Originally Posted by
DiabloScott
I jest not!
To my memory, I have never seen one of these things in person.
I also don't hang out around thrift shops - maybe they're all there.
I've seen Softride beam bikes, hammock saddle bikes, all kinds of failed designs.
And I've seen lots of bikes that real triathletes used.
Never seen a small-wheel deep drop thing like these.
These were quite popular in the late 1980s for a short period. In addition to Shogun's Kaze, there was the Nishiki Linear, a Team Fuji version, an Aero Miyata version, a Panasonic Team Time Trial and just about every small European company offered one.
Edit: These were more of a time trial bicycle, though some people, particularly those who crossed over cycling, used them for triathlons. In triathlons, they had the disadvantage of having to carry two size of spare tubes and tyres. Whereas in time trials, if you got a flat, it was game over., so you rarely carried spares.