TriRig Omni Triathlon Bike Review

As it seems like the non-double-diamond (NDD) market is getting a little more crowded, TriRig stands out as a brand whose commitment to aerodynamics actually supersedes its experience in bikemaking. Though TriRig began as a tri review website before producing the super-aero Omega brake, owner Nick Salazar has always been looking to improve on conventional thinking—regardless of how far it took him off the beaten path. The TriRig Omni is no exception with a super-aero beam construction and loads of tiny, aero “marginal-gains-level” details. It’s not necessarily the ultimate tri bike for every distance or every type of triathlete, but it’s definitely the ultimate tri bike for the right person.

Related: Triathlete’s 2020 Bike Buyer’s Guide

TriRig Omni: The Deal

For those who aren’t familiar with NDD bikes, the TL;DR is that these bikes feature an unconventional design without a diamond shape created by the seat tube, top tube, and downtube. The result is something that is incredibly fast in the wind tunnel, but is also UCI-illegal (not a big deal for 99% of triathletes) and comes with a few quirks. While some other NDD brands like Dimond and Ventum (and Cervelo’s PX) try to make their bikes still somewhat familiar to triathletes in terms of handling, serviceability, ride quality, etc., TriRig is a little less compromising. Using a dearth of proprietary parts that have all been created in the interest of being aero, the result is a bike that does its thing very well, but isn’t necessarily an everyman’s bike (price notwithstanding).

TriRig Omni: The Ride

The ride on this bike is ridiculously smooth—even with deep carbon wheels, even if you throw a disc on this thing. The missing-downtube design and carbon blend make this bike sail over all types of bumps without any chatter. In combination with excellent straight line handling, this is one of those rare bikes that feels like it’s on autopilot, which is a huge boon for those on flat/rolling long-course courses. If you’ve ever seen video footage of pros in Kona looking nearly relaxed in the aerobars, despite being buffeted by sidewinds, this is the feeling you could expect on the Omni: Maybe you could make a sandwich; maybe you could take a phone call. (Jusr kidding.)

TriRig Omni: The Good

Here again the ride is a major part of the “good” column because it is so stable and smooth. This type of ride quality is particularly important on race day (remember those??) because a bike like the Omni lets you roll into T2 with a fast split, thanks to its aero properties, and still run off because you’re not fatigued and beaten up from the bike leg. A pro like Matt Russell is a great example of this: He rides super super well, but he comes off the bike and runs like he never even put on his cycling shoes. Obviously there’s a TON of talent at work in play there, but it’s no coincidence that he rides an Omni as well. Other little details like a special proprietary brake system with an aero cowling—located in wind-hidden locations—and a lack of quick release skewers all add up to make this thing super slippery. You get a sense no expense has been spared and no compromises have been made to lose any aero.

TriRig Omni: The Weird

Oddly enough, some of the best things about the Omni could be some of its most challenging. The super smooth ride and NDD design makes it very fast and comfy, but it also creates some odd “oscillating” when descending over rolling bumps at a high speed. Likely due to the shape of the frame, the bike can sometimes feel like it’s subtly bouncing and bowing a little bit—a weird sensation, but absolutely nothing dangerous or even unnerving. It just takes a little getting used to. Also, this is one of the smoothest bikes we’ve ridden, but it’s also near the bottom on the acceleration stiffness scale. You won’t win any attacks on this, and you won’t be able to cut corners on a dime, but of course that’s not the point of this bike. Similarly, some of those proprietary pieces that make this such an uncompromisingly fast bike also can make getting replacement parts/wrenching on it a little tricky.

TriRig Omni: The Conclusions

If I was a long-course athlete who is looking to just tuck and hammer on flat to rolling courses and then run very well off the bike, this would be my dream bike. If I was a top age-grouper or a pro looking to crush short course events, lived/raced on hilly technical roads, or wanted to really hit the hammer sometimes attacking my friends, I would probably not get excited about the Omni. Of course this build is also not exactly cheap, but you can also get a full frameset for about $3,400 and build something up for less if you wanted to. It almost goes without saying that since this is a pretty advanced bike, in terms of you-know-you-want-this-bike, it’s most likely that this rider will be upgrading an existing setup, so they might not need to buy a complete anyway. For some, the Omni is an absolute dream; for others there might be better out there. Either way, it’s great to know that an envelope-pusher like TriRig is out there, making uncompromising bikes.