PRO BIKE CHECK: KRISTIAN HØGENHAUG'S LIGHTWEIGHT & AERO OPTIMIZED V-PRi
2025 was a breakthrough year for Denmark’s Kristian Høgenhaug, with major highlights including winning The Championship in Samorin and finishing 2nd at the IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championships, where he set a new IRONMAN bike course record. These are pretty massive achievements for someone who began competing in triathlon at 21 with no prior elite sports background!
A key element of Høgenhaug’s success is his approach to training and equipment. He calls himself a “proud sports science nerd,” and we saw this nerdery firsthand when he began testing Quintana Roo bikes to decide whether he wanted to sign with us. After a lot of aero testing in the velodrome, he was sure the V-PRi was the fastest bike. He signed and went on to make triathlon history.
Høgenhaug aero testing the V-PRi.
As a professional bike nerd, Høgenhaug’s V-PRi might be the most optimized bike in our pro team. Let’s take a closer look at the bike he’ll be riding for the first half of his 2026 triathlon campaign.
The Lightweight Speedcoat V-PRi Frameset
At 6′1 (186cm), Høgenhaug rides a Large Quintana Roo V-PRi. When he first tested our bike, he actually asked for various sizes to test. Based on the geometry, he was actually anticipating riding a Medium despite his height. In the past, that had yielded the fastest setup. But with the V-PRi’s wind tunnel-tested aero design, which includes the Shift+ downtube and Leading Edge Absent non-drive chainstay, he discovered the Large was actually significantly more efficient.
Not only is the V-PRi one of the most aerodynamically efficient triathlon frames on the market, but it’s also one of the lightest at 1,900 grams for the frame and fork. But ever the optimizer, Høgenhaug was interested in shaving off a bit more. That’s why we worked with Høgenhaug to reduce the weight even further.
Ditching paint was the answer. But simply removing paint and applying a protective gloss clear coat (which adds 40 grams of weight back to the bike) wasn’t enough. Instead, we developed a new proprietary surface treatment that protects the frame without a clearcoat called “Speedcoat.”
Speedcoat is a slick surface material applied to raw carbon via an electrostatic process. Rather than being sprayed through a paint gun, which can lead to over-application and added weight, the electrostatic application allows for even distribution of the coating with significantly less material than paint. The Speedcoat fills microscopic voids on the frame’s surface, ensuring a slippery surface for smooth airflow across the frame. It also acts as a protective layer to prevent ultraviolet degradation of the carbon fiber.
Once Speedcoat is applied, our team applies a diamond polish to remove half of the coating. All this work reduces the frame weight by 150 grams. That may not sound like much, but when you’re racing for seconds at the pointy end, every advantage matters.
Høgenhaug debuted his Speedcoat V-PRi frame at the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice, and he’ll be racing on it for the first half of 2026. If and when this frame gets replaced, who knows if he will choose the Speedcoat treatment again, or if he will be inspired to do a custom paint job. Either way, it’ll be fast!
Extra Aero Touches from Drag2Zero, EZ Gains, and…
Of course, Høgenhaug’s obsession with optimization extends beyond the frame. The area where athletes can achieve the biggest aero gains is through their riding position, and Høgenhaug is known for being one of the most detail-oriented athletes when it comes to setting up his cockpit. Every aspect is refined to the millimeter through extensive testing.
This year, Høgenhaug has switched to the Drag2Zero.66 Pole System to save additional watts. This is Drag2Zero’s flagship cockpit system, which claims to provide 10-13 watts of aerodynamic gains over standard extensions. It is extremely adjustable to achieve a custom fit, and it mounts directly to the V-PRi’s Intelligent Integration Cockpit (IIC) using Drag2Zero’s V1 Mono Conversion Plate Kit.
Høgenhaug is a fan of 1x drivetrains, and his Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain is modified with a massive 60-tooth Drag2Zero 1x chainring. This is a step up from the 58t chainring Høgenhaug used last year, which may be a sign of good form!
Chain retention is handled by a nifty, Drag2Zero Aero Chain Catcher that is 3D-printed to reduce weight to 40g. His rear derailleur adds a CeramicSpeed OSPW RS pulley cage to snag that last bit of extra efficiency.
To measure power, Høgenhaug sticks to the tried and true Favero Assioma DUO pedals.
At the rear, Høgenhaug is perched on a carbon V8 saddle from Wove. This has become one of the most popular saddles among top pros because of its comfort and weight. Attached to the V8’s integrated bottle cage mount is an EZ Hydro-Gains rear bottle mount designed specifically for the Wove V8, which claims to save up to an additional 12 watts over a saddle without a rear bottle mount.
Finally, Høgenhaug is running a super-fast new wheel setup. These wheels are unlabeled because they are prototypes that he is testing. Høgenhaug can’t actually talk about them yet, and I don’t actually know what they are, but considering he is a Shimano athlete, I have my guesses. Høgenhaug almost always runs a rear disc for maximum aero.
His super-deep front wheel looks to be around the 90-100mm range. These prototype wheels are shod in Continental’s super-fast 28mm GP 5000 TT TR tires, set up tubeless.
Racing at IRONMAN Texas.
Høgenhaug’s V-PRi is definitely one of the lightest and most aerodynamically optimized triathlon bike builds we’ve ever seen. He will be putting this bike through its paces at IRONMAN events throughout the spring and summer, and we’re sure to see it in the fight for fastest bike splits many times throughout the season. You can follow Kristian Høgenhaug as he nerds out over training, bike setup, and racing on Instagram!
