[EricH]

I'm going to say that if you do this at all, you need to make absolutely, 100%, positively certain that the bumpers can not raise unless you tell them to by some mechanical means. If those bumpers raise on the field, you WILL get called for a violation of <S04>, which is a penalty and a possible yellow card. (<S04> is a rule that says that all robots shall comply with all robot rules.) The locking device, no matter the type used, would, of course, count towards your robot weight.

Also, if you really want to pursue this, you should probably ask the Q&A.

Unofficial analysis: provided that you have it completely secured during the match, <R11> would not necessarily prohibit this. It's a risky move, though, and I'd guess that the GDC wouldn't be terribly happy about it. If they OK it, you would be well-advised to print out the Q&A and response and bring it with you to the event. Your inspector probably wouldn't pass it without that.

A better method would be quick-release. I find that <R07-H> gives a guideline of being able to remove the bumpers in 10 minutes with 1 person. That's completely remove them from the robot for size and weight checks.

Also, depending on design, I foresee some problems with <G30> when the bumpers get hit, and they will get hit. (Penalty, Yellow Card) <G13> will only protect for so long; if it's a design thing, the refs may request that you remove the feature. They can't require you to do so, unless they feel that it does violate a rule, but they can strongly recommend it.