Given their recent PR push to make them seem a little more friendly, the UCI’s consideration of lighter bikes in the peloton shouldn’t come as any surprise but it’s certainly a welcome one.
During their meetings with cycling journalists, UCI technical coordinator Julien Carron said they understood that lower weights are important to frame manufacturers but stressed that their first priority remains the safety of the riders. He said they might consider lowering the limit, currently 6.8kg (14.99lbs), for frames and forks that pass their testing protocol. Sure, the pros put a heck of a lot more stress and miles on a frame than most of us, but seeing as many top end bikes from small and large manufacturers alike already pass CEN and CSPI testing and weigh in under 6.8k, it shouldn’t be a stretch to see them in the peloton almost immediately following any decision by the UCI. And then, we can *cough* stop losing sleep over buying a bike that’s too light for UCI-sanctioned races…man, that’ll be a load off.
So, getting approval for lighter bikes at the start line is one reason holdouts may want to get stickered, but the UCI says one of the key drivers for the homologation program was Olympic compliance. Apparently, the IOC would like to see tech credentials for bicycles used in The Games. Video above from BikeBiz’s visit to the UCI.
