Sports

Over the past few years an unlikely material has found its way into wetsuits: limestone. One would think that using rock to create rubber might cause a wearer to sink, but the porous yet closely-packed cells found in a limestone-based rubber is said to make the wearer more buoyant. De Soto Sports, a San Diego-based company that makes clothing and gear for triathlons, developed its own brand of limestone-based rubber, GreenGoma, to use in its wetsuits. Starting with the 2012 line, which first hit stores this past fall, all of the company's T1 wetsuits are made with GreenGoma, which eliminates the use of petroleum products in the line. Read More

About a year and a half ago, the International Cycling Union – the organization that sets the rules for bicycle racing – announced that it would allow the use of disc brakes on cyclo-cross bikes. This was good news for off-road racers, who were willing to accept the slight weight penalty of disc systems in exchange for the performance advantages that they offer over traditional rim brakes. As a result, we’re now seeing various disc-equipped competition-level cyclo-cross bikes entering the marketplace. However, what does this mean for all the perfectly-good bikes out there that were made before the announcement? Well, it turns out that they can be converted to hydraulic discs, thanks to something known as the Parabox system. Read More

Contrary to celluloid legend, Marty McFly did not invent the skateboard in 1955. Street surfing actually originated a little later and has gone from a few home brewers mounting some roller skate wheels onto the underside of a plywood board to an international sport which challenges both the creative ingenuity and physical capabilities of its participants. The design and structure of board and components have improved greatly over the years, but there appears to have been little headway in feeding back vital performance data to riders. Designer and manufacturer of military grade tracking technologies Edgetrak and performance board producer wefunk have now joined forces to fill the void. The newly-formed Stealth Division has just put the finishing touches to a new operational prototype longboard called the Mach1, the first deck in the world to feature built-in telemetrics. Read More

Minimalist, "barefoot" shoes have been one of the biggest stories of the footwear industry for several years. Some companies won't be happy until you're essentially wearing a micro-thin sole on your naked feet. The latest step toward that future is the O1M One Moment shoes. Read More

Chew on a stick of gum sweetened with xylitol and you may just experience a cool sensation. Slip on a pair of Carbon Pro Team shoes from Louis Garneau and you may just get the same feeling. While it's most common use is as a natural sweetener, properties of xylitol make it useful for clothing as well. Xylitol is woven into fabric under the brand name Ice-Fil, which is used in the insoles of the Louis Garneau Carbon Pro Team cycling shoes to help keep athletes cool. Read More

Working with a golf pro can definitely help to improve your performance on the greens, although pros can sometimes find it difficult to determine if you’re gripping your club too tightly, just by watching. Germany’s Sensosolutions addressed that problem with its SensoGlove, a computer- and sensor-equipped glove that allows users to set their desired level of grip, and then receive feedback on whether or not they’re gripping within that range. Yesterday, the company announced that the glove has now been improved. Read More

The world's first handheld GPS to use the Android mobile operating system is gearing up for release. The All Sports GPS from Holux is also the first handheld unit with WiFi capability. The idea is to fuse smartphone capability into a handheld GPS, allowing users to download GPS apps directly without having to hookup to a computer. Read More

Kahuna Creations is bringing standup paddleboarding to every type of terrain the Earth has to offer. The sport originated as a water sport, and thanks to Kahuna's Big Stick, came on land a few years ago. Now it's turned into a winter sport thanks to the all new Snow Stick. Snow SUP! Read More

For the past couple of years, the only major bicycle parts manufacturer to offer electronic gear shifting has been Shimano, with its Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain. That changed this Monday, however, as renowned Italian components-maker Campagnolo launched electronic versions of its two highest-end shifter/derailleur groups. The new products are called Record EPS and Super Record EPS, with the tacked-on acronym standing for Electronic Power Shift. Read More