SRAM explodes against the UCI for the limitation of developments

Although the rule has not yet been definitively approved but a pilot test will be carried out during the Tour de Guangxi before opting to adopt the maximum development limitation that the UCI, following the suggestions of Safe-R proposed to improve the safety of the races, for SRAM the damage is already done, leaving their groups marked as "illegal" something that they not only foresee will affect their sales but also implies, according to the brand, that their cyclists cannot compete under the same conditions as their rivals.

The development limit forces SRAM to take legal action against the UCI

Since the UCI announced the idea of limiting the maximum development we already explained that it was an idea that did not take into account a lot of aspects. Mainly because it is a limit, 10.46 m per pedal stroke, which corresponds to the 54x11 that those bikes equipped with Shimano transmission use as maximum development, let's not forget, is one of the sponsors of the UCI. Also those who use Campagnolo, only the Cofidis cyclists.

However, the teams that mount SRAM: Visma-Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek, Movistar or Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, whose bikes usually mount a 54x10, are automatically excluded from this rule which not only poses a significant problem for SRAM engineers, who have to provide a quick solution to the cyclists of these teams but also, according to the brand, would represent a technical setback after years of development and a redesign of their groups that would take years.

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In fact, the use of the 10-tooth cog is associated with the general implementation in the SRAM range of their XDR hubs, derived from the original design of MTB XD and which served the American firm to avoid having to pay royalties to Shimano for the use of the HG hub that their cassettes had historically been using.

Although for the moment, the development limitation will only be tested at the Tour de Guangxi, it is still a race in which the teams that mount SRAM will be harmed having to resort to various solutions to be able to compete within the law: mechanically cap the use of the small cog leaving their bikes with 11 cogs; or use a large chainring smaller than 50 teeth to not exceed the maximum development seem to be the fastest short-term options. However, if this measure were definitively adopted, it would possibly force SRAM to build a new hub standard that would accept the 11 as the smallest cog.

After the UCI's refusal to dialogue and given the damage that this prohibition, even if it is only a test for now, does to SRAM's groups, the brand, together with the BCA, the competition authority of Belgium, has chosen to initiate legal proceedings for violation of antitrust laws under European competition legislation.

"This protocol penalizes and discourages innovation and puts our cyclists and teams at a competitive disadvantage. We could not have imagined today's transmissions when SRAM was founded almost 40 years ago, and we know that the transmissions of the next decade will continue to evolve. We trust the governing body of the sport to foster an environment that promotes innovation for the benefit of today's cyclists and riders, and the cyclists of the future" explained Ken Lousberg, CEO of SRAM while explaining that safety is a priority for SRAM.

SRAM has also criticized the idea of development limitations from the point of view that it was taken without any consultation and without any evidence justifying the improvement of safety. However, although the brand tried different approaches to the UCI to reach a consensus regarding the development limitation, the highest cycling body refused to engage in any dialogue which means that the legal route has been the only way out that SRAM has found.