Word has come from Germany that the nations sanctioning body, the BDR, has repealed its restrictions against racing a 29 inch wheeled bicycle in off road competitions starting now for the 2010 racing season. The UCI, which governs international racing, was appealed to by Gary Fisher six years ago to allow international racing of 29 inch wheels and the UCI did allow for this then. However; each nation has its own governing bodies for national events and Germany was nonplussed by the UCI decision as it forbade the use of 29 inch wheels in any of its sanctioned events, essentially making a 29″er an outcast.
Could the German’s allowance of big wheels for racing make 29″ers more popular in Europe?
Now with this restriction being lifted, it will be interesting to see what, if any, 29 inch wheels are actually raced in Germany in 2010. It is also interesting to note that a major cycling publication based in Germany is conducting its second round of tests on 29″ers. Perhaps 2010 will see big wheel popularity increase in Germany to the point that some of the countries home brands will start dabbling in 29 inch wheels for future models.
You can read more about this on Revolution Sports here.
OK,
Niner bikes team, start packing for trip to Germany and repeat Italy’s story.
All you need for ball to start rolling is just one win (or podium)…
6 years late, hurray for the leading bike market of Europe.
The UCI approached Gary Fisher to take the stand on the side of 29″ being allowed in racing, as the subject had become controversial. Everyone with a 29″er and their sister had appealed to the UCI beforehand.
Additionally, powers among the Royal Dutch Cycling Union KNWU had managed to get an approval through the formalities to re-ban 29″ after it had been scarcely used in 2004/2005. The person who had initiated it, was an outspoken hater of the wheels, and the successes of the HPC-Nishiki team on them. Words “cyclo-cross” and “unfair advantage in straight line” were circulating at the KNWU.
Holland is not rich of Worldcup-like MTB courses. At times, CX bikes CAN be ridden on the same courses MTB’ers make due with (complaining about them being dull).
The UCI, against very firm personal pleads to the MTB Coordinatior in charge at the time, did the expected, merely exchanged the 26 in the rules, for 29. This automatically opened the rules up for narrow-tired bicycles. Narrow tires had always been allowed, but who want a 26″er with 35mm tires on an MTB course? Anyway, CX bikes come standard with narrow tires, the handicap imposed on them, to be road-racing legal. Yes, wider tires are NOT ALLOWED in road racing, a restriction if I recall from the time of the early MTB’s.
Anyway, some people don’t have MTB’s, but want a “summer cross”, or they have both and want to try if CX may proove as fast as it feels.
We saw races where CX riders were biting it. Flatting it. Just being plain miserable. 2 hours with narrow tires (performance CX bikes don’t come with fatties after all) is only fun for those with extravagant private lifestyles.
Also, concerns were raised over the identity of MTB, being crossed with Cross now. What kind of racing are we dealing with here, MTB or Cross? My opinion: let the course decide that, ride what you feel works there.
The straight line speed, most of us know, is mostly perceived to be faster on a cross bike. More important is the person who rides it. Schwalbe (German) even found wider tires to roll faster. I can tell you cross racers at national level don’t cruise down the straights. MTB racers do, relatively speaking.
With the KNWU changing the rules back, some riders were disadvantages directly. Having invested in 29″ bikes, now illegal again. Apparently, few had actually seen the rule chance which was sneaked through the required counsils.
The advice, in 2003 passed by yours truly to the UCI, was repeated and backed by the riders, even those believing in 26″ers only. The solution is simple: where CX is a narrow-tires sport, regardless of rim size (product of rider height), MTB is a fat-tire sport. Everyone makes the distinction from a distance on tire girth. So, a minimum tire width was introduced for Dutch-organized UCI races : 45mm (or 40mm, I forget).
Ideal: no racey CX bike even FITS such tires. And if it doesn, it will look more and ride more like and MTB.
The German union is also crossophobic I believe. Cross riders are just crazy fast. And they barely care about how extreme an MTB course is, their skills make hopping a 25″ barrier possible, for crying out loud. Seen someone do that on an MTB lately?
I wonder how the Germans will adopt the 29″ rule now. Will they blindly open the door to CX bikes after all? I would not be surprised at all.
I also wonder what changed. Still hardly any 29″ bikes exist in Germany. Trek Germany is not even importing any bikes, even keeps 29″ from Eurobike if they can.
Bestem Glueckwunsch an irgendwelchen 29er Crew, die schon in Deutschland sind!
Go Eric!! Schafe, Schafe!
Sweet… I’m going to add more German beer and Sourkraut to my traing diet !
Folks, since I am German and the moderator of the 29er section of http://www.mtb-news.de (like mtbr.com) you can imagine that this is such a great message. Unbelievable. Fantastic. This will push the 29er movement here in Europe . Definitely. YES! 🙂
Fantastic news – let’s hope this really opens up the Euro 29er market!
I am stationed in Germany and when you talk to people in the bike industry here about 29er’s they look at you like your crazy, or ask what the big deal is. Not all, but it is still not mainstream here. But luckily most of the military cycling crowd here runs 29er’s are we are doing our best to make them see the light!!
Who cares what width tires people use? As long as the bike doesn’t have an engine, it should be good to go!
Some day the German’s will invent 29ers! 😉 I can’t wait……..
no the germans will invent the 1m wheel and upsurp the 29er and the silly english units
Great!
And I was thinking about doing a few races in Germany when I did some season planning last month, not even realising the ban… Oh well, problem solved :wink:.
Cloxx, dude, your one year ban by the Dutch federation haunts you till this day, doesn’t it? I can advise riding your 29er instead of rollerskis for a change to get rid of the trauma :wink:.
Really good news!
For two years I was racing 29ers in Germany hoping every time and then, that none would protest against me – what gladly never happend.
@Cloxxki:
CX are kept outside with a minimum tire width that doesn’t fit in CX frames and a ban of road race drop bars.
Ah, that’s just what I was going to ask about -can you ride drop bars in a UCI mtb. race? I really like the idea of “run what you brung” -i.e: letting the course/rider decide what bike to ride.
If the governing bodies want MTB races to be populated with actual “mountain” bikes, then they can start providing coursed where drop-bar’d 38mm tired monster cross bikes won’t work.
@jimmythefly: Yes you can, according to the UCI rules. As long as national rules do not prohibit it, like in the Netherlands, where we have a 40mm minimum tire width rule. In national Dutch races, that are under UCI governance instead of the national rules, you see the occasional cyclocrosser and that is allowed.
Having lived in Europe for 10 years American trends do catch on. And when they do they go all out in adopting them. The underground movement is going to explode to mainstream in the next two years. My Euro bike rags (German mostly) are now reviewing 29rs quite favorably and Specialized is marketing hard. Good news.
Ive been living in Germany now for around 25 years one big problem with the 29er’s here is that the wheelsize is the same as “Trekkingbikes” wich are very popular. Here in Germany ya see the comment “Its just a Trekkingbike with big tires” in almost every disscusion about 29er MTB’s (and also the bike group that I ride with from time to time). American trends do catch on here but VERY slowly,wich is not nessesarily a bad thing.When ppl here realize that 29″ will not take over but moreso expand the MTB market things will be fine,right now the fear of someone on big wheels will have a big advantage over someone on 26″ is just too great.It really is great news that 29er’s are officaly allowed to race here!!
I raced a 29er there this past summer and they didn’t catch me!
Mountain bike racing is the only cycling sport that allows more tan one wheel size to be raced in the same class!!!!! WHY
Can I race my 24″ WHEELED b.m.x in the 20″ Class?
Can I time trail on my 650b front wheeled 700c wheeled TT bike ?
Will the U.C.I allow 650b wheels to be used in the big tours, in the mountain stages?
THE ANSWER IS NO TO ALL OF THE ABOVE SO HOW COME 29ERS ARE ALLOWED IN X.C