What defines a bicycle? Let’s see, two wheels, seat, chain, pedals, frame, fork? Actually that might describe the parts on a bicycle, but it doesn’t mean those parts will be legal when it comes to international racing. This week our friends at BikeRadar UK noted that the UCI (International Cycling Union) have published its latest list of new items that a “legal” for racing this season. The two lists show which frames, forks and wheels have been authorized for road, track and cyclo-cross competition under the latest approval protocol.
So how important is this list? Well, so far five new frames (as well as their respective forks) have been approved, but one has reportedly met the criteria but not been added to the list. This is important to note as race bikes tend to go into production just after the first of the year, and must be submitted for testing. Consider that as we head to the second half of March that means bikes could already have been in production for nearly three months – and if not passed, they aren’t legal for any UCI sanctioned race! While this shouldn’t be an issue for the Scott Plasma 3 – the bike that is pending at press time – we can imagine it is a concern over at the bike manufacturer’s offices.