What sports equipment you should replace before summer
21.05.12
It's almost time for the seasonal change of gear, where snowboards give way to skateboards and parkas get stashed while tank tops come out. But there are also a lot of warm weather items that need to be replaced, right away.</p><p> For example, your athletic shoe laces. These are laces with a special texture that holds them in place. They don't slide around, even under sprint pressure. Tie a bow, and it doesn't come undone, because little ridges in the lace provide enough friction to keep a knot from slipping apart.</p><p> Over time, athletes are amazed by how much longer their laces get. Instead of just tightening and tying them, you may now have to circle them around your ankle to keep the bow loops from being too big and floppy. That's because all of the tugging and tightening on those laces you did last summer pulled the textured ridges flat. Your shoe becomes less supportive, the knot of the bow comes loose by the end of a game or a hard hike. Athletic laces need to be replaced every year.</p><p> Next, look at your summer socks. Are they so worn at the heel that the fabric has become thin or lighter in color? Are they stretched out, so that they slide down your shin into a mass of rumpled wrinkles? Come on, socks are cheap. Break down and buy new ones for summer.</p><p> It may also be time to replace your shoes. Even expensive athletic shoes wear out much quicker than most athletes realize. Experts advise getting new running shoes after they've been used for about 400 miles. By that time, the pounding crush of your foot repeatedly hitting the ground causes the cushioning to break down. The shoes will no longer absorb the shock of your foot strike, and it will be less supportive, leaving you open to injury.</p><p> The miles mount up quickly. Suppose you run only 10 miles a week. In 40 weeks - less than a year - you've run those shoes to death, even if they don't look it or feel it. The same is true of game shoes. If you play basketball, tennis or volleyball, replace your shoes every year. It's not only because of the wear you place on them; but also because the materials athletic shoes are made from; like foam, break down within a relatively short time.</p><p> How long since you've checked out the condition of the inner tubes and tires of your bike? Rubber gets brittle over time. You don't want to be doing the Kamikaze when part of your wheel gives up the ghost. Whether you're a mountain biker, road cyclist or BMXer, it's time to check your tires and inner tubes for the cracks of age. Stretch them and bend them. If the rubber shows a series of little cracks, that tire or inner tube is past its prime and needs to be replaced.</p><p> Finally, the most important item that may need replacing: your helmet. A helmet, or its liner, should always be replaced after a hard fall or crash. The area of impact absorbed by the foam liner will have condensed, and so has lost its ability to protect your head. In addition, helmet foam, like shoe foam, gets brittle with age. Just because you've never fallen in that years-old brain bucket doesn't mean it's still safe.</p><p> Athletic ability is up to you, but you'll always be better if your equipment is in good shape.</p><p> Wina Sturgeon is the editor of the online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly (adventuresportsweekly.com). For the latest in adventure sports and physical conditioning, visit Adventure Sports Weekly at http://adventuresportsweekly.com</p><p>@2012, Adventure Sports Weekly</p><p>See more at http://adventuresportsweekly.com
Source: Kansas City Star