. Sea to Summit’s tiny tent a perfect pick for bikepacking
Despite a pack size slightly larger than a Nalgene bottle, the ultra light Specialist Solo sports roomy proportions when assembled.
Packing up just a smidge larger than a Nalgene bottle, Sea to Summit’s feathery, 625-gram Specialist Solo might just be the ideal bikepacking tent. Despite its diminutive pack size, the $429 aluminum-poled Solo boasts 14.5 square feet of well-proportioned floor space and a respectable 3.9 square foot vestibule. The optional 94g Tyvek groundsheet adds durability to the ultralight package and seems like a wise addition. For $70 more and a “penalty” of 220 grams you can get the Specialist Duo two-person version which adds nine square feet and another door. Sea to Summit also makes a full line insanely light compression sacks, sleeping bags, dry sacks and kitchen items perfect for bikepacking. http://seatosummit.com
3. Thule integrates handy work stand into new bike travel cases
Hard case or soft case, Thule’s new pair of bike boxes each include wheel bags, an integrated work stand and retail for $599.
Bikes and air travel go together like peanut butter and pickles. Compounding the already cumbersome task of navigating airports with an awkward, heavy container is the indignity of the hotel-as-bike-shop. It seems you’re either out in the parking lot fumbling for tools in the dark, or inside tripping over the bike box and decorating your room with grease. Thule’s pair of clever new bike boxes add a handy, integrated work stand to the mix that just might save you from having to pony up for a new set of Egyptian cotton sheets.
Both boxes–one is a hard case, the other soft-sided—accommodate bikes with wheelbases up to 46 inches, meaning almost any road, cyclocross or mountain bike (including downhill) fits. The convertible fork mount accommodates 9 mm quick releases, as well as 15 and 20 mm through-axels. They’re both equipped with a pair of wheel bags to keep your hoops safe, and the aforementioned work stand, which clicks into the bags’ high-impact ABS plastic base during transit. High-quality dolly wheels, and rugged, rubber-coated handles make maneuvering the boxes easy.
The hard-sided Round Trip Elite employs a version of Thule’s wheel strap mechanism to clasp the case shut and is the roomier of the two boxes with a few more cubic inches to stow gear like helmets, shoes and hydration packs around the bike. The soft-sided Round Trip Pro foregoes clips in favor of heavy-duty zippers for closure, and has slightly less room, but folds down for better space management when not carrying a bike—say stored in the back of your garage, a rental car, or in that swanky hotel room you didn’t get dirty. Either bag retails for $599 and will be available in November of 2013. http://thule.com
LifeStraw water filter makes the outdoors your sippy cup
Originally created for developing countries and humanitarian efforts, the light, simple and inexpensive LifeStraw stands out in the crowded water filter category as a good pick for bikepacking. About the same size as your mini tire pump, this $24 filter packs well and simply works. Photos courtesy of Lifestraw. http://lifestraw.com
http://reviews.mtbr.com/16-cool-mostly-bike-related-things-from-the-outdoor-retailer-show/2
Teva clips-in with new Pivot MTB shoe
Teva’s PR manager Jamie Eschette shows how cleats can be adjusted through the top of their new Pivot clipless mountain bike shoe.
We got our hands….err feet…on a preproduction pair of Teva’s Pivot clipless pedals a few months ago (reviewed here in a long-term test) but thought they might be worth another mention now that they’re available at retail and because they were hard to miss at Outdoor Retailer.
While Teva traditionally uses OR to pitch their popular sport sandals, flip-flops and hiking shoes, the new mountain bike shoes shared the spotlight with the brand’s more outdoorsy siblings at this year’s show. Following up on the success of their Jeff Lenosky-designed Links flat pedal shoes, the Pivot adds clipless-compatibility along with a new twist on set-up, according to Teva PR manager Jaime Eschette who demonstrated the feature.
In addition to threading your cleat screws the traditional way—from the bottom—the Pivots come with a port for mounting the cleats from the top and through the shoe upper and toe box. This allows you to clip into the pedal and make adjustments without clipping out. Yes, you need to pull your foot out of the shoe, but at least you’re not twisting and dramatically upsetting the alignment as you would the traditional way. Teva even includes a T25 Torx driver and matching bolts for the task. An added bonus—down the road when you remove worn cleats you won’t be fighting beat down bolt heads. Smart stuff.
The Pivots go for $150 and come in black with blue accents, and grey with red accents. http://teva.com
15. Snow Peak’s new self-directing headlamp puts light where you’re looking
Functional prototypes of the Snow Peak Motil headlamp looked promising and worked well. The self-directing headlamps run on two AAA batteries and should be available by spring of 2014.
You know those fancy car headlights that look around corners to put light where you’re going to go next? That’s essentially the idea behind Snow Peak’s new vertically self-directing 2.5-ounce, 90 lumen Motil headlamp. Using a counterweight device they call “Optic Motility,” the system enables the beam to point where your eyes are looking rather than where your head is pointed, kind of like an automatic tilt adjustor. Availability and pricing has not yet been set. snowpeak.com
http://reviews.mtbr.com/16-cool-mostly-bike-related-things-from-the-outdoor-retailer-show
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eSpyder electric aircraft goes on sale for under $40K
By James Holloway August 2, 2013
Standard flight times fall between 60 and 90 minutes
Electric aircraft company GreenWing International has announced the release of its first 50 eSpyder single-seat electric planes, which will be sold as build-it-yourself kits for for under US$40,000.
The company will ship 25 eSpyders in the United States at a cost of US$39,990. Another 25 ...According to GreenWing's figures, the eSpyder can cruise at speeds of up to 68 mph (109 km...The company will ship 25 eSpyders in the United States at a cost of US$39,990. Another 25 ...Recharging the battery takes 2 to 3 hoursView all
The eSpyder is a compact little flyer, measuring 5.9 m (19.4 ft) nose to tail, standing 2.4 m (7.9 ft) high with a wingspan of 10.1 m (33.1 ft). Empty, the eSpyder weighs 186 kg (410 lb).
It's propelled by a 24 kW (32 hp) motor powered by a 13-kWh onboard lithium battery. GreenWing says that the eSpyder's custom charging system monitors the health of the battery in order to achieve the best performance possible.
According to GreenWing's figures, the eSpyder can cruise at speeds of up to 68 mph (109 km/h), though to optimize efficiency it can cruise in economy mode at 38 mph (61 km/h). Standard flight times fall between 60 and 90 minutes. Recharging the battery takes 2 to 3 hours.
The company will ship 25 eSpyders in the United States at a cost of US$39,990. Another 25 will be sold in Europe for €34,990 each. In Germany, the eSpyder has been DULV certified, making it the first electric aircraft to be certified at a national level.
The company says that it has limited the initial run in order to ensure "outstanding service" for customers. The company is aiming to deliver the kits before the end of the year.
GreenWing International is a spin-off of Yuneec to focus on the electric aircraft developed by that company, including the eSpyder and e430.
Source: GreenWing International via Wired
http://greenwing.aero/?page_id=2365
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Got a Kinect and a laptop? Get ready to 3D print
By James Holloway August 2, 2013
Scanning and 3D printing an object could become much simpler if 3D printing company Volumental is successful in crowdfunding the development of a web app which would allow users to scan and print 3D objects using nothing more than a Kinect sensor and a web browser.
Volumental is aiming to develop the app inside of three monthsVolumental's vision is to be able to 3D print more or less anything you can seeWhy not scan and print your family?Why not scan and print your family?View all
Though the company already has a web service that allows people to upload scanned 3D models, Volumental says that it needs to refine an app which is better able to differentiate a thing (toys, pets, family members are among the suggestions) from its surroundings in order to be able to print the object in isolation. Though this is a tricky problem to solve, the company claims it knows how to do it, and simply needs to hire a developer to get it done.
If funded, the app raises the exciting prospect of being able to scan more or less anything. Connect your Kinect sensor to a laptop tethered to a smartphone and you theoretically have yourself a portable 3D scanner with which to snap a quick model of anything you fancy a 3D print of, which would arrive soon after on your doorstep. The team claims the process will be as easy as streaming a movie using Netflix.
Why not scan and print your family?
Volumental is aiming to develop the app inside of three months. Though the delivery date for pledges is January 2014, the company says this represents a "worse case scenario."
Though that sounds ambitious, Volumental is not a beginner in the field of 3D scanning. The company has grown out of Kinect@Home, a web project that allows Kinect owners to upload 3D scans onto the web developed by Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology Computer Science PhD Alper Aydemir and PhD students Rasmus Göransson and Miroslav Kobetski.
The available pledges get interesting at the US$50 mark, which will net you a 3D print of any model you scan and upload. Other pledges make 3D models available to downloading for people with access to 3D printers. Some also throw in a depth camera for people that don't already have one. This may not be a Kinect, as any OpenNI-standard depth camera should work.
You can see the team's campaign video below.
Sources: Volumental, Kickstarter
http://volumental.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/volumental/the-3d-scan-to-print-web-app
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