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From: Zen Cycle <funkmaster@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Getting old is not for sissies
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2025 17:24:47 -0500
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On 3/3/2025 2:07 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Mon, 3 Mar 2025 11:09:15 -0500, Zen Cycle <funkmaster@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> On 3/1/2025 4:39 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>> On Sat, 1 Mar 2025 13:55:50 -0500, Frank Krygowski
>>> <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 3/1/2025 1:22 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>>>> On Sat, 1 Mar 2025 07:43:22 -0600, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2/28/2025 5:52 PM, Catrike Ryder wrote:
>>>>>>> I was thinking about fixies just the other day on my ride and thought
>>>>>>> maybe I could set up a fixie on the Catrike. Then I considered how
>>>>>>> often I coast. Keeping my legs moving the whole ride is not something
>>>>>>> I want to do.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I thought about your comment this morning.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> While almost everything humans can imagine is possible when
>>>>>> time and money have no value, there's no practical
>>>>>> straightforward way to make a Catrike fixed gear.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hardly straightforward, but certainly possible.  Remove the gears,
>>>>> chain and sprockets and replace them with a hydraulic gear pump, two
>>>>> hydraulic hoses, and a hydraulic motor on the wheels.  This is nothing
>>>>> new.  There are motor vehicles and construction equipment that use a
>>>>> hydraulic pump at the engine, T junction, and a hydraulic motor on
>>>>> each wheel.
>>>
>>>> IIRC, hydrostatic transmissions are standard features on zero turn
>>>> mowers. But as you noted, the mechanical efficiency is lousy. That's not
>>>> a concern if you have a big enough engine and low enough use hours. It's
>>>> a huge concern for a cyclist.
>>>
>>> True, but the huge concern is mostly for racing.  If you're using the
>>> bicycle as a moving exercise machine, the added weight and increased
>>> friction might even be considered beneficial.  It's like the weights
>>> on barbells where light weight is not a concern.  For competitive
>>> fixie racing, maybe the governing organization should specify a
>>> minimum allowable bicycle weight, which might inspire technical
>>> innovation instead of shaving grams off the bicycle weight.
>>
>> The UCI weight limit of 6.8 Kg applies to all types of bikes, track
>> bikes (aka fixies) included
> 
> I assume that applies only to UCI sanctioned bicycle races.

Specifically for UCI races, yes, but the vast majority of national 
sanctioning bodies follow UCI rules even in races that aren't UCI 
sanctioned. In the US, the sanctioning body is USACycling (USAC) If a 
race is however a UCI race, it must follow UCI rules and UCI rules will 
take precedence even if the race is being administered by USAC.

For non-UCI races sanctioned by USAC, there is no weight limit for any 
kind of bike. In fact the actual equipment requirements for regular 
bicycle types are surprisingly sparse, only covering just over two pages.

https://assets.usacycling.org/prod/documents/USACycling_RuleBook_7_2024.pdf

Pages 28 - 31

I have seen situations where someone raises an issue referring to UCI 
rules, and the answer from the official is "this isn't a UCI race".

> Oddly, I haven't seen any bicycle-like exercise machines being sold on
> the basis of them being light weight.  Probably the same for moving
> bicycle-like exercise machines (i.e. trainers).
> 
> Note:  The discussion was initially about adapting fixie technology to
> a tricycle (Catrike).  Andrew commented:
> 
> "While almost everything humans can imagine is possible when
> time and money have no value, there's no practical
> straightforward way to make a Catrike fixed gear."
> 
> I then provided a possible solution using hydraulics and mentioned
> that weight would be "a huge concern, especially in racing".  From
> that point on, the comments assumed that such a hydraulic drive train
> would be used on racing bicycles and that it would not be a good idea
> because if would be unsuitable for racing.  It might be best if we
> simply not consider racing to be a suitable use for a hydraulic fixie
> bicycle.

I probably should have clarified, the 6.8 Kg weight limit for UCI is a 
_minimum_ weight. If one felt the need to ride a 30 pound walmart bike 
in a UCI race, there wouldn't be any rule against it as long as all the 
other mechanical requirements are met.

-- 
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