Kestrel

There’s one statistic no other bike can claim: 4:21:36. That’s how fast this bike has traversed the Kona course, underneath super-Dane Torbjorn Sindballe. He did this on the Mercury, the only tri-specific bike Argon 18 makes.

The carbon and aluminum Mercury is only sold as a bare frame in the U.S., and its $1600 price for frame, fork and headset means a complete Dura Ace bike can be had for high-$3000s to mid-$4000s.

Geometrically, the bike is steep but not steep enough for our liking. Why do we say this? It’s got a 76-degree seat angle throughout the size range, longish top tubes, and shortish head tubes (that would be a perfect fit for a bike with a steeper seat angle).

It’s also got a round seat post, making the Mercury an easy bike to retrofit into a steeper, shorter bike if so desired. And that’s exactly what the best-known among Argon 18’s male pros are doing with this bike. Perennial long course world championship contender Jonas Colting rides this bike with a set-forward seat post. South African bike hammer Raynard Tissink has been observed doing the same. Torbjorn Sindballe rides the bike in a perfect tri position, and this requires the saddle set about as far forward as it can go on the rails.

In other words, the bike is well-liked and obviously goes fast under the right riders, but adding 2 or 3 degrees to its seat angle would make it an easier fit for those who Argon 18 would like us to emulate (isn’t that what pro athletes are there for?).

Argon 18 is not naive to this, and they’re hinting at a new bike out for 2007, adding a second model to their line of tri bikes. For this one they asked Sindballe for design input, and while they’re not talking specifics the geometry promises to be more akin to that the Great Dane actually rides.

In other words, do not be surprised of this new model is steeper.

The makers of this bike have a lot they’d like to say to you about their technology and how that makes their bikes ride the way they do. But frankly, though we’ve had an Argon 18 Mercury here on the property (and in my size), I’ve not been able to ride it yet and determine for myself whether the hoopla is justified. So I'll have to stick to talking about geometries and such.

One thing that is knowable is that this company also makes a very nice fit bike (that is, a bike fit position simulator). While it has more application for road than tri (it’s built around 700c, and this company doesn’t make anything that we know of in 650c), it’s a very nice bike, and very well-conceived.

But back to that 650c thing. Argon 18 would do itself a favor, in our view, if it made it’s smaller tri bikes in 650c. Doing this (and making geometries that parallel the riding characteristics triathletes tend to ride on high-end bikes like this) takes a commitment to understanding tri geometry and fit.

When we press Argon 18 on this, its spokesmen counter with an argument that we hear quite a bit from various bike manufacturers: its bikes have to also conform to UCI regulations, for its time trial customers. Okay, but this constraint hasn't seemed to keep Cervelo from making bikes that appeal to steep riding triathletes and UCI-constrained time trialists.

Argon 18 seems to make some very nice bikes. It will be interesting to watch the evolution of this company as it seek to make an increasingly larger dent in this market.