Triathlon bikes have a tri geometry design with a steep tube angle (the center tube your seat is secured to) to put the rider in a forward position. This capitalizes on the use of quadriceps while riding, saving hamstrings for the run. Tri bikes are highly aerodynamic and designed for speed, efficiency and comfort. Women-specific tri bikes aim to fit a woman's shorter body frame. Get a thorough fitting by an expert at a bike shop, as it's essential to find a bike that will feel and ride right.
Quintana Roo Chicqilo
Super low-drag, this newly designed woman-specific bike made with high modulus carbon fiber was tested and reviewed by Bicycling Magazine. It's 21-pound frame with a reasonable price tag performed well against a strong headwind with the tester saying, "After jamming the Quintana Roo Chicqilo through 15-mph headwinds at race pace with relative ease, we'd have to say it's a tremendous bike for the price."
Scott Contessa Plasma
Scott Contessa Women's Plasma2 tri bike, in neon green, has a super-fast carbon frame, weighing in at just 19.27 pounds. According to its website, the Plasma recorded the fastest split at the 2008 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. It features narrow Twin Turbo chain stays, an adjustable seat for maximum angle and internal cable routing. It is available in an extra-small frame with Shimano components.
Trek Equinox Series Women's Specific Design (WSD)
Trek's high-end, fully equipped Equinox TTX WSD 9.8 SSL triathlon bike is made of a patented "Optimum Compaction, Low Void" (OCLV) high-performance Red Carbon frame technology. The Equinox features a highly stable, aerodynamic top tube. This bike also has front-center geometry, which helps balance the rider, provide stability and conserve energy. Light and fast Aeolus wheels cut through the wind. Two other Trek bikes in this series, the Equinox TTX 9.0 and the Equinox 7, are built with the same main concepts of stability and balance but with a slightly different carbon frame for affordability.
Kuota Tri Bikes
Kuota broke onto the tri scene when Norman Stadler beat the Ironman Hawaii bike course record. Both the Kueen-K and the K-Factor triathlon bikes by Kuota are carbon fiber-based and available in frames from extra-small on up to extra-large, with duo position seat post areo positioning. The Kueen-K's brakes are newly designed to be undetectable by the wind, while the K-Factor has a more versatile geometry and a taller head tube.
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