Any opinions and experiences on an Argon E-118 Next?
Could get this bike for around 4500€ (~5k$)
Ridden around 1000km
2 1/2 years old
SRAM E-Tap
Rotor Flow 170mm
Xentis Squad 7.5 wheels (hard to find something about them but they seem to go for big money)
Ism saddle
Xlab gorilla bottle cage
All the spacers and accessories
Most importantly fit wise it should fall very neatly within my needs.
Seems like a hellish machine to me for a reasonable price but I’ve been wrong before since I’m searching for my first tri bike mainly for 70.3 (for now)
No direct experience with that model but Bozzone was on the same one for a while. So I’d guess it will work just fine for 70.3 and 140.6… I ride an E-119 and love it. I use an X-lab torpedo versa and the frame mounted bento. No issues whatsoever getting them to work. I can’t imagine it would be any different for an E-118.
For the price you listed, you’re getting pretty close to what you could get last year’s model with Di2 new…
No direct experience with that model but Bozzone was on the same one for a while. So I’d guess it will work just fine for 70.3 and 140.6… I ride an E-119 and love it. I use an X-lab torpedo versa and the frame mounted bento. No issues whatsoever getting them to work. I can’t imagine it would be any different for an E-118.
For the price you listed, you’re getting pretty close to what you could get last year’s model with Di2 new…
Thanks! But not with aero wheels I guess. At least haven’t seen anything in my region (Austria). The E-118 is not too common though. The E-119 DI2 sells for around 6k€ (E-119+ for 7k) around here without wheels.
The best value bike around here might be the Canyon Speedmax CF with DT Swiss wheels. Costs the same (4.5k€) but imo doesn’t seem to be a pure TT bike as the Argon. It seems too much of a compromise. The Speedmax CF SLX with wheels is 6.5k€ and up.
The X-lab torpedo might be an option. I have PD FC-35 but this might be problematic because there seems to be a bridge between the aerobars which would make installing it impossible.
…The best value bike around here might be the Canyon Speedmax CF with DT Swiss wheels. Costs the same (4.5k€) but imo doesn’t seem to be a pure TT bike as the Argon. It seems too much of a compromise. The Speedmax CF SLX with wheels is 6.5k€ and up…
What do you mean about the Speedmax CF not being a pure TT bike and having compromises?
I haven’t looked at it closely for quite some time but I thought I remembered it being pretty much the same as the SLX except for a different layup and build options. Is the frame geometry not identical?
…The best value bike around here might be the Canyon Speedmax CF with DT Swiss wheels. Costs the same (4.5k€) but imo doesn’t seem to be a pure TT bike as the Argon. It seems too much of a compromise. The Speedmax CF SLX with wheels is 6.5k€ and up…
What do you mean about the Speedmax CF not being a pure TT bike and having compromises?
I haven’t looked at it closely for quite some time but I thought I remembered it being pretty much the same as the SLX except for a different layup and build options. Is the frame geometry not identical?
The front looks a little messy. Cabling, aero bars not integrated and most of all the pads don’t allow a narrow width (swapping the armpads might mitigate this a bit but haven’t found any definitive experiences). Then there is a spacer on the front to go low but in order to take it out you have to replace the bento box with a flat version (if it’s available it’s no hassle). I’ve read that some people talk about needing to cut the steerer in this case, which I can’t imagine since this spacer is by design to switch between triathlon and time-trial setup, as Canyon defines it. The breaks are visible and not integrated (no big deal just doesn’t look TT-ish).
On the other hand somewhere I’ve read that the difference between CF and the SLX is ~5 watts (don’t remember where I read it and at what yaw etc but I guess it was an average).
So maybe I’m exaggerating and the CF is still an awesome deal… just doesn’t seem as much as super bike as the Argon above
Oh and both Canyons have a 175mm crank which is quite long nowadays I’d say
Depends where in Austria you are located, have you checked out the Swiss market? Just search “Argon” on velomarkt.ch and you will get several hits. Lots of dentists selling almost new bikes around here.
Other than that be sure you know what you are getting yourself into with the TRP TTV brakes, some people hate them, other people get along with them. From that point of view the brakes on the e-119 are an improvement.
TRP V brakes - yeah, my n=1 experience. They are a pain in the ass. No elegant Shimano engineering to be sure. Just bad design and equally bad day to day functionality/adjustability.
I have a 2016 Argon E-118 NEXT and have been really happy with it. FWIW, I bought the frame set new as a last-year model and had it built up for about $3800 USD total, including a Jet 6/9 plus wheelset. It’s Ultegra mech though. I’m not too sure about the wheels mentioned, but between those and e-tap, it might be a pretty solid deal if the bike is in good condition. As someone else mentioned, the TRP brakes are poorly designed, but I haven’t had any real issues - mostly was just a pain to adjust for the right clearance for my rear tire.
The PD FC-35 actually should work pretty well with the cockpit setup. I used a PD Aero HC for a few years and it has a similar mounting system. The bracket connecting the pads/extensions would get in the way of the GPS mount on the HC, so I couldn’t move it very far back, but it looks like the FC-35 has the GPS mount on the front so it shouldn’t interfere. I’ve since changed to a more simple setup so I can just swap bottles at aid stations and added a simple PD mounting bracket at the bottom of my extensions, and now I can just attach any BTA bottle cage directly to it (using both brackets). The Specialized Rib Cage has worked great and holds both a standard bottle and the Gatorade endurance bottles pretty well.
I also bought a bento box directly from Argon (used on the E-119 and some other models) and it still fit the bosses on my top tube. Pretty sure it’s the same as one of the Torhans models. One of these days I’m going to try and 3D print a new stem cap that fits flush to the front of the box. Depending on the race i’ll run a Crono CX on the downtube and a single bottle BTS.
Cool, thx! How do you think it compares to a new Speedmax CF (not the SLX) DI2 with DT Swiss wheels (same price)? Even though the condition of the Argon is like new, I’m still leaning more to the Speedmax currently
I couldn’t find that exact setup on Canyons website just now (for same price) - closest option I saw was not Di2 - but I think both bikes are good options. I have not ridden the Canyon CF but my friend just got one and I have checked it out a bit. Similarities between them, both fast frames and clean front ends. Honestly, I would pick the bike that you think will fit your position the best and you will be comfortable on. If no difference there, figure out how much you value the used wheel set and eTap vs Di2, maybe consider some of the storage/hydration options, and go from there.
Offer 2500$ and go up to a max of 3000$. It is 2.5 years old , you get no warranty, it is the slow season for bikes, and the industry is headed towards disc brakes and 12 speed.
