Hendrik Wijaya Group

The Argon 18 E-119 Tri+ gives riders top of the line speed along with some extra convenience on their bike leg. This version comes equipped with a 12-speed SRAM eTap AXS groupset for seamless electronic shifting. The “+” of the Argon 18 E-119+ Tri refers mostly to the accessories they included with the frameset. You need to eat and drink and carry gear in a triathlon, and the included accessories not only allow you to so while contributing to the overall aerodynamic nature of the bike.

The first accessory is the TorHans H2O bottle. It sits horizontally between the extensions, has a pop-top accessible from the flat position as well as a drinking straw. It fits 22 fluid ounces. The second is the Cookie Jar, which sits on the top tube secured by two bolts a standard distance from the stem. It’s long and simple and works like a stash box. It’s stiff on the side, flexible on the top, and has a slit running lengthwise, making it perfect for bars and gels. The third component is the rear storage box that attaches to bottle bosses on the end of a removeable bar sticking from behind the seat post. The box is big enough to hold tubes and tools, and the mount is one of three on the post. The other two can be left empty, or used for water bottle cages, or anything else that fits on bottle bosses. The box can be removed, as can the entire component.

This bike generates tons of speed and remains low in weight with the help of its monocoque high modulus carbon layup. This E-119+ is 100g lighter than the non-plus model without the extra accessories attached. With the storage components added, the weight is virtually even. The E-119 is the new flagship tri frame from Argon 18. It exceeds the previous top-shelf model, the E-118 Next by a wide margin. Even with the improvements and focus on speed, it still sticks to the Argon 18 philosophy of balance. The bike can’t just be aero in a headwind; it also has to remain stable in all the sidewind yaw angles. It needs to be light without compromising stiffness and hold a straight line easily without sacrificing handling.

Argon 18 does this across the full-size range by tweaking both the stack and reach numbers. You will find a 78-degree seat angle and 72-degree head angle across the line, but each successive size has a longer top tube and taller head tube. Even with these, they keep a low bottom bracket -- 75mm of drop -- across the run, and short 405mm chainstays to make sure the rear wheel is close to the frame and the drivetrain stiff.

The seatpost has a rail running across the top, allowing the saddle clamp to slide +/- 28mm to allow you to precisely dial in the seat position. Up front the bars are in a fixed stem but you can customize everything else. They call it ONEness 3.0. The base bar can be flipped over to provide +/- 25mm of drop. The armrests can be moved up or back by 4cm and there is 12cm of width adjustment to the rests. The extensions can sit flush on the base bar or have up to 10cm of rise and can be tilted +/- fifteen degrees. The extensions come as a long ski-bend but can be customized for angle and length. The tips of the skis can be cut down for shifter pods or cut off completely to give you straight bars with a max length of 285mm.

The handlebars fit onto the top of the bayonet-style fork, which looks complicated but is simply held to the frame by a single pinch bolt. The fork hides an internal cam brake that is actuated by a cable hidden in the bayonet. The rear brake is also hidden in the frame, sitting atop the seatstays. The seatstays are a better position than under the bottom bracket, making it easier to access for adjustment and the frame flexes less up high, making brake rub highly unlikely. In both cases, the max rim width is 28mm and the max tire width is 25mm.

Wheel changes are a part of life. Argon 18 recognizes this and has designed the rear dropouts as verticals, rather than rearward facing horizontals. The dropouts are carbon, but the derailleur hanger is forged aluminum for durability, and replaceable if you bend it. The Argon 18 E-119+ Tri is ready to PR all your multi-sport ventures.