| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Triathlon |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
| Key people | Dan Empfield |
| Products | Tri-specific Bicycles and Wetsuits |
| Website | www.quintanarootri.com |
Quintana Roo is a company that produces products for triathlon, primarily bicycles and wetsuits. The company was founded in 1987 by Dan Empfield of Ironman fame and is owned by the American Bicycle Group, LLC.[1] Quintana Roo is considered a pioneer of triathlon-specific products.
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The company's flagship product in 1987 was the first wetsuit made specifically for triathlon, designed by Empfield.[2] Quintana Roo wetsuits are of varying thicknesses of neoprene rubber, stitched and sealed together. The company has several different designs with assorted features. The latest is the Virtual Pull Buoy featured with the Superfull wetsuit, which gives added buoyancy to the legs during the swim.
In conjunction with the first tri-specific wetsuit in 1987, Scott USA created the first aerodynamic handlebar for standard road bicycles. It was clear triathlon had created a niche market, requiring new products that focused on all three disciplines contiguously rather than separately. In 1989, Empfield made a bicycle specifically for triathlon, the Quintana Roo Superform. This custom bike was called the first bicycle "built from the aerobars back." With a steep seat angle of 80 degrees, its design was said to help prevent leg fatigue before the run. [3] Lance Armstrong rode the Quintana Roo Superform.
List of wetsuit manufacturers