|   UCI MTB rule 1.9.3 | Cloxxki
Oct 5, 2002 11:09 AM | | "Bikes must use a wheel on both front and back that is no bigger than 26 inches."
Tomorrow I take part in a UCI race, on my niner. Am I legally wrong? Measure my *wheels*, and you'll just come to 25.00 inches. No mention of tires in this rule! I'm sure this is not what the UCI meant, but shouldn't they have rephrased this over the past decades?
Anyone know of any precedences, anywhere around the world where someone was actually disqualified? This rule, even to yours truly with minial legal knowlegde, seems very badly set up, and outdated by a few decades.
Seems like in the old days, UCI didn't want MTB'ers to use a cyclo-cross bike, but why then go about setting up a rule in this half-way manner?
Does it require the UCI to change a rule if it's not stating the intended clearly?
I think the MTB wheel rule 1.9.3 needs to be re-written. I'd say : CX, use maximum 35mm wide tires, like since the beginning of time. It's a great rule, CX is a great sport, no-one really complaining about being disadvantaged by the rules. They already have the 700c rims that should be okay to most. Smaller wheels are slways allowed.
MTB should be for tires over 40mm or even 45mm wide, no rim rules whatsover. The tire difference will make it very clear, from a distance, what bike is used.
All things on a bike, scientifically, need to be proportionate to the rider, so why give shorter riders an advantage by allowing them to run smaller rims whereas taller riders are forced to use what's good for medium-sized riders? The choice to decide what rims to run will be good for the bike market in general and for the excitement in races as well. Will attract some taller riders into the sport, that just can't get a good fit on the now almost enforced 26" wheels+tires. BTW, when the rules would mean "26 inches, including tire", then 90% of all 26"-bikes are illegal, do the math! In stead of re-writing the rules to make sure no-one tries something like myself, have them re-do the rule in such a way that wheelchoices is more open and honest!
All responses, ideas and extra info are more than welcome. I would like to do all my national XC races on a niner next year, and don't really look for too much controversy.
Thanks!
Jan Gerrit |
| Looks like you found a nice loophole... | martini
Oct 6, 2002 8:18 AM | | Run with it! Here in the US, NORBA doesn't have any rules like that. Seems to me the only rule that sticks out is that you cannot accept mechanical assistance from anyone during the race. This makes sense. Nothing about wheels though. I think its even the same up in Canadia. Good luck in the race, and let the revolution begin!
ml |
| re: UCI MTB rule 1.9.3 | somaweim
Oct 8, 2002 5:53 PM | | cloxxki, how'd the race go? was your new bike dialed in or what? i am curious to get your race report. in the states, southeast (ie FL) in NORBA races i've been seeing more and more 29ers. last week end I saw 10 GF's ( supercals and Mt Tams ) |
| re: UCI MTB rule 1.9.3 | Cloxxki
Oct 10, 2002 2:21 PM | | Half the national MTB league was at the start, and myself behind the 200-300 starting fence. Not a chance in the world to finshed where I'd like to be, with other sports riders lined op around 50th spot.
The larger wheels were a real improvement for wet trails that really slow you down, like glue to the tires. I just rolled over it easily and made up a lot of places there, though with a very great effort. Race was 3x18km, and after 25km I was up to baout 60th, and lots my pace, went backward through the field and ended up 90th. My 3rd lap was only the 135th fastest, that bad starting position really got me.
Oh, 3 women beat me, Amongst them mud-specialst Van den Brand and WCGunn-Rita Dahle. Never caught up with them, as they started way up front. Those girls can RIDE! They did really well, considering the man they beat there.
Just pre-race (day before actually), I decided to move my SLR a bit aft, to get more leverage on the short 175mm cranks. Makes my legs strech out more like on my 26" bikes also, but those are 72 degrees seattube over 73 for the SC29.
Wheels felt week, XT/WTB Speedmaster 32h. I ran 130-140g 26" tubes in a Notos front and Nano rear. I wish I'd chosen a Notos rear and Moto front, could have used the extra grip. I'll build a better wheelset soon, a disc one, but it's hard to find a rim that matches my needs : 450-470g, disc-ready, 21+mm wide, 36h. That what I need, and Mavic could make it in a minute, out of a X317 extrusion. Velocity could use the VXC extrusion, but will only do so if I order several hunderd ones!!! Why are rim and people so hard to convince 29" counts as a bizz now?
As well as the bike handled straight sucking trails, I couldn't keep up in deep mud. May be my lack of mileage on the bike, not sure. MUD was quite bad, had the idea the rear was clogging up from time to time, and then chose to take the wet line through a pool to try and clean things up there a bit.
Fast corners are a BLAST. Even with racing psi on tarmac, I just keep exiting corners at a higher speed then I entered, lots of confidence to step on the throttle while laying it flat down.
Climbing is ok, once I find the right gear, which is not natural to me yet. I always use 12-27 cassette's, so on this bike, but the larger wheels make the 22-32-44 chainrings feel like 24-36-49 ones on my 26" bike! For a guy with no souplesse in the legs at all (hence the road cassette), quite something to get used to. On a training, I tried a steep climb (one minute maybe), with hard-to clean switchbacks. The niner just hovers over with grip to spare, on 26" it's hard to not spin the rear wheel.
Yes, I get up to speed slower, but I get more in return for that loss, end speed is better, all the usual and widely known pro's of 29"
The 90mm stem I bought for the bike (well, actually the custom Ridly with identical toptube), really fits me well, but even the -17 degree angle makes it the bars to high for me, at least for all-out short races. Or I'll just grow used to that as well!
Had a little backache in the race, maybe the seating position still needs work, although I'm not used to long bomby races at all anyways. |
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