Handling Matters: Why the V-PRi & V-PR Are Designed to Corner with Confidence

Tri bikes handle poorly—some triathletes just accept this statement as a fact of life. I'm not sure why, but they just do. Triathlon bikes may be designed with aero supremacy in mind, but when it comes to handling, most tend to move like an elephant. They’re not very nimble and can get a bit scary when hurtling toward a tight corner. 

It doesn’t have to be that way though! For Quintana Roo, good handling is always a top priority. To achieve it, our engineers work with our best athletes, like former Norwegian domestic pro road racer turned pro triathlete Jon Breivold, to ensure our triathlon bikes provide the same comfort and confidence on technical courses as a good road bike.

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What Is "Good Handling?"

First of all, what do we mean by “handling?” If you have a road bike, the riding position and geometry are generally designed to make it feel easy and intuitive to lean into corners, navigate roundabouts, and carve quickly through switchbacks. Imagine the type of riding you see the Tour de France racers doing on big mountain descents. These types of bikes are engineered to feel fast and confidence-inspiring in corners. They have good handling. 

Conversely, you may notice that most tri bikes don’t handle like a road bike—at all. While tri bikes can easily hold a straight line while you’re in the aerobars, they’re not as good (and in some cases, downright terrible and even a bit scary) at changing directions. They tend to resist quick movements and feel hesitant when diving into tight corners, switchbacks, or avoiding road hazards. Instead, tri bikes often want to carve a wide, lazy path around a turn. 

Truth be told, that kind of handling is fine—and even ideal—for a flat out-and-back course. Without any technical challenges, it’s okay for steering (especially in the aerobars) to be dulled to make it easier for many triathletes—especially beginners—to ride.

What if we aren’t racing on a simple out-and-back? That same rider needs to slow down more before corners to allow the bike to do its thing—even if we want it to respond faster. After all, we’re racing, right? We don’t want to hit the brakes because of the bike’s deficiency; we want to attack the course and set ourselves up as best we can for the run.  

Designing Triathlon Bikes With Better Handling

Enter the V-PRi, and its predecessor, the V-PR. 

Quintana Roo surmised that a triathlon bike didn’t have to handle like an 18-wheeler. So QR engineers designed a triathlon bike with handling closer to that of a road bike; a bit faster.

When we designed the V-PRi and V-PR (and by proxy, the X-PR), handling was always at the forefront of the design—a rarity in triathlon. By adjusting the fork rake and using a carbon fiber frame lay-up that emphasizes compliance and stiffness without excess material to weigh the bike down, we created a tri bike that can enter corners quickly and intuitively, and track through both fast and tight corners with confidence. 

The V-PR was the first bike Jon Breivold rode (in 2022 and ‘23) and it was his secret weapon on technical race courses, where responsive handling was rewarded. As an all-around talent with a penchant for climbing on the Norway-based Fixit.no domestic pro road team in 2016 and 2017, Breivold has the skills and experience to appreciate and articulate for us the value of a tri bike that feels like an extension of your body.  

“A lot of people don’t think much about the handling of a triathlon bike,” Breivold explained. “But because I have a road cycling background, I knew it was important to get the best out of every bike split. I do think there are some triathletes that don’t have the experience of what good handling on a triathlon bike feels like and lose a lot of time. It’s really important.” 

“My first few years racing triathlon I had a [REDACTED BRAND AND MODEL] and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t trust it much on the downhills,” Breivold adds. “It just didn’t have any handling; getting around corners and switchbacks was really slow, and it actually reduced one of my advantages, which is attacking the bike. I raced in Andorra my first year as a pro, and it was the first time I’d considered racing triathlon on a road bike.” 

When Breivold joined forces with Quintana Roo, however, he piloted the V-PR for the first time and came away amazed. “The V-PR was really fast—quick around corners. I rode the V-PR at Challenge Sanremo, which in my opinion is the most technical course you can have in triathlon—you climb 1,000 meters in the race and descend a super technical downhill with, like, 50 hairpins. It’s the kind of course I love.”

Better Handling Means Better Performance

On the technical Challenge Sanremo course, Breivold came away with the second-fastest bike split of the day (by just a few seconds) and netted a fourth-place overall result 

“I know a lot of people like to choose a road bike on courses like that, but I was so glad to have the V-PR. I got the aerodynamic benefits when it was possible, but was able to really ride the descents as fast as I wanted and was fast around corners. That’s really important to me, and I think it should be a consideration for any triathlete that wants the fastest bike split they can achieve.”

And the V-PRi? Breivold says Quintana Roo’s new flagship model “takes it to the next level.”

“When I see courses or do races where the route is challenging, with lots of hairpins and technical descents, I always think about whether it’ll be better to choose a road bike or a tri bike. With the V-PRi though, I always have the best bike as the right choice. It’s fast, and adds a level of stability and control. Overall, it’s truly the best bike for all courses.” 

So is handling important? Always! Especially if you’re competing on a course in Roth, the hinterland climbs and descents of Sanremo, Gran Canaria, St. Polten, or the Austrian Alps at Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee. With the Quintana Roo V-PRi and V-PR, you’ll have the ultimate triathlon bike for big alpine climbs and tight roads.

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