"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Is it "legal" to have an under saddle bag in a race?

Is it "legal" to have a small underseat bag (with tube, repair kit) in a race?

Every race I am in, everyone takes their bag off, if they have one. I am not sure if this is because of weight, or rules. It's not like I have a team car following me ...and I am entering a longer race...I guess I'd prefer to have some recourse to flats, even with the weight penalty.

Thanks for any info...

Mike

I've left mine on for every race I have done in the last few years. I used to take them off for crits (where they aren't useful anyhow, and the old silca frame pumps all too often came off the bike) but always leave them on for road races.

Is it "legal" to have a small underseat bag (with tube, repair kit) in a race?

http://www.usacycling.org/forms/RdTrkCx_rulebook.pdf

yes

The recourse for flats is a wheel truck or wheel pit. If you think you're going to get back on after flatting and changing a tube you're fooling yourself, unless of course you wear argyle socks and offered to buy everyone who stayed on your wheel dinner.

The best solution is to make sure you have good rubber before you go play. The last thing you want is to throw your registration fee out the window because you were so cheap you ran crappy tires.

Ken
ps - I flatted in my first race. It sucked.

I suggest filling it with lead or steel if you're racing against me. It helps make your bike more stable.

Hi,

See page 26, paragraph 1J2. (a).

My interpretation: A properly secured under seat bag would probably be OK. A Silca frame pump -- no. YMMV.

A Silca frame pump -- no.

Yes.

Thanks all for the advice.

This is just to finish the course and get back to my car. No self-delusions of chasing back on :)

Thanks all for the advice.

This is just to finish the course and get back to my car. No self-delusions of chasing back on :)

You can always take a ride in the sag wagon.

I see people leave them on at races, but I don't know why you would. Do your races not have wheel trucks?

I plan on leaving mine on for Battenkill, depending on the follow-car policy. I usually take it off for races though.

I hate to burst everyones bubble, but, last year at mile 28 I flatted in the Tour of Battenkill, going down one of the dirt hills-I actually got a pretty bad ding in the rim of my Ksyrium as well. It took nearly five minutes before the wheelcar came along, I changed the wheel and vo2'd for 9.5 minutes and caught the lead group, I recovered and finished third.

In Fitchburg, in the second stage, I flatted and also cracked my zipp 303 rim-needed to replace it. I put myself into LT for about 15 minutes and finished 2nd in the race.

I went there to race and I di-that's what you do. If God gives you lemons make lemonade!! Both times I was using my best racing tires, Conti sprinter tubular and GP4000.

if there is a chance of flatting in the middle of nowhere and you're going to be behind the follow car, then yes use one. if you're in a crit, you look like an idiot.

I hate to burst everyones bubble, but, last year at mile 28 I flatted in the Tour of Battenkill, going down one of the dirt hills-I actually got a pretty bad ding in the rim of my Ksyrium as well. It took nearly five minutes before the wheelcar came along, I changed the wheel and vo2'd for 9.5 minutes and caught the lead group, I recovered and finished third.

In Fitchburg, in the second stage, I flatted and also cracked my zipp 303 rim-needed to replace it. I put myself into LT for about 15 minutes and finished 2nd in the race.

I went there to race and I di-that's what you do. If God gives you lemons make lemonade!! Both times I was using my best racing tires, Conti sprinter tubular and GP4000.

I think that was a challenge to getting back on if you repair your flat, not take a wheel change. Nice work getting back on though :thumb: I'd like to see you post back when you pull the wheel, pull the tube, find and clear the debris, replace tube, seat beat, inflate, install wheel, then VO2 for 9 minutes and get back on ;)

I think that was a challenge to getting back on if you repair your flat, not take a wheel change. Nice work getting back on though :thumb: I'd like to see you post back when you pull the wheel, pull the tube, find and clear the debris, replace tube, seat beat, inflate, install wheel, then VO2 for 9 minutes and get back on ;)

That would have to be a NASCAResque tire change followed by a blood boiling 9 minutes of hell.

I see people use them in road races sometimes. I've also seen the officials make people remove them in crits.

Assuming there's a SAG wagon, I wouldn't bother.

I have seen sad souls on out-and-back TT's forlornly tromping home on the road shoulder.

I hate to burst everyones bubble, but, last year at mile 28 I flatted in the Tour of Battenkill, going down one of the dirt hills-I actually got a pretty bad ding in the rim of my Ksyrium as well. It took nearly five minutes before the wheelcar came along, I changed the wheel and vo2'd for 9.5 minutes and caught the lead group, I recovered and finished third.



I'm betting that while it may have seemeed like nearly 5 minutes for the wheel car to come along, that it had to be shorter.

Unless the pack set up and started riding at a snail's pace, the math can't work. Assume the pack was doing even 20 mph, to close a 5 minute gap in 9.5 minutes, you would have to average in excess of 40 mph.

Not to minimize what you did, catching back on after a wheel change, with no help from teammates or drafting cars is pretty impressive. But I'm with everyone that says its virtually impossible if you had to actually fix the flat yourself.

For a RR I just put a tube and co2 in my jersey pocket.

I suggest filling it with lead or steel if you're racing against me. It helps make your bike more stable.

Or Girl Scout cookies to use as bait.

.A Silca frame pump -- no.

Worked for the Cinzano boys.

http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=3461

Worked for the Cinzano boys.

http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=3461

:lol::lol:

Worked for the Cinzano boys.

http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=3461

That was one of the many movie choices on an Emirates flight to Dubai I was on last week... I made everyone in my row watch it.