Classic & Vintage - When were aerobars first used in the Ironman Triathlon?

If I recall the story correctly, it was similar to when Lemond destroyed his competition in the final time trial. Was it Scott or Tinley who first used them and similarly destroyed his competition?

Tinley, I think, or Mark Allen. It was not Dave Scott, though by the next year they all had them, and Scott dusted everyone again. As the fastest marathoner by 15 minutes, though, it may have been a moot point.

The first guy, though, cut off 11 minutes, I think, the first year, which is 1min per 10 miles. Enough to make everyone notice.

I think the 1989 Bicycle Guide references that year in an article about aero bars vs. drops.

We saw them here in some magazine, and had the local DuPont fabricator make a set out of aluminum stock.
Stuck them on a friend's Trek, and he won the state TT championship. '86 I think.

I think they were first used in the Ironman in '86, too. With no internet, you would see stuff on TV and not be able to find it, much less buy it.

I got a look at Trek's new TT/Tri only bike today, with the built in storage, cyclo, etc. Looks like a space ship.
He had SRAM Red, said he didn't like the Di2. The bike's been on the market for 2 months. Amazing thing.

Not to hijack the thread but because I seriously made an audible "WTF" when I saw this thing

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Thanks Robbie. I think you share my interest in the history of speed. Great story about early adoption.

BTW, that Trek is friggin' awesome. At some point, I want to get a space ship bike just for the sheer hell of it.


http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/triathlon/speed_concept_9/speedconcept99/

That's the one. He had the same wheels, but in red, and the same tires, but in red. The darn cyclo sensor is integrated into the L chain stay and the magnet is integrated into the wheel rim, then it's wireless up to the bar. Heck, his shoes were $350 Sidi and his pedals were the $250 Speedplay.

Awesome bike. He said it's still cheaper than golf or bass fishing. I liked that guy immediately.

I guess I was riding the prehistoric version....
http://velospace.org/files/P1150161.JPG

That's the one. He had the same wheels, but in red, and the same tires, but in red. The darn cyclo sensor is integrated into the L chain stay and the magnet is integrated into the wheel rim, then it's wireless up to the bar. Heck, his shoes were $350 Sidi and his pedals were the $250 Speedplay.

Awesome bike. He said it's still cheaper than golf or bass fishing. I liked that guy immediately.

I guess I was riding the prehistoric version....
http://velospace.org/files/P1150161.JPG

I really like that Y bike. Are you going to mod it to aero?

I'd really like to. I'll have to get permission from the bike's owner (note the decal on the bike and the jersey logo. I rode it with an aero set of Mavic Cosmic Elites yesterday, and aero would have completed the package. I could probably sell off the wheels and stuff that it showed up with (the package you see on there is what I had in my parts bins) and do it for a zero sum...
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