A peek at emerging products from the sometimes cutting-edge, sometimes quirky world of gear design.
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Retro Cooling Jersey
A bike jersey that keeps you dry during exercise and regulates your body temp? That’s the claim with the Classique Bontrager/Trek jersey. It uses the 37.5 fabric from Cocona Inc. in the pictured merino wool top.
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‘Pyro’ Bike Light
With electronics molded into clear silicone, the FlarePro “shines in the same way as a real pyrotechnic flare,” except for no fire and smoke. You get 180 degrees of illumination from a bank of “under-driven” LEDs, the company explains, making an efficient, long-burning glow.
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Good Pack, Good Cause
Cotopaxi lets a buyer collaborate on pack design via a connection with its sewers in the Philippines. You choose some of the pack’s colors, and the worker picks his or her preferences to compliment. The finished product is a one-of-a-kind pack. See the Cotopaxi Connect page for details.
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Hide-Away Workout Equipment
Here is an interesting solution to bulky workout equipment for those with small homes. Stow Fitness launched this sort of wacky, potentially useful product this week. The innocuous chair hides various workout options, from weight benches to exercise cycles. It’s also pricy, starting at $1,100, and USA-made. Check out its fund-raiser for info.
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New Take On Winter Bike
Belt drive, all-weather fenders, rust-resistant aluminum, and gears that aren’t gears. With the Priority Continuum‘s “infinitely” adjustable range, you can adjust the resistance on your bike like a dimmer switch on a light.
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Legendary Glasses, Reinvented
A unique look and quality build made French sunglasses maker Vuarnet popular in the ’80s and ’90s. The brand is back, but with modern styling, including the Edge model. The Vuarnet collection has stainless-steel frames, acetate rims, and the brand’s hallmark, French-made mineral-glass lenses.
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Tactical Mini-Pump
A sleek entry from Silca, the $55 Tattico is touted as the “mini-pump that actually works.” The Tattico is frame-mountable and includes a hose that slips into the unit’s 9.5-inch frame, allowing maneuverability as you inflate.
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Waterproof-Breathable With Style
It has a requisite moisture-wicking liner and a waterproof-breathable membrane. But the men’s and women’s line of Baro Drywear raincoats add a distinctive note of urban style.
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Magnetic Bike Pedal
Clip-in security via strong magnetic force distinguish the Vault by MagLOCK. The platform-pedal has removable magnets that secure to your shoe with a metal plate (instead of traditional cleats). At 500 grams, the plastic-composite Vault is lighter than its aluminum predecessor.
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Rechargeable Heating Vest
Out with layers, in with carbon-fiber heating! Leave it to Norway to find a new way to keep warm when winter comes. The $230 Heat Experience vest has heating coils inside its Thinsulate shell. Its li-ion battery lasts up to 10 hours in the cold.
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Winter Running Shoes
The Saucony RAZOR ICE+ is our first taste of a running shoe designed with Vibram’s cutting-edge Arctic Grip sole. In testing so far, we’ve liked these shoes in snowy cold temps. Read the full RAZOR ICE+ review here.
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Adventure Santa
An outdoorsy alternative to “elf on a shelf,” Adventure Santa has a backpack to hold notes for kids and other surprises. He comes with a book that tells the story of an adventurous Christmas tale.
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‘Runner’s High’ Midsole
TPU beads formed into the shoe’s cushion to provide more propulsion at the start of a run, and more “kick” at the end… that’s the promise with Saucony’s EVERUN technology. The brand debuted the innovation last spring. Next week, Saucony introduces its first full-length EVERUN midsole with the Freedom ISO shoe.
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360-Degree Recording Sunglasses
Record everything around you without moving your head, or hands. The ORBI Prime sunglasses have two front and two rear-facing 1080p cameras. They are water resistant and record up to 90 minutes of video at a charge. The cost is $530 on the company’s Indiegogo campaign now.
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‘Speedpocket’ Shorts
Runners need to carry keys, a phone, maybe a wallet. But carrying these items can be cumbersome. Under Armour introduces its solution with the Speedpocket. These shorts have a water-resistant, secure pocket on the front for your phone, keys, and more. They’re designed to keep things stable as you run.
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YETI Of Workwear?
A new brand this month announced its plans to become to workwear what YETI is to coolers. Its soon-to-market pants use high-end, USA-sourced fabrics and slick designs, and they cost $200 and beyond per pair. Learn more about 1620 here.
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