San Diego based cycling clothing company Zoic just released their spring line, which now includes EcoZoic - an organic and bamboo charcoal blend of clothing that is both functional as well as eco-friendly. But while Zoic wants to get you properly outfitted, they also want to help you hid the road and the trails with the latest biking information for your locale.

Named their Enlightened Line, this spring hosts the unveiling of the first eco-friendly line of clothing for the company.EcoZoic clothing is branch of Zoic that features a mens and womens cycling clothing that uses muted shades of yellow, blues and browns on simple designs like cargo-style bike shorts and jersey tanks. The styles are pretty basic with just a few tops and shorts for both men and women (their conventional clothing line has a far expanded repertoire with hoodies, socks and padded shorts). Note: many of the jerseys and tees still use over 60% polyester in their blends. 

The mens shorts use an organic cotton/hemp blend, but many of the jerseys use a bamboo charcoal and polyester blend (two materials, not three). As this was new to me, I wondered just what is bamboo charcoal? In a post by Warren, he explains the benefits of bamboo charcoal - and lets just say the list goes on and on from filtering toxins, cleaning your fish tank and dissipating electromagnetic waves, not to mention its usefulness in clothes as an anti-fungal and thermal regulator. Added bonus: many of the bamboo charcoal jerseys come with a pocket/holder for your mp3 player.

The Commuter Corner is the Zoic blog designed to get you out of the car and biking here there and everywhere. Currently in its intro-stages, the blog only has a few posts on getting involved in bike to work week and where you can find more biking gear (on their website, of course). Though they do plan to update the site regularly with local, regional and national commuting tips, events and advice. 

Zoic also includes more than just eco-friendly clothing, by offering mens, womens and childrens conventional cycling clothing (not organic or sustaianable materials). Eco-tees retail for around $35USD, jerseys for $45USD and shorts for $60USD. You can find them online at Zoic.com or at biking and outdoor gear companies like REI, Nashbar and Zappos.

More about Bamboo: Bamboo Charcoal

Bamboo Charcoal have FOUR Characters:

• Soothe the nerves 
  Infrared produced by the bamboo charcoal promotes human body blood circulation, active brain cell and snoothe the nerves.
  
• Anion effect 
  The anion in bamboo charcoal is penetrable which could relax nerves, purify air and cure headache, insomnia and arthralgia. 
• Humidity adjustment 
  The relative surface of bamboo charcoal is large with hundreds of gaps, which makes it's able to adjust the humidity of environment.
• Deodorant
  Bamboo charcoal has the function of absorbing the odor of hair, sweat, smell of inhouse and decomposes with detoxification.
  
  

More about Bamboo, Bamboo Fabric

It was a brand new concept years ago when Beijing University discovered a way to produce fabric from bamboo. Owing to its organic and ethical benefits, the bamboo fabric industry has been growing dramatically compared to other clothing fabric industries. So, why is bamboo fabric becoming so popular and generating such a dedicated consumer following in such a short period of time? Find out its benefits now!

• Anti-bacterial
  Bamboo contains an antibacterial agent that kills almost all bacteria. The same goes for bamboo fabric. This helps bamboo fabric to stay odour free. It is fresher and healthier than conventional fabrics. it is perfectly suitable for sensitive skin or for anyone suffering from allergic skin reactions.
• Soft, glossy and smooth
  Bamboo fabric is inherently tenacity, slippery, good lateral and vertical intensity and smooth, just like a second skin. The feeling of wearing it is as luxurious as silk and cashmere, but without expense or the need for hand washing
• Hygroscopic and breathable
  The function moisture absorption, damp release and ventilation of bamboo fibre has proved to be best compared to that of other textile products from authorized test. The cross-section of bamboo fibres are filled with various micro-gaps and micro-holes, it has much better moisture absorption and ventilation. With this unparalleled micro structure, bamboo fibre garment can effectively absorb and evaporate human sweat in a split second, and makes to feel cool in summer and never suffocative in winter. From test figure, apparel made from bamboo fibre is 1-2 degree lower compared with normal clothing in hot summer. This property of bamboo fabric keeps you warm in cold weather, and it can also keep you cool in hot weather because of the same micro structure and its breathable quality. 
• Ultraviolet radiation resistant
  Bamboo fabre can raely be penetrated by 200-400nm ultraviolet radiation which is most harmful for human being, and this is what other textile products cant compete.
• Environment friendly
  As well as being able to provide you with the best quality bamboo fabrics, organically grown and fertilizer free, bamboo also has other environmentally friendly characteristics. Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable without harm to the environment. Moreover, Bamaboo grows rapidly and therefore helps to improve soil quality in environments where the soil quality has been degraded or where there is soil erosion.

Green information: Why are bamboo products Eco friendly?

• Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. 
  It is known to produce a greater biomass and 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of comparable size, while improving watersheds, preventing erosion, restoring soil, providing sweet edible shoots and removing toxins from contaminated soil. Ecologists promote bamboo as a renewable source used for building materials as well as food. Many promote bamboo planting for erosion prevention, and even to reverse the effects of global warming.
• Bamboo helps reduce carbon dioxide gases 
  Carbon dioxide is a known cause of global warming. Some bamboo sequesters up to 12 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare, which makes it a highly efficient plant, and conducive to fresh air. Bamboo can be selectively harvested annually and regenerates without replanting.
• Bamboo is a natural water control barrier. 
  Because of its wide-spread root system and large canopy, bamboo greatly reduces rain run off, prevents massive soil erosion and keeps twice as much water in a watershed. Bamboo helps reduce water pollution due to its high nitrogen consumption, making it a solution for excess nutrient uptake of wastewater from manufacturing, livestock farming and sewage treatment.
• Bamboo can restore degraded lands. 
  It is a pioneering plant and can be grown in soil damaged by overgrazing and poor agriculture. Proper harvesting does not kill the bamboo plant, so topsoil is held in place. Because of its dense litter on the forest floor it feeds topsoil, restoring healthy agricultural lands for generations to come.