Time has just announced their totally new i-Clic road pedal that uses a carbon fiber blade to replace the typical metal spring.  They claim it makes the pedal much easier to get in and out of, and the first pedal to have pre-opening automatic engagement.  The cleats are also metal-free, keeping system weight low (still checking on actual weight…we’ll update when we have it, and pricing, too)

What’s “pre-opening automatic engagement” you ask?  Well, rather than bore you with reading words, we’ve got video words; after the break…more pics, too…

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Get you’re clicking fingers ready because registration for Cross Vegas, America’s biggest, baddest cyclocross race, opens this Saturday, August 1 at 12 noon (EST), and it’ll fill up fast.  Categories for Elite Men, Elite Women and Wheelers & Dealers (Industry) are all open to enter.

This year’s spectator format will be a little different than what past attendees may have experienced.  Due to the massive crowds and popularity, the event organizers are being required to use street-side fencing to keep people from jay walking, and they’re actually charging for admission ($8) and beer (probably also $8…each), and they’ll be checking bags to keep outside food and drink from getting in and stealing sales from their vendors.  Good event, lame that we can’t bring our own drinks.  Perhaps we’re higher class than NASCAR, but still…

The race is held on the first night of the Interbike tradeshow, September 23.  Gates open at 6pm.  Registration will be through BikeReg if you want to bookmark it now.  Hit ‘more’ to see the event poster…

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Somebody much smarter than us had the brilliant idea to counter-petition the Iowa farmers’ petition to get cyclists off the ‘Farm to Market’ roads.  Want to send Iowa legislators the right message by petitioning to get cars off the FM roads?

Sign here.

Don’t know what we’re talking about?  Read this, then this.

Found on Bici Girl’s photostream, via Cyclelicious.  Supposedly an outtake of upcoming Sidi catalog, those are the Men’s Sidi Ergo 2 Carbon Vernice road shoes.

Lots of speed shots from Pat White, Kona’s product manager, which amount to a nice break from your work.  Take away: Kona likes to build fast bikes, and apparently their R&D involves motorcycles.

Specialized has updated frames and features on all of their mountain bikes, from XC racers to downhill bombers and every sort of freeride and all mountain rig in between.

YES, THEY HAVE 29ers

Specialized has fully embraced the 29er with a totally new 29er Epic. We featured those bikes in our Sea Otter coverage in April. Click here for video and info on the 2010 Epic 29er, and here to see Conrad Stoltz’s 2010 Epic 29er Xterra race bike. They also have a new S-Works 29er Carbon Hardtail, which we rode and reviewed here.

2010 SPECIALIZED EPIC MARATHON CARBON

The 2010 Specialized Epic Marathon Carbon (above) gets their FACT IS (Integrated Structure) carbon frame construction.  FACT IS separates the frame into four sections: front triangle, seat post/bottom bracket, chainstays and seatstays, and optimizes each based on the stresses and loads they see.  The end result is a light, stiff frame.  Further weight reduction on the Epic comes from lighter stem, handlebar, brakes, seat post and wheels.  The wheels are their new Roval Control AL, which will come on both the alloy and carbon Epic Marathons.

Hit ‘more’ for additional Epic specs and to see the rest of the 2010 Specialized mountain bike range…

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“fatbottomgirls” by Greg MacKay.

For more Pics Of The Day, click here.

Carlos Sastre and the Cervelo Test Team were putting some miles on Castelli’s new ‘Body Paint’ bib shorts during the 2009 Tour de France.  The shorts, in development for over three years with the goal of creating a seamless short from a single piece of fabric.

Sock companies have seamless designs for years via imaginative weaving patterns and methods, but the lycra/polyester material presented some real challenges.  Castelli said it had to “revolutionize fabric construction, completely rethink patterns and fit.”  In the end, there is one seam, which is quite an impressive feat.

The new bib shorts will debut to the public at EuroBike in September and feature the new Progetto X2 chamois pad, which has also been in development for years and uses a new layered construction.  Pics and deets after the break…

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Franco Pellizotti, winner of the King of the Mountain Polka Dot jersey in the 2009 Tour de France, tackled the hills atop this custom painted Cannondale SuperSix.  If you missed it, Cannondale’s new top of the line road bike has a retail-available 2010 model that weighs in at a ridiculous 12.9lbs.  The Liquigas team had to put weights in their seatposts to meet UCI minimum weight requirements.

Fair warning, this is copy/paste of a Press Release, but it’s interesting enough to pass along:

PRESS RELEASE: In recent wind tunnel testing, Speedplay, Inc. has discovered the aerodynamic importance of pedal choice. The first known wind tunnel test of clipless pedals, conducted at the San Diego Air & Space Technology Wind Tunnel, established a notable difference in the coefficient of drag when comparing Speedplay pedals to other brands.

“In order to measure the wind resistance of pedals, I created a fully-articulated robotic cyclist to accurately replicate a real-life racing scenario and to eliminate human variance in the wind tunnel,” explained Speedplay’s pedal designer, Richard Bryne. “The robotic cyclist pedaled the bike at a cadence of 100 rpm and at a speed of 30 miles per hour in each test.”

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iBikeMount is readying it’s iPhone case/mount for release as you read this.  Available in black, white, candy apple red, hot pink, lime green, mandarin orange, electric blue and champion yellow, it grabs your iPhone in a sleek holster that mounts to any bar on your bike so all you see is the screen.  Not only should it simplify using the built in maps and GPS, but apps like MapMyRide should be more useful, too.  And, iBM promises that it’s developing some of its own apps to help you get all the data (speed, cadence, etc.) you normally want from a cycling computer on your iPhone.

If you’ve been looking for some way to mount your iPhone on the handlebar and not finding anything, you experienced what iBM founder “Bart” did, too.  Except he did something about it (the hard way), he made his own.  Now you can do something about it (the easy way), get on his email list and he’ll let you know when they start shipping.

After being put through its paces in the 2009 Tour de France by team Milram, Rudy Project has just released their new Wingspan aero helmet for time trialists and triathletes.  Designed by aerodynamics guru John Cobb, the Wingspan features a unique rear end houses tall vents to keep you from getting all hot headed.

Available in matte colors Black/Silver, White/Silver and Red/Blue/White, the Wingspan weighs in at just 280g, exceeds CPSC requirements and is lighter than Rudy Project’s previous model, the Syton. It includes Rudy Project’s R.S.R. 7 Disc retention system for single-handed on-the-fly adjustments and has ear covers incorporated into the helmet’s shell for maximum aerodynamics.

Cobb, who has worked with Greg LeMond, Simon Lessing, Wilier Bicycles and many other pros and top brands, put the Wingspan through extensive wind tunnel testing and came up with the unique tail design to work well for all TT positions and back profiles, specifically the “flat” and “U” shapes most people display when tucked into an aero position.

Click on pics above to enlarge, or hit ‘more’ for detail photos…

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