NEWS

2009-07-20 - JetStream Bars meet UCI 3:1 Standard

On June 25th, 2009 I visited the UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland to have final discussions on how the 3:1 aspect ratio rule would be applied to aero bars and specifically Oval Concepts aero bars. UCI Technical Director, Jean Wauthier, was kind enough to spend a few hours (including lunch) discussing not just the 3:1 rule but background on the evolution of the rules, why their consistent enforcement is so critical and some additional time on future Oval Concepts product ideas.

In the final analysis it was confirmed that the Oval Concepts A911 and A921 JetStream aero bars meet the UCI's 3:1 rule while the A901 and A701 Laminar aero bars do not. Even though these last two bars have been used by ProTour and Pro Continental teams for the past seven years and have never drawn a single complaint from UCI commissares, their 5.5:1 aspect ratio is well outside the UCI requirement.

To be fair, the UCI has been pushed by the IOC and ASO to develop and enforce a consistent set of rules so that the athlete takes precedent over the bike and there are no technical controversies. They have also been pushed by teams and other bar companies to enforce the 3:1 rule for aero bars because a lack of enforcement may give certain teams an unfair advantage - especially in huge, high-stakes events like the Tour de France. (Personal note: It sounds like the 3T Ventus with its 22:1 aspect ratio was the straw that broke the camel's back for everyone concerned.)

Oval Concepts, FSA and 3T were the three bar companies that suffer most from this ruling. FSA has 8 ProTour and 30+ Pro Continental teams using their now "illegal" aero bars with a 3.75:1 aspect ratio. FSA developed a foam/plastic cover to convert their "illegal" bars into "legal" bars as a temporary solution to meet the 3:1 standard. 3T has two teams in the Tour de France (one ProTour and one Pro Continental) and they were forced to change from the afore mentioned "illegal" 3T Ventus to the "legal" low-end Mistral.

Here at Oval Concepts we did a rapid co-development with my friends at Pearl Izumi creating a special cover to stretch over the A901 laminar bars that smooths the shape of a 1/4 round 12.5mm foam insert glued to the bottom front edge of the bar. Using the same super stretch material Pearl Izumi uses on their aero shoe covers, we were able to meet the UCI 3:1 aspect standard while only slightly degrading the aerodynamics of the bar. The Fuji-Servetto ProTour team will use this temporary solution for the balance of the 2009 season.

For those of you who have A901 or A701 Laminar aero bars and are competing in regional or national or world championship TT events, it is critical to call or write your UCI representative and confirm if they will be enforcing the UCI 3:1 rule at your event. We explained to the UCI that is horribly unfair to punish athletes who purchased 500-1,500 $/€ handlebars, spent another 100 having them installed and another 200 having them properly fit and another couple hundred travelling to an event only to be disqualified due to a poorly organized mid-year rule enforcement change. While they sympathized with this problem, they refused to make a clear announcement on what would happen where.

One much more promising note from my meeting in Aigle is that the UCI is writing special rules for JetStream technology (they call it "multiple element design") into their 2010 rule book. Not only do Jetstream aero bars and JetStream aero forks currently meet UCI standards but they will continue to be a valid design concept into the future.