http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdb7ZDJKS4

New Day, Same Old Sh…

Welcome to the Weekend Reading List. We moved the list to Saturday to give our loyal readers something new for the weekend, and as a way to catch up on stories that they might have missed. This week we being with Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say (video above).

Enjoy the list and be sure to check back every Saturday.

 Space, The Final Frontier And New Opportunity For Fitness

From Sport Techie: NASA Seeking to License Innovative Biometric Training Technology

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today its intent to solicit interest from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market an innovative technology for improving athlete performance.

Get in Step in the Snow

From Snow Shoe Magazine: Snowshoeing in Paradise: Mt. Rainier National Park

Rising above the skyline from 54 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington State’s highest and most prominent volcano in the Cascade Arc, is still considered one of the world’s most dangerous. Reaching an elevation of more than 14,000 feet, makes it an unforgettable sight from almost any vantage point in this vibrant city.

Congress Votes Down Cycling Bill

From BikeRadar.com: US transportation and infrastructure committee vote anti-bike

Today, Thursday, 2 February 2012, the US House of Representatives’ transportation and infrastructure committee voted no — by two votes — on the Petri-Johnson-Lipinski amendment to the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act that would have saved funding for biking and walking, including the acclaimed Safe Routes to School program.

Art on the Slopes

From GearJunkie: Performance Art: Handmade Abstract Wooden Snowboards

Recently, professional snowboarder and artist Corey Smith noted he wanted to get back to what snowboarding was all about. To Smith that meant making powder turns, enjoying the outdoors with friends, and, in a strange twist, crafting crude snowboards from plywood. On his website, Spring Break Snowboards, Smith refers to his creations as “handmade abstract wooden snowboards.”

]]> http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/weekend-reading-list-2-4-12-runners-talk-nasa-innovates-house-votes-against-bikes/feed 0 http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/made-in-america-redfeather-snowshoes http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/made-in-america-redfeather-snowshoes#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:51:56 +0000 Brian O'Connor http://www.kineticshift.com/?p=12429

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.

Redfeather no longer manufactures their snowshoes in Leadville, but they are still manufactured in America. Now a division of ORC Industries, who also owns Bell Canoe and produces ponchos for the U.S. military, Redfeather Snowshoes are now manufactured at the ORC factory in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The V-tail design is now used in a number of their snowshoes, but other features have been added  to the product line over time. The Epic Binding, a ratcheting binding similar to a snowboard binding ratchet; the Summit Binding, an injection molded binding with a “stand up“ design for easy entry and exit; and the Live Action Hinge, a binding to snowshoe hinge that ‘springs’ the back of the shoe off of the snow when walking to allow people to run/walk with a more natural stride are just a few of the innovations that have been developed in their history.

Redfeather Snowshoes - Snowpaw

All of the adult Redfeather snowshoes feature crampons below the toe and heel area. Crampons are essentially metal teeth used to bite into the snow and ice for traction and stability. Most models use powder coated stainless steel as the basis for their crampons with the exception of the running or ’Race’ series. The two models that fall under the ’Race’ series, the Vapor and Race, use titanium as the metal to help create a lightweight snowshoe weighing 2.4-pounds and 2-pounds, respectively.

While we were at the 2012 SIA snowsports trade show in Denver, Redfeather was showing off their current product lineup. There have been quite a few changes since my pair of Falcon running snowshoes came out of the Leadville factory. Redfeather now has a snowshoe for just about every age, ability and purpose. From the Snowpaw and Y-20/Y-22 for kids; the Guide for those who want to hit deep snow; or the Vapor, used by Erin O’Mara to win the BigFoot SnowShoe 10k Run in Traverse City, Michigan, a regional qualifier for the 2012 USSSA Snowshoe Championship, Redfeather has a snowshoe for everybody.

There is one particular Redfeather design that stands apart from any other snowshoe shapes in their lineup. The Arrow doesn’t feature a V-tail or more traditional round-tail, but an asymmetrical tail shape. The nose of the left shoe fits in the tail of the right shoe and vise versa allowing easier use for those with a narrower gait. Also since the outside frame of the tails follow the round tail shape, more surface area is left in the tail area to help the wearer stay on top of the snow providing more stability.

Redfeather Snowshoes - Arrow Kit

Along with selling just snowshoes, Redfeather also offers some of their shoes in a ‘kit’ package with poles and a carrying bag, all for only about $50 above the price of the select snowshoes alone. Even though the bag and poles are not U.S. manufactured, this kit is still a great package to help those individuals who have none of the equipment to get into the sport.

Redfeather Snowshoes start at $34.95 for the Snowpaw and top off at $274.95 for the Race running shoe and Guide backcountry shoe. Most models fall within the $150-$250 range. Not every model is available as a kit with bags and poles, but those items can be purchased directly from Redfeather’s website or an authorized reseller. All models are covered by their lifetime warranty, so not only are you buying an American made product, but you are buying one from a manufacturer that stands behind each snowshoe that they produce.

As simple as snowshoeing appears to be, it is important to get setup on the correct equipment. Along with being able to purchase snowshoes on their website, Readfeather also offers a fit guide and a 101 guide. Even though a good pair of snowshoes cost over $150, if treated well, they will last. The pair of Redfeather Falcons that I have in my garage are from the 1990’s and though they show some wear, the are as strong as they were when they came out of the factory.

Redfeather Snowshoes Official Website

The newest model, the Seek IV WRX is a $130 mountain bike shoe that will let you clip in when you need, offering a stiff nylon plate to make sure there is adequate power transfer, while still offering padding and a bit of flexibility to be used as trail shoes. These are still hybrids so the WRX aren’t going to be better on the bike than dedicated mountain bike shoes, nor will these replace trail runners. But for those who want to be able to hike and bike with a single pair of shoes, these will do the trick very well.

Pearl Izumi Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Bike, Run, Hike: New Do-All Shoe]

The popularity and safety aspects are drawing helmet manufacturers to the category. Lazer Sport, a Belgium-based company established in 1919, is known for bicycle, motorcycle and leisure helmets. This year at SIA the company had a rather large booth to mark their entry to ski helmets. This year Lazer has seven adult-size ski helmets including the Mozo, Tempted, Dissent, Effect, Lexi, Hoodie and Revert plus Jinkz and Noiz for kids.

Helmet models have different shapes, but the core of the brand is in the fit and ventilation systems. Fit is due to the Lazer Rollsys system, which lets you adjust the size with the turn of a dial on the helmet. The dial is connected to a fit system throughout the helmet and ensures a snug fit.

A ventilation system uses Adapt Vent, a vent system that takes cool air in the front vents, and sends heated air out the back so you don’t get overheated. When the cool air gets to be too much, a slide knob lets you close the vents to take in less air so you can warm up.

A few more details include X-Static antimicrobial and temperature regulating padding. This padding is found throughout the helmet, but also over the ear flaps. A soft padding is also on the chin strap for a softer fit.

A throwback to the bike category, some helmets in the line feature Snow-Bike Crossover. This allows you to use the helmet for multiple sports and not look out of place on the slopes or the trails.

Lazer Sport Official Website

We’ve seen all sorts of gizmos and gadgets that could be attached to a bicycle, including ways to power your mobile phone while you go the distance. But what if you need to juice up the handset yet have nowhere to go?

One solution is the new Power Box, a pedal powered generator, from K-Tor, which won a CES Innovations Design & Engineering Showcase Honor back in 2011. The new device allows users to pedal as they would on a bike to charge devices that require 20W and less. While it won’t offer as much of a workout as actually going for a ride, it could be more practical than those treadmill or bicycle desks that we’ve seen. This could be something put under a desk or table and basically turn a little burn into energy for the phone.

K-Tor also has introduced the Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator, which as the name suggests is a hand crank that can power devices. The video below sums up this new product very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr-qXyF0Ef4

K-Tor Official Website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZt2vJaj28

In the 1980s “The Clapper” worked with sound to allow lazy people to turn lights on and off without having to get up to do so. Now Crestron is looking to help simply our daily lives in a similar way – but by actually using some motion.

Creston Labs, the research arm of the engineering department, released the video above to show off how the new technology from Microsoft that takes the Kinect motion control system to any Windows-based PC. It could read Kinect gestures for a range of uses including PowerPoint presentations or just give everyone “Jedi-like” powers to dim or raise the lights in the room. So while it isn’t technically in the exercise space, to use it sure beats just clapping.

Crestron Official Website

OZ Snowboards enters the market with a whole host of features that are in line or better than other boards on the market. The top sheets are real wood veneer that is less toxic than those created from plastic. The triaxial carbon fiber layers add three times the strength over the use of fiberglass, plus it is one third lighter. The full length cores do not use finger joints and are created using a Kevlar honeycomb and poplar wood mix to produce a core that is lighter than a full wood core; and by not having finger joints, the boards have less weak spots when flexed. The sidewalls are recycled ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW) mated with full wrap, hardened steel edges. The bases are made using P-tex Durasurk 4001 with P-tex protection in the tip and tail. All of the materials are assembled together to create durable, light weight boards that are backed by a three year warranty.

While walking from booth to booth looking for a board to ride, it was the wood top sheet laminates that first caught my eye. Nature’s random patterns in wood are simple, yet eye appealing. There were few ski companies at SIA with offerings that featured wooden top sheets, but not may board manufacturers are using wooden veneers. Having never heard the name and noticing that their boards were manufactured in America reeled me in for a test ride.

Adam was manning the booth. After chatting for a bit and describing my riding style, he put me on the Camber. This is OZ’s ‘traditional’ full camber board with the tip and tail rise starting at a similar points on my older Burton board. This in turn would mean that the Camber would handle similar and the possibility of catching an edge would be minimized.

The Camber was the last demo board of the day for me as most of the manufacturers were winding down. There was enough time to squeeze in three or four runs if strategically done, so that was the plan. Run after run, the Camber was a pleasure to ride. There was no noticeable chatter at speed and it was a very stable board. It was easy to control and there was no issues through the turns, the board reacted exactly as expected, turn after turn. For being in their first year of production, OZ is producing a board that has the control and feel of others who have been in the business for decades.

Along with the Camber, OZ Snowboards manufactures a number of other boards. The G3 is their full rocker board; the Verix is the early rise tip and tail board; and the CQ is the powder board. All of the boards are manufactured in a similar fashion to the Camber board using the same materials and they are all manufactured in Evergreen, Colorado. Adam firmly believes in producing goods in the U.S.:

Produced in the USA OZ snowboard founder Adam Browning has made the commitment to never move the production of OZ Snowboards over seas. Adam believes we have the duty to employ locally and use local suppliers in all aspects of our snowboard construction. In addition, all of our apparel and stickers produced here in Colorado.

Just as strongly as they feel about U.S. manufacturing, OZ is also focused on producing environmentally friendly products. Not only do they recycle as much of their scraps from manufacturing that they can, but they also use a bio-renewable epoxy resin sourced from waste streams of other industrial processes and 100-percent of the factory is wind powered. Plus they contribute 1-percent of their profits to 1% for the Planet, an organization that “… exists to build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet.” Lastly they actually offer a $25 credit to those individuals who gives their old board to OZ for recycling purposes.

The SIA show demonstrated the number of available choices for those looking for a new board, and OZ Snowboards do offer a number of features and an excellent ride quality. With the emphasis on U.S. manufacturing and environmental consciousness, OZ is entering the market with a lineup of boards that are worth looking at when the time comes to replace your current board.

OZ Snowboards Official Website

And even if you ride a regular bike there is the issue of trying to store a helmet when you’re not around. You can lock up a helmet with a bike, but it can be easily damaged. So it means having yet another thing to worry about. Or you could have a helmet that folds up! Agency 360 designed the Overade folding helmet back in 2010, and it will reportedly go into production this year.

The helmet is small enough to be tossed in a bag, and should by accounts offer as much protection as a regular helmet. This will be one we’d like to put to the test when it unfolds later this year.

Agency 360 Official Website
[Via Ubergizmo: Overade folding bike helmet is convenient]

Lizard is pitching the boot as a good fit for snowshoe, snow mobile, and other activities. Though we can see this boot will get a lot of wear any time you have to venture out in the snow. The sole has a nice tread so you can keep your footing in a variety of conditions. A rubbery material covers the foot up to the ankle, and then a woven mesh material covers to just below the knee. A fleecy lining keeps you warm.

A Velcro strap secures the boot across the front, which is adjustable for a snug fit. An elastic cord is laced up the back to allow some flexibility in your activity. The boots are made in Italy.

Details are light since these are still concept. We were lucky to even get a photo since on day two the boots weren’t even out on open display. We can say that while the current X-Spin is a good boot, the new one is lighter and more stylish, and worth waiting for.

Lizard Footwear Official Website

Meopta USA Official Website

]]> http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/shot-show-turn-the-iphone-into-an-iscope/feed 0 http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/the-pmx-680-headphones-are-good-enough-for-karl-meltzer http://www.kineticshift.com/2012/the-pmx-680-headphones-are-good-enough-for-karl-meltzer#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:33:14 +0000 Peter Suciu http://www.kineticshift.com/?p=12362 While not exactly brand new, this week Sennheiser let it be known that ultrarunner Karl Meltzer tones up and tunes out with the Sennheiser/adidas PMX 680 Sport headphones. There are a lot of audio choices out there, but Sennheiser has a point. If Meltzer, who regularly runs 100-mile ultra-marathons, uses the headphones then they probably are something the rest of us might consider.

According to Sennheiser Meltzer runs two to three hours with music playing, and says he appreciates the support of the neckband, which also includes a reflector at the back to provide a little safety.

The PMX 680 also allows him to make volume adjustments without stopping or reaching for his audio player. He can adjust the volume from a clip on his shirt. So for those looking for a new set of headphones, think of it this way, if it works for Karl Meltzer it probably is good enough for the rest of us!

Sennheiser Official Website

But we recently heard about the BioLite Camp Stove that can actually use the heat from the stove, which can be used to cook or just warm up those sitting next to it, as a power source. Essentially the heat is converted into electricity and can be used to power gadgets such as a mobile phone from a USB port. In this way the stove is both heater and generator. And as the name suggests it doesn’t run on fuel, but can burn wood and generate power for phones, lights and other electronics. Not bad for a $129 when the wood burning stove with a USB port arrives this spring.

BioLite Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Stove Burns Wood, Charges USB-Powered Gadgets on Side]

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS4

Whether you’re on a budget or want to go all out and the sky is the limit, Panasonic has a camera for you. This week the company introduced two new rugged outdoor digital cameras.

First up is the Lumix DMC-TS4, which includes GPS, compass, altimeter, barometer and truly lives up to the rugged moniker. A barometer log is even available to help users forecast the climate and log barometric trends, while the altitude measurements can be used in conjunction with GPS data. And speaking of GPS, the camera more than a million landmarks and 82 countries/regions cover in the maps available on the bundled DVD, allowing Geo-tagged images to be automatically sorted and played back along a map!

It is waterproof to approximately 40 feet or 12 meets, shockproof with a fall from about 6.6 feet and freezeproof to as low as 14ºF, and it is also dustproof so it can handle pretty much anything you might throw at it. The DMC-TS4 also takes rugged to a new level, featuring a Leica DC VARIO-ELMAR lens with a 4.6x optical zoom. The 12.1megapixel camera features a hi-speed CCD sensor along with an advanced image processing LSI Venus Engine. It can also do the video thing, shooting HD video in AVCHD and MP4 formats at 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.

And while the TS4 is a point and shoot, it offers users manual operation, allowing for adjustments such as shutter speed and aperture. Other features include time lapse shooting, miniature effect and even panorama shot. And for those who like some help the TS4 also features the iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, which includes a suite of technologies that automatically select the most appropriate setting to take photos and videos. The Lumix TS4 will be available in March for $399.99.

Panasonic LUMIX TS20

For those with a tighter budget the Lumix TS20 also features a rugged design, which is waterproof to 16 feet, shockproof to 5 feet, and still dustproof and freezeproof to as low as 14ºF. The camera features a 4x optical zoom, which extends to 8x equivalent with Intelligent Zoom function. The TS20 is a 16.1megapixel camera that can also double as a video camera with 720p HD video in the MP4 format. It also offers the iA mode, and features the Panorama Shot for a maximum 360-degree of horizontal / vertical panoramic image by taking consecutive shots and overlaying the photos. The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS20 will be available in late-February 2012 in orange, blue, black and red models for a suggested retail price of $179.99

Panasonic Lumix Official Website