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UCI regulations and aero bar position

Old 05-30-17, 12:13 PM
  #1  
Divebrian
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UCI regulations and aero bar position

I'm trying to find the UCI regulations regarding bike setup and aero bars and I can't find what I'm looking for specifically and was hoping someone may have a link or answer. In the rules I see, it states the maximum height differential between the elbow pads and the upward bend/tip of the extensions(maximum of 100mm). I also see where it states the forward most limitations on the extensions in relation to the vertical BB plane (750 mm without morphological exemptions). Are those the only two limitations? I'm concerned there may also be some rules pertaining to the position of the base bar.

The reason I ask is that I have the 3T revo's I'm trying to set up and instead of being the more traditional bullhorn style, they look more like drop bars with the bullhorns going towards the rear, not the front. The extensions can be adjusted forward or rearward, so those can fit within the UCI rules. The bars are UCI legal, but they don't specify what length stem must utilized to stay within compliance. I am not a conventional sized track rider ( I have more of a body builder upper body build), so I find it cramped and puts me too upright if I have a 90 degree bend in the elbow area. For now, it seems more comfortable, gives me a flatter back and doesn't affect my power if I lower the bars slightly and move them forward, making the elbow degree bend more in the 105-110 degree range, which gives me a kind of modified superman position. With the width of my shoulders, it is easier to turn the extensions inward, so the bend is more of a 45 degree angle to the vertical plane than the typical straight up and down 0 degree angle to vertical plane, which gives me more of a wedge shape from hands to elbows. This positioning allows me to keep my knees in, cadence up and keep optimal power output with good control. If I bring my elbows in or back, it seems at least one of the following things happen, my knees want to move outward, my cadence drops, it feels like my chest is cramped and my breathing is compromised or my bike control is a little sketchy.

Currently, I can use either a 110 or 120 stem with a -10 degree rise and make small adjustments to the elbow pads and extension to get the optimal feeling position, but that puts the most forward part of the base bar pretty far forward. So, guess the short version of a long question, is there any ruling other than the distance from vertical BB plane to tip of extensions or height from elbow cups to tips of extensions that I need to be concerned about? I don't want to get to an event and find out that my bar position is illegal and has to be adjusted as any change takes time to get used to.

Last edited by Divebrian; 05-30-17 at 12:19 PM.
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Old 05-30-17, 03:06 PM
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carleton
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Pics will help explain your dilemma a lot.

The purpose of the rules are to prevent the "superman" and "praying mantis" positions.

Have you considered adding clip-on arm pads to normal sprint bars (Nitto B123 or Easton EC90)? It's wonky, but it may actually give you want you are looking for. I've seen this setup several times and even did it myself for a while.

Also, you may want to get on a fit bike at a bike shop and explore with the variable top tube lengths to achieve the position you want. In short, your current top tube may be too short or long to get you the position you want. Paying $100 or so for an hour with the tech tinkering around with the top tube length (not a full on bike fitting session) may be worth it.

Also, when in doubt: As a starting point, mimic the riding position of elites who are your size. There are plenty of photos of 6ft tall powerlifting kilo guys out there for you to use as inspiration.



Basically, the road you are headed down is well-traveled by people very much like yourself. I'm not saying that you have to do it the way it's been done before (if everyone did that, there would be no innovation). My point is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel if you don't want to
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Old 05-30-17, 03:51 PM
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Also remember that lower isn't always better. There is a point when you lean over so much that your hip flexors (that pull your knees up on the back end of the pedal stroke) stop working.

And I'll always think that everyone should honestly evaluate to see if they are as fast or faster in drop bars for sprint time trials (1km or shorter). Even at the elite level for women in the 500M, around half use drop bars and half use aerobars.

If I were racing a local 500M TT, I'd do it in drops. If I were racing a 750M TT at Masters Worlds, I'd do it in drops. If I were racing a kilo, I'd do A/B testing to see which were faster drops or aerobars.
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Old 05-30-17, 05:16 PM
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My guess is that as long as the leading edge of the base bar is no more that 5 cm in front of the front wheel axle and the lowest point on the bar is above the top of the tire, then you should be ok.

https://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/R...NG_English.pdf
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Old 05-30-17, 08:12 PM
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Article 1.3.022 and 1.3.023 of the document that gl98115 linked is the part about handlebar position. It also list exception for track cycling specific events.
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Old 05-31-17, 12:53 PM
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I've never seen a bikecheck include a measurement of base bars.
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Old 05-31-17, 03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by queerpunk
I've never seen a bikecheck include a measurement of base bars.

This. But if any rule were to apply to base bars, I would think it would be the same rule that applies to drop bars.
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Old 05-31-17, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by taras0000
This. But if any rule were to apply to base bars, I would think it would be the same rule that applies to drop bars.
If.

I don't think it does, though. I haven't done a super thorough read of the regs - I'm just thinking about the guidance I've read from USAC about UCI-compliant bike checks, and from this snip from the technical regs.

It doesn't explicitly say anything about base bars.

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Old 05-31-17, 04:20 PM
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then i guess you could have cowhorns as long as your extensions, as low as your your front wheel, and not going behind the steering axis.
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Old 06-01-17, 06:34 PM
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Yeah, 1.3.023 seems pretty clear (for the UCI) in the rule book, especially with figure "structure (1b)".

No higher than the top of the saddle, no further back than the steering axis, no lower than 10cm below the top of the wheels, and no further forward than 75cm.

One important thing, though, is if you have extensions on for a kilo or 500, your saddle must be 5cm back or further.

https://uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rules...EN_English.pdf
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Old 06-02-17, 02:42 AM
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Since that there is no longer a check for the morphological exemption you are free to choose to either move the saddle forward to 0cm setback or set the extensions to 80cm(85cm if higher than 190cm)

Originally Posted by MarkWW
Yeah, 1.3.023 seems pretty clear (for the UCI) in the rule book, especially with figure "structure (1b)".

No higher than the top of the saddle, no further back than the steering axis, no lower than 10cm below the top of the wheels, and no further forward than 75cm.

One important thing, though, is if you have extensions on for a kilo or 500, your saddle must be 5cm back or further.

https://uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rules...EN_English.pdf
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