TRI BIKES

We have two Americans to thank for the tri bike: Dan Empfield and Ray Browning. Empfield founded Quintana Roo in 1987 to build wetsuits specifically for triathletes. That same year the Scott DH aerobar began appearing on bikes at triathlons. Yet, although the DH bar offered an aerodynamic advantage, it came at a cost, as Quintana Roo explain: ‘The problem was that it wasn’t comfortable; the slack seat tube angle and the fixed quill stems of the bikes of this time meant there was little room for adjustment. To achieve a good aero position, riders were bending over almost completely double.’

Empfield noticed that athletes using the DH bars would move their saddles forwards to become more comfortable, so this got him thinking about altering the typical road