Small builders group to take on administrative tasks; UCI to offer discount
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has signed an agreement with The Framebuilders Collective (TFC), which will “facilitate and reduce the costs to small manufacturers of the approval procedure for frames and forks.” One of the main criticisms of the UCI Approval procedure when it was first introduced was that it would be disproportionately more expensive for those manufacturers producing smaller numbers; this accord is a step towards minimising that impact.
The TFC currently has fourteen, mostly US-based members, including such famous names as Richard Sachs, Vanilla Cycles and Pegoretti Cicli. It’s mission includes the support and promotion of ethical framebuilding practices, and the mentoring and preservation of framebuilding techniques.
“Independent framebuilders wear a lot of hats as both craftsman and businessman,” said TFC Chairman Carl Strong. “The Framebuilders’ Collective understands the limited time that framebuilders have to devote to all of the duties their trade requires of them.
“The UCI and TFC has developed an arrangement that will help streamline and simplify the UCI process for not only the Framebuilders’ Collective members but any other bespoke framebuilders that wish to participate through the Framebuilders’ Collective portal. We are very excited about our new partnership with the UCI.”
The process for approving a tubular frame – as opposed to a monocoque, which most mass-produced frames are now – is already cheaper and simpler, costing 500 Swiss Francs instead of 5,000. This new agreement will mean that the TFC will undertake the administrative tasks; the UCI will grant a 20% discount to small builders who submit their plans via the TFC.
“The Framebuilders’ Collective is pleased to have partnered with the UCI to simplify the process and reduce the cost for bespoke & custom builders wishing to comply with the UCI Homologation Program,” said Don Ferris, member of The Framebuilders’ Collective Board of Directors and Administrator of the UCI Homologation Program.