Ispo BrandNew Awards
Last week, I hopped the big pond to attend Ispo, a major sports and outdoors-equipment trade show held twice each year in Munich, Germany. A highlight of this show is always the exhibition of new products bestowed with the prestigious Ispo BrandNew Award, which is a recognition of innovative products from new and upcoming outdoors, sports and fitness companies. Here's what caught my eye from the BrandNew Award winners and finalists:
-KMX Kart
Think the recumbent bicycle is dead? The KMX Kart, a 24-speed recumbent with mountain bike characteristics, may just put these ground-skimming cycles back in fashion. I had a blast cruising at high speeds outside the trade show pavilion, banking turns, spinning out, riding over curbs and stopping on a dime. Knobby tires, disc brakes, nice components, beefy construction and a design that provides good control on the pavement and off trail have allowed the company to sell 3,000 KMX Karts in the past six months in Europe alone. ($1,000, www.atomictoys.net)
KMXKart
-Windboard
Windsurfing on dry land. That's the general idea behind the Windboard, an oversized flexible fiberglass skateboard with sail compatibility. Its large tires let riders catch the wind and sail on asphalt, packed sand or other hard surfaces. The company made the Windboard for passionate but landlocked windsurfers looking to get a quick fix, but windsurf neophytes may also benefit from this design, as it lets you get the hang of the sport without waves and other challenges of the deep, dark sea. ($499, www.windboard.com)
Windboard
-Skorpion Skates
Skorpion Sports Ltd. calls its namesake product a multi-terrain quad skate. Essentially, they are rugged roller skates with big wheels and suspension to suck up the bumps and roll over grass, dirt, gravel, cracked pavement and brick cobbles. A wide foot platform and ratchet straps let you step in and skate in regular footwear. The five-inch wheels have fast bearings and a strong five-spoke geometry. The skate body and axle mounts are made of a thermoplastic resin for durability and light weight. ($75, www.skorpionskates.com)
Skorpion Skates
-Knog Frog light
The flexible silicone body of this micro bike light allows it to be stretched and mounted on handlebars, seat posts and frame tubing with diameters ranging from 10mm to 32mm. The Frog is water resistant and has no moving parts. It weighs 12 grams and runs on lithium battery coin cells that the company says will keep the Frog's L.E.D. blinking bright for 160 hours. ($10, www.knogusa.com)
Knog Frog
-GoPro Hero Camera
Never miss the shot. That's GoPro's mantra for the Hero Camera, a waterproof 35mm camera that attaches to your wrist via a strong Velcro bracelet. It stays folded down and out of the way during activities like surfing, mountain biking, skiing and climbing; when the perfect photo opportunity arises the camera pivots up with the flip of a small rubber tab ready to fire. Made for amateur sports photographers tired of the inconvenience of traditional cameras, this product is a smart and simple solution. It's easy to operate, it's durable, and it will do the job capturing those hard-to-get action shots you might miss in the blink of an eye. ($20, www.goprocamera.com)
Hero Camera
-KMX Kart
Think the recumbent bicycle is dead? The KMX Kart, a 24-speed recumbent with mountain bike characteristics, may just put these ground-skimming cycles back in fashion. I had a blast cruising at high speeds outside the trade show pavilion, banking turns, spinning out, riding over curbs and stopping on a dime. Knobby tires, disc brakes, nice components, beefy construction and a design that provides good control on the pavement and off trail have allowed the company to sell 3,000 KMX Karts in the past six months in Europe alone. ($1,000, www.atomictoys.net)
KMXKart
-Windboard
Windsurfing on dry land. That's the general idea behind the Windboard, an oversized flexible fiberglass skateboard with sail compatibility. Its large tires let riders catch the wind and sail on asphalt, packed sand or other hard surfaces. The company made the Windboard for passionate but landlocked windsurfers looking to get a quick fix, but windsurf neophytes may also benefit from this design, as it lets you get the hang of the sport without waves and other challenges of the deep, dark sea. ($499, www.windboard.com)
Windboard
-Skorpion Skates
Skorpion Sports Ltd. calls its namesake product a multi-terrain quad skate. Essentially, they are rugged roller skates with big wheels and suspension to suck up the bumps and roll over grass, dirt, gravel, cracked pavement and brick cobbles. A wide foot platform and ratchet straps let you step in and skate in regular footwear. The five-inch wheels have fast bearings and a strong five-spoke geometry. The skate body and axle mounts are made of a thermoplastic resin for durability and light weight. ($75, www.skorpionskates.com)
Skorpion Skates
-Knog Frog light
The flexible silicone body of this micro bike light allows it to be stretched and mounted on handlebars, seat posts and frame tubing with diameters ranging from 10mm to 32mm. The Frog is water resistant and has no moving parts. It weighs 12 grams and runs on lithium battery coin cells that the company says will keep the Frog's L.E.D. blinking bright for 160 hours. ($10, www.knogusa.com)
Knog Frog
-GoPro Hero Camera
Never miss the shot. That's GoPro's mantra for the Hero Camera, a waterproof 35mm camera that attaches to your wrist via a strong Velcro bracelet. It stays folded down and out of the way during activities like surfing, mountain biking, skiing and climbing; when the perfect photo opportunity arises the camera pivots up with the flip of a small rubber tab ready to fire. Made for amateur sports photographers tired of the inconvenience of traditional cameras, this product is a smart and simple solution. It's easy to operate, it's durable, and it will do the job capturing those hard-to-get action shots you might miss in the blink of an eye. ($20, www.goprocamera.com)
Hero Camera
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