Approval procedure for frames and forks Julien Carron Technological Coordinator
DĂŠpartement Sport et Technique
Basic principles of equipment •
In 1996, the Lugano Charter promotes: • • • • • • • • •
•
The primacy of man over the machine The performance by the cyclist, not by the bicycle The race victory to the best physical quality The accessibility of the equipment for everybody The fairness between the riders The safety of the riders during the races The preservation of historic past and a culture of the bicycle The technique dedicated to the sport and not the opposite The universality (sport of cycling open to everybody)
In 2000, the technical regulations came into force to apply these principles
Evolution of the equipment • • • •
1996 : Writing of The Lugano Charter 2000 : Introduction of the Technical regulations 2000 : Tests of wheels for massed start races in SIRRIS laboratory 2000 - 2011 : Main technical improvements: • • • •
• • •
Carbon frames are no longer only for the elite, but for every riders All the accessories are now in carbon composites Appearance of electronic on bicycles: electric derailleur, GPS, measurements computer, etc. Market evolution: time trial frames are showcases for manufacturers, production relocated in Asia, increase of manufacturers,…
2009 : Practical guide to clarify the regulations 2011 : Approval Procedure for Frames and Forks Next : New approval procedures for all cycling equipment (saddles, handlebars, wheels, textile,…)
Problematic •
Current problems : • • •
•
• • •
•
Technical regulation in force BUT not applied in practice → abuse of the rules Rule-abiding manufacturers are penalized Ignorance or misinterpretation of the regulation by the teams, licence holders, commissaires and manufacturers → They all have to understand the regulations to be regulatory Commissaires confronted to non regulatory bicycles before events → What can they do? → Exact same bike sometimes allowed sometimes rejected from events High bicycles cost without the guaranty to respect the UCI regulations and to be assured to be allowed to take part of events Non regulatory bicycle → triathlon → time trial / track Threat on cycling at the Olympic Games
Considered solutions : • •
Check of regularity only on events → too late Approval procedure for bicycle equipment → beforehand
Approval purposes • • • • • • • •
Better information of the UCI regulations in force to the manufacturers before starting a mass production Facilitation of the exchange of information between the manufacturer and the UCI, while guaranteeing the confidentiality by OpenTrust® Same clarification of regulations for every manufacturers at the same time Reassurance to avoid having the equipment rejected at the start of an event and the arguments about the compliance of new equipment Reduction and facilitation of the checks to be carried out by the commissaires before an event Respect of the UCI technical regulations to improve security and fairness on events There is no change at all of regulations Reassurance to riders and future customers that the model complies with the regulations in force Authorisation to the licence holders to take part in any road, track or cyclo-cross event
Models subject to approval • •
•
All models of frames and forks under development on 1 January 2011 which had not reached the production stage have to get approved This procedure does not apply to frames and forks which are already manufactured, on the market or at the production stage There is a distinction between : •
•
• •
Approval available for frames and forks from 2009 and 2010 The models are : • • •
•
“monobloc” (moulded) models : TT and Track → full procedure Road and CX → medium procedure “tubular” (assembled) models : All disciplines → simplified procedure
Different if specific to different disciplines (road, TT, track, cyclo-cross) Different if the general geometry changes The same if only the size or the weight vary
Approval is required for EVERY licence holders in ALL UCI events
Schedule of the procedure
Application Form •
The approval procedure starts with the submission of the Application Form to the UCI
Schedule of the procedure
Exchange confidentiality • • • •
•
•
Email address used to create a new OpenTrust® account in case of full or intermediate procedure, or individual tickets for simplified procedure Intuitive user interface identical to a traditional email inbox Return mail with the connexion information to the account and the encryption password Secure reception of all files with proofs of sending for traceability Exchange of files of all types and sizes, but only with the UCI Information stored on a secure UCI server used for this purpose only
Schedule of the procedure
Submission of technical drawings COMPLETE AND INTERMEDIATE PROCEDURE • Files exchanged using OpenTrust® platform with personal account • Technical drawings for all sizes asked to get all the information at one time : • • •
•
• •
Sectional views of frame, fork and frame-fork assembly with and without the template in 1:1 scale Profile views of forks, seat stays and chain stays in 1:1 scale 2 sectional views of the sections of all tubes at ¼ and ¾ distances Perspective views
Files sent in PDF (2D) and STEP (3D) formats Manufacturer has 10 months to send all the drawings
Submission of technical drawings (2) SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE • Files exchanged using the OpenTrust® platform with tickets • Technical drawings only for the biggest, the smallest and a medium size : • • • •
•
•
Sectional views of the frame-fork assembly with measurements Profile views of forks, seat stays and chain stays One sectional view of the sections of all tubes Perspective view or photo
The files sent can be technical drawings, diagrams, sketches or drawings as precise and detailed as possible Manufacturer has 10 months to send all the drawings
Submission of technical drawings (3) FORK PROCEDURE • Files exchanged using OpenTrust® platform with tickets • Procedure only for “monobloc” (moulded) models • Technical drawings asked to get all the information at one time : • • •
•
• •
Sectional views of the fork with and without the template in 1:1 scale Profile views of forks in 1:1 scale to measure 3 sectional views of the cross sections of the tubes at ¼, ½ and ¾ distances Perspective views
Files sent in PDF (2D) and STEP (3D) formats Manufacturer has 10 months to send all the drawings
Schedule of the procedure
Validation of the technical drawings • •
Control Report sent to manufacturers at the most thirty days from the receipt of the technical drawings 3 possible decisions : • If there are failures to comply with the regulations : Notification of the changes to be carried out 3 months to submit corrected drawings • If a technical innovation is observed (article 1.3.004) : Equipment Commission convened and the manufacturer informed of decisions taken • If the drawings meet all the required conditions : Control Report accepting the model sent to the manufacturer who is authorised to move on to the production stage for full procedure or to the labelling for intermediate and simplified procedure
Schedule of the procedure
Production of a prototype • • • • •
This stage is mandatory for the full procedure only but can be asked to the manufacturers for the other procedures, too Production of a full-scale prototype as faithful as possible with the technical drawings previously accepted by the UCI One example for the standard size (Medium) is sent to the control The UCI has the possibility to request more sizes if needed Prototypes must come from the production line or at least from the moulds and equipment which will be used for the mass production
Schedule of the procedure
Verification of the prototype • • • •
Dimensions checks on prototypes carried out in the LTC lab at EPFL Measurements with a 3D coordinate-measuring machine Superimposing of the accepted technical drawings on the actual structure in a CAD programme to analyse its compliance Control Report sent to the manufacturer within two months of the receipt of prototypes with : If not ok : 6 month for correction If ok : start of labelling stage
Schedule of the procedure
Labelling “UCI frame” •
The “UCI frame” label consists of •
the new “UCI frame” logo, an identification code for the model
•
and the coded date of approval
•
•
• •
The role of the label is for the commissaires to check the conformity of the frame and for the licence holders to know that the frame complies with the UCI regulations The label is applied by the manufacturer with the graphic charter at the same time as the branding for the model in the first instance The “UCI frame” label must be visible, indelible and inseparable from the frame
Schedule of the procedure
Approval of the model •
•
•
•
The UCI sends the manufacturer an Approval Certificate for each model at the end of the approval procedure The issuing of the Approval Certificate authorises the model to be used in UCI events Name of the approved model, manufacturer’s name, sizes checked and date of approval are added to the List of Approved Models a few days before the first use of the model in competition Approval has unlimited duration
Checks by the commissaires
• •
•
A List of the Approved Models of Frames and Forks is available on the new Equipment page of the UCI website The “UCI frame” label applied on a frame means that the frame and the fork comply with the UCI regulations, BUT it doesn’t guaranty that the rider’s position is correct or the safety of the frame The checks of the position remain necessary, but there is no need to : • • • • •
Check the triangular shape of the frame Check the 3:1 rule on the elements of the frame and the fork Measure the distance between the crank set axis and the wheels axis Check the maximum dimensions of 8 cm and minimum of 1/2.5 cm Check the geometry of the frame (slooping, seat stays inclination, compensation triangles,…)
Checks by commissaires (2)
•
However, the commissaires will have to : • Check that the applied labels fit with the manufacturers and models. Examples : • Pinarello, FPDUE, Road → PINA-FP2-RD • Scott, Plasma 3, TT → SCOT-PLA3-TT • Corima, VIF, Track → CORI-VIF-TR • Richard Sachs, Signature, CX → SACH-RSS-CX
• Note the identification codes of the frame if there is
a doubt or a conformity problem • Check that the labels are 3 cm tall, visible, indelible and cannot be removed from the frame • Inform the UCI about
suspicion cases of models produced after 2011 without a label
Checks by UCI and penalties • •
Random compliance checks of approved models with a special measuring device at any road, track or cyclo-cross events If an approved model with a label is found not to conform : • • • • •
• •
Approval of the model may be withdrawn Fine of between CHF 10,000 and 100,000 Licence holder immediately disqualified Investigation into the relevant team Performances are not recognised
manufacturer responsible licence holder responsible
These dimensional checks can also be done on older models to verify their compliance with the UCI regulations A check that models without label were effectively produced before 2011 will also be carried out
Costs of the approval • • •
Implementation of the approval gives rise to significant expenses that the UCI cannot take on without a contribution The approval procedure is a service and the costs have been reduced to a minimum to cover just the costs arising from the approval procedure The fee depends on the service provided. The following scale of charges applies : • • • • •
•
CHF 5,000 for each model of frame and forks submitted by the manufacturer for the full procedure for a maximum of 8 sizes CHF 3,000 for each model of frame and forks submitted by the manufacturer for the intermediate procedure for a maximum of 8 sizes CHF 500 for each model of frame and forks submitted by the manufacturer under the simplified procedure for a maximum of 8 sizes The charges of the simplified procedure are reduced to CHF 400 if it is done via the Framebuilder’s Collective Modest increase in the cost for additional sizes
The costs will be amended in the future with the rationalisation of project costs - no profit is made
Conclusion • • • • • • •
The approval is essential to finally be coherent with the UCI regulations and for the fairness on cycling events The approval is a service implemented by UCI to solve many current problems relating to the equipment A communication plan is starting to inform the licence holders, the retailers, the federations, the commissaires, the teams,… The approval procedure is starting very well with 92 models already submitted from both big and small manufacturers 41 models are already approved on all categories (RD, TT, TR, CX) The « UCI frame » label will possibly evolve with the integration of a quality and security control The approval of frames and forks is the first step before the implementation of other procedures for : • • • •
the wheels the clothing / textile the saddles the handlebars