WHETHER YOU’RE THE calorie counter, adventurous coffee-loving mountaineer or avid runner, we’ve got something here that’ll interest you.
Granted, you definitely won’t need any of the following – but what you’d give to have some.
Frankly, we don’t know how these weren’t developed before now.
We’re talking crash helmet sensors, wearable time-piece tech and the best of all? Ass savers…
Ass saver - €7.99
This is one of those ‘why didn’t I come up with that idea?’ inventions. A plastic, lightweight, ass-saver that attaches to the underside of your saddle and protects your rear end from getting wet.
The person behind you will also be more than glad to see you’ve got one as he or she won’t have the misery of swallowing the back-spray from your rear wheel.
They’re available on eBay for around €6 but the official ones on ass-savers.com are €7.99 with worldwide shipping another €3.50.
Sportiiiis – €130
Checking on your stats while you cycle is not only hassle but it’s also dangerous. But with this little device you can track your heart rate safely and accurately.
The simple Head-Up Display (HUD) has 6 LED’s to indicate your heart rate.
Cyclists can mount it on their sunglasses and receive their stats via voice prompts which relay your speed, heart rate, cadence and power.
TRACE – €180
Moving away from cycling and into the more adventure sports, this is essentially a fitness tracker.
The difference with this one is that it’s more for action sports like surfing, skiing and snowboarding; the less conventional pursuits, you could say.
TRACE is meant to be mounted on the board/ski/kayak from where it would log in the tricks you’ve landed, your speed, maximum height, paddling time, and sync all of the data with a smartphone app.
It’s obviously waterproof and by all accounts, pretty durable too. The app is also social, allowing one to see what other TRACE users are up to.
For surfing, you can see how fast you’ve went – and how far you’ve surfed. Now who wouldn’t want to know that?
Polar M400 – €229
We’re getting more from our watches these days it seems and nowhere is that more obvious than here with Polar’s top-of-the-range timepiece.
It’s mainly used for running, mind, and will track everything from steps to sleep to distance and calories burnt.
One of the best features is the Running Estimator option, which estimates how long it’ll take you to complete your run of a set distance at the current pace you’re running – thus taking the complex mid-marathon mental math out of the equation.
Another neat feature will guide you back home via the most direct route using GPS if you get lost or need to call it quits halfway through your run.
Handpresso Wild Hybrid – €150
Going camping this summer but nowhere near a Starbucks to get your morning kick?
Fear not as this Handpresso Wild Hybrid is here. It’s a tidy, portable, lightweight coffee-maker and it’s perfect for your travels, hikes and outdoor adventures.
To use it takes as much effort as pumping up a bicycle tyre. You then add hot water (from a pot you’ve just boiled), add your espresso coffee (ground coffee or pods), and you’re good to go. No battery, no electricity needed. €150 is the asking price, however…
ICEdot crash sensor – €129
With more people cycling there’s more people crashing. The ICEdot was created for a scenario where if you’ve been hit or hit the deck, it notifies pre-determined people of your accident, and could save your life.
The small yellow pod attaches to the back of your helmet and connects to an app on your smartphone, so in the event of an impact it’ll call your loved ones and send GPS coordinates so help can be sent. The device gives you a countdown to cancel the emergency call – should the impact not be as serious as the ICEdot thinks.