Co: Eagle Bicycles
What's Your Type?: Eagle T3
The Good Stuff: Di2 shifting, Shimano Ultegra components, Shimano 105 brakes, Apollo crank, Adamo road seat
You See me Rollin': Eagle 60/88 Wheels with DT Swiss hubs
Nice Bum, Where You From?: https://eaglebicycles.com/shop/eagle-t3/
Picture Prove It:
I have to admit, I was both nervous and hesitant about this bike.
You know what I like when I invest in a product? Buzz words such as: Widely known. Super popular. "Everyone has this". And Eagle is frankly, none of those. (Yet.)
I already knew I LOVE my Eagle 60/88 wheelset they sent me back in June for Ironman Santa Rosa. These wheels feel so awesome and look badass on my tri bike - even my husband is jealous of my setup. I look so pro rolling up to a race with a 60/88 wheel set and I loved those DT Swiss Hubs. They roll over potholes, that bumpy pavement that is the stuff of cyclists' nightmares and pretty much anything I threw at them. They fly down hills and don't buck me off my bike when the sidewinds picked up. These wheels feel solid but want to roll fast and I loved them for it. I definitely felt the extra edge on descents and climbs.
So when Eagle told me they were sending me a bike for Kona, I was super excited because I already knew they produced high quality wheels, so I was pumped to see what they had in store for bikes. And they said they could make it any color I wanted (bonus!).
BUT.
I freaking L.O.V.E my Quintanaroo tri bike. I remember the first time I walked into the bike shop and it was that moment when the store went dark and there was a ray of sparkly light shining on my baby. I just knew that was MY BIKE. Check please. Where do I swipe my card? You can put him in my car now thankyouverymuch - and don't you DARE scratch him.
I had never raced on a tri bike before, even in my half Ironman. I have a really nice Specialized Tarmac road bike and never felt it was necessary to upgrade to a tri bike. But Chris and I always told each other that if we raced a full Ironman we would get nice triathlon bikes. Welp, the day was here! We had signed up for Louisville and it was 6 months away, and we hadn't taken the plunge yet.
We went to a well known triathlon store in Ohio and tested out a bunch of bikes: expensive, cheap (....relatively speaking), twitchy, responsive, sturdy - every adjective and price range you can think of. We landed on the Quintanaroo CD 0.1 and PR6. Once we took the test rides it was all over. We ran our Southwest credit card and walked out of the store with a $10,000 bill and two dream bikes (with upgraded wheelsets - obviously). It took about an hour into our drive home for us to glance at each other with that "what the fuck have we done" look. But hey - the dual income no kids life is a sweet one.
So getting back to Eagle. I honestly was hesitant about this bike because I already HAD my dream bike, and I loved everything about him. He was fast, responsive, comfortable, and looked badass. Quintanaroo is a really well known company in the triathlon world. Everyone loves the Quintanaroo CD0.1. Go to any triathlon and you'll see at least 5 other of the same bike on the rack. I felt comforted knowing that although we were spending a small fortune, damnit we were going with a popular company. I'm a sheep in this way.
But what triathlete is going to say no to new gear? So on the day my Eagle Z3 arrived (actually more like the day I pirated her from the FedEx warehouse) I quietly put Rafael (my QR tri bike) in the back bedroom so he didn't have to see me cheat on him and think he did something wrong.
The first thing I noticed about my new bike is she was super light. The frame felt like absolutely nothing pulling her out of the box.
The next thing I noticed was the paint job. Eagle NAILED IT. I told them I wanted to stand out and on a whim told them I wanted a hot pink and hilighter yellow bike and hot dang they delivered. My mom's number one complaint about my races (besides that after 10 hours of spectating she's "tired and hungry" and "my back hurts SO much from leaning over the fence waiting for you!") is she takes no less than 300 pictures of people who look like me...but aren't me.
Do you know how many other people have black triathlon bikes? All of them. All the people. My mom said in the end she ended up picking me out of the crowd because of my bright pink and yellow cycling shoes. So I told Eagle I wanted the brightest bike at the race to stand out and let me tell you, I've never seen a bike like this one. She literally screams from a half a mile away, "NANCY HERE COMES YOUR BABY GIRL TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE AND MAKE IT LOOK PRO."
I'm not bike mechanic savvy in even the broadest terms. I've been in this sport for 8 years and I'm still not 100% confident in my tire changing abilities. So I was delighted when the bike came fully assembled - especially because my husband (also known as my head mechanic) was out of town for the next 2 weeks. All I had to do was flip the handlebars up, tighten, and she was ready to ride! Boom!
Unfortunately I had to work all afternoon the day I got her and then it started thunderstorming and then I had a 6 am flight the next day to Florida, so I didn't actually get to ride her for over a week, which built the anticipation. During that time I got to go over to visit the Eagle team and test ride one of their mountain bikes. The mountain bike I rode wasn't even their top of the line and it felt AWESOME. So needless to say I was anxious to get home to see if their tri bikes felt as good as their mountain bikes.
But also I reminded myself: this was temporary. I can go back to my Quintanaroo after Kona and use my Eagle bike as a backup. I don't have to actually even like it because, afterall, I already have my dream bike.
So the day finally came I got to ride her.
I clipped in and my first thought getting down into aero was, "Damnit. This bike is really comfortable."
I realized then that I was trying to talk myself out of liking this bike. So it was going to have to really perform to win me over, because I worked REALLY hard to buy my Quintanaroo and I loved him so so much.
My next thought was that I wasn't riding a bike - I was riding a computer. Have you ever tried Di2 shifting? To be a total bike snob, you haven't lived until you've tried this shifting. I love that little buzzing sound of the gears smoothly shifting. I love that I no longer have to worry about that moment when you're rolling just a little too fast to a stop sign and have to pick between shifting to an easier gear or braking to stop. I love that I can shift going up a climb without sticking my hand out and groping to shift down. I love that I don't have to click up and down at the end of my aero bars - it's literally just a tiny button I barely push and suddenly it's easier to pedal. No clicking, no jarring, no grinding - nothing. It just...does.
I took my usual bike route and the next thing I noticed is that there's this long descent that always has a cross wind at the bottom that I always sit up on because without a doubt I go around the corner and get pushed over into the road from the wind gusts and I HATE that - I've already been hit by a car and ended up in a hospital once and I don't want to do it again. But on my Eagle bike I was all ready to sit up at the end of the hill and that moment never came. My bike just sailed right through it and I felt secure enough to stay in aero the entire descent, all the way up to over 42 mph. Weird.
Another thing I noticed is that this bike is silent. I've started calling it "stealth mode". I've ridden so many high quality bikes, such as both my Tarmac and my CD0.1 that there's always something clanking or popping or clinging or grinding. And I bring it to the bike shop and they can't find anything wrong but they do a tune up and lube everything and then tell me that carbon fiber just echos louder than other kinds of bikes. So I live with the clanking sounds or as I call them "small birds living in my crank". But this bike is literally silent. I ride for hours and don't hear a thing, even on rough roads or potholes. She's a sniper.
Despite my best efforts to be a stubborn Quintanaroo fan, my new bike was winning me over.
And it doesn't help that after every ride I do I plug in my watch my Strava account is littered with "new PR" updates on my bike routes.
It's been about a month since I got my new bike, and since then Lawless (that's her name, by the way) and I have been on several shorter rides, a 70 mile ride, and a 90 mile ride.
Reluctantly, I actually think I prefer her to Rafael. I noticed that I'm MUCH more comfortable staying in aero on her than my Quintanaroo. Rafael tends to be really "twitchy" in windy conditions. He sways in the slightest wind and although that makes him light and responsive, it doesn't pay off much when the slightest crosswind causes me to sit up. With my Eagle, I can stay down in aero in much windier conditions because she's "sturdy".
I know that in a triathletes mind the word "sturdy" often equates to "slow", but I've learned that that's not necessarily true. When I explained to the bike shop where I got my Quintanaroo what I was looking for in a tri bike, I used adjectives such as "aggressive" "responsive" and "light"....but what's the good in having a twitchy, responsive bike if you can't stay down in aero in harsher conditions? How often do us triathletes ride on flat courses with zero wind?
The other surprising thing is that even though she's sturdy and comfortable, this bike flies on descents and flats. I just decide to go faster and with a few hard crank pumps I find myself immediately at least 5 mph faster. This probably can also be attributed to the Eagle wheels.
The one thing that I didn't like was the aero bars. My Eagle bike has the aero bars that stick up a little higher (think: more of a right angle) than my Quintanaroo. I'm not sure why I didn't like this, but overall I don't notice it at all once I'm on the bike, and from my experience it doesn't have any effect on performance. I think I didn't like it because I think when you look like you're sitting up higher you don't look as aggressive in aero.
Overall, this bike is bomb. She turns heads when I ride by. People are starting to recognize me as "the girl on the hot pink bike" and are asking questions about the Eagle company. I'm proud to ride a bike that no one else at the race has. I'm so proud to race Lawless, not just because she's hot pink and has Di2 shifting, but I'm impressed that Eagle proved me wrong: that just because everyone has the same bike at a race, doesn't make it the best bike in the industry.
I really wanted to love this bike less than the bike I worked hard to buy, and they proved me wrong by giving me such an amazing product. I'm so excited for Kona, and all the future races Lawless and I will ride in together! I'll keep you guys updated on the rides and PRs.
What's Your Type?: Eagle T3
The Good Stuff: Di2 shifting, Shimano Ultegra components, Shimano 105 brakes, Apollo crank, Adamo road seat
You See me Rollin': Eagle 60/88 Wheels with DT Swiss hubs
Nice Bum, Where You From?: https://eaglebicycles.com/shop/eagle-t3/
Picture Prove It:
I have to admit, I was both nervous and hesitant about this bike.
You know what I like when I invest in a product? Buzz words such as: Widely known. Super popular. "Everyone has this". And Eagle is frankly, none of those. (Yet.)
I already knew I LOVE my Eagle 60/88 wheelset they sent me back in June for Ironman Santa Rosa. These wheels feel so awesome and look badass on my tri bike - even my husband is jealous of my setup. I look so pro rolling up to a race with a 60/88 wheel set and I loved those DT Swiss Hubs. They roll over potholes, that bumpy pavement that is the stuff of cyclists' nightmares and pretty much anything I threw at them. They fly down hills and don't buck me off my bike when the sidewinds picked up. These wheels feel solid but want to roll fast and I loved them for it. I definitely felt the extra edge on descents and climbs.
So when Eagle told me they were sending me a bike for Kona, I was super excited because I already knew they produced high quality wheels, so I was pumped to see what they had in store for bikes. And they said they could make it any color I wanted (bonus!).
BUT.
I freaking L.O.V.E my Quintanaroo tri bike. I remember the first time I walked into the bike shop and it was that moment when the store went dark and there was a ray of sparkly light shining on my baby. I just knew that was MY BIKE. Check please. Where do I swipe my card? You can put him in my car now thankyouverymuch - and don't you DARE scratch him.
I had never raced on a tri bike before, even in my half Ironman. I have a really nice Specialized Tarmac road bike and never felt it was necessary to upgrade to a tri bike. But Chris and I always told each other that if we raced a full Ironman we would get nice triathlon bikes. Welp, the day was here! We had signed up for Louisville and it was 6 months away, and we hadn't taken the plunge yet.
We went to a well known triathlon store in Ohio and tested out a bunch of bikes: expensive, cheap (....relatively speaking), twitchy, responsive, sturdy - every adjective and price range you can think of. We landed on the Quintanaroo CD 0.1 and PR6. Once we took the test rides it was all over. We ran our Southwest credit card and walked out of the store with a $10,000 bill and two dream bikes (with upgraded wheelsets - obviously). It took about an hour into our drive home for us to glance at each other with that "what the fuck have we done" look. But hey - the dual income no kids life is a sweet one.
So getting back to Eagle. I honestly was hesitant about this bike because I already HAD my dream bike, and I loved everything about him. He was fast, responsive, comfortable, and looked badass. Quintanaroo is a really well known company in the triathlon world. Everyone loves the Quintanaroo CD0.1. Go to any triathlon and you'll see at least 5 other of the same bike on the rack. I felt comforted knowing that although we were spending a small fortune, damnit we were going with a popular company. I'm a sheep in this way.
But what triathlete is going to say no to new gear? So on the day my Eagle Z3 arrived (actually more like the day I pirated her from the FedEx warehouse) I quietly put Rafael (my QR tri bike) in the back bedroom so he didn't have to see me cheat on him and think he did something wrong.
The first thing I noticed about my new bike is she was super light. The frame felt like absolutely nothing pulling her out of the box.
The next thing I noticed was the paint job. Eagle NAILED IT. I told them I wanted to stand out and on a whim told them I wanted a hot pink and hilighter yellow bike and hot dang they delivered. My mom's number one complaint about my races (besides that after 10 hours of spectating she's "tired and hungry" and "my back hurts SO much from leaning over the fence waiting for you!") is she takes no less than 300 pictures of people who look like me...but aren't me.
Do you know how many other people have black triathlon bikes? All of them. All the people. My mom said in the end she ended up picking me out of the crowd because of my bright pink and yellow cycling shoes. So I told Eagle I wanted the brightest bike at the race to stand out and let me tell you, I've never seen a bike like this one. She literally screams from a half a mile away, "NANCY HERE COMES YOUR BABY GIRL TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE AND MAKE IT LOOK PRO."
I'm not bike mechanic savvy in even the broadest terms. I've been in this sport for 8 years and I'm still not 100% confident in my tire changing abilities. So I was delighted when the bike came fully assembled - especially because my husband (also known as my head mechanic) was out of town for the next 2 weeks. All I had to do was flip the handlebars up, tighten, and she was ready to ride! Boom!
Unfortunately I had to work all afternoon the day I got her and then it started thunderstorming and then I had a 6 am flight the next day to Florida, so I didn't actually get to ride her for over a week, which built the anticipation. During that time I got to go over to visit the Eagle team and test ride one of their mountain bikes. The mountain bike I rode wasn't even their top of the line and it felt AWESOME. So needless to say I was anxious to get home to see if their tri bikes felt as good as their mountain bikes.
But also I reminded myself: this was temporary. I can go back to my Quintanaroo after Kona and use my Eagle bike as a backup. I don't have to actually even like it because, afterall, I already have my dream bike.
So the day finally came I got to ride her.
I clipped in and my first thought getting down into aero was, "Damnit. This bike is really comfortable."
I realized then that I was trying to talk myself out of liking this bike. So it was going to have to really perform to win me over, because I worked REALLY hard to buy my Quintanaroo and I loved him so so much.
My next thought was that I wasn't riding a bike - I was riding a computer. Have you ever tried Di2 shifting? To be a total bike snob, you haven't lived until you've tried this shifting. I love that little buzzing sound of the gears smoothly shifting. I love that I no longer have to worry about that moment when you're rolling just a little too fast to a stop sign and have to pick between shifting to an easier gear or braking to stop. I love that I can shift going up a climb without sticking my hand out and groping to shift down. I love that I don't have to click up and down at the end of my aero bars - it's literally just a tiny button I barely push and suddenly it's easier to pedal. No clicking, no jarring, no grinding - nothing. It just...does.
I took my usual bike route and the next thing I noticed is that there's this long descent that always has a cross wind at the bottom that I always sit up on because without a doubt I go around the corner and get pushed over into the road from the wind gusts and I HATE that - I've already been hit by a car and ended up in a hospital once and I don't want to do it again. But on my Eagle bike I was all ready to sit up at the end of the hill and that moment never came. My bike just sailed right through it and I felt secure enough to stay in aero the entire descent, all the way up to over 42 mph. Weird.
Another thing I noticed is that this bike is silent. I've started calling it "stealth mode". I've ridden so many high quality bikes, such as both my Tarmac and my CD0.1 that there's always something clanking or popping or clinging or grinding. And I bring it to the bike shop and they can't find anything wrong but they do a tune up and lube everything and then tell me that carbon fiber just echos louder than other kinds of bikes. So I live with the clanking sounds or as I call them "small birds living in my crank". But this bike is literally silent. I ride for hours and don't hear a thing, even on rough roads or potholes. She's a sniper.
Despite my best efforts to be a stubborn Quintanaroo fan, my new bike was winning me over.
And it doesn't help that after every ride I do I plug in my watch my Strava account is littered with "new PR" updates on my bike routes.
It's been about a month since I got my new bike, and since then Lawless (that's her name, by the way) and I have been on several shorter rides, a 70 mile ride, and a 90 mile ride.
Reluctantly, I actually think I prefer her to Rafael. I noticed that I'm MUCH more comfortable staying in aero on her than my Quintanaroo. Rafael tends to be really "twitchy" in windy conditions. He sways in the slightest wind and although that makes him light and responsive, it doesn't pay off much when the slightest crosswind causes me to sit up. With my Eagle, I can stay down in aero in much windier conditions because she's "sturdy".
I know that in a triathletes mind the word "sturdy" often equates to "slow", but I've learned that that's not necessarily true. When I explained to the bike shop where I got my Quintanaroo what I was looking for in a tri bike, I used adjectives such as "aggressive" "responsive" and "light"....but what's the good in having a twitchy, responsive bike if you can't stay down in aero in harsher conditions? How often do us triathletes ride on flat courses with zero wind?
The other surprising thing is that even though she's sturdy and comfortable, this bike flies on descents and flats. I just decide to go faster and with a few hard crank pumps I find myself immediately at least 5 mph faster. This probably can also be attributed to the Eagle wheels.
The one thing that I didn't like was the aero bars. My Eagle bike has the aero bars that stick up a little higher (think: more of a right angle) than my Quintanaroo. I'm not sure why I didn't like this, but overall I don't notice it at all once I'm on the bike, and from my experience it doesn't have any effect on performance. I think I didn't like it because I think when you look like you're sitting up higher you don't look as aggressive in aero.
Overall, this bike is bomb. She turns heads when I ride by. People are starting to recognize me as "the girl on the hot pink bike" and are asking questions about the Eagle company. I'm proud to ride a bike that no one else at the race has. I'm so proud to race Lawless, not just because she's hot pink and has Di2 shifting, but I'm impressed that Eagle proved me wrong: that just because everyone has the same bike at a race, doesn't make it the best bike in the industry.
I really wanted to love this bike less than the bike I worked hard to buy, and they proved me wrong by giving me such an amazing product. I'm so excited for Kona, and all the future races Lawless and I will ride in together! I'll keep you guys updated on the rides and PRs.
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