SRAM Challenges UCI’s Introduction of Gearing Limitations

A Letter from Ken Lousberg, CEO of SRAM

To our riders, racers, teams, and partners across the cycling industry, 

SRAM was founded nearly four decades ago with a simple belief: that innovation drives progress. From Grip Shift to wireless shifting, we’ve challenged convention to give riders better tools to perform, compete, and enjoy the ride.  

Today, we face another challenge — not of technology, but of fairness. 

The UCI’s new Maximum Gearing Protocol is set to restrict the equipment many of you rely on to ride and race at your best. It limits choice, stifles innovation, and unfairly targets SRAM riders as well as SRAM itself. We’ve tried to engage the UCI, cycling’s governing body, in good faith, but our concerns went unheard. That’s why we’ve taken legal action: not just to protect SRAM, but to protect the right to compete on equal footing. 

We’re not asking for much. We simply want our racers to compete on a level playing field, and for the industry to be recognized and included as a core stakeholder — working together to make our sport safer for athletes and more inspiring for fans. We care deeply about the athletes of our sport. They are our friends, our family members, and respected competitors. Our remedy to this complaint is to consider the industry as a whole and for all key stakeholders to have an equal voice in the decisions. 

We know this rule has already caused confusion, anxiety, and disruption. We’re working hard to resolve it quickly and transparently. Our commitment to rider safety, performance, and innovation remains unchanged. We believe the future of cycling should be shaped by collaboration and partnership, not exclusion and intimidation. 

Thank you for standing with us. We’re proud to support fairness in our sport, and we’ll keep fighting for a future that’s equitable, open, and driven by progress and innovation. 

Ken Lousberg
CEO, SRAM