The UCIs 6 8kg weight limit is under threat again. Does it need to change?

The BASH/MTN used a similar-looking frame design to the rest of Serial 1’s e-bikes. These electric-assisted bicycles provide a versatile and accessible means of engaging in physical activity, catering to individuals of varying fitness levels. Riding an eBike encourages cardiovascular exercise, leg muscle engagement, and overall mobility. I’m looking for a cheap (i.e. about this price) ebike for food deliveries as I’m tired of pedaling up and down hills all day long. Of course, it’s the climbs most people care about, but even then, shaving a few hundred grams off a bike won’t transform anyone from a rouleur to a grimpeur. Giant also developed a new ‘ThinLine’ lightweight paint, bringing the total weight savings to 140g versus the already very light 2020 TCR Advanced SL Disc.

Speaking to BikeRadar in 2015, the UCI’s then-technical manager, Mark Barfield, acknowledged the UCI’s minimum bike weight limit “is a bit of a relic of the past”. Before the mass adoption of disc brakes on road bikes, for example, many pro-spec road bikes weighed less than 6.8kg and this was not widely considered unsafe. A full range of gearing options can be fitted according to personal preference, and all componentry is selected from the leading manufacturers in the field of racing and road bikes. The .1R is finished off with a specially commissioned saddle from the esteemed British manufacturer Brooks, trimmed in the owner’s choice of leather or Alcantara, as are the handlebar grips. The Back tire isn’t fitted in place correctly and is slightly too high up on the rear tire axle shaft. It appears to be tightened in place and secure by the nut screw, but it creeps me out a bit that if the nut were to unscrew a bit the tire would fly out….

That would have been fine, but we had already assembled most of the mountain bike and we didn’t want to repack the entire thing just to ship it out and get another mountain bike that we would have to reassemble. Simon joined BikeRadar in 2020, but has been riding bikes all his life, and racing road and time trial bikes for over a decade. As a person of little physical talent, he has a keen interest in any tech which can help him ride faster and is obsessed with the tiniest details. Simon writes reviews and features on power meters, smart trainers, aerodynamic bikes and kit, and nerdy topics like chain lubricants, tyres and pro bike tech. Simon also makes regular appearances on the BikeRadar Podcast and BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. Before joining BikeRadar, Simon was a freelance writer and photographer, with work published on BikeRadar.com, Cyclingnews.com and in CyclingPlus magazine.

This digital tool lets users personalize the color of the tubes, lugs, forks, stem, seat post, and handlebar drops, as well as choose to leave the carbon fiber exposed for its natural beauty. Various accents like the bottom bracket cups, brake calipers, and brake disc centers can be coated in bronze or remain understated in black. At the heart of this extraordinary creation lies an exquisitely crafted frame, a result of merging parametrically designed, 3D-printed titanium lugs and carbon fiber tubes. This fusion doesn’t just deliver an unparalleled combination of responsiveness and comfort, Aston Martin says, but it also redefines aesthetics and elegance.

While the Dura-Ace Di2-equipped SL8 we have in for review weighs 6.76kg in a size 56cm, without pedals or accessories, Specialized says a special-edition, size-52cm version built for Remco Evenepoel to take on this year’s Vuelta a España weighed 6.8kg ready to race. This impressively low weight was almost an afterthought, though – perhaps because Canyon knows it can build lighter bikes. All in, the new O2 VAM has a claimed frame weight (including the integrated seat mast) of 730g in a size 54cm, despite it retaining a number of aerodynamic optimisations. As a result, most riders opted for builds balanced between aerodynamic efficiency and weight. One particularly interesting detail is the wheel design, which features a 55-millimeter deep carbon tubeless profile with an internal width of 22 mm.

You can click the above link for detail instructions on how to build this specific bike yourself and all the tools you will need to do so. The current rule helps provide something of a level playing field (in sporting terms) too, with the UCI stating “The rules governing the use of equipment aim to ensure both the safety of riders and the fairness of competition”. As a result, it wasn’t uncommon to see lead weights added to bikes to ensure they passed checks by beady-eyed UCI commissaires. Ultimately, whatever the physics says, it’s hard to beat the experience of picking up a featherweight bike and imagining how it might improve your climbing. Bike weight makes almost no difference to performance if you’re riding along a flat road.

On top of this, Giant says it uses lasers rather than machine stamping to cut its carbon fibre sheets and now employs robotics to automate certain aspects of the carbon layup. Rather than using off-the-shelf options, Giant says it weaves its own carbon fibre to its own specification, in its own composites hyper bicycles factory. Rounding off some of the frame tube shapes away from the leading edges of the frameset, enabled them to bear loads more efficiently, Specialized says. Unusually, Canyon even said it added 30g of extra carbon to the frame compared to the previous version, to improve its stiffness and reliability.

Entice customers to sign up for your mailing hyper bike list with discounts or exclusive offers.