I’m super pumped to announce a partnership between myself and A2 bikes (pronounced A-Squared). They’re a brand new company out of Oregon that has a goal of giving triathletes a solid deal on a super fast bike without causing them to get a night job, take out a second mortgage on the house, go into bankruptcy, lose the house, get divorced, spend three weeks on a friend’s couch trying to sort out life, lose both jobs, move into their car full time, get addicted to crack, sell their car for crack, sell their overpriced triathlon bike for crack, start turning tricks for crack, and die on the streets with no teeth, no friends, and most importantly, no bike. Yeah, it’s a slippery slope, paying too much for a triathlon bike. Luckily, the guys at A2 are here to help make sure that doesn’t happen. Thanks A2!
About the Speed Phreak
A2 has one bike: the Speed Phreak. After looking at it in person, I was pretty shocked to discover how well it’s priced. $1,899 for a full bike with a set of training wheels and $2,899 with an extra set of race wheels thrown in. It’s sleek, it’s slippery, it handles as well as a road bike, it’s everything you could want and for literally less than half the price of a comparable frame and groupset combo (my guess is that the company is a laundering front). Anyways, that’s enough selling on my end through words. The rest will be done with results.
Check it:
AJ, the owner, trapped inside a blank white room.
How the Sponsorship Happened: Thank You Adelaide
The last thing on my mind after crossing the finish line at Oceanside 70.3 a few weeks ago was walking up to an expo booth and chatting about bikes with a stranger. Things that would have come more naturally to me in that depleted state include eating the free post-race food, getting a free massage, and sitting down and not moving because I had a blister that took up one entire quarter of my foot. I did all of those things. After I got back from the massage, Adelaide excitedly talked me into going over to a black tent of a bike company. She had struck up a conversation with who she believed to be the owner, and talked me up apparently. “They’re a new company and I just told them how well you did! You should go over and introduce yourself,” she said, similarly to how a mom might entice their small child to go introduce themselves to another little boy at a playground.
It turned out to be a good thing that Adelaide came to the race, because I ended up getting a bike sponsorship out of it. AJ Alley, the owner of A2 Bikes, was just in the beginning stages of having their first batch of bikes produced, and had linked up with Ironman to be the official bike partner for the race. He didn’t know it before he talked to Adelaide, but he was looking for additional marketing, which is where I came in. A week later, after a few more conversations over the phone, we’d come to an agreement. From the beginning, it was clear that AJ was just as enthusiastic about this partnership as I. He has been dead set on hooking me up with the best components and gear to make the bike as fast as any other fully decked-out pro’s bike, and it has been incredibly encouraging to feel that sort of support from a sponsor. I’m excited to pay A2 back 10 times over in the races to come this season. Check out their Facebook page and website. I think there are a few bikes left to reserve for this first order, and the next shipment should be available soon.
AJ and I discussing important aerodynamic shit.
The first batch hot off the press! Get em while they’re hot.
KENNETT PETERSON 
Does the rider in the video really have super hairy legs?
The message is: the bike is so fast you don’t need to shave your legs. That’s why we shave them–for speed right?
What is your review after 18 months with the A-Squared bike?
It’s just as good as the day I unboxed it. It has a few paint chips and scratches from flying with it, but it has held up remarkably well. I only ride outside, and the Colorado winters can be harsh.
The key benefits for me have still been the excellent handling in wind, descents, and corners; the responsiveness of the frame out of the saddle and when I need to put in a burst of speed (both on group rides to attack and to get arounds someone quickly in a race); and the simple design that make working on it a lot easier than 90% of other tri bikes out there. I can adjust the brakes easily for different wheel widths and swap out break pads in under five minutes. Compare this to any bike with a complicated front or rear brake cover jammed with calipers jammed into a tiny crook that you can’t access, and the difference is huge. It’s easy to break down and travel with also, which is super important to me since I fly with it frequently.
The bike is actually very light if you build it up with the carbon Vision cockpit. I also have a Quarq with carbon crank arms, so that does take off some of the weight. My bike is around 16.5 pounds with race wheels (including a disc). This is as light as any high end UCI time trial bike. I know that weight isn’t everything when it comes to triathlon, but it certainly counts for something and the Speed Phreak has it.
One issue that I had early on with the bike was that the stem would jostle loose over months of rough road riding. This was caused by the stem and steer tube intersection not being deep enough. I talked with AJ and it was only an issue with the large frames, and this problem has since been solved close to 10 months ago.
I’ve really enjoyed the bike and I’ve had a number of the top three fastest (and one fastest overall) bike splits in the pro field this year with it. As such, there are obviously some aero advantages to it as well, otherwise I wouldn’t be competitive with the bike splits of guys like Torrenzo Bozzone, Andrew Talansky, and Matt Russel.
This is pretty much the most accurate review I can give, regardless of whether I’m sponsored by the company or not. I hope it helps. If you end up buying one, let me know how it works out for you. AJ (the owner) is awesome to work with and will help you with any upgrades, questions, or issues you have.
Are you able to use different stem/bar systems or just the one that comes on there? I’m interested in a Speed Phreak but want to put TriRig Alpha X or Alpha One on if possible.
Sorry for the long delay in response, but yes you can use a different stem/bar/aero extension setup. I have a vision cockpit (Trimax carbon) and it works great on there.