Bikes Reimagined: 3 Groundbreaking Designs

While we often marvel over the beauty and simplicity of the bicycle, we aren't usually surprised by new designs. Yes, shifting systems have become more complex, bikes are constantly becoming more lightweight, and styles have certainly changed. But the bike's basic structure — the fork, the frame, the wheels — has remained basically the same for years.

A few brave innovators, however, have decided to take a hammer to the classic bike — simplifying it, making it more efficient, and crafting it into a more versatile machine. These three groundbreaking new designs caught our attention.

The Bicymple
For those of you who thought the fixed gear bike was too bare bones comes the bicymple — a chainless single-speed that looks like two unicycles fused together. This simple bike presents the rider with extra movement capabilities, a very light build, and as seen in the video below, a new way to revisit the bike. Josh Bechtel, the Washington-based designer of the bike, created a Kickstarter for the bicymple that was successfully funded for double the goal amount. Bechtel is now taking preorders for the bike.

How to Travel to Brazil, Without Fossil Fuels

With Rio de Janeiro's Carnival in February, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup a few months after that, dozens of tourists are starting to book flights. Despite the excitement, there's a giant eco-nomic cost to taking these transcontinental Co2 confetti poppers. Every flight to Brazil sends 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere (departing from the U.S. or Europe). Some travelers might displace the eco-guilt of airplanes with carbon offsets, but how much fun is that? We found "tourists" making their way to South America without using fossil fuels. As we often say here at Sierra, "it's not easy being green." But whether walking, sailing, or biking, Brazil is just a hop, skipper, and a pedal away.

Sail

John Francis boycotted motorized vehicles after witnessing the 1971 oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. He walked for all of his needs, from attending university in Montana, to working in Washington, D.C. John wanted to travel to Latin America to see the rainforest. Instead of walking all that way, he worked on a sailboat, visiting Venezuela and other areas of the Caribbean without draining a drop of oil. 

Sailing is also the fastest way to get to Brazil without fossil fuels. Some claim to have sailed from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Brazil in just 23 days, and it can probably be done even faster. For sailors on the West Coast, crossing the Panama Canal with their sail boat is an option, though we assume that the hydraulic locks used to lift ships across the canal do create carbon emissions. 

Big Ideas: Sustainable Pro Football Stadiums

Now more than ever, NFL team executives, environmentally conscious contractors, and scientists are teaming up and making plays to cover their carbon footprints and conserve energy. And while football season is rushing into mid-season and tailgaters fire up their electric grills, big ideas in sustainable football stadiums give both fans and football organizations across the country a new reason to profess their love for the game as well as the planet.  

Teaming Up: Out of over 100 sports venues from all over the world — from newly built basketball arenas, Bowl stadiums, baseball cathedrals, and soccer pitches in Germany, England, and Australia to name a few —  eight NFL stadiums have teamed up with non-profit organization Green Sports Alliance.  The alliance's mission is simply put: "to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance."

Going Solar: The Jets' and Giants' home turf of MetLife Stadium is crowned with a custom-built ring of NRG solar panels. These 1,500 panels light up in team colors during night games and last year they saved $43,000 in energy costs. MetLife will host this season's Superbowl in 2014, setting a gold standard for high-tech green stadiums on a worldwide scale.

Saving Water: In rainy Seattle, CenturyLink Field and Seattle-based contractors McKinstry came up with an ingenious plan to save water under their Defend Your Turf campaign. According to their infographic, by retrofitting all of the bathroom urinals with ultra-low-flow water fixtures, the stadium saved more 1.3 million gallons of water per year — enough water to turn any football field into a swimming pool.

The 5 Best Climbing Movies of All Time

Climbing, whether you’re watching a movie or actually doing it, is always a thrill. Our favorite climbing movies look so spectacularly dangerous, we feel exhilarated even when we're sitting on the couch. All these films are based on real stories from real people, which makes these films even more impressive. 

Touching the Void (2003)
This heart-stopping film is a reenactment of two mountaineers' experience of climbing the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Narrated by the two British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, the plot focuses on how Simpson broke his leg and then (spoiler alert!) miraculously survived a long fall, only to make it back to base camp despite all the obstacles. It’s guaranteed that you will hold your breath the entire time, in disbelief that this is a true story and that Simpson actually survived.

10 No-Meat Foods Every Active Person Needs

Ann Trason is considered by many to be one of the top ultramarathon runners in history. With 20 world records set in courses from 50 to 100 miles in length, she has amassed one of the most venerated careers the sport has ever seen. Paula Edelson writes in her book A to Z of American Women in Sports (2002) that Trason "seems at times to possess superhuman strength."

That superhuman ability translates into one superhuman nutrition plan. We spoke with Ann recently by phone and asked for ten of her favorite vegetarian foods for active lifestyles. You don't have to be a running icon to try them, but substituting these choices into your daily diet will still put you on the high road toward good health.

1. Nut Butters: Great as a spread, or even as a snack from the jar. Try some organic sunflower butter — these seeds hold almost four times as much Vitamin E content per serving as do peanuts.

2. Avocados: These fruits are packed full of healthy fats. Slice one up on a sandwich for some extra flavor.

3. Quinoa: A staple in traditional Incan cuisine, quinoa is a source of "complete protein," meaning that it contains essential amino acids that our bodies can't produce naturally. Trason likes to throw in some quinoa with her salads for a nutrient-balanced meal.

Tips from the Pros: Top 4 Surfing Exercises

Stay in shape with training tips from the experts. Earlier this week, we covered paddling, climbing, and hiking. Today, we'll show you how to rule the waves.

Four Exercises for Surfers

Brian Keaulana knows a thing or two about big-time surfing on big-time stages. Son of legendary Hawaiian surfer "Buffalo" Keaulana, Brian is consistently one of the most sought-after figures in the surfing world. The Makaha coastline promoted him to lifeguard captain in 1993 after he braved the dangerous Oahuan "Moi Hole" to save a tourist. He's since become one of the top surf-rescue experts around. Professional tours? Film stunt work? Keaulana does it all. When he's not competing, the 52-year-old has a very brave toe in nearly all waters of the professional surfing industry.   

Keaulana recently shared a few of his favorite exercises with us. 

1. Underwater Breath-Holding

Woah, woah, hold on. We thought these were exercises related to surfing?

Keaulana argues that they are.

"A lot of what I do is cross-training," he says. "A lot of people think about the physicality of being strong. But you need mental strength, too, because the waves are so unpredictable. You need to be able to react to unexpected situations, like when you get thrown from your board. You can't panic. At the end of the day, surfing is the easiest thing to do — surviving is hard. If you can survive, surfing is a cakewalk."

Tips From the Pros: Top 4 Hiking Exercises

Whether your sport of choice is paddling, climbing, hiking, or surfing, we'll help you improve your outdoor experience with training tips from the pros.

Four Exercises for Hikers 

Mark Westman knows what it takes to reach the summit. A Denali National Park ranger who has climbed throughout the Alaskan Range for 20 seasons, Westman conducts high-altitude patrols when a hiker — or nature — takes an unexpected turn. Searching for some exercises to rescue your hiking-related goals? This search-and-rescue expert has your answer.

1. Stairmaster / Stationary Bicycle

In addition to a proper warm-up, Westman says that a staple for every hiker and technical climber is a solid foundation of aerobic fitness. No mountain? No problem — you're doing a few of the next best moves to hiking itself when you hop on the StairMaster or a bike. An even easier way? Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Plus, all of these exercises put less stress on your knees and joints than running. Go for an amount of time (Westman advises longer, moderately-intense durations) that mimics the distance of a true climb.

2. Backpack Training

Tips From the Pros: Top 4 Climbing Exercises

This week's tips from professional athletes and trainers will help you make this summer's workouts your best ever.

Four Exercises for Climbers

We asked trainer Dawn Miller of Berkeley Ironworks Climbing and Fitness to help us take our rock climbing skills to the next level.

A certified strength and conditioning coach with NSCA for over a decade, Miller has battled some of the toughest peaks in the United States. She joined Ironworks in 2000 and set a priority to conquer peaks like Yosemite's El Cap and Half Dome. She even met her husband through rock-climbing at Ironworks, which is recognized as part of the largest indoor climbing company in the world. Was it a match made to be? With Miller's top four exercises, climbers can take their rock romance to the next level.

1. Pull-Ups / Lat Pull-Downs

While these might seem like the most obvious exercises, they also prove that you can sometimes have too much of a good thing; Miller warns against doing pull-ups or lat pull-downs so frequently that you over-fatigue your back muscles.

"If you do a lot of climbing, I wouldn't do a lot of pull-ups," Miller says. You're doing movements so similar to pull-ups anyway. I think it's okay to do them periodically — just not too much."

Can't do a single pull-up? Miller suggests heading to the lat pull-down machine at your local gym so you can slowly increase your resistance until you can pull your own body weight. Focus on proper technique by bringing the bar all they way down to your chest. A full range of movement will add both strength and flexibility to your upper body.

2. Planks / Hanging Leg Raises

Tips from the Pros: Top 4 Paddling Exercises

Want to improve your performance in your favorite outdoor sports? This week, we're asking professional athletes to tell us their secrets.

Four Exercises for Paddlers

Today, Olympic whitewater slalom canoeist Casey Eichfeld shares four of his favorite training exercises.

The 23-year-old is currently recognized as the top whitewater single canoe paddler in the United States. A two-time Olympian, Eichfeld was the youngest solo competitor in the U.S Whitewater Slalom Nationals as an eight-year-old, and he was named by Paddler Magazine in 2000 as a "Paddler of the Next Century." He's hoping that third time's the (Golden) charm as he prepares for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

1. Pull-Ups

"I am particularly fond of the pull-up because it is a versatile exercise that doesn't necessarily require any equipment," Eichfeld writes via email. "If I can pull my body vertically through the air, then certainly I can pull it horizontally along the water."

No pull-up bar? An easy alternative is to drape a towel over a door to protect your hands and pull yourself up that way. The door's barrier will make it so you can't rock back and forth to swing yourself up, making it a killer for your biceps, your back, and your shoulders. Perform the movement in a controlled, steady motion. Eichfeld writes that you can challenge yourself by progressing to "L" pull-ups (simultaneously raising your legs parallel to the floor) as well as to weighted pull-ups.

2. Single-Leg Deadlifts

Discounted Bikes for Sierra Club Members

It's time to kick off Bike to Work Week, and this year we've got the perfect ride. That's right, we're talking about our very own limited-edition, not-available-forever Sierra Club bicycle.

Made by PUBLIC bikes, the leader in European-style rides, our custom bicycle is avaliable in two styles to fit the needs of every rider. The first option is PUBLIC's C7 model, which offers a step-thru "Dutch style" frame, ideal for riders wearing skirts or dresses. The PUBLIC V7 model, our second option, boasts a sloped diamond frame design. Both models come in bright grass-green and feature the Sierra Club's logo on the rear fender and head tube, as well as our slogan on either side of the down tube. Click here for more information on this nice ride and to get your own today.