From Stuff: Champ sold surfboard to cover costs
Silvana Lima sold her surfboard to fund her trip to Taranaki. Yesterday it paid off for the Brazilian surfer, who defeated Australian Laura Enever in the final of the ASP 6 Star Port Taranaki Pro women’s qualifying series event at Fitzroy Beach. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (05.10.2014): Paying It Forward, Pro Set Up, High Water Bike
Whether you hit the waves a few times a year or chase the endless summer looking for the big one, the Rip Curl Search GPS Surf Watch will let you track how many waves you rode, your top speed and even your location. This waterproof watch features built-in GPS and motion sensors that will allow you to get real time data, and back on the beach you can sync it with your mobile phone.
From Bicycle Retailer: The single biggest issue facing the bike industry (A blog by Jay Townley)
As we finish the first quarter of 2014 the U.S. bicycle business is preparing for its April gathering of industry leaders at the Bicycle Leadership Conference and the IBD Summit. We have noticed that the U.S. bicycle business continues to separate the meetings of the specialty bicycle retail, or bike shop channel of trade suppliers from the retailers and the separate agendas for these two important annual gatherings still do not mention or pay attention to the most important single issue facing the U.S. bicycle business today!
The following chart (above) is a graphic presentation of the 18-year history of U.S. bicycle riding participation from 1995 through 2012. The data is from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). The overall trend is a slow decline, from the peak of 56 million in 1995 to flat overall bicycle riding participation at 39 million for the last three years. 2013 bicycle riding participation will be available in early April, but we don’t anticipate any significant change from the history you see here. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (04.05.2014): Bike Decline, RIP Hobie, Total 360, Old Timers
Warning: Graphic Content in Video and in image below.
Australian professional surfer knows something about riding on big swells. Now he’s created his own “big swell” so to speak with a rather phallic looking surfboard, which he unveiled on his FollowTheFish.TV website.
We’re not sure why someone would want to hang ten on a penis-shaped surfboard, but apparently Fisher liked the idea of hanging ten while looking… well, hung? Photo of the board after the jump
Shark attacks are rare, but they do happen. Now Shark Shield has been awarded a government grant for a surfboard shark deterrent. The Western Australian State Government Grant has been presented to Shark Shield to develop a shark deterrent for surfers. The company, along with two Western Australia universities, have been award $967,161 (AU) in the second round of applied research funding. Continue reading Shields Are Up
From GearJunkie: Ski Descent Of Fourth Tallest Mountain On Earth
A three-man Italian team will attempt the first complete ski descent of a coveted line high in the Himalayas this fall. Skiers Edmond Joyeusaz and Federico Colli plan to climb and ski down Lhotse, the fourth tallest mountain in the world at 27,940 feet, with videographer Carlo Limonta in the Lhotse Ski Challenge Expedition. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (09.28.2013): Big Descent, Race Nerves, Go to Google, Newbie Boards
Leather isn’t something you typically need for surfing and not really for skating, but that hasn’t stopped Leatherman from announcing a new line of pocket tools designed specifically for both sets of action sports. This follows the company’s new line of snowboard tools that were rolled out earlier this year.
The Grind and Jam pocket tools are aimed at the skateboarders while the Thurster and Shooter are for those who like to catch some waves. The former are designed to be carried or clipped on a belt, and feature flat and Phillips head screwdrivers, file, bottle openers, multiple open ended wrenches, hex driver, truck key and carabiner – in other words all the things to do some work on the board while on the go.
The surf tools feature bottle openers, bit drivers, wax comb, spring hooks, a lanyard hole, easy outs and a rubber bit holder.
With these tools small repairs won’t let the good times end.
Leatherman Official Website
[Via Gizmag: Leatherman announces new pocket tools for skaters and surfers]
There is nothing wrong with simple, especially in today’s world where often the complex is used when something basic would do. The El Gringo Wall Mounted Surfboard Rack is about as simple can get. It is made of steel or stainless steel with cork pads to protect the surfboard and it is being produced by Make by Consult, which previously made a similar bike rack.
At $125 it isn’t exactly cheap, but it probably beats trying to make your own.
This year Body Glove celebrates its sixtieth anniversary. To celebrate, it released the 60 Year Anniversary Prime Slant Zip wetsuit. The celebrated suit uses a number of innovations to advance the wetsuit used by many surfers over the years.
The newly-created suit features advanced pyrostretch insulation, and is made with a high-performance super stretch EVOflex composite material that is 25 percent lighter than comparable materials currently on the market. The Prime Slant Zip suit also offers Nano Tritec kneepads, and vaporlock seams that create a 100 percent fluid seal. Of course the suit features the EZ-Entry slant zip that makes it possible for the wearer to zip up the wetsuit.
Find out more about the sixtieth anniversary of Blody Glove.
We’re in a golden age for the DIY set. Not only can you build it if you can envision it, but now you can print it as well. Start-up Made Smartboards is looking to revolutionize the customized surfboard industry, where the board can be made based on your body size, your surfing style and even the conditions in which you ride.
To create a truly customized board Shanon Marks, the founder of the company, is looking to 3D printing, which also means no material or resources are wasted. Moreover there is no Styrofoam to use or discard he said. Only what is needed is printed, and each frame is wrapped in bamboo, sealed in fiberglass and ready to catch the wave.
Sounds like a board that was made right, made smart. Video after the jump
Despite what movies such as Jaws or Discovery Channel’s Shark Week might suggest, shark attacks are actually not all that common. However, about 100 people are attacked by sharks each year and this isn’t all that comforting to surfers and divers.
Researchers have suggested that black wetsuits could make wearers look like seals, which just happen to be a shark’s favorite snack. Australian based Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) has developed a line of wetsuits that are designed to look a little less appetizing to sharks. These feature a disruptive pattern that sharks may have trouble seeing, or even make them think otherwise about taking a bite.
While sharks can reportedly detect small amounts of blood in the water from miles away and can detect electric currents in the water for the kill – or rather bite – the shark depends on vision. This is where the SAMS suit comes in as it could provide enough to confuse the shark, and give the wearer time not to be the catch of the day. Video after the jump
From CTV News: Researchers use unmanned electronic ‘surfboard’ to track ocean’s social networks
International marine researchers are getting a glimpse beneath the world’s oceans using a surfboard-inspired, unmanned ‘wave glider’ device that collects data about the creatures living beneath the waves. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (06.22.2013): Surf the Waves, Kick Ash, Women Take Aim
Starting a new business can be all consuming, and often times those who do start a business put their heart and soul into it and that means missing out on the better things in life. But for Ryan Mets, one of the founders of Boardcave, he is ready to ride the wave. His company has new patent pending technology that could challenge the factory-made surfboards that are common in the Australian market.
Instead his online business, which recently went live after two years in development, now allows surfers to order custom-made surfboards made by Australian shapers directly from the website. The Boardcave site allows surfers to compare what various surfboard shapers have in mind and thus get a very personalized and customized board to hit the waves.
Boardcave Official Website
[Via The Sydney Morning Herald: Surfboard Maker Catches Wave of Support]