First Integrated Bike System
Argon18 unveiled a pre-release version of the Element 114 (E114) at Interbike in 2006. At that time it was shown as an all black prototype frameset, but it still got a lot of attention and perhaps even more disappointment when potential consumers were told it would be at least a year before availability. When the production version showed at this year's Interbike Argon18 was overwhelmed by the response. Orders for the E112 and the E114 flooded in for this tiny manufacturer, and Triathlete Magazine hailed the E114 as the 2007 Bike of the Show. If Argon18 was not on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the world of high-performance cycling, the E114 made sure that was about the change.
In a world where changes to high-performance bike frames come rare and slow it's a true novelty when a manufacturer has the ingenuity and foresight to make a major and unprecedented contribution to frame design. It's even more rare when the change has genuine merit and not just marketing hype. One can probably count on one hand the number of influential and valuable changes that have come to racing bikes in the last decade: threaded headsets, two-piece cranksets (outboard bearing bottom brackets), carbon wheels, 10 speed drivetrains, and carbon cranksets come immediately to mind. But of all these advancements none have specifically to do with the frameset. Argon18 has changed all that.
The E114 has for the first time in the history of production frames created a unifed frameset system. This unified system incorporates an integrated fork/fairing, brakeset, aero bar and stem, and seatpost all designed to maximize aerodynamic performance and to optimize rider efficiency. Argon18 refers to the design approach as their ONEness concept, calling it an "unprecedented merger between rider and machine resulting from a complete rethinking of the bike's front end and control interfaces."
Unlike some of the hinge fork/head tube designs on the market, the E114's fork comprises a fairing design which fully encapsulates the standard headtube. This system has a proven aerodynamic advantage over hinge-type designs in that it prevents the blunt, trailing edge of the hinge from being exposed when the bars are turned (incidentally, this same principle steered Argon18 away from lowering the downtube closer to the front wheel thereby requiring a cutout for the front wheel a la Felt's TT bike: even a slightly turned wheel will create more drag on the increased frontal surface of a downtube with this shape). Argon18 then set about trying to hide the next piece of equipment stirring up "dirty" air on TT machines: the front brake. By tucking the front brake caliber behind the fork Argon18 is able to futher reduce frontal drag on the E114.
Of special note on the E114 is the integrated stem/bar configuration. The bars are beautifully sculpted unidirectional carbon with two sets of extensions: one "J-bend" pair and one straight pair. While traditional stems are precluded from working with the integrated fairing/fork, the front end of the E114 still has 4 centimeters of variable stack height in 1 centimeter increments thanks to Argon18's CNC'd aluminum risers which fit neatly beneath the base of the aerobars. Cable housing routes neatly from the shifters through the bar extentions, pop out nicely behind the base bar and plug neatly into one of three top tube perforations for internal routing throughout the frameset.
Each tube on the E114 has been designed with optimal drag reduction in mind, and in so doing, low speed aerodynamics have been taken into consideration. Instead of relying on traditional aerofoil tubeshapes--which were designed by the high-speed aerospace industry--Argon18 thought for a change outside of the box and took design clues from boats and ships, vessels designed to travel efficiently at speeds approximating those of a time trialist or triathlete.
So, there's a lot of fancy and apparently innovative work that's gone into the E114. But the question is: does it all work? Argon18 asked the same question and wanted a definitive answer. The answer came in the form of pro triathlete Torbjon Sindballe who tested both the race proven Argon18 Mercuy TT bike and the new E114. In low speed wind-tunnel testing Sindballe put out nearly 10% fewer watts on the E114 while maintaining 30 mph, and if that weren't enough, he went on to set the fastest bike time at the 2007 IronMan Hawaii and finished 3rd overall. And, by the way, Samantha McGlone, in her first ever IronMan Hawaii, finished 2nd overall in the pro women field: she also rode her Argon18 to that position.
Both the E114 and its little brother, the E112, will be hot items in 2008. Argon18 was indeed overwhelmed by the reception these phenomenal frames have received and are running up against inevitable production constraints. Be prepared: supply for 2008 will be low, and demand will be high!