After quite a few weeks of dialogue between the Board of Directors of The Framebuilders’ Collective and the UCI (Union Cicliste Internationale), the TFC is proud to announce an agreement between the two entities which will facilitate certification for small-quantity bicycle frame builders. This announcement came via the UCI press release of May 03, 2011.
According to the agreement, small builders will be able to submit plans of their models to TFC, which will then contact the UCI on their behalf and send them the documents via a system of secure file exchange. As a result of the TFC’s involvement in this procedure, the UCI will grant a 20% discount on the cost to small builders. The use of the TFC’s services is in no way mandatory for small builders unless they wish to receive the 20% discount. The TFC will not charge nor receive any fee from either the UCI or the small builder for this service and the service is limited to only those frames which qualify for evaluation within the UCI’s simplified procedure.
For more information you can read the FAQ section of the agreement here via the TFC website.
I look forward to participating in this exclusive opportunity and remind other builders that they do NOT need to be a member of The Framebuilders’ Collective to participate in the program. I would like to thank Don Ferris (Anvil Bikeworks), member of The Framebuilders’ Collective Board of Directors and Administrator of the UCI Homologation Program as well as the other Board members for their efforts to make this program available to small-quantity custom builders. This extraordinary opportunity, in addition to working directly with the UCI via The Framebuilders’ Collective, is a positive achievement and a milestone in regulatory collaboration.