What would make this “most venerated” list. Need not be the fastest, nor the most most popular, although those could be a contributing factor. Is this just a North American list? I dunno. 1 bike per brand? I dunno. I think the P2 would be on this list if wasn’t the case.
Give reasons why if you want. 3 sentences max.
Here’s a starting point
Cervelo P3 SL
Kestrel KM 40
Zipp 2001
QR Kilo
Softride Powerwing
Specialized Shiv
Trek Sped Concept
Cheetah Cat
This could be you __________________________
Slowman gonna ban you unless there’s a Quintana Roo in the list…
Ah there is never mind.
How about the bike that started it all in the beginning, the QR superform. Most every pro in the sport rode, or at least rode an exact copy of that bike, many on your list are those copies. The Principia copy was quite popular for awhile, of course that was when there were 400 germans doing Kona!!
You gotta add cervelo P3C, and also cervelo n.P3 …
I would argue that the Transition was, and still is, a far better and more important bike than the Shiv.
I’d add:
Kestrel Talon
Kuota Caliber
Softride
.
More important… hmm… explain!
Litespeed Blade. The first “superbike,†and a test of just how much money athletes would spend on a frame.
QR Redstone. Gussets. Aero hoohas. Looked fast just sitting on the showroom floor at Endurosport. Made me want to try triathlon in the first place. I’m still not worthy of that bike.
Cervelo P4
I thought the BP stealth bike was kind of neat.
Pearson Z1 Eleven
The top 10 Tri bikes were all Softrides
.
Litespeed Blade. The first “superbike,†and a test of just how much money athletes would spend on a frame. QR Redstone. Gussets. Aero hoohas. Looked fast just sitting on the showroom floor at Endurosport. Made me want to try triathlon in the first place. I’m still not worthy of that bike.
me either. that was a fun bike to make. we had scant idea what we were doing, but it came out pretty well.
Cervelo P5 - first bike of “peak aero†age?
Cervelo P4
I thought the BP stealth bike was kind of neat.
Pearson Z1 Eleven
WOW, YES, I have to agree… being that I am the owner of a Z1-9. Actually, I badged it the Z1-9C. Because Graeme built it as a Z1 in 2009. Then in 2011, I made a few modifications to it and thus added the C for my first name. I can say that mine is the only one of the 5 that Graeme built in 2009 that has the modifications I made, and thus is the only Z1-9C.
Kestrel 200 & 4000
The 200 bc it was the first carbon aero road bike (at least that I can remember) & the 4000 bc it was the first time a company tried to make a full on aero frame TT bike
Hooker Elite - super aero TT bike made out of aluminum iirc
Slingshot - with it’s cable downtube going for aero
Softride Power V and damnit forgot what the ironman branded aluminum model was
QR kilo
these bikes all belong on the list bc with out these we’d be at the P4 currently, maybe. These bikes caused people to lust, leave their spouse mid sentence to walk across transition to touch one of these bikes. These bikes pushed the curve, brought the road bike world kicking and screaming into the future. These bikes gave rise to a new era in triathlon, as young as it was back then. When going fast was all that mattered and completing a triathlon for fun was still a foreign concept. When short course reigned supreme and IM athletes were the weirdos.
It was an age when triathlon took steps at a time forward vs inching or regressing.
I feel bad for all you kids who weren’t racing back in the late 80s/early 90s. You missed out.
Brian, I had the aluminum powering but sold it, but I still have the kestrel 200sc(i), which is my favorite bike. Currently have the older model p2c.
Would you put some of the older Japanese steel bikes on the list like miyata, centurion, and zunow?
Ohhh good call on those bikes! They weren’t as prevalent as most of the others listed, at least in the states, but damn they had some awesome curving & sloping top tube designs. And their paint jobs were waaaaaaaaaaaaay the F better than what we get today.
So much cool stuff going on back then. Thanks for bringing those names back to my mind.
I wouldn’t put these names on the list. But here were a few more brands doing things: Brew bikes which had a slew of pro’s on them in the very late 80s/very, very early 90s, Landshark is another name that comes to mind. Trimble, Profile (although iirc they were rebadged 4000s) all come to mind as well. Trek’s 1500.
I mean we’ve got another Cervelo being launched in the next 10d or so…with disc brakes…oh look my hr went from 42 to 43.
If disc brakes had the adoption uptake that the Scott DH bars had we’d all be on a 2nd generation disc brake by now. Instead disc brakes are like a 70yr old taking a double dose of Viagra trying to get his limp dick up. The industry is dragging you kicking and screaming towards disc vs making something everyone is slitting their training partners throats to get.
Wake me up when something BIG happens in triathlon.
Tier 1:
Kestrel 4000QR KiloZipp 2001Hooker EliteLitespeed BladeCervelo P3C
Tier 2:
GT Project 96Obree Egg BikeSoftrideEnglish Mk2
Honorable Mention:
The “Peak Aero” Bikes (P5, Speed Concept, Shiv)Cat CheetahIndurain 1995 PinarelloFelt TA FRD
.
I have a QR Kilo Private Reserve, that should definately make the list. My first tri bike and silly 650c wheels which at 6" do make me look like a fat bloke on a tiny bike (mostly because I am these days). Just found an old Specialised tri spoke for it, and I run one of those deadly dangerous expolding Spinergy RevX time bombs on the front. I love the danger.
Plus I have the Redstone. Which is now confined to the windtrainer and is looking somewhat worse for wear sadly. I have highly corrosive sweat it seems. The headtube cracked (hence relegation to the wind trainer although the aeroforks are on the Kilo), as did the carbon-fibrey bits on the rear seat stays. Looks (looked?) the biz but maybe a touch heavy…? Controversial?
Oh, and a friend is hopefully gonna lend me his Powercranks (Yes! I know!!!) for me to play with on the trainer. Wonder if they work with non-round chain rings…?
Slingshot - with it’s cable downtube going for aero
…and for packing. I was able to get a large suitcase, fold that bad boy up and not have to pay for airline fees from Alaska when I had mine. Even had some Spinergy Rv-X’s to complete the “look.”
C4 Joker? Loved the look of them, but maybe not aero or light?