Written by Chris Foster, Kelly O'Mara and Emma-Kate Lidbury, and featured in the July/August 2020 edition of Triathlete Magazine

Tri bikes aren’t for everybody—so we take a look at a wide range of road bike options that work well for tri training or racing.

In these pages we usually review and talk about tri-specific bikes and frames, but not everyone wants—or should have—a tri bike. For those who only want to own one bike, something that works for training, centuries, group rides, and tri races of all distances, a road bike is actually a much better option. For those who don’t want to—or can’t—maintain a deep aerodynamic position, finding something comfortable with a standard drop bar (and maybe a set of clip-on aerobars) could be the right choice.

Here, Triathlete’s editors have hand-picked, tested, and reviewed six tri-worthy road bikes at a range of prices and features.

Quintana Roo SRfive

18lbs. 1 oz. as measured (size Medium)   |   $6,260 As Shown

Much like Ventum, Quintana Roo has been an almost exclusive tri brand until recently, but their new super-slick road bike, the SRfive, packs a lot of features in a bike that starts at $3,000 for a Shimano 105 mechanical build with hydraulic disc brakes. The Ultegra Di2 version we tested with HED Vanquish Carbon 6GP wheels is a race-ready setup that needs nothing more than a pair of clip-on aerobars to make it one of the most balanced handling bikes we tested.

With excellent details like a handpainted-in-the-U.S.A. frame that almost completely hides all cables, lots of color options, and a direct-to-consumer model that includes a 98% ready-to-ride boxed build, this bike is exciting and affordable. The bump absorption on this setup was second only to the Roubaix, while the acceleration was still very good. This is the all-rounder.

see the full triathlete magazine review

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