THE LIGHTWEIGHT V-PRi WITH SPEEDCOAT AT IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
In the pursuit of critical course-specific marginal gains on one of the most mountainous races on the Ironman circuit, Quintana Roo introduced V-PRi with Speedcoat—a prototype lightweight version of the V-PRi—ridden by Matt Hanson and Kristian Høgenhaug on Sept. 14th at the 2025 Ironman World Championship in Nice, France.
Improving on the Fastest IRONMAN Triathlon Bike
Hanson rode the first prototype of the V-PRi in Nice at the 2023 Ironman World Championship, and since its debut, the V-PRi has become the new benchmark for speed in triathlon. It holds the record for the fastest ever Ironman bike split after Høgenhaug rode to a 3:52:10 split—averaging 45.7 kph—at Ironman Frankfurt in July.
On an Ironman World Championships bike course with nearly 8,000 ft of vertical gain, Quintana Roo endeavored to strip as much weight as possible from a bike that is already one of the lightest in the sport at 1,900 grams for the frame and fork, and give two of Quintana Roo’s centerpiece athletes every advantage possible on one of the biggest days of their careers.
In lieu of paint, Quintana Roo has developed a new surface treatment. Instead of removing paint and applying a protective gloss clear coat (which adds 40 grams of weight back to the bike), Quintana Roo came up with a proprietary material application process that protects the frame, but also makes the frame lighter than ever. Quintana Roo calls this “Speedcoat.”
Applied atop raw carbon, Speedcoat is a slick surface material applied via an electrostatic process. Rather than being sprayed through a paint gun, a process which can yield over-application and unnecessary added weight, the Speedcoat’s electrostatic application allows for even distribution of the coating, while requiring significantly less material than paint.
Speedcoat application fills microscopic voids on the frame’s surface, ensuring a slippery surface to maximize smooth airflow across the frame. But as a satin protective layer, it also serves a key role in preventing ultraviolet degradation to the carbon fiber material.
The Lightest V-PRi Triathlon Race Bike
Once Speedcoat is applied, our team applies a diamond polish to remove half of the coating, saving a total of 150 grams—the weight of a deck of playing cards—when compared to the same frame with standard paint application. To carve additional weight, Hanson and Høgenhaug will race without the V-PRi QBox behind-saddle storage box, saving an additional 200 grams.
Høgenhaug in Nice with his freshly built Speedcoat V-PRi.
In total, Høgenhaug and Hanson will be racing with a 350-gram weight savings advantage—nearly the full weight of a can of soda.
“This finish is unique to Quintana Roo and is the result of a project dedicated to putting our athletes on the lightest possible equipment for one special day: the Ironman World Championship,” explained Quintana Roo lead engineer Brad DeVaney. “We’ve targeted this as a ‘One-Day Bike Project,’ with everything minimized and processes refined. It’s an obsession, but to win a world championship, that’s what it takes.”
Hanson, for many years an integral part of Quintana Roo’s testing and development, is resolute that the weight savings his V-PRi with Speedcoat delivers will be an ace up his sleeve.
“When you’re going to the World Championships, you want to have every possible advantage,” Hanson said. “Working with a company like Quintana Roo that’s willing to push the boundaries and be creative is always helpful when stepping on the starting line.”
Find out how the Speedcoat V-PRi performed: The Quintana Roo Team 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice
