EQUIPMENT
Three Road Rides For The Tour De … Philly!
Posted by Jonathan in EQUIPMENT on 07-23-10 No Comments
How about a post on a couple of road rides that we like. These are well priced bikes, with nice features and good tech that can get you out and rolling.
The Novarra Buzz ($999) For way less than you should expect to spend for technology this good, small maker bike Novarra packs a whole lot of tech into a small package. Sure pure road riders will sneer at the aluminum frame, toe baskets and thickish tires. But for bashing and crashing ’round town, it’s tough to beat the Buzz. Relatively forgiving geometry, full disc brakes and the comfy saddle will make road time a breeze.
GTR Series 3 ($999) For roughly the same dough as the Buzz, you can step up into and entry level legit road ride with the GTR. You get a hydroformed aluminum frame with a carbon fork, some nice shifters and gears, and high-speed frame that can take you places fast. You will miss all the niceties of the Buzz, and a real road bike will be faster, but a thousand bucks you can get some serious riding done. Great bike for the money.
Kona WorldBike ($370) Ok I’m busted. No question, I am getting in touch with my inner tree hugger by going with Kona and their WorldBike. But for about what you would spend for a crap Wal-Mart bike, you get a legit riding machine that can take you, and a ton of junk, anyplace. You won’t mistake the WorldBike for something Contador would ride. But you’ll be surprised the performance of this 3 speed.
Now go have yourself some fun.
Big Bats For A Big Fly
Posted by Jonathan in EQUIPMENT on 07-16-10 No Comments
Nothing like the MLB All-Star Game to bring out the hidden slugger in all of us. And with this year’s Home Run Derby just done, it turns out bat technology has brought bad-ass hitting within reach for the rest of us.
Here are a couple big sticks I dig for that “big-fly” feel.
Combat Virus Plague: ($300) If you can’t hit a monster slow-pitch home run with this sucker, it’s time to pick up another sport.
With a simply ridiculously large sweet spot, monster head and composite thin-wall construction, the fully balanced 30-ounce Virus Plague will give you that major league, fast bat head feel in a bat any amateur can swing. The graphics are over the top for this sports geek, but still for those looking for some Sunday afternoon slow-pitch softball power, the Combat is the Virus to get.
DeMarini 2011 CF4: ($325) If you want to try to hit a baseball, this composite uber bat is the one to get.
DeMarini has pushed the boundaries of what a bat is with this sucker. With a mixed construction handle and head, it brings both unparalleled stick stiffness and head flexibility to maximize power and drive through each swing. The key with these bats is to keep it light to get the best bat speed. The models that may feel a little too light will get you the best swings. For pure baseball power, DeMarini is setting the bar the CF4.
And Now The Booming Market In Vuvuzela Filters!
Posted by Jonathan in EQUIPMENT, TELEVISION on 06-24-10 No Comments
Got an issue with the Vuvuzela? You are not alone. San Francisco-based video technology company called Elgato has come to market with a quicky audio filter that pulls out the Vuvuzela drone from the World Cup broadcasts.
Now, obviously this product is mostly just PR spin, since really all the code does is create a single frequency filter to remove the sound from the broadcasts. Still, Elgato, which makes video tools for Macs and PCs, should get some credit for coming with a simple way to de-Vuvuzela a broadcast.
I’m withholding judgement until we see if the thing works. Audio filtering can be tricky. But it probably does cut the noise out a bit. The audio filter that fits into their software links from Elgato’s Web site, although, this link is not downloading quite right at this minute. Probably getting overloaded.
A Sports Tech Father’s Day: A Titanium Wrist Watch From Origo
Posted by Jonathan in EQUIPMENT on 06-02-10 No Comments
Go ahead, channel your inner Iron Man this father’s Day. Get that Dad or grad in your life a titanium sports watch from Origo. (Titanium Man/Iron Man. Get it?) The Origo is a decent, if a bit bland, mainstream sports watch that looks good, is made of indestructible titanium and comes with enough features like a barometer, compass, altimeter and other bells and whistles to pass sports geek muster.
The thing costs $260.
Besides being a decent looking watch, the model shows how durable the sports watch has become as a category. Now, not only do traditional sports watch makers like Casio and Suunto make bad ass gizmos for the wrist, larger sports makers and watch companies compete here as well. Nike, Adidas, Timex and most other makers are pushing some sort of hip, uber geek watch in the line.
It’s getting downright hip to be a sports geek.
Cheating Like Jerry: Golf Range Finder Guide
Posted by Jonathan in EQUIPMENT on 05-26-10 1 Comment
Charles Barkley really should go to jail for massacring innocent golf balls and Derek Jeter has a criminal handicap, its in the 30s. These dubious achievements pall next to Jerry Rice, the hall of fame wide receiver and wanna be dance star, who set a new low two weeks ago. Rice got chucked from a National Tour tournament when his caddy used a range finder to judge the distance to a pin, which is a major no-no for PGA events.
Now, for sure, it’s ridiculous that both Rice and his caddy didn’t know the rules, but the fact is, range finders are great tools for the average golfer. So here are our picks for scopes for the rest of us.
- Nikon LR 1200 Laser Range Finder ($350): Nikon pretty much leads the way on sticking lasers into range finders. The LR1200 does a dang nice job: Accurate to 1200 meters, it will give you pin placement down to about a foot. Now all you need to do is actually make that shot.
- Callaway LR550 Dual Lens Optical Range Finder ($300): Callaway does a nice job with a medium price optical scope. It wont be as dead accurate as the Nikon, but honestly you won’t miss the performance with your crappy short game.
- Galileo Golf Scope ($20): Honestly, I am not sure why any amateur would golf without this thing. For twenty lousy bucks you can take away all the nonsense about judging the pin, get this gizmo and improve your shot.
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Episode 48 — “Spain’s Putting HGH In The Water”
Dan makes it back from the beach alive, so we break down the cutting edge in NFL Preseason analysis: Old school print mags. Blum is agog at the Triple Crown winner in auto racing. Dan talks up the X-Games. And we wonder what drug is in the water in Span. They’re winning everything, everywhere. (24.1 MB. [...]
Episode 47 — “Lance is Gettin’ Screwed”
Dan takes a much needed vacation poolside so Blum flies solo this week. Seth The Technihilist calls in with the latest scoop on tech tools to keep his Pirates awful. Blum plays the Old Course, on Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online, that is. And we throw a techno-bone to Lance: There’s no way he doped [...]
Episode 46 – “Show Em Your Big Fly Stick”
Dan and Blum give it up to King George Steinbrenner. then Blum breaks down some big bats for big home runs. And Dan gives us the skinny on EA’s NCAA Football 11. And finally what a royal jerk Lebron really is. (7/15/2010. 29.1 minutes)
Episode 45 – “They’re All Takin’ Drugs”
Dan, Blum, and Seth wonder out loud what the world needs with Sirius’ new all fantasy sports channel. Dan gets sucked into the Back to the Future vibe and brings us sports technology in 2015. Blum sees an All-Star conspiracy in Kevin Youkilis not getting on the All-Star team. And with Floyd Landis spilling his [...]
Episode 44 – “The age of free stuff is over”
Can Sports Illustrated save themselves with a fancy iPad app? Plus: Why high school can’t afford to protect their football players with modern helmets, a look at what FIFA could do with goal-line technology, and Jonathan found some “interesting” items at the Outdoor Retailer Show. [7/1/2010, 30:29m]
Episode 43 – “This is the geek’s delight”
Seth, the tech nihlist, thinks 3D television is just going to be a rich guy’s thing and has a long way to go. Plus: Jonathan philosophizes on technology and the ever-changing sports medium, Dan got to play with the Xbox Kinect and wants to have its baby, and a little airplane tech from the Red [...]
Episode 42 – “We make the invisible visible”
TSC brings in Ron Imbriale from Flexxcoach to discuss their innovative software/video solution for regular athletes. Plus: The inflatable motorcycle crash suit, a discussion of Abby Sunderland’s failed around the world sailing trip, and we look at what ESPN on the Xbox really means for sports fans. [6/16/2010, 31:32m]
Episode 41 – “I was detained, I was almost ejected”
Jonathan recounts his story of trying to take pictures at Yankee stadium. Plus: Seth, the Tech Nihlist, joins us to discuss the NCAA’s rules on texting and other technology, Jonathan’s ideas on how to do instant replay in baseball, and Dan tells us where and how to watch the World Cup on any device. [6/9/10, [...]
Episode 40 – “This sounds geeky and it is geeky but it’s important”
Jonathan was in his watchtower surveying the TVs of tomorrow and reports back on what we can expect in our homes and stadiums in a few years. Plus: Our feelings about The Danikapolis 500, the controversy surrounding the Adidas World Cup ball, and we take a quick look at Lacrosse equipment technology. [6/2/2010, 27:05m]
Episode 39 – “If you don’t like the game, drop your nachos on it”
The new Madison Square Garden is coming, complete with… skybridges? Plus: What Google TV could mean for sports fans, what kind of gear does it take to climb Mt. Everest (hint: it’s a lot), and why the PGA has their heads up their you-know-what when it comes to allowing new technology in golf. [5/26/2010, 29:42m]
