Originally Posted by timtak

I am beginning to wonder.



You may be right that the current style of bike and pedalling in the pro tours is just plain superior to previous styles of "funny bikes" and bent over like a jackknife riding style, but that depends on the assumption that there is only one effective style of riding a road bike in each era which is applicable in all contexts. I have been trying to persuade you and other members, that the current (by turns, rather upright by comparison) style of riding evolved due to changes in the pro tour to being a more group orientated race, which is neither suitable to pros in the past, nor to solo amateurs, nor to pros riding time trials on road bikes.

Thus, if road bike riding time trials were reintroduced, the pros might go back to their "funny bikes" and jackknife style of riding. There is nothing illogical about this hypothesis and there is no proof that the current style would be superior in such a context, unless you have proof that the current style is context independent, and that the pros, the pros, are always universally right. Perhaps you will mention how much the pros spend again, and their socks?

Incidentally the bunched up like a jackknife style was prevalent even into Armstrong's era not just the 1980's. The famous photo of Armstrong naked on his bike shows him utilising the style.