Argon 18 have introduced the Nitrogen – the Canadian company’s first aero road bike – as part of their model year 2015 line-up.
You’re likely to see more of Argon 18 next year after the firm signed a deal to become the co-sponsor of the ProContinental-registered NetApp-Endura team which made its Tour de France debut in July, to be known at Bora-Argon 18 in 2015.
And we suspect the team will have both the super-light Gallium Pro, which remains in the range, and this, the Nitrogen, at their disposal come the new season.
We clapped eyes on the Nitrogen at the house show of Argon 18’s UK distributor, i-ride, at the London Olympic Velodrome, where it was so new that it was yet to be built up as a complete machine, and more as a rolling chassis, with Fulcrum’s new Racing Zero Carbon wheels. Still, it gave us the chance to take a closer look at the Nitrogen’s key features.
First up, the frame is made from an ‘exclusive’ blend of 7003 high-modulus carbon fibre which is said to offer a 17 per cent improvement in stiffness-to-weight ratio – better than what, we don’t know, but Argon 18 boast a claimed weight of 960g for a medium frame, which is competitive for an aero road rig and, incidentally, the same weight as Canyon’s new Aeroad CF SLX.
While the machine we saw was without calipers, subsequent studio shots show the frame fitted with slim-line TRP v-brakes, similar to the Giant Propel, sheltered from the wind behind the fork legs and seatstays.
The frame uses truncated airfoil tube profiles on the headtube, downtube, seattube and seatpost. It’s popular on the current wave of aero road machines, intended to trick the wind into continuing as if it were flowing smoothly around a complete airfoil, without the sacrifice of stiffness or low weight in the tube.
The Nitrogen retains the ‘3D Headtube’ found on the rest of the range, which uses a threaded aluminium sleeve at the top of the headtube to receive one of three top caps, allowing the rider to extend the effective height of the headtube – and raise the handlebar – without resorting to a stack of steerer spacers and sacrificing front-end stiffness , according to Argon 18. What’s different is that the ‘3D Headset’ itself has been given an aero cover, while the tapered hourglass headtube keeps the footprint exposed to the wind at the front of the bike small.
The frame is compatible with both mechanical and electronic groupsets, and i-ride will offer the Nitrogen in one of three bike builds. The flagship model will come equipped with a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels, 3T finishing kit and a Prologo saddle for £4,499.99.
Step down a level and you can get the Nitrogen with an electronic Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels, 3T finishing kit and a Prologo saddle for £4,149.99, while the same build is available with a mechanical Shimano Ultegra setup for £3,499.99.
The Nitrogen is the headline news as far as Argon 18’s 2015 range is concerned, with the rest of the line-up – made up of the Gallium Pro, Gallium and Krypton – largely unchanged, but for updated specs.
Argon Gallium Pro, Gallium and Krypton
The Gallium Pro is Argon 18’s super-light chassis, with a claimed frame weight of 790g for a size medium (and paired with a 350g fork), which makes it one of the lightest frames available and the basis for a featherweight bike. In fact, the Gallium Pro we enjoyed riding last November weighed just 6.2kg.
The frame was updated for model year 2014, dropping the weight and introducing a 27.2mm seatpost, so it’s no surprise to see that it goes unchanged for the forthcoming model year.
The Gallium Pro sits alongside the Nitrogen at the top of Argon 18’s range and, just like its new aero sibling, it’s available in three builds for 2015, based around a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace, Shimano Ultegra Di2 and mechanical Shimano Ultegra groupset for £4,499.99, £4,149.99 and £3,499.99 respectively.
Meanwhile, the Gallium is Argon 18’s mid-range frame, but it’s still no heavyweight, with a claimed weight of 965g. It’s available as a frameset only for £1,599.99, or in two builds, based around a Shimano Ultegra Di2/mechanical Shimano Ultegra groupset, Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels, 3T finishing kit and a Prologo saddle for £3,599.99 and £2,999.99 respectively.
Finally, the Krypton is Argon 18’s ‘entry-level’ frame. The Krypton’s geometry is a little more relaxed than that of the race-orientated Nitrogen, Gallium Pro and Gallium, with a slightly taller headtube to provide a more upright riding position, and a 75mm bottom bracket drop to make for more predictable, stable handling.
The frame has been tweaked for 2015, with a new integrated BB86 bottom bracket, and has a claimed weight of 1,195g for a size medium. Like the rest of the range, it uses Argon 18’s 3D Headtube setup.
The Krypton is available as a frameset only for £1,199.99, or in two builds: one with mechanical Shimano Ultegra, Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels, 3T finishing kit and a Prologo saddle for £2,499.99, and the other with a Shimano 105 groupset, Fulcrum Racing 7 hoops, 3T finishing kit and a Prologo saddle for £1,899.99.
