The UCI is set to trial gearing restrictions in professional road races this August, in a bid to improve rider safety.
As first reported by Daniel Benson, the trial will place a limit on the maximum gear ratio riders can use in mass start road races, and it appears SRAM-sponsored teams will be most heavily affected.
This is because the gear development meters – the measure of how far your bike travels with a complete revolution of the crank – limit will be set to 10.46m. This is the equivalent of a 54x11-tooth gear combination.
The vast majority of SRAM-sponsored riders will need to amend their setups because SRAM’s 12-speed road cassettes start with a 10t sprocket.
Assuming they stuck with a cassette starting with a 10t sprocket, the largest chainring a SRAM-sponsored rider could use would be a 49t – far smaller than what most WorldTour riders typically use.
Shimano- and Campagnolo-sponsored teams will be less affected, as both offer cassettes starting with 11t sprockets for their latest flagship road bike groupsets (Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and Super Record 13).
This could disadvantage SRAM-sponsored riders, who will be forced to use smaller, less efficient chainring sizes than their competitors.
According to Benson’s report, the trial will take place during “selected races” in August, and “relevant data will be monitored and feedback from all stakeholders will be gathered to study the effects” of the restrictions.
Why does the UCI want to restrict gear ratios in pro racing?
Safety in pro road cycling has been a hot topic in recent years, following a number of high-profile crashes, injuries and even deaths during UCI races.
Some in the sport, including Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, are concerned that the ever-increasing speed of the pro peloton is leading to more crashes, and more severe outcomes when crashes happen.
Not everyone agrees, but Wout Van Aert and Chris Froome called for gearing restrictions in January to curb the use of increasingly big chainrings in the pro peloton.
Josh Tarling, of Ineos-Grenadiers, for example, used a 62t chainring at this year’s Paris Roubaix with an 11t smallest sprocket out back.
Meanwhile, SRAM-sponsored riders are regularly using 54t or larger chainrings paired with 10t sprockets, which is roughly equivalent to a 60x11t combination.
Some argue these dinner plate-sized chainrings are primarily used to improve drivetrain efficiency, rather than increase rider speeds.
This is because larger chainrings reduce chain articulation. This reduces friction (like oversized pulley wheels), while also enabling a rider to use sprockets in the middle of the cassette more of the time, improving their chainline.
Speaking to Sporza, though, Van Aert said “…cycling is getting faster. Limiting the number of gears would make the sport a lot safer, in my opinion.”
It seems the UCI’s SafeR (SafeRoad cycling) commission – which is made up of race organisers, former pro riders, teams and the UCI – has taken this onboard.
According to Benson’s report, the SafeR commission has concluded the use of increasingly big gears is leading to “excessive top speeds” during races, and it therefore feels it needs to act.
Who will be most affected by the UCI’s new gearing restrictions?
While Shimano-sponsored riders like Tarling will no longer be able to use enormous chainrings, the trial regulations will mostly affect SRAM-sponsored teams and riders.
As noted, this is because all of SRAM’s 12-speed road cassettes currently have a 10t smallest sprocket.
Given SRAM doesn’t make a 49t chainring for its pro-level Red AXS and Red XPLR AXS groupsets, the biggest chainring its riders will be permitted to use (without making other modifications to their setups) would be its 48/35t combination for 2x drivetrains, or a 48t 1x chainring.
Aside from efficiency losses, this would also put SRAM-sponsored riders at a gear size disadvantage, as a 48x10t combination offers a rollout of 10.22m on a bike with a 28mm tyre – 24cm less per crank revolution than with the 54x11t possible with Shimano or Campagnolo drivetrains.
That might seem like a small difference, but in an era of marginal gains, it’s not difficult to envisage this making the difference between winning and losing races, particularly in sprint finishes.
Of course, SRAM could opt to provide its sponsored-teams with 49t chainrings, or cassettes starting with 11t sprockets, to mitigate this disadvantage.
But unless the American company has received sufficient notice of this trial, it could be difficult for it to do so in time for August.
According to reports, the restrictions will only affect mass start road events and not time trials – so riders will be able to keep using oversized chainrings on their time trial bikes.
BikeRadar has approached SRAM for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
