Fully Aero and Dangerous

One should really wonder about a bike add-on called the "Air Spear." I've been seeing the Air Spear on a few of the bike blogs this past week, as this "life-long martial artist" and recent bicycle-convert Jim Wing (aptly named, if you ask me) has made it his goal to hit 60 mph on the flats under his own power, and to set a new record in New Jersey's City-To-Shore Century. The race-car inspired Air Spear weighs a little over two pounds and is made of aluminum. It also looks deadly.

See more of Jim Wing and the Air Spear on BikeRadar, or on BikeSnob.

Of course, aerodynamic fairings are nothing new -- but this may be the most frightening-looking one I've seen to date. The long-tail aero helmet sitting beside Mr. Wing has a big skull-and-crossbones on it, which seems appropriate -- as anyone who has the unfortunate luck to cross paths with this guy -- joggers, distracted recreational cyclists, slow walkers -- is likely to end up impaled on the Air Spear. Yikes.

Suggested graphics for the front of the Air Spear.

The Speed Up Bag -- get aero, and carry your lunch.

But heck, why go through all the trouble to make a life-threatening Air Spear, when one can just get the "Speed Up Bag" -- which is not only a sleek fairing (and suitably pointy-looking, though somewhat less threateningly so), but also a handy place to keep those energy bars and GU gel packs needed for any distance and speed record attempts. Oh -- sorry -- the Speed Up Bag failed to meet its fundraising goal on Indigogo. It looked so promising. What is a person to do?

I suppose one can always go with the old standby Zzipper fairings that have been around for a while now (since 1976, according to their website). Very popular with the recumbent crowd (aren't those guys aero enough already?), Zzipper also makes non-threatening-looking bubble-shaped fairings for upright road bikes. No idea what these things are like when getting passed by big trucks, though. Could be a bit scary, but what do I know?

The Zzipper - since 1976. They should totally build some stuff-portaging capability into this thing. 

The folks over at Windwrap really have it going on, if you ask me. Not only do they make full-length fairings for both recumbents and upright bikes, but they'll even include the wicker basket for an extra $16!

What every dutch-style city bike needs.

With the Windwrap, not only can you go for speed record attempts on your dutch-style city bike, but you can carry all the fixin's for a picnic -- or your little dog Toto, too!

Of course, I think my favorite fairing of all would have to be this one, from Bikeforest.com:

I can't decide if this is more or less threatening-looking than the Air Spear. Why isn't this thing on Kickstarter?

The shark fairing is on a recumbent trike, but I see no reason why a creative guy like that couldn't adapt the design for diamond-frame bikes. If that guy could mass-market the shark fairing, he could retire and buy himself an island paradise somewhere. C'mon shark fairing guy -- the world is waiting!