Earlier this month, after an outcry by many smaller brands, the UCI put its ‘Approved by UCI’ label program on hold pending meeting with frame and component manufacturers.
On January 13 and 14, the UCI met with 45 people representing 33 companies to discuss the sticker program, in particular the financial and temporal strain it would place on all parties, the UCI included. Part of the impetus for change was a surprisingly high number of frames that were expected to be submitted.
As originally worded, the approval program would test every frame variation in every size. Not only would this add to the amount of time required to test a particular model, but with some manufacturers offering 10+ sizes in their range, the costs could quickly escalate to the obscene. The sad byproduct of this could theoretically reduce the number of options ultimately available to consumers as smaller companies limit their sizes or product offerings if they care to be approved.
The UCI now promises to share a revised protocol in early February. One suggestion offered by the industry was to randomly pick one size from a model for testing, and industry sentiment seems to be fairly positive on the fact that the UCI included them in discussions and seemed to genuinely listen.
Read the full UCI statement here. Some parts of this story via BikeBiz. Full list of the companies represented at the meeting after the break…
The 33 companies that joined the January 13 and 14, 2011 meetings were: 3T Cycling, Advanced Sports, AeroDesign, Are-n-Dee, Argon 18, Bianchi, BMC, Boardman Bikes, Canyon Bicycles GmbH, Cervelo, CORIMA S.A., Derby Cycle, DT Swiss, Eddy Merckx Cycles, Enve Composites LLC, Euro Compositi, Felt Bicycles, Giant, KOGA, Look Cycle, Merida Europe GmbH, Neilpryde Bikes , Pinarello, Ridley Bikes, Rotorbike, SCOTT SPORTS SA, Shimano, Simplon Fahrrad GmbH, Skins, Specialized Bicycle Components, SRAM, TrekBikes and Wilier Trestina.
