‘Made in America’ Articles
Written by Brian O'Connor on 17 February 2012
2012 Lynskey Pro29VF - Painted Flat Black (optional)
Even though the company Lynskey Performance Products has only been around since 2006, the Lynskey name has been involved with the bicycle industry much longer. Back in 1986, David Lynskey merged his knowledge of exotic metals, gained through the years of experience that has family had in the metals industry, with his desire to build a lighter bike frame for competition. The result was the beginning of the titanium bicycle frame company, Litespeed. For the next 13 years, David Lynskey, along with other family members, were the faces behind the name ‘Litespeed’ until they sold the company to the American Bicycle Group in 1999. A few years went by and the non-compete agreements expired, but the desire to build titanium bicycle frames never did die. In 2005, with the encouragement of their mother, the Lynskey family decided to jump back into the bicycle business and Lynskey Performance Products was born on January 1, 2006. Video after the jump
Tags: Bicycle, bike, Cycling, Litespeed, Lynskey Performance Products, Made in America, Made in USA, titanium
Posted in Cycling, General, Made in America, Made in the USA | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 10 February 2012
Vew-Do Balance Boards - The Zone Balance Pro
One of the best ways to avoid injury, sports related or not, is to have strong core muscles; and my wife reminds of this when I am doing an activity that might injury my back. “Hold your stomach muscles,” is the statement that she often repeats to me and she is right. Over the past year, strengthening those core muscles has become part of my workout routine and it has really helped. I have had less cycling related back injuries and I find that my back feels less ‘tweaked’ after a good day in the saddle.
There are many was to strengthen your core, from basic home exercises to specific Core Conditioning classes offered by some gyms. Along with these exercises or classes another device can be used will help you strengthen you core, improve your balance and is fun - a balance board. Vew-Do of Vermont has been designing and manufacturing balance boards for exercise, rehabilitation and just plan fun since 1990. Videos after the jump
Tags: Balance Board, Core training, Made in America, Skateboard, snowboard, strength training, Vew-Do
Posted in General, Low Tech, Made in America, Made in the USA, SIA | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 03 February 2012
Redfeather Snowshoes - Vapor
This week’s Made in America post appears on a day when the Colorado Front Range is finally getting pounded with its first winter storm of 2012. If the weather forecasters are correct, we may see up to 18-inches of snow by the time the storm is done. What better day to feature a company that has its roots in Colorado and may actually help me get out and around. Redfeather Snowshoes was founded back in 1988 by another Colorado resident who too was snow-bound, but that individual was a triathlete who lived up in Leadville, Colorado at 10,000-feet. His original design utilized an aluminum frame with a ‘V’ shaped tail that reduced the chance of a tail from one shoe from hitting the other shoe, especially while running and overall improved maneuverability while snowshoeing. This simple change to the shape has lead to the modern sport of snowshoeing that we know today as noted by Jim Tucker on the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) website. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Racing, Redfeather, Running, snowshoes
Posted in General, Made in America, Made in the USA, SIA, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 02 February 2012
Those individuals who choose to start a business during these difficult economic times have my admiration, especially those who chose to start one in a market that some view as being very saturated. Adam Browning is one such individual who took his 20 years of passion for the sport of snowboarding and has started the Evergreen, Colorado based company, OZ Snowboards. During this the SIA Demo Days at Winter Park, OZ Snowboards took the opportunity to show off their new line of boards for the 2012/13 season. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Made in the USA, OZ Snowboards, SIA, snowboard, wood veneer
Posted in General, Made in America, Made in the USA, SIA, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 31 January 2012
Skis, snowboards, poles and boots – these are just a few of the winter sport items that use carbon fiber in their construction. Carbon fiber has been the material of choice for higher end equipment due to its high strength to low weight ratio. Not only is it light weight and strong, but it is the type of material that can make an overall product stronger by adding additional layers in higher stress areas. Wanting to tap into the advantages of this material, Crescent Moon of Boulder, Colorado is in the process of testing their newest and lightest snowshoe, the Kilo.
The new Kilo is simply named after its weight – 2.2-pounds with bindings for both pairs, making them easily one of the light pair of snowshoes on the market. Crescent Moon is not new to the snowshoe market, they have been around since 1997 and primarily use aluminum in the construction of their frames. At the SIA show this year, they are showcasing the Kilo that is uses carbon fiber in the construction of the entire frame of this snowshoe. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Boulder, carbon fiber, Colorado, Crescent Moon, Kilo, Made in America, Made in USA, snowshoe
Posted in concept, General, Made in America, Made in the USA, SIA, Snow Sports | 1 Comment »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 27 January 2012
If you are an avid reader of KineticShift, you know we love our gadgets. With the newest GPS ‘this’ and latest fitness tracking app ‘that’ always being showcased, it might seem that technology is the only thing that motivates us to stay fit; but sometimes it is something as simple as taking our friend’s dog on a snowshoeing adventure that gets us motivated for a workout in the snow. We can dress for the cold and add layers as needed, but not all dogs are properly equipped to handle temperatures well below the freezing point with just their fur coat. This is where LoneWolf Dogwear comes to the rescue and offers custom dog clothing to help keep your four-legged friend warm in the snow.
LoneWolf Dogwear, based in New Ulm, Minnesota, is a company that manufactures a line of products exactly as the name implies – garments for canines. They manufacture dog clothing to keep your pooch warm, dry and/or highly visible. LoneWolf Dogwear knows that not all dogs are created the same and that the only way to produce a properly fitted garment is to custom manufacture them one by one, so each garment is made ‘to order‘. With each garment being made to order, it only make sense that they are all made in America to guarantee the quickest possible turn around times. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: collar, Dogs, harness, Made in USA, winter
Posted in Exercise, General, Low Tech, Made in America, Made in the USA, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 20 January 2012
Snowshoeing is an activity that most able bodied people can do during the winter, just as long as there is enough snow. This is proving to be a fairly light snow year, at least in Colorado, but hopefully as we get into the later winter months that will change. There are quite a few companies that still manufacture their snowshoes in America, and one recently caught our eye due to its unique features. The MSR Lightning Ascent, by Cascade Designs, looks like a traditional snowshoe from a far, but has a whole list of features that set these shoes one step ahead of the competition. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Cascade Designs, Lightning Ascent, MSR, snow, snowshoes
Posted in General, Made in America, Made in the USA, SIA, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 17 January 2012
Have you ever been on the slopes with a group of people and the consensus is to do one more run before taking a break to eat? But what if you are absolutely starving? We’ve all heard the story, usually after the fact, where going for that one last run would be fine, but the ending is usually the same – some sort of crash and/or injury. Skiing and riding ‘well’ requires focus and if your mind is on food, you may end up being one of those stories of ‘just one last run.’ Experienced snow sport enthusiasts usually have something in their pocket to quite the calling from their stomachs – a granola bar, a shot, an energy bar or even a waffle. All of them are excellent choices, but for those who do not like the taste or consistency of those products, there is another choice. Justin’s Nut Butter of Boulder, Colorado is producing their nut butters in 1.15-ounce or 32-gram packs. These packs are big enough to provide a quick 160-calories or more in a convenient single serving packet that can be easily kept in your pocket. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: almond, butter, hazelnut, Justin's Nut Butter, peanut
Posted in Food, General, Made in America, Made in the USA, nutrition, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 13 January 2012
In a country of over 300 million people, the United States has very few manufacturers making shoes for all of those feet. Most of those jobs have headed outside our boarders into countries with lower wages and lower environmental regulations, but not all have left. In fact, there are some companies that have started up and are thriving based on the idea of creating a niche product instead of trying to become overly diversified. One such company is Okabashi Brands, Inc. of Buford, GA. Their low-cost, environmentally friend shoes are 100% recyclable and are made in America. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Made in the USA, OKA b, Okabashi, recycled, Shoes
Posted in Footwear, General, Made in America, Made in the USA | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 06 January 2012
We’ve all heard the old saying “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Not everything can be as easy and throwing a can in the blue bin or reusing a paper bag. Frankly, not everything can even be reused or recycled practical manner. Take an old bicycle inner tube for instance: while it can be used as a tie down strap or to hang tools in the garage, it isn’t really practical, so most of us just chuck them in the trash. Green Guru of Boulder, Colorado is changing the way we think of trash and they are reusing old bicycle inner tubes and neoprene wet suits in their product line. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Cycling, Green Guru, recycle, recycled materials, reduce, reuse
Posted in General, Low Tech, Made in America, Made in the USA, Sustainable | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 30 December 2011
If you have a threadless headset on your bike, you have John Rader and Dia Compe Japan to thank. After meeting at the 1990 Mountain Bike World Championship held in Durango, CO, Dia Compe became the exclusive licensee of the threadless headset system known as the Aheadset. A few years later, Dia Compe USA became a separate entity. In 1996, the North Carolina based company launched the Cane Creek brand alongside with the Dia Compe USA name. Most of the Cane Creek threadless headsets are manufactured overseas, but the top of the line model has been and is currently manufactured in America. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 110-Series, Cane Creek, headset, Made in America
Posted in Cycling, General, Made in America, Made in the USA | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 23 December 2011
Minnesotans know cold, or so we’ve been told. So who better to design and manufacture cold weather gear? How about a husband and wife team whose expertise and experience includes dog sledding, expeditions to the North Pole, clothing design and living in Minnesota. For almost 20 years, Wintergreen Northern Wear has been designing and manufacturing cold weather outdoor clothing from the small town of Ely, Minnesota. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dog sledding, Made in USA, snow garments, Wintergreen Northern Wear
Posted in Apparel, General, Made in America, Made in the USA, Outdoors, Snow Sports | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 16 December 2011
Certainly you have heard someone say, “as American as baseball and apple pie;” but neither of those had their true origins in America. In reality, the saying could be “as American as skateboarding and Moon Pies”, both of which originated in the U.S.A., just on opposite ends of the country. Since we cover health and fitness, we’ll stick to the skateboarding and leave the Moon Pies for another day.
Even though skateboarding started in California in the 1950s, much of the production of parts and decks has been moved overseas. SHUT Skateboards of New York City has bucked this tread and continues to produce skateboard decks in the United States from American lumber.
Video after the jump
Tags: Made in Amercia, SHUT Skateboards, Skateboard
Posted in Equipment, General, Made in America, Made in the USA | No Comments »
