During the Tour de France, athletes have to maintain a constant speed while bike riding for dozens of miles through cold rains and summer heat. These cyclists need gear that adapts to the different environments they encounter. One company is using a material with NASA origins to ensure these athletes stay comfortable while taking their grand tours.<\/p>\n
Phase-change materials use basic properties of matter to maintain a steady temperature. When a substance melts from a solid to a liquid, the material absorbs heat, and when it becomes solid again, it releases that heat. In the 1980s, Triangle Research Corporation received a NASA Small Business Innovation Research award to explore how phase-change materials could be incorporated into textiles to control temperatures in spacesuit gloves. By placing phase-change materials in small capsules woven throughout a textile, these temperature-regulating properties can be tuned to the comfort of the human body. While these textiles weren\u2019t incorporated into any gloves flown on NASA missions, they formed the basis for a new product, sold under the name Outlast.<\/p>\n
Outlast has since become one of the most widely distributed temperature-regulating fabrics, found in products such as bedding, loungewear, and office chairs. It has seen especially extensive use in activewear, ranging from jogging clothes to professional sports gear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Founded in 2001 and based in Fr\u00e9jus, France, the company Eko\u00ef makes clothing and accessories for cyclists, particularly those who bike competitively. The company first encountered Outlast at the Performance Days fabric trade fair in Munich, Germany, and was impressed with its capabilities as well as its NASA heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you say NASA, it\u2019s always impressive.\u201d said Celine Milan, director of textiles at Eko\u00ef. \u201cAt the beginning we were even saying in here in our offices, \u2018Wow, this technology was developed by NASA.\u2019 It\u2019s on another level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ekoi\u2019s Outlast line officially launched in July 2022, during that year\u2019s Tour de France. Over the course of that race, the company found it improved cyclists\u2019 performance in the event\u2019s mountain stages, where elevation changes mean wide swings in temperature. It also improved athletes\u2019 aerodynamics, as their jerseys could stay closed in warmer environments, rather than opening them to let in wind.<\/p>\n
Today, Eko\u00ef sells several products that incorporate Outlast materials, including jerseys, gloves, and socks. These products are internationally known for their NASA heritage. Whether engineering for astronaut\u2019s comfort in space or competitive athletes, NASA aims for excellence.\u00a0<\/p>\n