I’m doing my first TT in a couple weeks and I’ll need to make my Trek Speed Concept 7.2 UCI Legal to compete. From what I hear, this just means adjusting the seat and the length of the aerobars, i.e small changes. The Speed Concept came with all the original parts and hasn’t been modified at all. Are there any big adjustments that I should be aware of?
Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!
You will need to buy the uci legal seat post and wedge, as well as the uci legal basebar with a 3:1 profile. It’s quite expensive actually to convert it over, the stock basebar and seat post are both uci illegal. Good luck!
what about the seat post is illegal?
are all the base bars on the speed concept UCI illegal? Because I know the 9 series has a different basebar than the 7 series (which is what I have)
Which TT? Many people are under the impression that USAC or state championship bike races need to be UCI legal but they do not. Nationals?
The speed concept 7.2 should be legal provided you have UCI legal aerobars on it, and that your position is UCI legal. The other poster is perhaps familiar with the Speed Concept 9 which comes with an illegal aerobar, yours most likely has a legal one.
The other adjustments you have to make relate to your posittion:
The tip of the saddle seat must be 5cm behind the bottom bracket
The tilt of your saddle, measured by placing a plane over the entirety of the saddle must be flat +/- 2 degrees (I shit you not)
The extensions must be no more than 75cm from the bottom bracket in the horizontal. This rule may be interpreted to mean to the very tip of the shifters, or the bolt around which the shifters rotate. If you have electric, it is definitely to the tip of the shifters.
You can violate points 1 or 3 by 5cm, maybe, if the officials on the day deem that your position looks normal enough on race day. If it doesn’t, you are in for a bunch of stress moments before your TT.
Best bet is to be within the rules by a half centimeter to avoid stress if their measuring jig disagrees with yours. If you are tall, or short, or strangely shaped, you may need to try for one of the exemptions to get a reasonable position though.
Good luck, and hopefully you are mistaken about needing to be uci legal!
I’m doing my first TT in a couple weeks and I’ll need to make my Trek Speed Concept 7.2 UCI Legal to compete. From what I hear, this just means adjusting the seat and the length of the aerobars, i.e small changes. The Speed Concept came with all the original parts and hasn’t been modified at all. Are there any big adjustments that I should be aware of?
Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!
Perhaps he is referring to Cervelos. Those require a modified seat post. Stupid UCI rules.
Perhaps he is referring to Cervelos. Those require a modified seat post. Stupid UCI rules.
The P2C and P3C do, yes. However, I’ve assisted a pro at one NRC stage race, with UCI officials checking bikes, that ignored every P2C and P3C seat post they saw. So you never know.
The seatpost is available in both UCI legal and illegal versions. The original post was illegal by a copule of mm in depth. I think the 7-series comes stock with the illegal version…
http://bontrager.com/model/08926
Check under “Details”.
Jackmott, you wouldn’t happen to know how strict/often is the seat post checked on Cervelos at Nationals?
At nationals I would expect it to be checked, I know it has been in the past.
I also know that people have wrapped a cut up styrofoam cup around the post with electrical tape to modify it. You can get a decent fit the preserves the aero shape that way.
Technically THAT isn’t UCI legal either since you are modifying the seat post, but, it usually works. Also should you end up being deemed illegal on the seat post it is usually some token fine like $50, you still get to race.
bizarro world.
Jackmott, you wouldn’t happen to know how strict/often is the seat post checked on Cervelos at Nationals?
For a 7.2 you are ok with the aero/basebar as it’s not the integrated like the 9 series. You will need to get a new seatpost or look online at some posts about rigging it up for the 3:1 rule. Looks awful but it’s cheaper. The seatpost and wedge will set you back but it’s a nice upgrade to your bike for future UCI races.
Thanks for the response.
I head about people making the post thicker, but it didn’t make sense to me because the UCI Cervelo post is skinnier. Also is the styrofoam cup around the entire post? I’m asking because I’ve never seen it done before and it seems like you have more experience with this than me.
The latest UCI tech guidance is very specific on padding sections out to 3:1 not being legal now, but as you say, enforcement is a different issue. I would have thought that any bike check that is picking up slightly out of spec. seatposts would be the same ones that would enforce no padding of stuff though?
I’m doing my first TT in a couple weeks and I’ll need to make my Trek Speed Concept 7.2 UCI Legal to compete. From what I hear, this just means adjusting the seat and the length of the aerobars, i.e small changes. The Speed Concept came with all the original parts and hasn’t been modified at all. Are there any big adjustments that I should be aware of?
Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!
Is it a national-level pro race? If not, then the odds are you can race whatever you want (within reason). If it is Nationals or a UCI run event, then might still get away with the bike, as they may just check your position/bike measurements and saddle tilt.
The UCI post is skinnier but also not as deep. Overall the ratio becomes legal.
Yes, around the whole post, just be creative and cut it up, wrap it around, and electrical tape the whole thing so it is all black and smooth and vaguely aero-shaped still =)
Thanks for the response.
I head about people making the post thicker, but it didn’t make sense to me because the UCI Cervelo post is skinnier. Also is the styrofoam cup around the entire post? I’m asking because I’ve never seen it done before and it seems like you have more experience with this than me.
Indeed, but that hasn’t been the case.
Lots of bikes going through the line quick and I imagine they just aren’t aware of every brand and what is legal and what isn’t. The pattern seems to be that at each race they pick 1 or 2 rules to clamp down on and mostly ignore the others.
A the 2012 tour of the gila, it was seat tilt. Seat posts and base bars were mostly ignored. Though, a local cat 1 got fined because I think he mentioned that the post wasn’t legal and asked if it was ok. Oops.
I would have thought that any bike check that is picking up slightly out of spec. seatposts would be the same ones that would enforce no padding of stuff though?