Yakima has introduced their new Quickback trunk mount bicycle racks in 2- and 3-bike versions.  Claiming to be the “world’s fastest-installing, easiest-to-use trunk mount racks,” it’s designed for quick adjustments and mounting.

The red knobs allow fine tuning of the arm angles, and the strap systems are labeled so you’re sure you’re putting the right strap in the right location.  The cradles and rubber straps keep your bikes from swaying, which keeps them from rubbing into each other and/or your vehicle.  It has a passive security system via a steel cable that runs into your trunk/tailgate to keep schmucks from walking off with your rack while you’re out on a ride.  It also comes with special hooks for mounting to glass if your car requires it, and it’s designed to fit over most spoilers…rice-burner racer-boy cars excluded.

The beauty is in the details… it has an integrated bottle opener on the end of the arms.  MSRP $189 and $199 depending on how many bikes you need to carry. Click the thumbnails below to enlarge.

  

 

Lance is having surgery today for his broken collarbone, suffered in a 10-rider pile up during the Vuelta a Castilla y León bicycle race this past weekend.  X-rays indicated the fracture was more serious than originally thought, so he’ll be getting a plate inserted to stabilize his mid-shaft clavicle fracture.  Armstrong indicated it was broken in more than one place.

Regarding the upcoming Giro d’Italia, which starts on May 9, Armstrong said:

“This is a very common cycling injury and you hear of guys able to race in two weeks and other guys that race two months later,” he said. “Four to six weeks seems long to me but again, time will tell. Obviously the Giro is on people’s minds and that’s about five weeks away. In my opinion I think the Giro is still very doable.

“Fortunately I’ve done a lot of off-season work that I think will help me through this,” he said. “I think my condition was really coming to a place where I was going to be able to ride at the front of the races and that’s good news and bad news — bad news that I wasn’t able to show it in the races, but the good news is that if you get injured with good form you can come back with decent form. You aren’t starting from rock bottom.”

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The Devilvelo (aka: Didi Senft) you all know and love from the sidelines of the Tour de France has a side job:  He builds crazy bicycles with triangular (and other) wheels.  Reported on by 6 Action News in San Luis Obispo, CA.  Seriously, I wonder how many times he’s racked himself.

The video auto-starts, so we moved it after the break. Hit the “more” link to watch…

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Keen has launched some eco products made of recycled and reclaimed goods.  The Grand messenger bag, above, is made of recycled rice paper and brown haul bag paper and has an MSRP of $50.  The aluminum hardware on it is recycled, and the rubber bottom is from recycled inner tubes.  It has internal organizational and zippered pockets and an adjustable 2″ shoulder strap.  Dimensions: 10.5″ x 12″ x 2.5″

They also have some aprés ride shoes that are equally environmentally responsible, read “more” to check them out…

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Woo-Hooo!  Our first Podcast is here.  Click on the image above to listen via your browser, or subscribe through your favorite RSS reader or iTunes. (links coming soon)  Our first episode features:

• Gary Fisher discusses his 2010 road bikes, his wardrobe and what it would take to get him on a starting line with the rest of the repack bunch.
• Chris Wehan of Look Cycles USA discusses their new-f0r-2009 566 Origin carbon road bike and their full-carbon, one-piece crankset.
• JP Kemmick fills us in on his Trek to Re-Energize America, a plan for cyclists throughout the U.S. to ride to and converge on Washington, D.C., this Summer.

Hit “more” to follow along the audio with a few pics and links to complement the story…

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PRESS RELEASE: “Go bicycle touring in Ontario Canada featuring Niagara Falls, Great Lakes routes, Stratford Festival and scenic countryside. The newly released Second Edition of the Ontario Bicycle Touring Atlas has many different bicycling routes including long distance linear routes across the province from United States, Manitoba and Quebec border crossings and loop routes, suitable for day trips or weekends.

You can do a multi-day loop ride in Southern Ontario, bicycling for several days and returning to your starting point. The Atlas provides useful information on towns, attractions, bicycle repair shops and libraries for internet access while you are traveling plus a selection of the most convenient and best bed and breakfasts, inns, motels, camping and restaurants.

Custom tour planning service is also available on their website, including a daily mapped itinerary and reservations for accommodation and bicycle rentals.”

Read “more” to see the pic of the bike they sent…makes me think you’ll be crossing through “French” Canada and might run into some trouble, eh…

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RSVP for an IMBA Happy Hour and Film Premier of Freedom Riders:

April 18, 7-9 pm in the Embassy Suites Monterey Bay-Seaside

RSVP today for the IMBA California Benefit Party, featuring beer from New Belgium Brewery, yummy appetizers, and the premier of Freedom Riders, a new film by KGB Productions. Tickets to the event are only $10 at the door (cash only) with all proceeds going to support the important work of IMBA California.

 

Register for the IMBA California Advocacy Summit

April 17, 4-8 pm in the Chaparral Room, Campground B (Laguna Seca Recreation Area)

Register for a gathering with club officers, industry leaders, land managers and bicycle advocates about issues and opportunities that affect mountain biking in California. Attendees will hear from IMBA’s Executive Director Mike Van Able on IMBA’s recent restructuring and programs for affiliate clubs. There will be presentations from the NorCal Bicycle League and a briefing on how California environmental law (CEQA) shapes trailbuilding on public lands. Tom Ward, IMBA California Policy Director, will offer a “state of the state” presentation on California mountain biking, and Jenn Dice, IMBA’s government affairs director, will provide an update on happenings around the country and in Washington DC.

One of the few gold GT Zaskar mountain bikes for their Golden Bike promotion, starting at Sea Otter, has gone missing.  Apparently, the shipping label showed up unattached to its box.  GT is offering a $3,000 reward for whoever finds it.  I wish I could say I thought of this, but BikeBiz is accusing this guy.  If you catch someone on it, and you’ll know it when you see it, it has gold painted Mavic CrossMax SLR wheels, Shimano XTR bits, Ritchey bar and Stem and Gold-decaled Fox Fork, email GT.

Actually, the only thing magical is that this man still has hair left in his beard after lifting this 31lb Gary Fisher Tarpon mountain bike with it.  Found on Things My Beard Can Lift.com, a charity site that gets people with beards to lift ever heavier things with their beards to raise money for the Off the Street Club, Chicago’s oldest boys and girls club.  Their goal is 50 lbs, so donate now and maybe we can get them to lift the 54lb Zize bike from Super Size Cycles.

Even better is their category called “Things My Beard MIGHT Lift” which includes a 37lb Robot Triceratops, pictured after the break…

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Keep your volume normal, it goes from silent to “test screech” before getting rolling.

Castelli shared their recent wind tunnel testing results with us, claiming their new fabrics and cuts can shave up to 58 seconds from a 40K ride while reducing the amount of power used at a given speed.

Two-Thirds of aerodynamic resistance is created by the rider and only 1/3 from the bike. So even small gains here can make a big difference. In fact, testing from the San Diego windtunnel shows that the Cervélo Aero Race Team Jersey saves 10 watts when riding with your hands on the hoods at 40 km/h. That translates into about 40 seconds saved every hour compared to a standard cycling jersey.

The Cervélo Aero Race Team Jersey was designed with the Castelli Velocity fabric and no extra fabric flapping in the riding position. The cut is small and stretched tightly over the body, with extra-long sleeves that point up and forward. To getting the air to flow efficiently over the rider’s body, the front surfaces of the jersey were made as smooth as possible, with all seams placed outside the air flow; folds and flapping fabric were minimized.

Read “more” to see the rest of the new 2009 Castelli Cervelo Test Team clothing…

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Anything that involves attaching a laser to your head is bound to be cool, and Lazer Helmets, a Belgian helmet manufacturer has just set up U.S. offices to build sales here.  They’ll be distributed by QBP.  That, along with the fact that their 280g O2 helmet will retail for only $100 USD here, is what the press release wanted us to tell you.

What we want to tell you is that these things look cool, with some great technical features.  The Rollsys retention mechanism, shown above, creates a uniform tightening around your noggin to produce a secure, comfortable fit and it’s available on seven of their helmet models.

The Urbanize (shown after the break) is a solid looking helmet for commuters that has front and rear LED lights built in…meaning one less thing you have to worry about taking off your bike so it doesn’t get stolen.  There’s also a BMX version without the lights.

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The League of American Bicyclists has put together an Action Form to help you easily contact your state’s Governor and ask them to use the Transportation Enhancement funds to build better bicycle infrastructure.  They have a PDF showing each state’s funding amount, totaling $802 million, and America Bikes has already sent every state’s Governor a letter about this.  Now all you have to do is follow up.  It’s quick, their automated form does all the work for you (except click the mouse with your finger).  Take a couple of minutes to do it now.