When we first heard news of the PRfive, we initially thought of it as the kid brother of the PRsix (we just so happen to be wrapping up our long-term review). And it’s not hard to see why. The PRfive shares the frame of the PRsix but loses the integrated fork and stem. But what we have come to realize is that the PRfive is less like a younger sibling and more like the heir apparent – just not to the throne of the top tier PRsix. We’re talking about the more AG-friendly CD0.1 (a long-time favorite of the AeroGeeks).
The Quintana Roo PRfive
The PRfive starts with the frame of the PRsix. And similarly, the PRfive strives to balance aero, weight, and ease of use.
In the aero category, the PRfive starts with Quintana Roo’s Shift+ technology—an offset downtube that diverts airflow to the clean side of the bike, away from the drivetrain. This is coupled with boat tail airfoil tube shapes, a 12mm offset static downtube orientation (regardless of frame size), and a leading edge absent chainstay to create an even more aerodynamic, stable, bike.
From a weight perspective, Quintana Roo has worked to keep the PRfive as light as possible, resulting in a frame that is up to 400g lighter that some of its competitors.
Ease of use starts with the nonintegrated stem and front end. By taking this route, QR has not only made the bike cheaper, but also allowed you to choose which cockpit you prefer. Additionally, the PRfive gives you the option of using brakes from Shimano, SRAM, TRP, Magura, and TriRig.
At the rear of the bike you get the choice of using either vertical or horizontal dropouts. This allows you to select the easier-to-maintain vertical dropouts, or, if you are trying to tuck the rear wheel as close to the seatpost as possible, the horizontal dropouts will be your choice.
The Builds
The PRfive will be available at launch in three builds, plus a frameset retailing for $3,200.
First up is the PRfive Ultegra build, which is priced roughly where the CD0.1 used to sit – $3700. The Ultegra is built with mechanical Ultegra, an ISM PS1.0 saddle, and Shimano RS11 wheels.
If you are looking for race-ready, you can choose the PRfive Ultegra Race that swaps out the RS11 wheels and instead upgrades you to Reynolds Strike SLGs. Of course this also ups the price to $4850.
Finally, there is the PRfive Ultegra Di2 Race. It keeps the Reynolds of the PRfive Ultegra Race but adds Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting. You also get an upgraded Profile Design Carbon base bar instead of the aluminum that comes with the mechanical options.
All builds will be available in a range of six sizes running from a 48cm seat tube to 58.5.
Our Thoughts
The Quintana Roo CD0.1 was a favorite of the team and only just recently did we retire it from test duty. The fact that we see the PRfive as the spiritual successor speaks volumes of what we think of the new PRfive. We expect to see this frame showing up often in transition. And as Quintana Roo has the chance to start upping production, we feel they may bring down in price and release more builds (the CD0.1 is currently available in four). Now the biggest questions we really want answered are when can we get one in QRs signature camo, and when can we get some saddle time on one? The good news is that at last one of those will be happening soon. Stay tuned for the AeroGeeks in-depth review of the PRfive.