HuffNPuff wrote:
As soon as you pick Brand A, you've alienated Brands B to Z. And what if RD Joe chooses Brand B while RD Jane requires Brand M? That could get unwieldy very fast. Instead of picking a brand, you simply create an Eddie Merckx division which generally consists of the following rules: NO AERO EQUIPMENT ALLOWED
- BIKE FRAME - no time trial frame, only standard road bike set-up
- AERO BARS - none allowed
- WHEELS - no rim depth greater than 36mm
- HANDLEBARS - standard road bars only
- HELMET - no aero helmet
- CLOTHING - no skinsuit
Triathletes are sometimes an odd bunch - power this and that, toughness, speed, but won't take that toughness and power and climb anything steeper than a highway overpass. If everyone were riding road bikes, you've got much more variety in terrain that you could host races on. You'd develop better all-around riders. Strength, flexibility, and cycling ability become a big equalizer when you take away the aero-bar extensions.
Of course, not every triathlete wants to sacrifice their rig and have to buy a road bike, so it would never happen - the manufacturers and the consumers already have too much invested in the tri bikes.