tire width

I would think it would be the Elite men/women in UCI races not any others.  Nothing on the OCA website yet.

Martin www.urbanimages.com

Nationals I bet

I am sure the oca will let this one sldie for the non uci stuff.

 

  I am trying to find out how they are going to measure the tireds.My guess is a digital micrometer. If so go to crappy tire grab one for 20 or so bucks and measure all your 34's some may pass as 33's. 

  Talked to dugast about it and they said that the 34 is only a rough guide when making the tire and it maybe it is a 33 or go the other way as a 35.

  Anyway for most out there ride your tires and have fun then buy 32's as your next set.

 

nathan

ps have some good deals on never used 34 flying doctors typhoons :)

 

I bought some nice tires last year in the 34 size, the useful tread width is about 32, but the casing baloons out to 34.3.  I might try racing seniors in ontario this year so I wanted to see if it would be an issue, sounds like just for hte uci race in toronto and our new one here in rochester.

 

I have some 32's on order, I'm curious if I'll really notice a difference.

 

This has to be one of the more arbitrary and pointless rules the UCI has dreamed up.

They will have a U-shaped gauge made of metal or plastic with a 33 mm gap. For measuring your own either make this sort of gauge or do as Nathan said and use some calipers. Handmade tires like Dugast/FMB vary a lot, more than 1mm off stated. Challenge tires tend to measure close to spec all around.

I would think the big 34 stamped on the side of the tire would give you away, regardless of the manufacture's varation.

 

Martin www.urbanimages.com

It doesn't matter what it's called. Only the actual width is restricted.

Thank you UCI for making such issue of a non issue.

Challenge 34s measure 34. I have 6 of them and they all measured the same.

34s do make a difference on some courses. On hard and bumpy courses, the 34s soak up more of the beating than 32s. Also on slick courses with a hardpack base, the treads tend to flatten out a bit more and give you some extra grip. Other than that, I don't notice much of a difference.

The UCI placed the new rule basically to help pro CX teams in cutting down their inventory of rim/tire combos by almost 50%. All riders will now have 32s or smaller.  Good for them as most pro CX teams run on smaller budgets than pro road teams.

I recall one WC race last season where Stybar rode 34s and Albert 32s. Stybar could get better traction up a slick, bumpy climb and gap Albert. That advantage will now be eliminated. Doesn't happen much and probably makes minimal difference at our level, but we gotta do as the pros do...

Anybody want some Grifo 34s?

how can this be clarified ? which races or class will they measure tires in Ontario and what happens to those who pre reg and show up with non reg tires. CF had a gauge in Guelph (thanks), it was comincal, some fit, some didn't .... some fronts fit and backs didn't, even with same tires. LOL buying new tires to do a few races seems a little harsh, mine are not very old (mid 09 season), my next pair i buy will be 32 i guess but wasn't planning on that for a while..........+ regluing tires is about as much fun as landing on your nutz after a remount. i'm hoping to do the UCI and Prov-National races........might depend on how silly this gets. cheers BK

provincials, nationals and UCI will get the tyre measuring gauge apparently. southern cup, not so much (as was evident at the race on sunday).

and it was pretty hilarious seeing professed 32's getting stuck. front passes ... back nope.

put a nice coating of grease on the sidewalls ... ... .. .

I can't see it being enforced in the Masters categories as they are not UCI cats, just something made up by the OCA. Provinicals and Nationals are run by the correct age groups, so it would apply to those only.

it would be nice to know the "official" stance from the OCA..........it's nuts, until the tire companies get their act together then how can we be expected to play along..................tires sold as 32 are not legal,,LOL. whats that i hear..........its the sound of CX entering the "fun vacuum"

FYI. I did get my 32 Dugast flying doctors checked by Craig and his plastic gauge at the Tuesday night clinic. They passed with room to spare. I would assume that if you have 32 Dugast, your good to go.

Here is a excerpt from the official OCA CX Communique on the rules for cross this year: "Equipment Rules The UCI rules for bicycles and equipment are outlined in UCI Part 1, Chapter 3 rule book. There have been two important changes for this season. First, disc brakes are now allowed in all categories (rule 1.3.025). Second, the maximum allowable tire width has been reduced from 35mm to 33mm (measured between the widest parts of the tire). Please note that it is the actual width of the tire that counts NOT the tire size indicated on the sidewall. Tire width regulations will not be enforced at Citizen and Southern Cup events." For the whole document go to: http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/2010_road_communiqu_9-cy... I am sure they will enforce the tire width regulation at the Toronto International Cross and the Nationals.

thanks, and yah i saw that. not sure it answers my question, these are hand made tires, not exactly made to exacting .001" tolerances. They (UCI) drop this little communique in August, it just seems a little sudden to expect everyone to go buy tires........and then hope they measure as sold and fit the gauge. lets say i run out and buy 32mm...i talked to the supplier they wont guarantee they are 33mm or less. ! ! u can imagibe how happy he is, he has a shop full of 34's that he can't sell now....NICE, at least to Ontario racers. are most of the shelf bikes passing the gauge ? does anyone want this rule, was it asked for ? does the OCA/CCA have to enforce it ?

Craig measured my Dugast 32s at Durham. He wasn't sure if they would pass. The front seems to be 33 right on the nose at its widest point. the rear is more of a 32.

Craig measured my Michelin 700X30's at Durham and they did not pass according to his tool.

That's NOT what I wanted to hear. Being the owner of 30mm tires myself I imagined that there was no WAY I'd need to worry about it.

I guess if I get measured and fail with my 30mm clinchers I'll be cheering from the beer garden!

kevin

I just hope that when they start measuring tires at Centennial, Provincials and Nationals, that they measure EVERYONE's tires, not just a few random spot checks. I'd like to see what they decide to do when half the field ends up failing the tire check.

I'm in the middle of gluing some FMB '34's that I purchased before the UCI decided to make the change. If I can't race in my master's cat because of an extra mm of tire width I may have some wheels for immediate sale. Maybe a whole bike for that matter!

Was down in the states for a few UCI races

Races 1+2 in Vermont has people measuring the tires in the elite category, but not the Cat. 3 (and I didn't see what went on for the masters). My tires were not measured either day. They started measuring from the back row, and ran out of time to measure everyone before the start on both days. There were a bunch of girls that measured over 33. They were allowed to start but were told that if they did "well" they would be DQ'd. So the enforcement wasn't that strict.

Race 3 was in Rochester. Because the UCI race day only had 2 races going on (Elites only, all other cats raced on the saturday), they had a lot of time at the start. 1 commissair went around with a clip board with everyone's number, and made sure to check each person's tire before call-ups. This time everyone was under 33.

In all cases of tire measurements they only measured the rear, so you may be able to cheat a little in the front ; )

Not sure if that helps anyone, still not too sure what will happen for the masters racers.

Mel