The Goat

The freeride crew from Transition Bikes is rolling out a new line of urban bikes under the name Traitor Cycles. It’s great to see new bike brands riding the wave of high gas prices, and it’s even better to see small bike companies growing up. It’s my dream to see the bike industry take a page from the surf industry where riders of factory-made products imported from China feel great shame.

via Urban Velo

Four Idaho State Parks will be offering wifi service to campers who want to spend some time outdoors but still check work e-mails, schedule meetings, and check out their fantasy football teams. It’ll be nice for people who own GPS-equipped cell phones mashed up with Google Maps, but there are obviously a contingent of people who would prefer to leave that garbage back in civilization. Hopefully they won’t complain too much since it’s not like you’re required to pack a laptop for your backpacking trip.

via Backpacker

Early on buying a green product meant that you were getting something made from things you’d rather not revisit. Your jacket may have been made from old milk jugs or your chalk bag was cut from hemp vestments of a Himalayan herbal healer. Nixon offers us a product that doesn’t look like it was made from trash—and the trash it came from had a much cooler first life. The Nixon Rotolog Reply is cut from old skate decks. The true greenness of the product is questionable since hardly any wood is used in these watches and the carbon cost in terms of transportation and energy used to cut up old skate decks is likely high—but hey, it’s a step in the right direction.

via NOTCOT

SuperFly Jimmy Snuka should call his legal team into the Octagon Ring to take care of these suckas. A knock-off of the energy drink tabs made by Nuun promises to deliver Red Bullesque performance without the syrupy consistency and liquid morphine cough medicine taste. Pack your gums full of this stuff if you’re out of water and let the shakes takeover. A pack of six SuperFly Orange Squeeze Energy Drink Tabs sells for $5.

via Teton AT

Not much to do and ready access to the legal system makes for some interesting lawsuits. Take this one brought by an inmate trying to tie up the Lemond vs. Trek suit.

In an odd twist, an inmate at a federal prison in Williamsburg, South Carolina filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit in July, alleging that he and other inmates produce bikes for LeMond under the Federal Prison Industry Unicor Program for 12 cents an hour, a violation of minimum wage laws. The inmate also claimed LeMond bicycle are shipped to Iranian troops for training purposes, violating the “Training with Enemy” Act.

Perhaps a cyclist who went roadrage on a motorist is trying to find something to do. I don’t recall ever hearing anything about a Trek company in Wisconsin using prison labor in South Carolina. I mean, it’s not like they’re Omega Pacific.

via Interbike

Only watch this if you’re prepared to corrupt the pure vision you hold of oneness with the bike among fixed gear riders. Actually, the videos kind of funny once you get over all the giggling and male bonding.

via Trackosaurus Rex

The lightweight mavens of trail running are rolling out their lightest offering yet next spring with the Innov8 X-Talon 212. They weigh about 7.4 ounces, so it’s kind of like running on clouds—clouds that are made out of screen and open-cell foam. If the Vancouver Foot Monster takes your appendages in these things they’ll stay afloat in the ocean for decades.

via A Trail Runner’s Blog

You have to hand it to Kjus for not watering down their Euro style for consumption in America. And you also have to hand it to them for making their Cio down jacket in a color other than white since grease drips from the chairlift would leave you looking like a bad Mentos commercial. Good thing the hood is green because you probably wouldn’t be able to see you friend standing against the mountainside.

Tree Yoga combines the fresh smell of trees with the atmosphere of an Old West cow rustler hanging. I’d like to see a first time user dance around in one of these glorified deer stands about 30 feet off the ground. They’d either end up inventing the Death Vrksasana or becoming a pioneer in Quadriplegic Yoga. The Tree Yoga Multi Sling costs about $100, and as far as I can tell it’s a piece of webbing with a buckle. Learn to master the notoriously difficult ‘water knot’ and save yourself about $99 by making your own webbing sling.

via Treehugger

Eproze’s bike tool looks pretty handy with all those slim wrenches wedged into one handle, but you know the 15mm will strip out the first time you try to get off your rear wheel. Maybe you can match it with your Park multi-tool with the bent chain pin and the Pedro’s with the stripped out 5mm allen wrench and you’ll be able to finish a tune up.
Don’t waste your time with this garbage. If you ride a fixed gear, you’re supposed to be reveling in the fact that you hardly need to do maintenance anyway. Throw a Craftsman 15mm wrench in that $250 messenger bag and you’ll be covered.

via Freshness