kuat
The bike rack company kuat, had a couple of new items in their booth. They have a downscale version of their fancy NV rack, and the new NV CORE, forgoes the NV’s integrated cable locks and bike stand Trail Doc attachment, and come in a flat black color scheme. They added two roof baskets, the Vagabond and Vagabond-X, the former has a built in skewer, and the latter is deeper and has fancier colors and graphics. The most interesting item was their new Bottle Lock, which is a water bottle that has an integrated 5 foot long x 8mm cable that locks back onto itself. The bottom of the Bottle Lock has a compartment for the keys or other paraphernalia (college memories), and it comes in white, black and pink. The cable wraps around the inside circumference of the bottle in a sort of helix pattern, and it was easy to snake in and out. This would be a great item for commuting, going to the grocery store, etc., albeit not in a high-crime area.
2Toms
The 2Toms booth has a large placard for their ButtShield product, that immediately cut my eye and attention. I spoke with the rep for a while on the products, and was pretty intrigued. The product is silicone based, and prevents unwanted friction that can lead to saddle sore and rashes. I applied some to my fingertips (not my butt), and it leaves a very thin layer of what feels like lubricant, but it’s not greasy, is waterproof, and doesn’t rub or come off unless soap and water are used. It would be an excellent product to add to the travel bag or pack, especially when you are doing long rides, big adventures or any activities on hot days. I love their product spiel “Do you suffer from Butt Irritation while participating in your favorite sport?,” and I think it will definitely prevent getting the dreaded monkey butt.
180S
The company 180S is known prominently for their behind-the-head ear warmers, but they are entering into the biking and running apparel world with their new QuantumCool products. The concept behind the QuantumCool material is that it provides a cooling effect when the material wick’s moisture into its pores, and it is supposed to help cool the body by 3%. I got a mini test of the product on some arm sleeves, and when they dropped water on the material, you could feel a sort of air conditioning effect on the skin, and I will be interested in how it works in real-world activities. The material has UPS+ 50 sun protection, is anti-odor, reflects the sun’s rays and has what they call pulse point cooling. The latter feature, is that cooling elements are located at particular pulse points, which help increase the cooling rate of your skin. They’ll be making jerseys, arm sleeves and headband out of the material, and I am looking forward to trying some of the gear out, and putting it through the wringer and sweat box. They created the material to help with spring and summer activities, and assist athletes with overheating, overexposure to the sun and decreased performance due to some of the former issue. Their bicycling line includes a Compression Arm and Calf Sleeve, Head Band, Wrist Band, Cycling Jersey and Packable Cycling Jacket, which utilize varying designs and features, but all of them feature the QuantumCool system.
QuantumCool Specs:
- Activation -Occurs as soon as you begin to sweat, cooling your skin up to 3%
- Thermal Ray Protection – The fabric reflects the sun rays adding to the overall cooling effect
- Pulse Point Cooling – The cooling element is located on pulse points at the wrist and inner bicep, increasing the cooling rate of the body (arm sleeve – 17020)
- Advanced Moisture Management – Quickly absorbs moisture allowing the body to naturally cool itself
- Anti-Odor – Provides a virtually odor free garment
- UPF 50+ – Provides added protection from the harmful rays of the sun
- Bike products – Compression Arm Calf Sleeve, Head Band, Wrist Band, Cycling Jersey, Packable Cycling Jacket
Bonelocker
They were hidden over on the very back wall of the Sands Convention center, but this very innovative and secure bike carrier was well worth seeking out. They created a hitch mounted bike carrier, that is simple to use, highly adjustable for various bike frame geometries, durable and strong, and utilizes an integrated theft prevention locking bar for the utmost in safety. The carrier is made in the USA at their Spokane Washington factory, and uses cold steel for strength and flexibility, stainless steel for corrosion resistance and hardness, and the trays use soft and durable rubber padding to protect the bike’s frame.
The Bonelocker only weighs 21 lbs., so it’s easy to carry around and install. The unit consists of the main hitch, which connects to the vehicle’s receiver (2 inch or 1 1/4 inch options), the theft prevention locking bar, and the adjustable frame trays for three bikes. The main bike carrying bar has a round shape, and the three rubber padded trays, which have a seat tube stabilizer (shown above as the drooping prong) for anti-sway purposes, can move forward and backward and rotate 360 degrees on the bar, for maximum flexibility. The theft prevention locking bar connects over the top of the bike, and locks up on the backside of the hitch, and when the bar is not needed, it can be stowed within the carrier.
The Bonelocker is simple, easy to use, rugged, and will help prevent common theft (a determined expert criminal not withstanding).
Camelbak
Although not specifically related to biking, I thought their newly revised All Clear UV Purifier is pretty darn trick, and it would be a great unit for back country travelers, long bike rides, bike backpacking and endurance racing. The All Clear UV Purifier uses ultraviolet light to kill off and eliminate bacteria, viruses and protozoa that cause water-borne illness, that might exist in alpine lakes, tap water and streams. The unit is comprised of a 24-ounce bottle, a battery-powered cap that contains the UV light, a power switch and an LCD screen. You can get an optional pre-filter if needed for sediments and debris.
The All Clear is pretty easy to use, just fill it with questionable water, push the button on the lid, shake it gently for 60 seconds (the LCD screen counts down), and you have clean water. The UV bulb is supposed to last for 10,000 cycles, and the battery (charged via a USB port) for over 80 cycles. The All Clear is a pretty sweet unit that is simple, innovative, easy to use, and you can replace the UV lid with a normal lid from the newer bottle line for easier drinking purposes.
Side Note => SteriPEN, which uses a UV water purifier light on a small handheld device, had this to say about using their unit for hydration bladders:
- Run purified water through the tube – Make sure you run a small amount of purified water (following treatment) from the bladder through the hydration tube before next consumption of water. This should push trace amounts of microbes out of the tube.
- 1 Liter treatments or less only. Hydration companies offer many larger size hydration bladder/reservoirs that we cannot recommend for use with SteriPEN water purifiers. DO NOT use them with SteriPEN.
- Single chamber model only! Hydrapak ShapeShift and some Camelbak Antidote have multiple chambers, and we cannot recommend these models for use with SteriPEN water purifiers.
