Something to salivate over with 9 of the Best Triathlon Bikes 2020. Giving us all something to smile about we have compiled a list of the best triathlon bikes money can buy. This is very much a wish list rather than a best buy table. All of the bikes are top end and needing deep pockets. We all love a bit of bike porn though and here are 9 epic examples of this for anyone with a love of time trial bikes.
How did we compile our list?
Across the Trivelo team we have multiple triathlon bikes of our own so understand the decision criteria people go through. Compiling this list we reached out across the Group for extra input but to give us a concrete starter we used the Ironman 2019 to see who was using what. For each bike you can see which Ironman triathlete rode the bike, the spec of the machine and best buy prices for each of them.
List of the Best of the Best Triathlon Bikes 2020
- Specialized S-Works Shiv Disc Limited Edition
- Cervelo PX Series
- Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 Ltd
- Pinarello Bolide TR+
- Ceepo Viper R8050 Ultegra Di2 TT Bike 2020
- Trek Speed Concept
- Scott Plasma 5
- Felt IA
- BMC TM01
Specialized S-Works Shiv Disc Ltd Edition
Specialized
S-Works Shiv Disc Limited Edition
| FRAME | Specialized S-Works FACT 11r carbon, FACT IS construction, crosswind-optimized airfoils, OSBB, Fit System, Integrated Nutrition and Hydration Fuelcells, disc brakes |
| FORK | Specialized S-Works FACT 11r carbon, integrated Fit System, flat-mount disc, 12x100mm thru-axle |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | OSBB, CeramicSpeed bearings |
| STEM | Integrated |
| HANDLEBAR | Specialized Shiv Aerobar, carbon, variable stack adjust |
| FRONT BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9170, hydraulic disc |
| REAR BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9170, hydraulic disc |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9170, hydraulic disc |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150, braze-on |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150, 11-speed |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9170 |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Dura-Ace 9100, 11-speed, 11-28t |
| CRANKSET | Specialized S-Works Power Cranks, dual-sided power measurement, +/- 1.5% accuracy |
| CHAINRINGS | 52/36T |
| FRONT WHEEL | Roval CLX 64 Disc rim, Roval AFD1, Center Lock™, CeramicSpeed bearings, 21h |
| REAR WHEEL | Roval CLX 64 Disc, carbon, tubeless-ready, Win Tunnel Engineered, 64mm depth, DT Swiss 240 internals, CeramicSpeed bearings, 24h |
| FRONT TYRE | Specialized Turbo Cotton, 320 TPI, 700x24mm |
| REAR TYRE | Specialized Turbo Cotton, 320 TPI, 700x24mm |
| SADDLE | Specialized Sitero Pro, carbon rails |
| SEATPOST | Specialized Shiv Carbon, 0mm offset |
Buy the S-Works Shiv Disc Ltd Edition from Tredz for £10,499
Cervelo PX Series Dura-Ace DI2 Disc
Cervelo
Cervelo PX-Series Dura-Ace Di2 Disc
| FRAME | Cervélo PX, carbon fibre |
| FORK | Cervélo All-Carbon, PX Fork |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | CeramicSpeed bearings |
| STEM | Integrated |
| HANDLEBAR | Cervélo P5X Basebar with Cervélo ski bend extensions |
| FRONT BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 hydraulic disc |
| REAR BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 hydraulic disc |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace 9180 |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150, 11-speed |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150, 11-speed |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9160 |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Dura-Ace CS-R9100, 11-30 11-speed |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 |
| CHAINRINGS | 52/36T |
| FRONT WHEEL | DT Swiss ARC 1100 62mm carbon clincher |
| WHEEL | DT Swiss ARC 1100 80mm carbon clincher |
| FRONT TYRE | Vittoria Corsa Speed TLR G2.0 25c, clincher |
| REAR TYRE | Vittoria Corsa Speed TLR G2.0 25c, clincher |
| SADDLE | ISM PS01 |
| SEATPOST | Cervélo Carbon, SP21 |
Buy the Cervelo PX-Series Dura-Ace Di2 Disc from Tredz for £9,499
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 Ltd
Canyon
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 Ltd
| FRAME | Canyon Speedmax CF SLX carbon fibre |
| FORK | Canyon F32 CF carbon fibre |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Shimano Pressfit BB92 |
| STEM | Canyon V19 AL |
| HANDLEBAR | Canyon HB0048 Basebar Flat |
| FRONT BRAKE | Canyon B11-16 TT Front |
| REAR BRAKE | Canyon B12-16 TT Rear |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Canyon |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 SS |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9160 TT 11s |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 11-25 11s |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 |
| CHAINRINGS | 52/36T |
| FRONT WHEEL | Zipp 858 NSW |
| WHEEL | Zipp 858 NSW |
| FRONT TYRE | Continental Grand Prix 5000 / Attack 23 mm |
| REAR TYRE | Continental Grand Prix 5000 / Attack 25 mm |
| SADDLE | Fizik Mistica |
| SEATPOST | Canyon S31 TRI CF |
Buy the Speedmax CF SLX 9.0 LTD from Canyon for £9,199
Pinarello Bolide TR+
Pinarello
Bolide TR+ Dura-Ace DI2 Disc
| FRAME | Pinarello Bolide TR+ carbon Torayca T1100G UD with NANOALLOY technology |
| FORK | Pinarello Bolide TR+ carbon Torayca T1100G UD with NANOALLOY technology |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Ceramic Sealed |
| STEM | Pinarello Bolide TT Flat |
| HANDLEBAR | Pinarello Bolide TT Flat |
| FRONT BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9170 hydraulic disc 160mm |
| REAR BRAKE | Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9170 hydraulic disc 140mm |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150-SS 11-speed |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 11-speed 11-28t |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 |
| CHAINRINGS | 53/39T |
| FRONT WHEEL | N/A |
| WHEEL | N/A |
| FRONT TYRE | N/A |
| REAR TYRE | N/A |
| SADDLE | Selle Italia Iron |
| SEATPOST | Pinarello UD carbon aero straight |
Buy the Pinarello Bolide TR+ from Sigma Sports for £11,000
Ceepo Viper R8050 Ultegra Di2 TT Bike
Ceepo
Viper R8050 Ultegra Di2
| FRAME | Ceepo Carbon Fibre |
| FORK | Ceepo Carbon Fibre |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Ceramic Sealed |
| STEM | Integrated |
| HANDLEBAR | Vision Trimax Full Carbon J-Bend Aerobar |
| FRONT BRAKE | Tektro R531 |
| REAR BRAKE | Tektro R541 |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Ultegra |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8050 |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8050-SS |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano R671 Di2 |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Ultegra R8000 |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Ultegra R8000 |
| CHAINRINGS | 53/39T |
| FRONT WHEEL | Fulcrum R400 |
| REAR WHEEL | Fulcrum R400 |
| FRONT TYRE | Continental Grand Sport Race 25mm |
| REAR TYRE | Continental Grand Sport Race 25mm |
| SADDLE | Prologo Zero-Tri |
| SEATPOST | Ceepo Carbon Aero |
Buy the Ceepo Viper R8050 from Wiggle for £5,419
Trek Speed Concept
Trek
Speed Concept
| FRAME | 500 Series OCLV Carbon, KVF (Kammtail Virtual Foil) tube shape |
| FORK | SC full foil carbon |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Trek BB90 |
| STEM | Bontrager Speed Concept |
| HANDLEBAR | Bontrager Speed Concept KVF aero bar |
| FRONT BRAKE | Bontrager Speed Limit integrated brakes |
| REAR BRAKE | Bontrager Speed Limit integrated brakes |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Bontrager Race Lite aero |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Ultegra R8000 |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Ultegra R8000 |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Ultegra R8000, 11-28, 11-speed |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Ultegra R8000 |
| CHAINRINGS | 50/34T |
| FRONT WHEEL | Bontrager Aeolus Comp, OCLV Carbon |
| REAR WHEEL | Bontrager Aeolus Comp, OCLV Carbon |
| FRONT TYRE | Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite |
| REAR TYRE | Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite |
| SADDLE | Bontrager Hilo Comp |
| SEATPOST | Bontrager Speed Concept Race Lite |
Buy the Speed Concept direct from Trek from £4150
Scott Plasma 5
Scott
Plasma 5
| FRAME | HMX Carbon Mainframe, HMX Carbon fork, compatible for Di2 and mech. Shifting |
| FORK | HMX Carbon fork |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | N/A |
| STEM | Plasma 5 stem |
| HANDLEBAR | Plasma 5 handlebar / aerobar, |
| FRONT BRAKE | Plasma 5 front brake |
| REAR BRAKE | N/A |
| BRAKE LEVERS | N/A |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | N/A |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | N/A |
| SHIFT LEVERS | N/A |
| CASSETTE | N/A |
| CRANKSET | N/A |
| CHAINRINGS | N/A |
| FRONT WHEEL | N/A |
| REAR WHEEL | N/A |
| FRONT TYRE | N/A |
| REAR TYRE | N/A |
| SADDLE | N/A |
| SEATPOST | Plasma HMX seatpost |
Buy the Scott Plasma 5 direct from Trek from £4199
Felt IA
Felt
IA FRD Disc
| FRAME | Felt Integrated Aero Tri Disc UHC Ultimate + TeXtreme carbon fibre |
| FORK | Felt Dagger Disc UHC Ultimate + TeXtreme carbon fiber monocoque construction |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | CeramicSpeed BSA threaded |
| STEM | Felt Dagger Integrated |
| HANDLEBAR | Devox Dagger UHC Ultimate + Nano base bar with Devox ƒ-Bend carbon fiber 3-position extensions |
| FRONT BRAKE | Shimano BR-R9170 |
| REAR BRAKE | Shimano BR-R9170 |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace BR-R9170 TT/Tri hydraulic |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 braze-on |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 11-speed short cage |
| SHIFT LEVERS | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9160 TT/Tri 11-speed |
| CASSETTE | Shimano Dura-Ace, 11-28T |
| CRANKSET | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 |
| CHAINRINGS | 52/36T |
| FRONT WHEEL | Zipp 454 NSW Disc carbon front |
| REAR WHEEL | Zipp 858 NSW Disc carbon rear |
| FRONT TYRE | Continental Grand Sport Race folding |
| REAR TYRE | Continental Grand Sport Race folding |
| SADDLE | ISM PS1.0 Ti |
| SEATPOST | Felt VariMount Aero Aero Tri UHC Advanced carbon fibre |
Buy the Felt IA FRD Disc for $15,999 direct from Felt
BMC TM01
BMC
TM01
| FRAME | BMC Timemachine 01 Disc, aerodynamic 01 Premium Carbon tubing |
| FORK | BMC Aero Premium Carbon Disc, Hinge Design |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | PF86 bottom bracket |
| STEM | BMC Flat Cockpit |
| HANDLEBAR | Devox Dagger UHC Ultimate + Nano base bar with Devox ƒ-Bend carbon fiber 3-position extensions |
| FRONT BRAKE | SRAM Force eTap AXS HRD |
| REAR BRAKE | SRAM Force eTap AXS HRD |
| BRAKE LEVERS | SRAM Force eTap AXS HRD |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | SRAM Force eTap AXS |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | SRAM Force eTap AXS 12-speed |
| SHIFT LEVERS | SRAM Force eTap AXS 12-speed |
| CASSETTE | SRAM Force XG-1270, 10-28T |
| CRANKSET | SRAM Force AXS |
| CHAINRINGS | 48/35T |
| FRONT WHEEL | DT Swiss ARC 1650 DICUT DB Carbon |
| REAR WHEEL | DT Swiss ARC 1650 DICUT DB Carbon |
| FRONT TYRE | Vittoria Corsa, 25mm |
| REAR TYRE | Vittoria Corsa, 25mm |
| SADDLE | Fizik Mistica |
| SEATPOST | BMC aero post |
Buy the BMC TM01 for £7,499 from Sigma Sports
Best Triathlon Bikes 2020 FAQ
What are triathlon bikes?
Triathlon bikes put simply are bikes used by triathletes racing in triathlons of varying distances. It is not necessary to use a triathlon bike to compete in a triathlon and you are able to use road bikes as an alternative. The thinking behind a triathlon bike is to enable a triathlete to complete the bike leg of a race and begin to run with enough juice left in their legs to reach the finish line. Being able to transition from cycling to running without impact is key to triathlon success.
Why are triathlon bikes different?
Triathlon bikes are profiled with an aerodynamic shape designed to minimise the footprint of the front of the bike. The frame features a more upright seat tube to permit the rider to sit further forwards effectively over the bottom bracket. The handlebars include aero bars to allow the rider to minimise resistance and ride in a more horizontal tuck position.
What is the difference between a triathlon bike and a road bike?
Answering this is easiest using a picture to accompany any written details.
The seat tube on a triathlon bike is typically between 76 and 78 degrees. That is a steeper than most road bikes that tend to be around 72 degrees.
The result is a more compact bike in terms of length lower slung to the ground.
Why are triathlon bikes so expensive?
Ok so our list of triathlon bikes are very expensive options. You don’t need to spend this level of money on a triathlon bike with plenty around for a fraction of this.
Compared to equivalent specced road bikes, triathlon bikes in fact are comparable in terms of price. Yes you really can spend thousands on road bikes as well as triathlon bikes. Triathlon bikes don’t have any low-end models with them starting at prices above comparable low-end road bikes which is why they appear more expensive. It means you can buy a road bike for a much lower starting price.
If you are looking for something more affordable check out our 2020 list of road bikes for under £1500.
4 Comments
Trek Speed Concept Gen 2 Bike Ultimate Review - REAL Athletes - TRUSTED Reviews · 10/08/2020 at 2:03 pm
[…] our round-up of 9 of the Best Triathlon Bikes for 2020. A money is no object selection of the ultimate triathlon bikes on the […]
Bike Box Alan Review - REAL Athletes - TRUSTED Reviews · 21/08/2020 at 6:15 am
[…] If you are looking for a triathlon bike to put to use with the Bike Box Alan Triathlon Aerofit then check our ultimate guide to triathlon bikes 2020. […]
Triathlon Bikes FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions on Triathlon / TT bikes - Trivelo · 26/03/2021 at 5:32 pm
[…] >>> 9 of the best Triathlon bikes: Round up of the best of the best […]
Cycling Nutrition FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions about cycling nutrition - Trivelo · 21/07/2021 at 2:39 pm
[…] >>> 9 of the Best of the Best Triathlon Bikes – Ultimate bike round-up […]
Comments are closed.