Argon 18 E-118

Bambaata

Ive been pondering over a new bike for quite a while now seeing i just dont feel "right" on my P2C. Added to the fact i believe im on a machine too small for me and that i put a fairly hefty engraving into the P2C a while back it has me looking for a new frame a while now. While in B2R today looking at a biker for herself i had a quick look at the Argon.

First glance, its a beautiful machine. Has hidden brakes (behind fork, under chainset), really nice looking integrated headset, nice aerobars and has compatibility for DI2 should i ever go that route.

Has anyone got or have any experience on this machine. At about 3.6k as a frameset (includes the bars/brakes) its not exactly cheap but is cheaper than the P5 id been drooling over the past year or so.

catweazle

Heres one to whet your whistle while you are waiting for Joey100s thoughts

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=82494303&postcount=128

joey100

Hey bambaatta, I have an Argon E118. To be honest haven't used it a whole lot off the turbo, only for one or two short spins. Initial impressions are that it's fast, very fast. Doesn't take much effort to get it up to speed and seems to hold it fairly well, pay off for this is that it is a fairly harsh ride. Roads I had it on weren't great and got a bit of a shaking.

Not sure what height you are but I'm 5'8 and on the small size so there is no problem if you want to arrange to try it out.

On the price side, I know Base2race had last years colours (black/white) in a small that they were selling for a good bit less than the price on the new frame. That's the only reason I could afford the bike.

Anything else you want to know just ask and I'll try to answer.

Bambaata

Hey joey100, thanks for that. Im 6'1 so i doubt id fit unfortunately. Thanks for the offer though. Yes i understand its quite aggressive but has some adaptability on the bars. Have you had any long rides on it (say 60k+)? If you have how have you felt on it over distance? Also had you any other TT bike before that or is that your first? Im just wondering how it might compare

joey100

Longest I've been on it for is around 20km, done few hour and a halves on the turbo and find it pretty comfortable. The base aero bar is very adjustable (you can see the amount of spacers I'm using!). The only thing I find with the base bar is that the outer hand grips, were the brakes are can be a bit low sometimes. I'd usually try to recover after intervals on these but sometimes it's easier to stay in the aero position.

I had a Felt B16 before this and find this bike probably fits me better than the other did. Bit of a harsher ride but like I said is very fast. Definitely more aggressive than what I have come from but with the base bar you can flip it over to make it less aggressive. I'd say you would be ok on it if you have done a good bit of your P2 (which from seeing your old log, you have).

The integrated brakes can be a bit of a pain to work on, I had problems with the back one constantly rubbing my wheel and if you are swapping over wheels regularly can mean they need to be adjusted which can be messy. The brake levers are one of my favourite parts of the bike though, they are very very thin and when adjusted properly they are pretty good.

tunney

Some questions:

*are behind the forks breaks faster?
*are below the BB brakes faster?
*does the geometry suit you?

I know the answer to one and two. Three I don't.

peter kern

Bambaata wrote: »

Hey joey100, thanks for that. Im 6'1 so i doubt id fit unfortunately. Thanks for the offer though. Yes i understand its quite aggressive but has some adaptability on the bars. Have you had any long rides on it (say 60k+)? If you have how have you felt on it over distance? Also had you any other TT bike before that or is that your first? Im just wondering how it might compare

why dont you look up stack and reach and compare the bikes ?
Aerodynamicaly for some reasons the argons never test too well
but they are very good quality frames. in most tests i see the p2 is as fast or even bit faster for a good bit less money. on the other hand apart form BMC ( the athelte not bike) I would not worry that a tt frame is not stiff enough

the price of a p5 is lula land. but in terms of aeroness a good bit ahead of argon
ps what size is your p2?

Bambaata

P5 is stupid money alright. Id love one but it would take a bit more planning/saving!

P2C i have (2008 model) is a 54. I have a seriously long stem and a set of Vision bars which were supposed to be cut but i left them as they were as i was completely crushed up on the older setup before i crashed and broke them. I get a bit of ache on the shoulders (on rides over 70k) as i feel im putting a bit to much weight on them being that forward on the bike

peter kern

how about that argon ?
and yes 54 to small

Bambaata

That's some stack on that!!!

iarmhi1975

I bought the Argon E118 frame last year as I sold another bike. I just started to use is this year. I struggled on previous bike to stay down on the bars as I not the most flexible chap around.

On Argon I have no issues at all, just did a half last week and stayed down and comfortable no problem. Its a fast bike, it feels fast and it gets up to speed quickly. Flexibility on aerobat set up is great.

Green&Red

I've recently invested in a BMC TM02 over the Argon and I have to say its a beautiful machine and I'm not sure if its the engine or the new zipps I've added but I've made up big improvements over the guys I would usually race/train against.
While I was reading up on it there was a question mark over its hill climbing but Valentia was the first real test in a race and I tore up the hill, I've asked for the bike split for the hill section (which they had at one stage on saturday) but I'd say top 10 and that was all down in the drops. Handles beautifully, couldnt recommend it enough