Research | Evolving Consumer

In the Blood

Blood tests can reveal a lot of information and researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden have now developed a blood test that reveals the severity of a concussion. This could also allow a player

know when it is safe to return to the game. This is done through measurement of the tau, a special nerve cell protein, and can be used to determine if at elevated levels whether there is a concussion.
By measuring th tau levels in a regular blood test, the researchers could say how severe the concussion was just one hour after the injury, and with a high level of certainty could predict which players would have long-term symptoms and thereby needed to rest longer.

“In ice hockey and other contact sports, repeated concussions are common, where the brain has not finished healing after the first blow. This kind of injury is particularly dangerous, but there have not been any methods for monitoring how a concussion in an athlete heals,” says Henrik Zetterberg.

[Via University of Gothenburg: Blood test identifies brain damage from concussion in ice hockey]

Innovation Shaping Snowboard Industry for Next Year

This has been a brutal winter for some, but for the snowsports industry it was a mixed affair. The long winter was able to get more people on the slopes but yet demand for products was reportedly down. Earlier this month Transworld Business released the first of its Winter 2014/15 Snowboard Product Previews & Trend Reports. It noted that “innovative shapes” could drive the design movement. Among the points touched upon were that camber could be making a comeback, while splitboards could continue to see growth.

It could be a whole new game next season – but for now, we’re just happy winter is finally winding down.

Transworld Business: Innovative Shapes Drive Design Movement

Weekend Reading List (03.08.2014): Enough Already, Protesting, Tracking the Field

Enough Already

From Bicycle Retailer: U.S. Transportation Secretary says he won’t tolerate ‘crisis’ in bicyclist deaths
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday that he won’t tolerate an increase in bicyclist and pedestrian deaths. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.08.2014): Enough Already, Protesting, Tracking the Field

The Other 1%

There is much hatred of the 1%, but at the same time 1% has seemed to be the default. No, we’re not talking about politics or economics. We’re actually talking about how there has been a long standing debate as whether 1% should be the default setting on a treadmill incline to simulate outdoor running. The idea is that running on a treadmill with a slight incline simulates the need to displace the air in front of the runner.

Casey Kerrigan, founder and president of Oesh Shoes, says that there is no science out there to support this theory.

In her blog she writes:

“What many people don’t realize is that in that same study, there was no difference in energy between running outside and on a treadmill with 0% incline for speeds up to 7.5 miles per hour (equivalent to a 8 minute mile). In any event, if you feel like it’s easier to run on a treadmill, all you have to do, is increase the speed.”

[Via Runner’s World: Biomechanics Expert Debunks Treadmill-Running Myths]
[Via Oesh: My Scientific / Personal Advice for Treadmill Training]

Shields Are Up

Shark attacks are rare, but they do happen. Now Shark Shield has been awarded a government grant for a surfboard shark deterrent. The Western Australian State Government Grant has been presented to Shark Shield to develop a shark deterrent for surfers. The company, along with two Western Australia universities, have been award $967,161 (AU) in the second round of applied research funding. Continue reading Shields Are Up

Will Counterfeit Bikes Put Riders at Risk?

We’ve touched on this topic before – counterfeit products hurt everyone. The maker of the real product loses sales and the consumer gets a cheap copy. With sporting goods there is a greater risk to the consumer, as the products can fail!

Our friends at BikeRadar recently noted that local shops in the U.K. are actually blending bike equipment with genuine parts to deceive the consumer. This isn’t a widespread problem, but it does show that things could get much worse very quickly.

By selling fake gear a retailer can make a short term profit, but it could hurt the industry in the long run as it costs tens of millions of dollars each year. Where it gets murkier is when shows that many small shops are also getting caught up in the fraud – and these shops aren’t out to deceive anyone. Instead they are buying from dubious third parties. In the end it could hurt the mom & pop retailers that don’t have deals with the big brands.

This will be a story to watch as it develops.

[Via BikeRadar: Local bike shops blend real and fake bike kit to mislead consumers]

United Spokes of America

While Washington may be known for gridlock from time to time, The League of American Bicyclists hopes to see movement in D.C. at next week’s National Bike Summit. This event will take place in advance of the next transportation bill.

The League is mobilizing behind the theme “United Spokes: Moving Beyond Gridlock.” The Summit will feature top transportation, government and political leaders including:
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ)
• Jack Wells, Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis
• Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto
• Phillip Darnton, Executive Director, Bicycle Association of Great Britain Continue reading United Spokes of America

Last week ESPN addressed that there are many different safety helmets on the market and these protect the head in very different ways. It is true that a military helmet for example needs to stop bullets whereas a ski helmet is meant to protect the wearer from injury in a crash.

However, in this insightful piece ESPN noted, “(motorsport) racing helmets are designed to redistribute the force of an accident, skiing helmets are designed to prevent skull fractures, and have not been designed with potential brain injuries in mind.”

The article also added, “Brain injuries are not restricted to Formula One, yet the FIA is the governing body that has done the most research on how to reduce the impact of high-impact head injuries on its competitors.”

With this in mind, perhaps it is time that the governing bodies for various sports start to consider the research that other bodies are doing. Thus football – which has only in recent years started to take head injuries seriously – could learn something from motorsport as well as winter sport helmets and so on.

These should all do the same thing at the end of the day, and that is to protect the wearer.

[Via ESPN: In the pursuit of safety]

Bicycle Design Signs Off

We’ve enjoyed reading the BicycleDesign.net blog for years. It has been going strong, showcasing the latest in bicycle innovation, since 2005. However, this week James Thomas announced that he’ll be ending the postings on the popular blog.

However, he had this to say on Thursday:

For anyone interested in only the bike related posts on my new blog, I have created a Bikes and Active Transportation category. There won’t be nearly as much bike design content as you were used to here, but I do plan to post a bit of it (starting with coverage of NAHBS next month).

Seems you can’t keep a good blogger from blogging! We look forward to seeing what he has to say on his new blog at JCT Design.

JCT Design
Bicycle Design

Avalanche App

Last October the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) warned against relying on a smartphone as an avalanche transceiver. As we noted in our reports one of the problems with apps is that these tended to rely too much on the phones power to transmit. However, the Galileo-LawinenFon system that was developed by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) appears to have resolved some of those issues. This could provide greater accuracy for rescuers as users don’t rely just on the wireless technology of a handset. Instead the researchers have created a piece of hardware called the Galileo-SmartLVS, which connects to the phone via USB, and could better turn a handset into an avalanche transceiver.

“Like commonly available avalanche transceivers, the Galileo-LawinenFon has a transmit and search mode,” said Holger Schulz, a scientist at Fraunhofer IML. “Unlike previous transceivers however, when looking for victims the system is not restricted to the electromagnetic field formed by a transmitted signal but makes use of satellite signals as well. Since our solution draws on numerous available sensors and satellite systems, the signals transmitted by victims can be located with a great deal of precision. Magnetic field signals are processed in 3D so that we can pinpoint accident victims in a matter of seconds and improve their chances of survival.”

While still in prototype this could be welcome news for those who head out in ski country and worry about avalanches.

Press Release: How smartphones help find avalanche victims

Concussion Avoidance

One of the best ways to avoid a concussion is to stay clear of activities where you may hit hour head. That seems to be the opinion of a quarter of parents, who said they will not let their kids play in football due to concerns over concussions, according to a recent Truven Health Analytics and NPR Health Poll. Continue reading Concussion Avoidance

Weekend Reading List (01.25.2014): History Lesson, Flying Surf Boards, Sports DNA, Old Time Skiing

History Lesson

From BikeRadar: The History of Mountain Biking released this week
The History of Mountain Biking is a special edition publication that charts mountain biking’s rise from the dying embers of the 1960s hippie movement in California to the tech-driven super sport it is today. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (01.25.2014): History Lesson, Flying Surf Boards, Sports DNA, Old Time Skiing

Volvo Partners With POC

Volvo Car Group announced this month that it had established a partnership with Swedish sports protective gear maker POC to develop ways to create communication between cars and cyclists.

“Communication with cyclists around the car is a possible extension of our groundbreaking Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection technology. Providing the cyclist with confirmation that he or she is seen by the vehicle can make interaction between cars and cyclists smoother and safer in urban areas,” said Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager, Safety Strategy and Requirements at Volvo Cars.

Finding a way to help alert drivers and avoid accidents would come as good news to cyclists.

[Via GizMag: Volvo teams with POC for car-to-cyclist communication system]
[Via Volvo: Volvo Car Group explores new safety and design ideas by partnering with high-tech sports gear developer POC]