The Takeaway: Argonaut puts ride feel first, and the result is one of the most dynamic and engaging road bikes we’ve ever reviewed.
In the late nineties, I house-sat a mansion in the Hollywood Hills for almost a year. Ferrari in the garage, view of the Hollywood Sign, professional-grade kitchen, breezy open spaces, insured artwork on the walls, tiled pool. The kind of place you’d expect to find a $15,000 bike.
I don’t know anyone who has ever purchased a $15,000 bike. Most of my friends shudder at the thought of paying $15,000 for a car. Exotic—and exorbitantly expensive—bikes usually don’t impress me. I’ve ridden so many of them throughout my career as a product tester that I can judge them on performance and value the same way I can a $700 entry-level road bike. That said, this $15,300 custom Argonaut road bike impresses me. It’s that special.
It has fantastic compliance on medium to large bumps, and mutes and damps vibrations and smaller bumps without dulling liveliness or feedback—a combination that takes a lot of carbon wizardry to do well, something Argonaut founder, Ben Farver, seems to have.
