Trek 5200 (1992)

The original mass-produced monocoque with Shimano’s first integrated shifters

The shape of the future arrived courtesy of American firm Trek’s radical 5200. ‘For a century, framebuilders had been brazing tubes into lugs,’ says Anderson. ‘So when they got new materials like carbon fibre and aluminium, what did they do? They created tubes and stuck them into lugs.’

By contrast, Trek’s director of technology, Bob Read, was attending aerospace conferences. What he learned about carbon bonding convinced him Trek should focus on entirely new approaches. Bringing in production methods from other industries, this exploration eventually led to the Trek 5200.

Using heat and pressure inside a mould to create a monocoque structure, the result was the world’s lightest frame. Weighing just over a kilo, not only was it light but it was also incredibly stiff. Its design has been influential ever since and it still looks modern today. Add in some clever marketing, plus Lance Armstrong’s run of Tour de France ‘victories’, and the 5200 helped establish Trek as one of the world’s leading brands. Shimano’s first integrated STI shifters also factored in making the Trek 5200 a genuine step-change.