Tuesday, October 25, 2005

CrankBrothers: Speed Levers


Brilliant, absolutely Brilliant, this lever works just like PEP boys taking the tire off of your car rim. You put in under your tire just like the old way, the brilliant part from there it bends back pops the tire off the rim and then stays under as you attach the other end to your hub. Spin in around and off comes the tire, no more pinch flats. To put the tire back on well do the opposite. CrankBrothers inspiration comes from some of the cutting edge companies, Apple, bang & olufsen, smart car and marc newson. Well done I must say, pick one up you will be surprisingly satisfied.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

WaterWear Shuffle: Swim Tunes


Little things make me happy, one of the hardest thing to do is train for a triathlon in a pool. Endless laps, flip turns and trying to keep count of your laps. I started to no care about the laps but time, and if I could listen to music while I swim, this would be great. TuneWear makes a portable case for Apple's Ipod Shuffle. Water proof and controls built into the case so that you can navigate not moving parts the case also adds a headphone isolator plug so that you get to use your own headphones. Made of hardened plastic, it is tough enough to be stepped on by an adult or even thrown against a wall. Check it out TuneWear

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Better than Insurance: STUFFBAK


Well with all the high tech goodies that are being bought, you think that someone would have thought of this sooner! Gold's gym and I am sure many other used to have this key faub, if you lost you keys then people could just mail them back to the gym and with the serial number on the faub, they were able to match who ever lost their keys. Well now you have this for all your devices, they advertise an-
ON THE GO PACK: A great introduction to StuffBak's service. Covers 5 essential items, from MP3 players to digital cameras to laptops. NEW! Free returns for 2 years! $9.95.
Once you get the StuffBak labels enter them at the site and you are done. Now they can't guarantee that people return your laptop but they will give you $20 if you do. I know it's hard to return a $3,500 Mac 17 inch laptop but hey some protection is better then none.
Check it out. StuffBak

Friday, October 14, 2005

A new dimension in cycling!


Well interbike has come and gone, and some new technology for biking has unfolded. Not only are the bikes better technology smarter but the prices have dropped, giving the consumer some great bang for their buck. By measuring power output in the bottom bracket, the Ergomo Sport allows you to ride and race with any wheels you want, no longer will you have to sacrifice performance in order to get your valuable racing data. It's not the cheapest solution Mavic has a pretty nice one also, but if you consider hiring a coach then this seems like a no brainier.
Ergomo Sport

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Breathing Resistance Exerciser


Training in high altitude increases your lung strength and capacity but not all of us live in the rockies. Well this little device helps with lung strength and capacity, just put it in your mouth like a snorkel and breath. To exercise, simply set the breathing resistance level with the adjustable valve, and then inhale, hold and exhale through the comfortable silicone mouthpiece. easy simple and cheap, yes cheap, $24.95 and a 30 day money back guarantee. Don't be fooled by the site, the product is what you are really after.
Expand-a-Lung

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Tracking Your Training Partner or Kids


Sometimes products cross over and find uses in different areas, being active with your kids will help decrease obesity in our country, obesity in kids and adults is reaching into the billions of dollars for our health insurance. If you are scared to have your children wondering outside then this device from Ion-kids could be the solution.
"Base Unit:
This small, easy to use device is used by the parent or guardian to monitor the location of the Wristag wearer. The Base Unit, a handheld device, allows parents to monitor up to four Wristags simultaneously.

Wristag:
This specially designed, tamper- and water-resistant bracelet is worn by the child. The Wristag is designed to be fun to wear and requires no interaction on the part of the child. ionKids Wristags adjust to fit snugly against your child's skin, and contain a strong locking mechanism that cannot be easily opened without a key, which comes with the Base Unit.

How They Work Together:
Wristags transmit a signal to the Base Unit from up to 350 feet when outdoors and up to 200 feet indoors. Because it uses a point-to-point wireless communication system, the ionKids Wristag does not rely on cell towers or satellites to locate your child-so cloud cover or a building's roof will not prevent you from finding your loved ones.

Additionally, every few seconds, ionTechnology simultaneously changes the transmission frequency, Wristag ID and corresponding information in the Base Unit, significantly reducing the chances that a third party can scan or monitor a child's Wristag. In addition, each communication between an individual Wristag and its Base Unit will be transmitted on a different frequency, making it possible for multiple Wristags to be used in the same close environment without transmission interference. "

Goto Ion-kids to see the falsh interactive demos and learn more about how to track your kids.
Ion-Kids

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Bike camping: THE BIKAMPER


Topeak has done it again, another wonderful and useful product the ultimate in biking/camping, the Bikamper. Pitching a tent was never so easy, hook up the rain fly to your seat the main tent hooks to the handle bars and everything extends from there. The materials are of the tent are constructed of light, durable and waterproofed 45D rip-stop nylon. The separate fly is made of a fully waterproofed 70D nylon construction, offering an additional layer of protection from the elements along with two ventilation windows that double as a skylight for a little star gazing. TOPEAK

Monday, October 03, 2005

Ironman OVA (OPTIMAL VIEWING ANGLE)


Great concept from Times Ironman watches, puts the watch face in your natural line of site, just brilliant. Why did they not put a heart rate with it. I am not sure about you but I wear the heart rate monitor when I train and race, Timex has one of the best watches and interfaces with a GPS, why would they not try to make it work. The watch is designed to be worn on small, narrow part of wrist for optimal viewing at all times without turning your wrist, it has all the other Timex goodies, INDIGLO night-light with NIGHT-MODE feature, Water-resistant 100m and a slew of other features. This could be a great road racing watch for training I would rather use the Polar or Times Bodylink systems. Check it out. Ironman OVA

Monday, September 26, 2005

Anti Order Fabric


Do you smell when you work out, does the garlic from the night before ooze out when you sweat, then apparel manufacture ARC has introduced a new line of anti-order fabrics. Other companies relied on chemicals to reduce the odor, after washes and use, the chemical reduce and yes you guessed it, you smell. ARC says they have figured it out and will introduce the new line of fabric and yarns at TITAS 2005 Fair in Taipei, Taiwan on Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2005.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Shark Shocker


The new suit takes advantage of the fact that sharks have sensitive receptors in their snouts which detect electrical fields in the water. This helps them track prey, but if the field is too powerful the shark backs off.

Made of metal and neoprene in the usual way, the wetsuit has thin piezoelectric ceramic fibres woven into its fabric. The fibers extend along the body and limbs, connecting to metal electrodes which harvest any charge generated when the piezo material is deformed by the wearer's movement.

The voltage delivered by thefiberss depends on their length and how many there are. During normal swimming, the suit continually generates several volts which flow through the water between the electrodes to create a deterrent field. If the diver sees anundeterminedd shark and swims fast to get away,– a natural reaction - one suspects - the suit generates much higher voltages and stronger fields.

If the shark still fails to get the message and bites the suit, it gets a shock in the mouth and hopefully gives up for the day.
Read the shark shock patent here.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Heat Stoke Glasses and Watch Monitor


All I got was from Giizmodo "the glasses monitor your brain's temperature and beam the information to a watch on your wrist. If it feels you'’re too hot for hell and you're going to get heatstroke, it'll beep and let you know".
GMI Medical Instruments thanks Gizmodo

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Polar Launches New and Updates Watches


Polar has launched some updates to their s625x and RS200sd, the foot pod works with both computers and can track everything from distance to pace and laps. The major updates come to the RS200sd watches, they seem to be more for the competitive, goal oriented runners who want to enhance their running experience. The price is not to bad for the functionality that you get, the WearLink fabric transmitter included, with a boat load of other features and software that can help any type of athlete achieve and surpass their goals.
Polar USA

Monday, September 12, 2005

Folding Bike: Brompton bikes


A low tech entry but with gas prices at an all time high thought that this might be a good one. I saw a bunch of these while on vacation on Block Island this summer, many people traveling on their sailboats had them stored below and pulled them out to get around the Island. Well they not only seem to be the rave amongst sailor and boaters but bike commuters as well. My investigation brought me to Brompton bikes, the range comprises five models: the relatively inexpensive C-type, with three speeds and the more sophisticated L- and T-types, where you have a choice of three or six gears. The engineering of the frame is broadly similar for all models. For the avid cyclist this might not be what you are looking for, but for the commuter looking to shed some pounds, save some money and outright enjoy him/herself this is a great alternative.
Brompton Bikes

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Digital Angel: VeriChip implantation Computer Chip


Digital Angel has been FDA approved for implantation. A implantable computer chip which monitors human biometric functions and transmits the data with GPS technology. On the surface it can store medical information, the bigger picture I hope is that I might not have to wear a strap around my chest anymore which monitors my heart, this implatable chip will be able to send data to a watch or computer.
VeriChip

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

TrioBike


This is a very useful piece of equipment, I have been using the Burley trailer from some time and thought that it was great. Improvements usually come from others leading the way. The TrioBike which attaches to the front of the bike instead of the rear, can be used as a push cart, trailer for food/children, or just a standard bike. I like the way that is attaches to the front opposed to the rear like a trailer, and the kids get an unobstructed view of the journey.
TrioBike