Yup.

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

podium saddle? I can't read the text

I read Prologue

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

You get an extra 5 cm at at 6'2" or 6'3". I probably ride a 4 cm set back on a regular saddle, but I am at somewhere around 6-8 back on an Adamo. You might try one of those saddles to get the 3 or so cm you need. Who knows what the rules will be next year. When I went to Bend 2 years ago they didn't check set-back and gave morphological exceptions to just about anyone who couldn't pass the 75 cm restriction.

One problem seemed to be that they were counting the actual shift levers as part of the 75cm measurement. There were a -lot- of people who's bikes were legal last year and they were told to make adjustments this year. Easy enough if you have adjustable extensions (although hey now you have a new riding position). But I know at least one person who hacksawed down their shifters because that was the only reasonable option being the night before the race. USAC really needs to get their act together regarding TT bike rules.

I believe the shifters counted last year too, but they changed some of the interpreting of how they are aligned, taking away even more reach MID SEASON

anyway if you need extra reach di2 helps a lot now.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Last year the measurement was only to the pivot point of the shifters. The rule change for 2014 made the measurement to the tip of the shifters. That is what was causing people so much trouble at Redlands and Gila. I adjusted my position accordingly early in the season. The only unclear point to me was how they measured for RTC shifters. With my ski tip bars my shifters pointed up at that angle. I emailed Shawn Farrell the week before nationals for a clarification and found that they would move my levers to point forward and measure from that even though I would never be riding with the shifters like that because well, RTC. So, I cut my bars down again just before we left last week.

I thought the rule change was stupid because they were basically just saying that you could spend money to get around the rule change which seemed dumb.

But the rule change was out there and if somebody showed up in Ogden with an illegal bike it's because they didn't take the time to look for the the rules.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

It was the details of how they would rotate the shifters before measuring that changed mid season, right around Joe Martin, I sat in the pro team manager meeting and heard them explain it. If you happened to not be on a pro team (impossible for the men but not women) you wouldn't have any way to know about the change! Or if your team director didn't pass the message along.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Can you post a link for this please? Because the document I pulled up from usac the week before the race stated that the measurement was to the end of structural part of the shifter but not the lever itself. Maybe it was an outdated document, but it was pretty clear that the actual lever portion was not counted.

When I did the courtesy bike check the day before they also had a template for shifters. Some sort of box that the RTC shifters needed to fit within. I have no idea what that measurement was supposed to accomplish.

The guy who measured my bike told me that though they tried to take down all the old position links that one was left that they didn't catch and somebody called them on it so they were lenient on that particular measurement. Which kind of bummed me out because I cut the shit out of my extentions to meet the new requirement in the days before I left.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

I still say that USAC should stop the silliness of pretending they're "complying" in any way with UCI regs and just run Masters Nats under USAC regs. It would just be a whole lot easier for everyone all around :-/

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

well, if anyone doubted that age groupers don't take their sport seriously that interview should put those doubts to rest

Yeah, this was from the only document I could find. I get that they don't want people in superman, but the current system is broken.

I'm pretty sure that is the document that they meant to unlink. Here is the information I'm speaking of: It's the technical guide that is linked on the main page for masters nationals at USAC

https://s3.amazonaws.com/USACWeb/forms/natchamps/2014/2014-Masters-Road-Tech-Guide.pdf





1. BICYCLE REGULATIONS: In general, the regulations for bicycles are those of the Union Cycliste
Internationale (UCI). Please refer to the UCI rule book:
http://www.uci.ch/...&id=34033&La
ngId=1.

However, the following exceptions will be made:
 If the handlebars are at 75 cm extension* or less, there will be no measurement of the 5 cm rule for
saddle position. If the handlebars are between 75-80 cm extension, then the saddle must be at the 5
cm behind vertical position. For riders 6’3” or taller, extensions can go to 85 cm.
 There will be no requirement that the handlebars be below the saddle.
* Note that when bar end shifters are used, the extensions are measured from the ends of the shifters
and not the pivot bolt. The measurement is taken using an arc made by the shifter, measured in a
horizontal direction. Thus, whether the bars are straight or angled up, the measurement will be the same.
 There will not be strict enforcement of the 3/1 rule. The following bicycles are therefore considered
legal for masters national championships in 2014:
o Specialized Transition
o Specialized Shiv
o Giant Trinity
o For any other bicycle that is not UCI legal due to the 3/1 rule, please contact USA Cycling
Technical Director, Shawn Farrell (sfarrell@usacycling.org) to make sure it is legal for this event.2014

All other UCI rules will be enforced, such as minimum weight of 6.8 kg, basic bicycle design based on a double
triangle (no softrides), no wheel covers, standard wheels for massed start races.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

What a crazy bunch of rule modifications and exceptions...and for what?

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Here is my interpretations of why they made these exceptions.




We're not going to worry about your saddle position if your extention is 75cm or less. -- Short people



Nothing new here.


Giving taller riders a break.


We're not going to make some old dude with a bad back contort himself.


Standard UCI rule, just emphasizing.

We aren't going to make somebody who spent a LOT of money on a Transition or Nosecone Shiv, etc. when they were legal buy a new TT bike for master's nationals.



What
It actually seems pretty reasonable to me. Instead of taking a hard line, they eased up on a few things.

That document was up on the web page for master's nationals. It was there to be read if somebody was to take the time and have a look. Anybody who is going to go to a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT should be expected to take the time to read through the technical guide. And I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that somebody who is going to do a national championship TT should at least be aware that there are rules for time trial equipment.

Not related, but I did see a tandem in line for the courtesy bike check on Tuesday with a wheel cover on. I don't know if they got hassled about it or not though.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

I may or may not have seen a wheel cover pass through 3 different NRC race bike checks 7 or 8 times without ever being noticed.

//3MTAPE

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Oh, I fully understand how they got to where they are on that whole thing when they start with the premise of using UCI rules for the event.

My point is to ask why they feel the need to do that (try to use UCI rules), and after making all those modifications and exceptions, why they can't just run the event under the rules already in their own rulebook? It's not like it's a qualification event for the World Champs, is it?

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Good point. I don't like to be critical unless there is a better/easier solution (because I would just be a winer). So it seems that measuring 80cm from the tip of the saddle to the end of the extensions, and keeping the tip of the saddle behind the center of the BB, would accomplish 95% of spirit/intent of the UCI rule.

Some of the other rules are just silly. What do you accomplish with a level saddle, other than a sore under-cartridge? Trying to apply this to a Romin or Cobb Gen2 doesn't make sense because there really is no flat part. I could peel the cover off my Gen2 saddle, grind the foam off the back half and probably gain 3-5 more degrees of nose-drop.

Don't even get me started on wheel covers. I ride a Jet disc and that is nothing more than a really expensive wheel cover. Bikes are another wtf topic. I qualified for Masters worlds a couple years back, but there was no way I was going to saw the little carbon wings off my Transition or buy a new frame. The nose-cone Shiv is illegal, but the new Bollide clearly has non-structural fairings covering the brakes and the seat junction of the P5 exploits another loophole to exceed the 3:1 ratio, but a 20 year old Hooker frame is illegal? The positioning advantages of electronic shifting raises my blood pressure big time (though the current interpretation of RTC shifters is helpful).

I guess there will always be an arms race in bike technology, but I would prefer rules that intended to level the playing field.

I just don't see what's wrong with USACs current rules for a USAC Championship event, which can basically be summed up as "don't ride a recumbent" ;-)

How hard can that be?

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Well how do you define a recumbent?

I am a bit surprised more people do not run the Vision Metron shifters if there reach is close to the limit, cheaper than buying Di2 if you are already running 10s shimano.

I was unhappy with the change in measurement for shifters because it basically said that if I was willing to spend enough money I wouldn't have to change my position, but if I wasn't then I'd have to shorten up. That seemed dumb.

Another way of looking at this though is that a number of the people who do masters nationals DO go to worlds where they have to meet UCI rules. It seems a little unfair to them if they have to meet UCI rules and train in a position that meets those rules to then put them up against a group of riders who are not so restricted.. Given the proximity of worlds to nationals (1 week) it's not reasonable to tell them that they can just change to a more liberal position. So with that in mind I think it is right that nationals position rules should be pretty close to UCI rules. I think that USAC cycling does a fairly good job of balancing that.

They didn't enforce level seats.

They didn't check the height of your shifters above your arm pads.

They didn't weigh bikes.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

Some of the officials will not bother weighing a bike that has a disc wheel on it.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

BTW, props to Robert Garwood who won the World's TT for 50-54, then did the RR on Sunday and then flew to Utah with about a day to spare. He only placed 5th, but he was my 30 second man and about half way out he started pulling away from me. (I had an abysmal ride.) At the turn around though I was surprised to see him in the pit getting a rear flat changed. I though to myself, that maybe I still had a chance to win as by the time he got started he would need to make up around 45 seconds on the return leg to beat me. But as I said, I was having a crappy ride and he passed me back and was within a minute of the winning time. And don't forget that instead of a disk wheel he rode the Enve equal of about a 404 into the head-cross wind return leg. Without a flat he would have been there or there about for the win.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava