Here's a pic of the Original Gripshift on my '86 Ironman. Incidentally, I got my Original pair in '88. It's 6 speed, soon after they came out with 7 speed. When complaints came out about too much twisting of the wrist they were completely revamped.
They were first advertised for touring then racing. When Triathletes adapted them to their aerobars that's when they really took off. I'm thinking the '90s is when they started using them on recreational mountain bikes but they were a completely different version by then compared to what Pro mountain bike riders were using.
