Everest

This season will be my first year racing and I have a couple questions. I am 17 right now and will turn 18 in April do I still qualify as a Junior? or should I register as a collegiate rider? (I had a really hard time deciphering any thing from the USCF site)?Also if I am liscensed as a junior or collegiate can I still enter and ride races in an open category such as Cat 5? Also I'm not currently in a club but may join eventually will I have any problems doing that, what will it entail?

Snuffleupagus

Yes - Until you're 19 you're required to use junior gears (52x14).
Yes - A collegiate add on is free.
Yes - you don't buy a special junior license. They just go off your racing age.

Everest

Wait i'm restricted in gears? (i guess i have heard that before but forgot about it) does that mean I have to buy different cassettes for my road and tt bikes? Where does one even find a cassette with a 14 tooth small cog (everything I have is 11-25 or 12-25). Also for 2007 it says 52-14 that is alot smaller than what I normally run, does this seriously mean I am going to have to buy new chainrings and cassettes.

Moochers_Dad

You can use your cassettes that you have on there now, but you'll need to turn the limit screw so that any gear higher than the 14 isn't able to be used. I believe the rollout is 26 feet, and at some events, there will be someone checking rollout and if you've blocked your gears.

For National Champion events, you will have to have a 14-25 cassette, which Shimano makes an Ultegra one for about $75

Moochers_Dad

check it, yo:

https://www.usacycling.org/forms/rule...DJUSTMENTS.pdf

urbanknight

Starting racing as an 18 year old (that's your racing age) will be hard in the junior categories because many juniors that age are Cat 2 riders as well. You might enjoy racing Cat 5 and then just upgrading as you become an adult. Also, when I raced junior, I only had to have junior gearing while in a junior race. Do minors have to have junior gearing even in adult categories now?

Everest

Saw that later

They changed it so the gearing limit applies in all races, which sucks because around here there isn't really a Junior category at most races they just run in the same field as everyone else, and i really think the gearing will limit will hurt me. As an 18 year old I am required to race as a junior corrrect? If there is no junior category can I race Cat 5 as long as I use the gearing limit? If I get enough races to upgrade to cat 4 does that upgrade still stand when I switch to adult raceing?

Barca

No, they don't do roll-out in the Elite categories.

merlinextraligh

As a practical matter they may not make you do a rollout as a junior racing elite, but the rule still requires juniors to use junior gears in all races.

merlinextraligh

It won't keep you from being competitive. 52 x14 at 100 rpm is 30 mph. Even in a very fast crit, a cadence in the 100-110 range will keep in you in the low to mid 30's. And sprinting in the 120-140 rpm range, you've got enough gear for any sprint finish you're going to be in.

The lower gears will actully force you to be a better rider.

DrWJODonnell

+1. The only downside will be in downhill TTs where you might actually be spinning out. Keep the cadence high and you will be fine.

recneps

Every Elite race I have ever seen with juniors has done a roll-out.

zimbo

In last week's crit, one of the local juniors placed in the top 5 but was later disqualified for not having the proper gearing. I have no idea what that rule is all about. Can someone help me understand why it's there?

--Steve

Everest

Yeah I was thinking mainly about flat TT's when I time trial I dont spin I push a fairly large gear. My TT (well really triatrhlon up till this point) set up has always used a 54 tooth big ring. Though your probably right that a gear limit will force me to spin and will probably help in the long run.

merlinextraligh

I think the rationale is two fold: one, to prevent damage to young knees from pushing too big a gear (sort of like not throwing curves in little league);
and, two, teaching them to spin.

Snuffleupagus

Indeed. Non-sealed growth plates are prone to injury, and lifelong damage - moreso than adult joints.

YMCA

Instead of getting a 52x14, you can always buy a 45 tooth chainring and run it with your 12 in the back. We have a number of juniors that do that, so there is never a worry about having to change the set screw. It also keeps you used to riding with that gear limit at all your training rides.

Everest

I considered that too but would it work to run 45-42 up front? What I think I will probably do since I have 2 road bikes (A older Fuji Team and an aluminum Lemond Alpe D'Huez) is run the Fuji as a race bike with the cassette blocked to 14 and the existing 53 tooth ring and try to find some 20c tubulars, which according to the USCF site should work. I will leave it set up like this permenantly and do quite a bit of training on it to get used to it. I'll also leave my TT bike set up this way as well. Now I just need to save up for and find a at least one 20c clincher for the time trial and at least one 20c tubular for the road bike (anyone have any they want to donate to the cause) or a 45 tooth chainring I guess.

Barca

Maybe they do. I never had a roll out in the Elites when I was racing juniors.

YMCA

Why block out your 12 and 13? Then you'd only have 8 gears, when you could have 10. Do a 45x39 combo with a 12-?. You can get chainrings pretty cheap if you look around. That, or just find the money to buy the 14-25 cassettes made specially for juniors. Either way, don't just block your derailleur and lose those extra gears.

Everest

I haven't found anywhere that sells 45 tooth rings (ok ebay has a few but they are all either BMX or from the 80's niether of which would work smoothly with 9 speed right)