INVENTIONS : Device Shields Bikes Carried Atop Vehicles From Bugs and Debris

The thought of getting your bicycle caked with dirt and dead bugs was nothing when you were a kid. It was just part of life.

Yet, with bikes heading into the four-figure price range and gadgets and gizmos popping up as accessories, adult owners are a bit more attentive to the gleam on their handlebars.

Off the Front, the Santa Ana manufacturer of biking accessories, has come up with the Road Spoiler, which protects bikes from “kamikaze bugs and other obnoxious road debris” while the two-wheeler is being carried on the top of a car. The item attaches to skewer-locking bike racks and lies flat on the rack when not in use.

The shield “creates an envelope of air that keeps bugs and dirt off your bike,” said Bruce M. Ruana, founder of Off the Front. He recently got a design patent for the invention, which is one of several products his firm makes. Off the Front, he says, is a leading maker of handlebar grip tape.

The Road Spoiler is expected to be available in bike shops early next year. A price has not been set yet.