Don't know who first saw it to exploit 531 to bicycles, but it was also used in motorcycles. Could have come that way. Or gone from bikes to motorcycles.
Investment cast fittings while not universally applauded by consumers, definitely changed the industry. Forged ends swept through prior. Masi Italy sure made many rethink oversize tubing, not to mention internal lugs.
The more I reference the more I see good ideas that fell short due to being proprietary or just not ready for acceptance, too many steps away from the norm, to be revisited decades later and then accepted. Hard to find the "new Idea".
Cinelli and the clipless pedal, good basic idea just not fully realized until redesigned a little over ten years later. Also required a shoe redesign to fully gain utility.
For a lot of the innovations, the original designer will be hard to document, it will be easier to reference who applied the idea and had great influence on others.
Who started the trend to allen key brake fixing bolt nuts? That swept through in the 70's to be finally fully endorsed by the component manufacturer's just a little beyond the CR timeline?
John Jorgensen
Palos Verdes Ca