Triathlon specialist Quintana Roo unveils new "all speed" aero road bike — and it's actually quite reasonably priced

Quintana Roo today released its Service Course, an "all speed, nothing less" aero road bike — the competitively priced model starting from £3,575 and offering "more customisation options than any competitor", claims the Tennessee-based brand.  

While Quintana Roo might take some acquainting for roadies, it has spent several successful decades in the triathlon and Ironman world, occasionally translating some of that aero goodness over to road bikes. Its previous aero road model - the SRfive - received a mostly positive road.cc review back in 2021. 

In fact, Quintana Roo is confident it makes "the world's best race bikes", but then again that opinion might be a tad biased. The Service Course is said to be its "fastest-ever UCI-legal aero road bike" and built to order with a seemingly never-ending array of groupset, wheelset, paint, crank length and bar width customisations.

 The pricing appears fairly competitive too, the Service Course starting at £3,575 for a build with 12-Speed Shimano 105 Di2 and DT Swiss E 1800 wheels. For £5,051, you can upgrade to a Shimano Ultegra groupset and Enve 45 Foundation wheels, while at the very highest price point the Service Course with SRAM Red AXS groupset, Zipp 454 NSW wheels and an integrated Enve cockpit is a touch over £9,000.

You'd of course also have to consider the £249/€249 shipping rate to the UK and Europe respectively, but if you're spending this much on a bike anyway that's probably less of an issue. The fact that the shipping rate is all in with duty and import fees included also keeps things nice and simple. 

The Service Course might be Quintana Roo's latest road offering, but there is no downplaying the significance of the brand's triathlon history. After "decades of innovation and success" in that "no-holds-barred world", Quintana Roo says it has applied that expertise and has "learnt to craft a bike that can compete against the world's best race bikes." 

Quintana Roo promises "class-leading aerodynamics, impressively low weight, and razor-sharp handling". On the specifics of those claims, the Service Course weighs 7.3kg in a size medium when built in that £9,000 top-of-the-range SRAM Red, Enve cockpit and Zipp 454 wheels option. 

It is 3.6 watts faster than its predecessor in all conditions, the brand claims, and its engineers reportedly commented that it is the "edgiest" bike they have ever designed. Does that mean it'll crack questionable jokes down the pub? We're guessing not, Quintana Roo clarifying that the "edgy" design applies to its sharp edges and pronounced ridges, all "purposefully placed and shaped to control airflow".

The elongated headtube had been slimmed down, extending forward of the steerer, while the large chine moulded into the bottom of the headtube is said to recapture air disrupted by the forks, redirecting it rearward to "reduce disruption". Elsewhere, the brand claims the fork and downtube's design are also optimised for aero purposes, notably the latter being deeper and wider.

"We also used our experience designing the best-handling triathlon bikes to perfect the geometry and tuned it to suit wider modern tyres," Quintana Roo told us. The tyre clearance is 36mm, which is definitely on the roomier side. 

Appropriately, given the founder of Quintana Roo was Dan Empfield who coined the terms stack and reach (Empfield sold the brand to Saucony in 1995 but was involved until the end of the end of the '90s), there is plenty of talk around the bike's geometry and the riding position it will support.

"A forward riding position makes it easier for riders to maintain an aggressive aero position," Quintana Roo continued. "It provides a stable, locked-in feel in a straight line but doesn't hesitate to change direction or lean into corners. We wanted the Service Course to be on edge, without feeling twitchy — the perfect balance."

That 36mm tyre clearance opens up the bike to rough cobbles and unpaved roads, the Service Course also featuring a Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH), threaded T47A bottom bracket, and non-proprietary headset.

Returning to one of the starting points and those customisation options, something Quintana Roo says it offers more of than "any competitor", the bike is designed to be compatible with internally routed cockpits from FSA, Vision and Enve, and buyers can also customise their bar width, stem length, crank length, wheels, groupset and paint job online.

The Service Course comes in four sizes (XS through to large) and there are numerous colour options, including new ones such as Venom Green, Imola Red and Blue Aegir, all available on Quinta Roo's website.