Quintana Roo CD0.1 Review
Posted by Karen on 8th May 2014
Paul Hawkins Professional Triathlete - IMUK Podium finisher reviews Quintana Roo CD.01
I'm delighted to announce my new bike sponsorship with Quintana Roo. This winter, I ended my previous bike sponsor and decided to look for a company with true passion and innovation in the sport, and someone who likes to think out of the box.
So I'm delighted to have signed a three year contract with Quintana Roo, and for 2014 I'll be riding their CD0.1 ultegra build which looks great and is a little different from the typical uci orientated brands that conform to the norm. Quintana Roo have such a great history in the world of triathlon, they started by creating the first triathlon specific wetsuit and that was the first triathlon wetsuit I ever owned, the tried and trusted 'Superfull'. Quintana Roo have also been making triathlon specific bikes for a very long time with great success. All the people I know that have ever owned a Quintana Roo Bike refer to it as "their beloved Roo" – They love their bike so much that they won't use another brand again, it's like a cult following, and I now understant why – “my beloved Roo” is pretty special.
Paul Hawkins CD:01 sponsored by Quintana Roo and MyTriathlonThe great thing about Quintana Roo is that they are a triathlon specific bike manufacturer. They're simply not interested in just making small modifications to the UCI legal parameters like so many other top brands – they build their bikes with geometry specifics for triathlon with a huge passion for ironman and the hallowed turf of Kona.
It's frustrating to see the real true lack of innovation and development over the last 20 years as so many manufacturers are scared of change and stuck in the 70's. Also some of the cylcing hierarchy who only go out of their way to hold back true cycling legendary and geniuses like Graeme Obree at every opportunity instead of eradicating the drugs issues that have damaged cycling so badly...... Apologies for the rant but many bikes have gone backwards since the likes of the Lotus and Hota bike in the 90's due to these 'rule makers' making excuses to make up some stupid rule.
One great thing about triathlon and ironman is that the rules don't have any of these daft restrictions which thankfully opens doors for innovation and development.
The CD0.1 looks a fairly normal top end bike at a distance but close up the designers at Quintana Roo have really focussed on making a very aerodynamic bike, that handles superbly especially in the crosswinds, also being able to ride a deeper more agressive aero wheel choice makes the bike even more aerodynamic and faster come race day.
Shift technology: If you look closer at the bottom bracket you will see it's offset, this is designed to guide the airflow away from the dirty drive side air and down the left hand side of the bike through much cleaner air, reducing co efficient drag to 0.1 but also more importantly has created a bike that is so stable and comfortable that riding aero is effortless, and makes riding through tough crosswinds a doddle.
The CD0.1 is named as it recorded 0.1in testing for co efficient drag in the wind tunnel. I'm no aerodynamic boffin and really wish I'd listened harder in physics at school - if only they'd related it all to sport I may have listened more. Sport is all about overcoming the laws of physics and this bike is bloody fast, and is by far the most comfortable and stable bike at top end speed I've ever ridden.
Having served as a Royal Marines Commando, the abbreviation in the marines for commando is CDO so even the name of the bike seems a perfect match for me!! They even do a camouflage model in the US which looks quality. CD0.1 or Royal for short.
Testing: Over the last few weeks I've put the bike through its paces trying to identify any weaknesses on all terrains and I really do love the bike.
Setup: The bike's geometry is designed for triathlete, I'm riding the ML size frame and it fits me like a glove. The set up was so easy and Quintana Roo have carefully chosen components that offer such a wide variety of options to dial in the perfect fit.
The CD0.1seat tube angle also has great flexibility, with up to an 81degree option which is probably one of the most agressive angles out there. They've chosen to use the very different seat option in ISM saddles which have proven to be a big hit in triathlon in recent years. I'd heard great things about the seat and was intrigued by all the noise. It didn't take long to get used to and once bedded in I'm now converted - the most noticeable part for me is my lack of movement on the seat. I previously used the Fizik seat and found I moved a lot whilst aero, constantly sliding forward and fidgeting on the seat but now on the ISM saddle that issue is now resolved - so happy days.
The one aspect I was a little apprehensive about was the brakes. Like many modern triathlon bikes the brakes are fully integrated, with the front brake hidden behind the fork and the rear brake sits underneath the bottom bracket.
My previous experiences with aero brakes weren't that positive and I found they lacked performance and dramatically reduced cornering and descending speeds Previous bikes I'd used didn't fill me with confidence tending to have low stopping power and unpredictable.
However the aero brakes on the Quintana Roo CD0.1 performed very confidently and predictably giving me full confidence to attack every descent Nibale style and in total control of the bends. The rear brake doesn't have the immediate stopping power that the front possesses but working together with the front it seems perfectly balanced and controlled. The bike has Reynolds strike carbon clinchers 60mm aero wheels, which again seem to compliment each other very well – Most importantly they brake very well and with as much bite that luis Suarez would be proud of!!
The only area I'll be modifying is the chain set as it comes with a 52-38 and as a personal choice would want something a little bigger with a 53 or 54 chainring but that is my own personal preference. A 52-38 is a great setup for most people giving them the best of both worlds - a compact and a standard chainset in one - especially as its built with 11 speed giving you enough of a gear ratio to conquer anything.
Normally when I get a new bike it takes me a few weeks to get settled and tweak the bike, but after my first ride I haven't had to tweak it once. I spent pretty much the entire first ride aero and was convinced that my position was not aero as it was so comfortable - but It turns out I was set up more agressive than my p3 that I'd ridden over the winter.
The CD0.1 is a little heavier than my previous bike so I was expecting it to climb a little less efficient - but I was proven very wrong - it seemed to glide up the hills through the peaks as I sat comfortably in my aero position, something I wasn't able to hold in any of my previous bikes, and even hit a few pb's on the climbs when I wasn't even riding hard.
Many people obsess over getting the very lightweight machine thinking that it will automatically make them faster in any race, but is really not the case unless your spending the entire race climbing a gradient of something worthy of getting out the saddle for like 7% and lets face it there are no ironman events out there that are like that. And on greater reflection the slightly extra weight aids in the stability in the wind and stiffness.
Performance wise, the bike is really right up there. Once the bike is moving it holds the speed very very well and feels effortless to maintain or increase the speed. I've already knocked out some pretty impressive PB times both on the flats as well as in the hills.
So to say I'm happy with the bike is a bit of an understatement, I have honestly never felt so comfortable and stable on a triathlon bike and it's a real joy to ride aero for long periods of time. When pushing hard I feel every ounce of energy put in, is turned into forward motion which clearly shows it's a very stiff and responsive bike, perfect for any triathlon especially ironman distance. The real standout performance has to be in the handling and stability of the bike and the shift technology really does work.
I'ts as if your riding with stabilisers in the cross winds as the bike is solid as a rock and is a perfect bike for triathlon especially for athletes who lack some confidence on handling the bike and riding aero. To me the great thing about having a stable bike means I can pretty much use any wheel option available to me and not have to worry or even think about weather conditions. I can' t wait to get out and race on it.
The bike retails at an extremely reasonable and competitive prices that really punches well above its retail pricing. At £3645 with carbon strike wheels for a great spec race ready bike Or £2695 with standard Shimano 500 wheels
My deal with Quintana Roo is in partnership with another new sponsor MyTriathlon - www.mytriathlon.co.ukwho are the sole distributors of Quintana Roo in the UK as well as stocking a huge range of top wetsuits as well as everything you could possibly need in triathlon.
I'll be working with MyTriathlon, watch out for my regular product reviews. As well as this we'll be providing some open water and triathlon training days which start in May, where the plan is to guide you through every aspect of your ironman race and passing on our own experience and knowledge, for more information of these days please check out their website: www.mytriathlon.co.uk
The open water scene has now just,started and MyTriathlon provide the perfect open water location of Pennington Flash which hosts the Ironman UK swim venue, so perfect for people to practice their swim for race day, before heading out on their bikes up Sheep House Lane. At MyOpenWaterSwim there are numerous opportunities to develop open water skills and fitness with many sessions throughout the week including before and after work sessions with additional support form experience coaches. www.myopenwaterswim.co.uk