You are reading a single comment by @Buffalo_Bill and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@Buffalo_Bill
Not when I'm reffing. It's not about being nice, it's about fair, which also means respecting the fact that the teams on court don't have exclusive rights on the court, they have to share the court with the other teams.
I think we have to be a lot tougher with teams on mechanicals. The most common is dropped chain, puncture or bent wheel. If each team makes sure they have a 15 mm spanner (or whatever it is that you need for your wheels), and a spare wheel (10 London teams at the Euros, we should be able to help each other with wheels, shouldn't we?) then there shouldn't really be a problem. At the moment UK allows 5 mins per mechanical, 1 time out per team, except in cases where reckless play by the opposition has resulted in damage to a bike.
Delaying restarts is also poor form, and all refs should encourage the teams to get on with it. Calls of "Nice Break, are you calling a time-out" normally do the trick, or the current fave "THERE'S NO TIME!!!"