UCI wants £8,000 to get the ‘Approved Frame’ sticker

[Benotti69]

UCI wants £8,000 to get the ‘Approved Frame’ sticker

"The UCI, cycle sport’s world governing body, has revealed that manufacturers must pay over £8,000 to get the ‘Approved Frame’ sticker that’s needed for new-generation frames and forks to be eligible for use in competition in what looks to be an attempt to tax bicycle research and development and effectively add a small UCI sales levy to the sales of bikes the world over. Or you could just call it a blatant money-making scam."

http://road.cc/content/news/29038-uci-reveal-cost-its-approved-frame-stickers…-how-much

McQuaid's uci mafia strikes yet again. Property must be expensive in Bankland

 

[pedaling squares]

... having your team fully test your new bikes before launching to the cycling public is one one of the benefits of being involved in the sport for most manufacturers and is an unresolved bone of contention - Mark Cavendish certainly rode a prototype bike during last year's Tour and he was undoubtedly not alone. These stickers mean that manufacturers will have to pay the UCI up front to be able to use their new designs and then, if they are found wanting by the harsh testing regime of the pro-peloton, pay again to change it.

Seems like it would stifle innovation and/or delay delivery of new products to the market. Ah, the UCI. All in the best interests of our sport.

 

[hfer07]

Pat McQuiad is once again living up to everybody's expectations when corruption is the highest standard he's publicly recognized for....
I saw it coming at the beginning of the last year when the "Specialized Shiv" issue came out and he cannily foresaw the full potential of "milking" the bike manufactures with the so called "UCI standards" -which BTW- they themselves don't even f*cking understand & have made the bike industry literally "wasting" money on prototypes/designs not "approved" for Professional use.....

I'm waiting to see if he's going to go the next step and start f*cking around with Wheels, gears, Helmets, & -why not- sport wear.....

PS. Patty-if you read this, don't forget where the above ideas came from..

 

[Martin318is]

Mind you, I would imagine that a lot of manufacturers are willing to pay that to be sure that their $100,000 in tooling up and R&D on a new frame aren't wasted.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Pennies

Mind you, I would imagine that a lot of manufacturers are willing to pay that to be sure that their $100,000 in tooling up and R&D on a new frame aren't wasted.

100% right. Getting a product to the point where they are spending for new mass production tooling makes the $8000 literally chump change.

This kind of certification fee is very common in the tech industry and many sport federations have the same kind of 'marketing opportunities' for sports manufacturers.

Save the ire for the UCI for enabling doping and generally anti-competitive behavior displayed to independent race organizers like the Giro.

 

[Michele]

Yeah but bad pubblicity is still good pubblicity; how much talking was it going around about the Shiv?
Much more than the Giant etc.

 

[euanli]

The problem is that some federations enforce UCI rules on equipment. I believe the US and Aus do this but the UK don't. So your average riders will have get a UCI authorised frame to race. Obviously Specialized will give the S Works SL3 a UCI sticker. But what about the Tarmac SL3 and the Tarmac Comp?. Will a rider have to kit out the extra $$$ to get the S Works just so they can race. Sounds like a great way to reduce grassroots participation.

Alu models are substantially cheaper to be put through the UCI procedure because they are welded but then still the smaller manufacturers have to choose which models to get put through the testing. What about the guy who wants to race a Baum which has been custom made or a Crumpton?

Cotic make an excellent cyclocross bike with disc mounts, but the size they are I would be surprised if they could afford to get the testing.

What's more worrying is that the UCI plans to further the scheme into components and clothing. You need to have a UCI approved saddle, wheels, helmet, handlebars, shorts, jersey, shoes and gloves. Of course all these UCI special editions will cost extra. This sort of thing works well in the controlled and regulated environment of the NJS, but blimey it will be a mess at the lower levels of the sport.

 

[Roland Rat]

"The UCI, cycle sport’s world governing body, has revealed that manufacturers must pay over £8,000 to get the ‘Approved Frame’ sticker that’s needed for new-generation frames and forks to be eligible for use in competition in what looks to be an attempt to tax bicycle research and development and effectively add a small UCI sales levy to the sales of bikes the world over. Or you could just call it a blatant money-making scam."

http://road.cc/content/news/29038-uci-reveal-cost-its-approved-frame-stickers…-how-much

McQuaid's uci mafia strikes yet again. Property must be expensive in Bankland

Shocking, didn't see this one coming.

What happens if you want to ride a traditional custom frame like a Brian Rourke or a Baum though? And would each custom frame need "approving" through the standard £537 application?

 

[euanli]

Well that is the question. It looks like Rourke or Baum will have to register all their designs with the UCI to get the sticker.

Seeing as I am a smaller rider and getting a decent fitting bike is hard enough, the likely reduction of sizes to cut costs is worrying.

 

[Roland Rat]

Anyway, why stop at frames? Why not components?

Want UCI approved wheels? £500
Bars? £50 (£300 if aero in design)
seat post? £100

Soon the UCI approval will cost as much as the effing bike. And bye-bye to small custom builders.

 

[unsheath]

My Columbus and Reynolds stickers only cost $20 from Cyclomondo. Maybe he should make UCI approved replicas now.

 

[euanli]

Anyway, why stop at frames? Why not components?

Want UCI approved wheels? £500
Bars? £50 (£300 if aero in design)
seat post? £100

Soon the UCI approval will cost as much as the effing bike. And bye-bye to small custom builders.

that is exactly what they are doing though. Though technically there is an UCI approved wheel list.

 

[Fester]

Anyway, why stop at frames? Why not components?

Want UCI approved wheels? £500
Bars? £50 (£300 if aero in design)
seat post? £100

Soon the UCI approval will cost as much as the effing bike. And bye-bye to small custom builders.

From that point of view, it's a terrible thing. A hand made custom bike has something truly special about it. I suppose the UCI will keep pushing and pushing till people turn around and set up another governing body...

But some control on the rubbish carbon monocoque frames being mass produced, then branded is important also.

 

[Benotti69]

Mind you, I would imagine that a lot of manufacturers are willing to pay that to be sure that their $100,000 in tooling up and R&D on a new frame aren't wasted.

so let's rip them off surely the bikes all get checked after podiums. why check them prior to races???

a document sent out to all teams participanting in the pro peloton should be enough. when they arrive at podiums the bikes get checked.

 

[Roland Rat]

From that point of view, it's a terrible thing. A hand made custom bike has something truly special about it. I suppose the UCI will keep pushing and pushing till people turn around and set up another governing body...

But some control on the rubbish carbon monocoque frames being mass produced, then branded is important also.

I don't even see why standard-tubed frames need approving. It's obvious that they're 3:1 compliant. Surely they can come up with some kind of exemption for these.

I suppose the UCI will keep pushing and pushing till people turn around and set up another governing body...

That day cannot come soon enough. Fat Pat must be pi55ing himself at the amount he gets away with.

 

[Benotti69]

I don't even see why standard-tubed frames need approving. It's obvious that they're 3:1 compliant. Surely they can come up with some kind of exemption for these.



That day cannot come soon enough. Fat Pat must be pi55ing himself at the amount he gets away with.

i would like to be a witness when he pi55es himself when he gets caught

 

[DirtyWorks]

Now that I read the article, it depends on how the rule is enforced. If I were the UCI, it would be enforced for their top-tier events.

If federations affiliated with the UCI try enforcing this rule, it will just drive more competitors away. Which, means that USA Cycling will probably jump right on enforcing the rule.

 

[BroDeal]

This is a long term plan of the UCI's. They want to turn UCI into a brand name that can generate cash. This is why when the Pro Tour was set up they insisted that all team jersey's had a "UCI Pro Tour" logo on them. It is why "UCI" is heavily stressed in the events that the UCI itself promotes, like the world championships. It is why the frame sticker rules mandate the sticker be put in an approved location. You can bet that it will be prominently displayed, outward facing on the down tube or seat tube. It is why one of the benefits of certification that is cited is use in marketing the frame. Frames and wheels are only the beginning. If the UCI has its way then one day every jersey that you buy will have a small "UCI" logo on one of the rear pockets.

The frame compliance issue is just the means for the UCI to get its foot in the door. Specialized is at fault for its TT frame being excluded from competition. They deliberately pushed the limit, hoping that race officials would not follow the rules. A quick look at the frame showed how ridiculous the head tube area was on that sucker. They bet and they lost. It is not like someone in Switzerland with a pair of calipers can measure a tube any more accurately than someone in Taiwan.

The cost is large because the UCI has set this up as a money making scheme. It's 8000 pounds to glance at a few blue prints and measure a few tubes. That is an hour's worth of work if you eat lunch during the hour. The UCI is dreaming of a time when twenty manufacturers each have to get four new models or variations of old models certified every year. Wait for the UCI to drive demand for its services by increasing the complexity of the rules.

This is the UCI's version of the kosher tax.