UCI Hour Record is now a joke after rule changes in 2014

[hubner]

Who are the "real" UCI Hour Record holders?

The rule was changed in 2014 to allow modern track bikes, ie tri-bars and disc/aero wheels, but no "superman" positions. From 1997 to 2014 only "conventional" bikes were allowed, like bikes in the 70s, ie no aero stuff, only drop bars and box section rims and wire spokes, etc.

The men's version, since the rule change, has been officially broken several times, with Wiggins currently holding the record at 54.526km, done of course with tribars and aero wheels. But if you look back at all the records set with a similar bike set-up, the last one was by Tony Rominger at 55.291km in 1994!

[Kim]

Who are the "real" hour Record holders?

IHPVA

[hubner]

OK, I've added "UCI" to the thread title.

[Kim]

OK, I've added "UCI" to the thread title.

Well in that case ridiculous arbitrary bike rules come with the territory, do they not?

[bobb]

But if you look back at all the records set with a similar bike set-up, the last one was by Tony Rominger at 55.291km in 1994!

IIRC, Rominger's bike had considerably longer tri bars (certainly longer than is currently legal). He also has a smaller front wheel - not legal now....

[hubner]

OK, I've added "UCI" to the thread title.

Well in that case ridiculous arbitrary bike rules come with the territory, do they not?

All sports have arbitrary rules.

[hubner]

But if you look back at all the records set with a similar bike set-up, the last one was by Tony Rominger at 55.291km in 1994!

IIRC, Rominger's bike had considerably longer tri bars (certainly longer than is currently legal). He also has a smaller front wheel - not legal now....

Oh I see, the reasoning is that Rominger's bike is not currently UCI legal, so therefore that's not the distance for current riders to beat. But I don't think a smaller front wheel and longer tri-bars would make that much difference compared with all the advantages current bikes have.

The post 2014 record distances not including Wiggins' range from a pathetic 51.110km to 52.937km.

Current bikes surely must be several km/h faster than Rominger's bike, which had steel tubing!

[bobb]

But if you look back at all the records set with a similar bike set-up, the last one was by Tony Rominger at 55.291km in 1994!

IIRC, Rominger's bike had considerably longer tri bars (certainly longer than is currently legal). He also has a smaller front wheel - not legal now....

But I don't think a smaller front wheel and longer tri-bars would make that much difference compared with all the advantages current bikes have.

Maybe not, but being coached by Dr Michele Ferrari was probably worth a couple of km 

[hubner]

Haha. I reckon when they "reset" the record, they deliberately set it to the shortest distance possible to encourage new attempts. So the record was set at about 49km, done on Merckx era type bikes, but now they're allowing riders to use modern aero bikes to beat it.

[Karla]

But if you look back at all the records set with a similar bike set-up, the last one was by Tony Rominger at 55.291km in 1994!

IIRC, Rominger's bike had considerably longer tri bars (certainly longer than is currently legal). He also has a smaller front wheel - not legal now....

Oh I see, the reasoning is that Rominger's bike is not currently UCI legal, so therefore that's not the distance for current riders to beat. But I don't think a smaller front wheel and longer tri-bars would make that much difference compared with all the advantages current bikes have.

The post 2014 record distances not including Wiggins' range from a pathetic 51.110km to 52.937km.

Current bikes surely must be several km/h faster than Rominger's bike, which had steel tubing!

Longer tribars and a smaller front wheel allow you to get lower and more stretched out, which is a huge advantage.  ~80% of a bike+rider's drag is generated by the rider's body, so getting yourself in a more aerodynamic position is worth more than a few changes in frame tubing. 

Anyway, the new rules are fairly easy to understand and were designed to reinvigorate a record that had been put out to pasture by overly restrictive rules.  Unless you're going to allow superman positions back again, pitting people up against Chris Boardman riding superman would be completely  pointless: nobody would attempt the record. 

Why has this topic been started anyway?  We had all these discussions on here, eighteen months ago.

[Pingu]

Definition vital in setting target shocker.

[andrew_s]

Why has this topic been started anyway?  We had all these discussions on here, eighteen months ago.

Presumably because Evelyn Stevens broke the womens' hour record yesterday

[Cudzoziemiec]

The real UCI Hour Record holder is whoever the UCI currently recognise according to whatever rules they currently impose. Their record, their rules.