Junior Gearing
UCI and USCF Regulations for juniors require a different gearing setup than generally available at a retail bike shop.
Junior gearing can be a surprise to young athletes trying the sport of cycling for the first time. The young athlete attending their first USCF sanctioned event may be shocked to find their bicycle to be considered illegal. And their parent(s) may wonder why when they have paid a lot of money for a bicycle that they were told was race ready. The main purpose of the junior gear restriction is to help the young rider develop a good pedal cadence and to avoid injury.
- Front Crank: Two rings is the standard. Triple ring front cranks are heavy and, more importantly, during a race can “cross chain”, jam and cause a crash.
- Gear Ratio:
1) Today's standard retail bikes come with either a compact large front chain ring (50 teeth) or standard front chain ring (53 teeth). Rear cassette gearing is various.
2) Riders have a few options to comply with the junior gearing requirement
A) To maximize gearing:
52 tooth (largest front chain ring) X 14 (smallest rear cassette cog)
This is a special setup and will require changing both the front chain ring (and maybe crank) and rear cassette.
B) To comply with regulation
50 tooth compact (largest front chain ring) X 14 (smallest rear cassette cog)
This will comply with the regulation and, in most cases, allow riders to stay competitive.
In most cases this will require changing the rear cassette (not the front chain ring).
C) A 53 tooth largest front chain ring will not work (many bikes are sold with this chain ring size, please look before you buy).
The junior gear restriction for road events is 26 feet (7.93 meters). Additional junior gear restrictions apply to the track based on age (see below) and no junior gear restrictions for cyclo-cross. The gear restriction is determined by the distance the bicycle travels in one complete pedal revolution when the bicycle is in its largest gear.
The USCF race official(s) will usually provide a courtesy gear check prior to the start of the junior race but ultimately it is the gear check immediately after the junior race that determines whether a junior's bicycle was legal or not. The USCF official checks a junior's bicycle's gears not by counting the number of teeth on the largest chain ring and smallest cassette cog but by rolling the bicycle backward in a straight line for 26 feet. This gear check procedure is called the "roll-out method" or simply " junior roll-out." If the bicycle makes a complete pedal revolution under or on 26 feet when rolled backwards, the bicycle is legal. If the bicycle rolls past 26 feet when rolled backward for a complete pedal revolution - post race, the rider is disqualified (not maybe) for not complying with the junior gear restriction.
Ultimately it is the athlete's responsibility to make sure their bicycle is compliant to the junior gear restriction. The purpose of the courtesy check is to offer the junior the opportunity to block their gears prior to competing in their event. Please note that blocked gearing is not permitted in USCF National Championship and UCI events. Depending on the rear derailleur's stop limits and rear cassette cog combination there is no guarantee that a bicycle with blocked gearing can be made legal for it all comes down to the distance traveled in the largest accessible gear. Blocking means adjusting the rear derailleur's high stop limit screw to prevent the chain from going to a small rear cassette cog.
Not all cycling tires have the same diameter and can give a bicycle a roll-out distance different than the distance provided by the gear recommendation. Junior riders need to roll-out their bicycles on their own prior to attending a USCF sanctioned event to determine whether they will be compliant to the rules.
For track events the following limits are be used:
10-12 years old – 6.00 meters or 19’8” [48 x 17]
13-14 years old – 6.36 meters or 20'10.5" [48 x 16]
15-16 yrs – 6.78 meters or 22'3" [48 x 15]
17+ yrs. - unrestricted
More detail on gearing is available at www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.
Junior gearing can be a surprise to young athletes trying the sport of cycling for the first time. The young athlete attending their first USCF sanctioned event may be shocked to find their bicycle to be considered illegal. And their parent(s) may wonder why when they have paid a lot of money for a bicycle that they were told was race ready. The main purpose of the junior gear restriction is to help the young rider develop a good pedal cadence and to avoid injury.
- Front Crank: Two rings is the standard. Triple ring front cranks are heavy and, more importantly, during a race can “cross chain”, jam and cause a crash.
- Gear Ratio:
1) Today's standard retail bikes come with either a compact large front chain ring (50 teeth) or standard front chain ring (53 teeth). Rear cassette gearing is various.
2) Riders have a few options to comply with the junior gearing requirement
A) To maximize gearing:
52 tooth (largest front chain ring) X 14 (smallest rear cassette cog)
This is a special setup and will require changing both the front chain ring (and maybe crank) and rear cassette.
B) To comply with regulation
50 tooth compact (largest front chain ring) X 14 (smallest rear cassette cog)
This will comply with the regulation and, in most cases, allow riders to stay competitive.
In most cases this will require changing the rear cassette (not the front chain ring).
C) A 53 tooth largest front chain ring will not work (many bikes are sold with this chain ring size, please look before you buy).
The junior gear restriction for road events is 26 feet (7.93 meters). Additional junior gear restrictions apply to the track based on age (see below) and no junior gear restrictions for cyclo-cross. The gear restriction is determined by the distance the bicycle travels in one complete pedal revolution when the bicycle is in its largest gear.
The USCF race official(s) will usually provide a courtesy gear check prior to the start of the junior race but ultimately it is the gear check immediately after the junior race that determines whether a junior's bicycle was legal or not. The USCF official checks a junior's bicycle's gears not by counting the number of teeth on the largest chain ring and smallest cassette cog but by rolling the bicycle backward in a straight line for 26 feet. This gear check procedure is called the "roll-out method" or simply " junior roll-out." If the bicycle makes a complete pedal revolution under or on 26 feet when rolled backwards, the bicycle is legal. If the bicycle rolls past 26 feet when rolled backward for a complete pedal revolution - post race, the rider is disqualified (not maybe) for not complying with the junior gear restriction.
Ultimately it is the athlete's responsibility to make sure their bicycle is compliant to the junior gear restriction. The purpose of the courtesy check is to offer the junior the opportunity to block their gears prior to competing in their event. Please note that blocked gearing is not permitted in USCF National Championship and UCI events. Depending on the rear derailleur's stop limits and rear cassette cog combination there is no guarantee that a bicycle with blocked gearing can be made legal for it all comes down to the distance traveled in the largest accessible gear. Blocking means adjusting the rear derailleur's high stop limit screw to prevent the chain from going to a small rear cassette cog.
Not all cycling tires have the same diameter and can give a bicycle a roll-out distance different than the distance provided by the gear recommendation. Junior riders need to roll-out their bicycles on their own prior to attending a USCF sanctioned event to determine whether they will be compliant to the rules.
For track events the following limits are be used:
10-12 years old – 6.00 meters or 19’8” [48 x 17]
13-14 years old – 6.36 meters or 20'10.5" [48 x 16]
15-16 yrs – 6.78 meters or 22'3" [48 x 15]
17+ yrs. - unrestricted
More detail on gearing is available at www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.