The world hour record was once the domain of the funniest funny bikes, only to be reeled in by the UCI's efforts to minimize technology's impact on this unique performance. Here we present a handful of some of the bikes ridden to the hour record since Merckx set the bar in 1972.

1. Merckx rode a conventional frame, lightened by drilling out components to eliminate as much metal as possible. 

2. Francesco Moser rode the wave of the curvy superbikes in the early 1980s.

3. Graeme Obree's legendary "superman" position both shattered records (his bike is not pictured here, but it was the inspiration for Moser's 1994 record) and prompted the techno-position backlash.

4. Miguel Indurain harnessed the power of carbon with a decidedly modern Pinarello in 1994.

5. Tony Rominger rode a more conventional frame but still stretched out in his own version of Obree's position.