow, allows individuals involved in the bike industry to test the newest and latest rides on the market. Not all manufactures are present, but most of the major players are there alongside the little guys offering a fleet of bikes to ride on the trails of Bootleg Canyon outside of Boulder City, Nevada. Having had a chance to test numerous bikes, 29er hardtails were this writer’s choice to put trough the loops of loose, dry and rocky trails of Bootleg Canyon. Before you lay down your hard earned cash on a hardtail 29er, give any of these bikes a spin. Continue reading Interbike 2011: 29ers Worth Riding
Fitness Journal: Fix it, Don’t Trash it
When did we become such a throwaway society? For most people, once a cell phone, computer, appliance or even a bicycle frame breaks, they are just chuck it into the trash instead of taking the time to fix the item. For many products it remains cheaper to buy a new one than it is to try to repair the broken one. This fact is especially true with electronics, but bike frames are a bit different. Depending on the type of break and material, a frame can be repaired and often for a fraction of the cost of a new frame – even carbon fiber.
Over the years, we’ve come across a number of companies that either offer the service of frame repair as their only business, while some frame builders offer the service on the side.
We’ve combined a list of a few companies that will let you fix it instead of trashing it:
Carbon Fiber – Not Just for Aircraft and Bikes
What’s not to love about carbon fiber? The truly space age material that made big waves in aerospace and of course racecars, and has become the standard material for many high-end bicycle frames, as well as seeing use in surfboards, golf clubs and countless other fitness products. Now the same material is starting to head to the world of fashion, and because it looks good and is quite rigid and durable, the material is ideal for protecting those high-tech toys in a high-tech way. This is the idea behind Smartt Mate, a new back cover for the iPad 2 from monCarbone. Unlike leather or even plastic covers, the carbon fiber Smartt Mate is light-weight and will help protect the case from scratches, and as a carbon fiber is UV resistant, can help from discoloration from sunlight.
“It’s rare that you see a new material like carbon fiber transforming categories and claiming new ground in the competitive world of design and fashion,” said Ming Chen, Managing Director of monCarbone. “We’re watching the hallmark of good design as it happens – discovery of something truly new and trend-setting andd its adoption by discerning people as a way to express themselves through fashion that stands out for all the right reasons.”
The Smartt Mate covers the rear and sides of the iPad 2 with no unnecessary cutouts. It is just 0.35mm (less than 0.023 inches) thick, and weights just 40g, while there are still 690,000 carbon fiber strands with each cover. It is available in classic colors including Mystery Black and Mystery Black – with special edition colors including Luminous Silver and Parisian Champagne – to be announced soon. Sounds “smartt” to us.
Porsche Lends its Design to Bikes
You may not be able to pack it in your Porsche to drive to a ride, but you can look stylish on a Porsche bike. The performance auto maker just announced two bikes, the Porsche RS and S, which will be released in the fall in sizes S, M and L.
Both the RS and S bikes are 29ers, a trend in mountain bikes that uses wheel sizes similar to that on road and cyclocross bikes. The Porsche Bike S is constructed with a belt drive, which minimizes maintenance with a rubber belt in place of a chain. Continue reading Porsche Lends its Design to Bikes
Fitness Journal: Old Timer Looks to New Technology
Naturally, as I am cycling more, I see these fantastic new two wheeled machines on the roads and in the bike shops. Naturally, I try to justify buying one of these sleek new bikes. My angular racing frame probably seems a bit outdated compared to these new carbon frames and surely it is not as stiff as it was 24 years ago when I first raced it. I’ve wondered how much extra effort I have to put into my ride to overcome those 64 steel spokes whipping through the headwind like egg beaters. My SLX steel tubing flexing at the bottom bracket every time I lunge into a sprint across an intersection is costing me precious speed. But this isn’t an excuse, this is an opportunity; an opportunity to buy a new bike.
Being a fast rider is a numbers game. For just $12,000 I could sport the most sophisticated road machine out there. It is just enough to make me look as serious as I know I really am. If I calculate my wind resistance, rolling resistance, wheel drag and rotational Inertia I can determine how efficient I can be with just the right equipment. Of course, I still have conquer the other 95 percent of the equation — me. I still have to put in 150 miles a week of “worthwhile” riding.
What does that mean? In a word, sprints. And lots of sprints. That way, I can take advantage of the 0.4 percent overall efficiency gain realized by trading up to that new equipment. Of course, my old DeRosa is a beauty. Maybe I should keep it and just say I’ve gone “retro.”
Kinetic Shift at the Gran Fondo Los Angeles
This past weekend, Kinetic Shift went to the first Gran Fondo Los Angeles, which started off in Beverly Hills and headed through Santa Monica and over to the massive climbs of Topanga Canyon Road. The event was sponsored by Colnago, which was one of the innovators of carbon fiber technology. The company has worked with Ferrari since the 1980s to produce new materials.
Above is the bike that belongs to Alessandro Colnago, grandson of company founder Ernesto Colnago. This reporter had an opportunity to ride that bike on the 72 mile ride… note my “second water bottle” of choice!
Specialized Jumps on the Eco-Wagon
A few weeks back, we mentioned that Trek was going to be recycling carbon fiber bicycle frames as carbon fiber is not as “green” as all metal bike frames. Now it appears that Specialized, the manufacturer that created the frame that Alberto Contador just rode to victory in the Giro d’Italia, is creating their own environmental initiative. Some carbon fiber breaks can be repaired, but when is comes to the end of the line, carbon fiber is not a material that can easily be recycled.
This week Bicycle Retailer reported that Specialized has launched a comprehensive sustainability initiative by incorporating Outdoor Industry Association Eco-Index evaluation of their products during product creation, and leading a carbon fiber recycling coalition. Specialized has become the first major industry member to join the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Eco-Index—a comprehensive system for evaluating and improving the environmental footprint of products during the design stage. Continue reading Specialized Jumps on the Eco-Wagon