Some pretty unusual products come over the transom here at Rider. Kafka's Kool Tie is among the few that aren't spring loaded, noisy or smell bad and really work. The Kool Tie is roughly the size and shape of a narrow necktie and made of a rugged polycotton-blend fabric. Strong cross-stitching about six inches in from each end closes off a two foot long section in the center.

Sealed inside this tubular portion of the tie is about half a teaspoon of a granular substance called, "acrylamide potassium acrylate copolymer." which should give our proof-reader fits. For those of you know it all types who are familiar with it, Steve Kafka says that, unlike the polymer blends used in agriculture for goodness knows what, this is an extremely clean polymer that's OSHA approved and non-toxic.
Anyway, the stuff's pretty impressive, because when you dunk the Kool Tie in cool water for about 45 minutes that half teaspoon of unpronounceable stuff soaks up 400 times its weight in water. The result is a cool, squishy but firm cylinder that feels like an overcooked cucumber but doesn't drip. 

The loose ends of the Kool Tie let you tie it around your neck like a regular bandana, where it cools the back of your neck like ... well, like a cool, squishy cucumber. When the temperature of the Kool Tie and your neck equalize, all You have to do is rotate it. In hot weather the cooling effect is marvelous while stand-ing around; wear it riding the bike and you may never stop. Your shirt will get a little wet, but if it's hot outside, so what'.' Kafka even claims women have told him the Tie stopped their hot flashes! More reliably, perhaps, the Kool Tie is used by the Green Berets at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the Navy Seals, the Department of the Interior and firefighters across the country. Kafka says tests have shown it lowers your body temperature via the major heat sensors in the back of your neck.

The Kool Tie is washable in Woolite and made of colorfast fabric in the U.S.A. Kafka claims it will last for about 10 years and hundreds of hydrations, during which time it will never fill to less than 70 to 80 percent of capacity, a lot more than you can say for the average cucumber. In the summer I love my Kool Tie; when I'm done with it, I just wrap it up into a towel or T-shirt until it dries out (which can take half a day or several, depending on the weather). Don't store it in a plastic bag, however; a cold, squishy cucumber is one thing, but a smelly, mildewed cucumber is another altogether.

Kafka's Kool Tie is available in hundreds of color combinations direct from the manufacturer. A 100 percent cotton knit version of the Kool Tie is also available, as is a disposable Kool Tie made from surgical material (it lasts about a month). 

For more information contact, Kafka's Kool Tie, 10443 N. Cave Creek Road, Suite 114, Phoenix, Arizona 85022; (602) 943-8119.