Sports And Recreation: A Hot Category For Composites

1. Sports And Recreation: A Hot Category For Composites Should you decide to use our new website's 'shop by application' tool, you will notice we have a page dedicated to sports and recreation. This category is actually a Rock West Composites staple. It is also one of the hottest categories in our industry as a whole. That is not without reason. The sports and recreation category is awash with consumer products designed to enhance performance. Let's say you are a golfer. If you are in the market for a new set of clubs, we would be willing to bet that you want a set that makes you a better player. You want clubs that enhance your performance, not detract from it. Such is the point in applying composite materials to sporting goods. Much of what we carry in the sports and recreation category has to do with composite tubing. However, there are certainly more ways to utilize composite materials to build better sporting goods. Performance and Weight One of the ways to increase athletic performance is to deal with equipment weight. No matter what sport you are talking about, the weight of the involved equipment has a definite impact on how you will perform. In most cases, reducing weight increases performance. Think of something like cross-country skiing. A skier's poles are there to enhance forward movement on flat grades and inclines. They are used as a steadying force on declining grades. In every case, heavy poles can weigh a skier down. They can make it more difficult to scale inclines and maintain control on slopes. Rock West Composites

2. Poles made of carbon fiber are lighter than those made of aluminum. And while you might not feel the difference just picking a pole up off the shelf, you would notice after an hour or so on the trail. Carbon fiber really does make a difference. Weight and Control There is another way that weight affects athletic performance: its influence on athlete's control. To understand this aspect, we turn to mountain biking. Mountain biking is a sport that requires considerable control under a variety of circumstances. More control is required as the difficulty of the trail goes up. Because carbon fiber is lighter than both steel and aluminum, a bike made primarily with this material is easier to control. The difference between carbon fiber and aluminum could be big when you are screaming down the side of a mountain. The last thing you need is a heavy bike interfering with your control. Overall Strength Weight, performance, and control are all underscored by the overall strength of the material used to make a piece of sporting equipment. Whether you are talking ski poles, golf clubs or a bike frame, you rely on a certain amount of strength when you do your thing. Mountain bikers cannot afford bike frames that can't withstand the punishment of tough trails. Skiers cannot afford poles that will not last more than a time or two out in the snow. Golfers certainly don't want golf clubs that too easily break on an errant swing. Composite materials are lighter than aluminum and steel. Some are lighter than others. Yet composites are no less strong. For example, carbon fiber is significantly stronger than both aluminum and steel. That is why it is one of the preferred composites for sporting goods. Sports and recreation is a big category for us. It is also a big category for consumer goods in general. Manufacturers competing for a limited market share are always looking for better ways to build their products. Increasingly, they are turning to composites for lighter weight, more strength, and better performance. Rock West Composites