Now that both bikes are available, does anyone have any feedback to provide? The only person I’ve heard from regarding the E-114 is Brad Culp and from what I’ve read he loves his bike.
I see a ton of people talking about their new Specialized Transition, Felt DA, Trek TTX, etc. but very few threads on the new Argon tri bikes. Why is this?
I have a couple of theories on why new Argon owners have been so mum about their new ride:
You are so in love with your new bike that you spend all day riding it, cleaning it, looking at it, oogling over it, …
You don’t want to let the word out that this bike is soooo amazing for fear that everyone else will get one and your bike won’t stand out in transition (the Cervelo dilemna).
You’re disappointed with the bike and embarrassed that you spent so much money on it and wish you had bought one of those other bikes (i.e. Cervelo, Specialized, Felt, Trek etc. ).
So Argon 18 E-112/E-114 owners please provide some feedback and pictues on your new ride, please.
I rode with a pro today who was on an E-112. She said she loved it. She was fast like crazy! But what would you do? Cute, pro althlete? I did my best to keep up but I don’t think my profuse sweating impressed her.
I missed this thread earlier this week – sorry for the tardy reply. Like you said, I love the bike – it fits me extremely well. I get to test a lot of bikes and I decided to race on the 114 all year because it feels like a rocket underneath me (mmm…that could be taken the wrong way). Plus, I think it’s the most bad-ass looking bike on the market this year – it looks straight up evil. It’s definitely not a featherweight bike (mine is a touch over 18 lbs), but as you can see from looking at it, there’s a lot of carbon and the engineering focus was clearly on ergonomics and aerodynamics.
If you’re looking for more fit options, the 112 is the way to go. It’s still super-aero (the only real difference is the lack of an integrated aerobar/fork). I know McGlone and Doe ride the 112 because it allows them to play with stem length and ride their chosen aerobars. But everyone knows that evil black bikes are faster than girly white bikes.
I’m racing it for the first time this weekend (at Deuces Wild). Can’t wait to let her loose.
There is only one bike that comes close to the Argon 18 E-114 and E-112 and that’s the Guru Crono! The Argons are awesome, and definitely up there when compared to the Cervelo P3C and the Trek TTX.
Mine weighed just over 19lbs with Fulcrum 7 wheels. It is not light but I think the bike’s responsiveness more than makes up for it. Very stiff and very fast. I am a bigger rider (205) and it feels way better than anything else I have ridden. I had a TTX before the 112 and I think I prefer the Argon but its super close.
I ride both an E-112 and Gallium and love them! Specifically, I find it to be super stable in the aero bars and it is indeed fast. Faster than I can brave to take it!
I’ve only put about 1000km on it so far with all the rain we’ve been having but have raced anything from a sprint to a HIM this past weekend and she performed like a champ on all accounts. I’ve even taken it on hour long climbs up a few of the local mountains and found that it climbed great!
Here’s mine in race setup. In short, I absolutely love it. This from a former P3C rider. Big thanks to Darrell at Front of the Pack bike shop in the SF bay area for the build.
I had an e-114 and hated it. The Tektro brakes were not very strong and in general went from loving it to hating it in after a couple months. I didn’t like to small amount of adjustment found in the combined stem/fork. Also you need to be careful with the front end. If you turn the handlebars too far you will scratch the frame. Not a problem while you ride but a concern when storing/transporting your bike. On the other side, the bike was the amazing looking. If you really want an Argon 18, I would recommend the e-112. More adjustment, cheaper and still nice looking. However, in general, I would recommend a different bike.
Well, I am liking mine. 21 lbs with a sram 60 front and 80 rear. Only rode one other tri bike prior to this so I can’t provide comparisons. Rides awesome.
I have an E-112.
Price was right and the fit was right on.
Last I checked she was in at about 19lb with a set of Zipp 606s. Some call that heavy, but I think they make up for it in stiffness. Besides, I have more faith that losing a few pounds from my waist will be more effective that shaving a couple of pounds on the bike.
They are sweet. Despite what people say about the tubes not as aero, I’m happy with the results that I can produce with the bike and on a number of occasions have smoked other’s riding TTX’s & P3’s.
They are sweet. Despite what people say about the tubes not as aero, I’m happy with the results that I can produce with the bike and on a number of occasions have smoked other’s riding TTX’s & P3’s.
That’s not the point…the question is: Could you have “smoked” YOURSELF on a TTX or a P3 that was set up equivalently?
I went from a argon18 e-112 to a cervelo p2c, mostly for git, but now i dont think I could ever go back, the cervelo is the better bike, hands down, IMO of course…
If there’s one thing you can be sure of in an Argon thread, it’s someone chiming in about how non-aero they are (whether true or not) - as if that’s the only thing that makes a bike go fast. Tom’s an engineer and a frequent contributor, so I’m not going to argue with him further, however!
There are plenty of good things to say about the e114 - amongst them:
For me, it’s stiff, it’s comfortable, it fits, it looks great, it’s easy to find in transition, and it doesn’t limit my performance. I love the bayonet-type front end and feel very stable/secure on it.
Would I fit as well on a Cervelo or Trek? I’m not so sure. And if I didn’t, then I probably wouldn’t be faster on them, whether or not they are more aero.
If there’s one thing you can be sure of in an Argon thread, it’s someone chiming in about how non-aero they are (whether true or not) - as if that’s the only thing that makes a bike go fast. .
True, but why would want to intentionally assume a disadvantage if it can be avoided?
Seriously, I think that the E114 is a beautiful bicycle–it is my all-time favorite, without exception. I just can’t bring myself to ride frame with a big square down tube.
Actually, it’s more like a “diamond”…and the Trek SC whitepaper shows us how well that sort of shape works as compared to a TTX downtube:
Of course, the downtube isn’t the only place that the Argons use the “diamond” shape…it all “adds up”.
