Argon 18

Canada's Argon-18 are exceptional bicycle designers. Whether road racing, competing in a triathlon or simply out for a top quality bike ride Argon-18 are firmly at the cutting edge of research and development in bicycle production. Constantly looking for ways to improve on their already top level frames, Argon-18 don't leave it all up to research, admitting that “being the gold standard in cycling is first and foremost a question of attitude and pride”. For all their work in the lab, Argon-18 care the most about what works in real life and this is how they produce such outstanding bicycles. Furthermore Argon-18 have been at the top for quite some time now and this extended experience of developing such brilliant bicycles, really shines through with the sheer range of innovations they have put forward over the years. This has led Argon-18 to not just produce frames but, forks, seatposts and even handlebars with some of their framesets.

This level of integration from Argon-18 is the only way they could achieve such astonishing results. Not being concerned with making frames that will take other manufacturer's parts, Argon-18 are free to develop radical frame designs, being able to rely on themselves to make the corresponding components. This is how they can uncompromisingly deliver incredibly lightweight aerodynamic framesets created purely with peak performance in mind. This also means that Argon-18 can design their frames based on a regulated set of proportions, designed to expand and shrink together, making sure that regardless of size the bike will possess perfect ergonomics and precise handling. Argon-18 also aim to deliver framesets that embody their idea of “Optimal Balance”. This means attaining a refined harmony of lightness, rigidity, comfort and aerodynamics, with an ultimate goal of leaving all these attributes unfettered by one another. Whilst the framesets in Argon-18's range are built with specific aims in mind, they excel in all of these attributes. Every frameset Argon-18 produces is quite simply a triumph of technological bicycle design.

Argon-18 achieve these results through a range of methods. Argon-18's Horizontal Dual System (HDS), sees them develop the lower areas of their frames with stiffer carbon for greater power transfer and develop the upper areas with more flexible carbon for a more comfortable ride. Optimal aerodynamics are achieved via a mixture of computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing and velodrome testing. To improve handling, stiffness and fit Argon-18 have developed what they call a 3D headtube system, whereby the stem can be adjusted to 3 different positions for optimal handlebar positioning, without using multiple headset spacers. Instead Argon-18 supply their framesets with 3 differently sized rigid spacers, improving aerodynamics and steerer tube stiffness. Not even close to a complete list of Argon-18's innovations, these are useful examples of the way they think about bicycle design, from big features to minor details, all go into producing outstanding framesets.