If you love the UCI, you will hate this editorial:
http://biketestblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/conversations-with-makers-of-illegal.html
Can’t believe spell check said “alternation”. I did correct it.
“2) Go to a race after 1 January 2007 with an illegal beam bike, doctor’s note and summons in the back pocket of your strip, and shut down a USCF race on basis of discrimination against people with back problems.”
That would really piss me off, as a competitor.
Gotta suffer for the greater good.
Dude, it’s gotta be done.
My main bone of contention is that the USCF, who had earlier said they had no intention of following the UCI’s rules, will now follow them. I can’t ride on a traditional bike anymore, which will preclude me from racing USCF events ever again.
If you don’t want that to happen, join me in this battle.
Negative.
Buy one of these and quit your b*tchin’ 
They work AWESOME and soak up road vibrations, are light and cheaper than a beam bike
Sorry Doug, gotta go against you on the shutting down of races, this one simply from the standpoint of an athlete. See, one thing you don’t point out is that on Jan 1 2007 there are even greater importance items that cannot be used in a USCF race:
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Disc covers, which make those who use them with Powertap hubs pretty mad
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Deep aero forks, such as the Reynolds Ouzo Aero Pro that I use on my Arcole, and now have to pitch it for a legal fork
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Riding position, nose of saddle has to be 5mm behind center of ht ebottom bracket.
Well, then lobby on behalf of those things, as well.
Those anti-Americans the UCI are trying to kill innovation, and the USCF, least of all, should kowtow to those fuckers.
Killed the Rev-X, greatest wheel to ever come out of America.
I am just as much against all of the other anti-innovation rules, but I am concerned for those of us who can’t ride a traditional bike.
Again, they are anti-American.
I hate the fucking UCI, just hate them.
" Again, they are anti-American.
I hate the fucking UCI, just hate them."
OH CAPTIAN MY CAPTIAN!
Disc covers are legal in time trials as far as I read the rules. The wheel rules are in force during mass start cyclocross and road races. Are you interpreting a wheel cover as a fairing? It says in 1.3.024 that one has to be able to pass a credit card between the moving part and the non moving part for the non moving part to qualify as a fairing.
I never thought I would be so incredibly patriotic, but I am.
If we let the UCI dictate our USCF’s bike rules, what’s next? Let the UN dictate that we redistribute wealth to nations who don’t deserve it? Let terrorists run amok? What is next?
Here you go bunny, a real UCI legal suspension road racing bike
American made too!
http://www.kleinbikes.com/us/road_bikes/reve/reve_xx/index.html
rêve XX ( view larger )
Bet it won’t be as comfy as a Softride. Will have mucho trouble ever getting back onto something even half rigid. But it could be necessary unless we can do something about this bull shit.
I am sorry, Bunnyman. I don’t find the article’s arguments compelling. I find nothing in your article or elsewhere that would sufficiently argue the point on how the pending rules will put U.S. manufacturers at a disadvantage relative to those of other countries. You offer no convincing evidence to support your claim that you, or other back problem sufferers, cannot ride any other bike. I particularly do not find the so-called “anti-american” sentiment in the rules. The rules discriminate against foreign manufactured bikes like the Pinarello Espada, the Lotus, the CAT Cheetah, and even your old Corima Fox just as much as they affect your beloved Softrides. Additionally, I would have to see solid numbers from Softride to support any claim that these rules will significantly affect their overall sales numbers. The number of beam bikes used in competitive cycling races, at least here on the east coast, is exceedingly small. Finally, tossing around emotion-laden epithets like “thick-skulled Nazi morons,”“racist,” and “xenophobic” does nothing to produce a rational argument. They detract and distract from the issues at hand. Your conclusions are neither inductively or deductively correct.
You didn’t piss me off, friend. You just failed to convince me with your emotional blather.
How does this effect my life?
- Go to a race after 1 January 2007 with an illegal beam bike, doctor’s note and summons in the back pocket of your strip, and shut down a USCF race on basis of discrimination against people with back problems.
that would be funny 
AGree wholeheartedly with tribuybuy - the rules may be myopic and damaging to the sport but you need to prove that there’s any anti-american malice behind them before I’ll agree with your use of the word xenophobis.
As for racist and nazi - reality check: these unjust rules are preventing you (and a lot of others I agree) riding the bike they’d choose. They are not lynching you, they are not putting you in a gas chamber and they are not wiping out your family.
And finally I’m a fan of the free market but not in the “I can’t sell my bikes! Make a law banning the UCI!” sense but in the deeper sense that dictates that if enough people want to race softrides badly enough the UCI won’t be able to prevent them because to try to do so will cost them control of cyclings big events and/or others which allow softrides etc. will spring up to challenge their dominance.
While I guess most people would probably kind of prefer it probably if bike makers could be more creative the measure of their ambivalence is the fact that this debate rumbles on in the background and never becomes the crisis it would if the UCI were really being as reckless out of tune with people’s feelings as you suggest
My twocents
"My commentary on the UCI’s ruling: what a crock of shit! I will NEVER take back my Nazi comment, as they did march a company’s hard work into a death camp. If it were a company without the resources of Trek, it would have killed them financially.
Reading this letter, not only are the UCI a bunch of** thick-skulled Nazi morons**, but racist and xenophobic, as well. They hate Americans, and this proves it."
Mmmm. Well, I do not know how to put it, but if I had lost relatives under Nazi rule or in their death camps, I would recommand you stick to cycling and forget about politics. There are some words or images one should refrain from using. It has nothing to do with freedom of speech, it is your duty to reflect on the words you use. This definitely weakens your article, although I can understand your point about stupid and rigid UCI regulations.
BTW, do not forget that Giant had to ditch their MCR frame too. Corima’s carbon frame got unusable overnight as well. These are only a few example of the indiscriminate nature of UCI rules, however stupid they may be.
This being said, I like your Blog, which I find informative and very interesting. But pleeaaase, have a hot bath before writing about the things that infuriate you. And a nice cold beer while you 're at it.
And remember, you may not have seen a single Look / Time frame in Iraq, but they do not always surrender on steep climbs and scarry bunch sprints, Mavic wheels are not overly arrogant (though overpriced) and Michelin tyres shave their armpits and shower at least once a day ;-).
BunnyMan…whilst I agree with your sentiments about innovative design being curtailed by a lack of a breadth of vision by the UCI I can not ever agree with the following excerpt:
"My commentary on the UCI’s ruling: what a crock of shit! I will NEVER take back my Nazi comment, as they did march a company’s hard work into a death camp. If it were a company without the resources of Trek, it would have killed them financially.
Reading this letter, not only are the UCI a bunch of** thick-skulled Nazi morons***, but racist and xenophobic, as well. They hate Americans, and this proves it."*
The use of the words Nazi, death camp, racism and xenophobic when used to describe what is in effect a political bun fight between interested parties in the cycling governing bodies arena is at the very least childish. Your articulate use of the English language to express yourself and your concerns is to be commended but there is the matter of Tertium comparationis to be considered, in that, and I’m gonna be blunt here…by comparing the demise of a frame style with the oppression and attempted extermination of a race you reveal yourself to be rather lacking in forethought and insight, rather asinine and just a smidge indelicate. Remember that all things are relative Bunnyman, a frame is a frame; Hungarians, Jews Gypsies, Poles, Europeans in general, the odd American and many others of no discriminate birth were all PEOPLE. People like you and me, like our parents, our children, our wives, husbands and mothers. Every single on of them a person of worth that was exterminated needlessly and to whom we owe a great deal of respect and an enormous amount of gratitude and humility, because, there but for the grace of God go you or I BM!
Don’t get me wrong BM, I do congratulate you on your stand, but I deplore your choice of words.