Originally Posted by
rydabent
Remember when the weight weenies had people drilling holes in everything in the 80s. They drilled everything, pedals and RDs included. But then most everything they drilled failed. You can be fast for a while with a drilled RD, but when it breaks, you dont win the race. You dont win races when your frame shatters either.
Drilling components happened long before, and also after the '80s.
Merckx did a lot to popularize the technique in the '60s, and won plenty on drilled-out bikes.
While plenty of parts failed as the limits were explored,
The style was mainly overtaken by focus on aerodynamics.