I think it`s fair to say that the UCI sticker doesn`t interest consumers much, it doesn`t add value to a frame, and people don`t base their purchase decision on whether a bike is UCI approved or not. Have you ever bought a frame because it had a UCI sticker? What new TT bikes are you looking forward to, which bikes should I look at when surfing the internet? Often referred to as the race of truth, time trials are considered by many to be a purist form of cycling racing. As this is an event where the driver and the machine compete against the clock alone, the cyclists have always tried to maximize aerodynamics to be as fast as possible. The approval process requires a bicycle company to submit permit applications by June 30 of each year and, if accepted, they will be approved starting January 1 of the following year. The UCI requires technical drawings to be submitted to the UCI, which will take three months to review. Subsequently, the product samples are checked after the prototypes have been manufactured. Here`s the approval process: Time trial bikes are specifically designed for the demands of time trial riding, usually on flat terrain, where the difference between victory and defeat can often be as small as a few seconds. In general, the deeper the wheel, the faster it is, with a rear disc being the preferred option for the best time trials. Time trial bikes are not often sold with disc bikes or optimal road bikes.
If you buy a complete bike, we recommend a bike with decent wheels that can become your training tires. You can invest in faster wheels later. It`s worth budgeting for fast wheels, as many experts suggest that they offer an aerodynamic advantage over the frame. Which type of wheel is the fastest (tube, clincher and tubeless), we have a video that you can watch here. High-end time trial bikes will also be slightly more aerodynamic than mid-range machines, although that`s probably only a handful of watts considering the frame, and the vast majority of savings will be in the design or selection of components the bike is equipped with. If you want to save money without sacrificing performance, equip the best time trial bike you can afford with a slightly smaller group of road bikes. # «The bikes and equipment used in competition in the various disciplines are at the forefront of the latest technologies. The rules for the use of the equipment aim to ensure both the safety of the riders and the fairness of the competition, while taking advantage of the benefits that technological development can bring to cycling.
You don`t need a time trial bike to compete in a time trial or triathlon, but if you want to maximize your performance and ride as fast as possible, consider using one. Has the UCI approval process been positive or negative for the world and the cycling industry? It certainly brought sporting parity to the sport by ensuring that all frames used in the professional peloton follow the same design rules, and we don`t see bikes being banned from the start line as we did before, but it limited design freedom and made many high-end road racing bikes very similar. Maximising aerodynamic efficiency is a top priority on a time trial bike, with comfort and weight becoming secondary. Bianchi used an aerodynamic carbon frame built into Countervail technology that you`ll find in bikes like the Oltre XR4. This material increases the comfort of a frame that might otherwise be rigid and inflexible. To get an idea of the challenge a bike designer faces when trying to design a new bike that meets the UCI`s many rules and restrictions, we asked Nathan Barry, design engineer at Cannondale, responsible for SystemSix and SuperSix Evo, if the UCI approval process is an important factor in developing a bike. Watch the video – How fast can you buy? (With the Canyon Speedmax TT bike) More regularly, the list is now either a confirmation of something discovered or an indication of what to look for. Take, for example, the new Merida Time Warp 4, which was spotted this week. Although the new bike is quite different from the old Time Warp TT, the list has confirmed its identity. It seems like a big challenge to design a bike that meets all these rules and gets UCI approval, but Chris Yu of Specialized says there`s a conversation between the designer and the legislator that helps design a new bike. Looking at the front view of the video, the cyclist also went out to consider the van parked on the left in front of him.
When he. Specialized`s redesigned Shiv has been specially optimised for triathlon and is now 60 seconds faster than the UCI legal Shiv. The approval protocol also applies to «non-standard» clothing and wheels with rims greater than 2.5 cm, spoked thickness of less than 16 spokes or greater than 2.4 mm. Bikes (standard) must also comply with UCI regulations, but do not have to undergo the same rigorous tests.) A list of approved non-standard bikes can be found here. Still, the list can bring a gem or two from time to time, and last week produced some interesting developments. An update to the list on Thursday, March 3 showed a new Trek Emonda ALR disc as well as Domane SL, Domane SLR and Domane RSL frames. While the Emonda ALR had a homologation date of 26.11.2021, the three new Domane frames all shared the same date of 3. December.
These so-called «boxes,» as shown in the graph above, are the key to designing a new bike. If you are participating in UCI events, make sure the framework is on the UCI list of eligible managers and is legal. Team Dimension Data drives the Cervelo P5, but to make it UCI-legal, the team must swap the fork for the flatter Cervelo P3. It should be noted that the UCI homologation process only applies to motorcycles ridden at events under the supervision of the UCI. Many bikes fall outside, such as Cannondale`s Topstone Carbon, a gravel and adventure bike that has never been in the peloton. This is because they have a different geometry than ordinary road bikes, which allows the rider to take a much more aerodynamic position. Once you exceed 15 km/h (about 10 mph), the biggest force you have to overcome as a cyclist is air resistance and the faster you go, the greater the resistance. Why do you need it to be a UCI legal TT? If you`re not competing at these levels, I don`t see why you can`t just find a regular TT/tri-bike and save a lot of money. We will of course keep you informed of all the news concerning these frames as soon as we receive them.
In the meantime, tell us what you think these new frameworks could bring. Scott Plasma 5. The previous Gen 3 is also a very fast bike. Do not use the front frame memory. The ATT 9.0 is an entry-level option with a C10 carbon frame and the wind-cheating attributes of many high-end bikes, but with a Shimano 105 group and 35mm comp Vision Team wheels. Despite initial skepticism and complaints about the cost of the licensing process, the UCI now says bike manufacturers are happy with the process. In the UK, time trials are a popular sport, but in the rest of the world it`s much more niche. Therefore, the market for triathlon bikes is much larger than that for TT-specific bikes.
So what does the UCI sticker mean? It simply means that someone in the organization has made sure that a new bike meets all the necessary technical rules. Once homologation has been granted, the bike brand can put a sticker on production bikes and the bike will then be listed in the UCI database of approved frames. «The new Topstone has a very low base, which is important for the whole system to bend naturally. It`s something we couldn`t do the same way on a UCI glued bike because there`s a limit to how deep you can get the saddle,» says Nathan when asked about the different challenges of designing a bike without UCI rules. The wheels probably aren`t aerodynamic, although some brands provide deep entry sections, although you can always upgrade to a pair of the best road bikes at a later date.