Bikes of the Bunch: Argonaut Custom Carbon

I own a shop so we are always looking for new products that meet our criteria. We are incredibly happy with what we have right now in steel and titanium but have been searching for the best fit in a custom carbon frame. For sure we’ve ridden some nice custom carbon bikes over the past decade but were still not 100% satisfied.

We met Ben Farver, the founder of Argonaut, a year ago and rode one of his bikes on our roads at that time. I really liked it, even though it didn’t fit very well, it left a good impression and we started talking about working together. I liked the fact that the frames looked good with a nice balance of traditional and cutting-edge aesthetic.

But I really liked the fact that the bikes are made not too far from here in Portland, Oregon. We’re surrounded by lots of local titanium, steel and aluminium frame fabricators, but there are not many who do it at this level, in carbon and in the US.

Before building I filled out a questionnaire from Argonaut about my riding style and preferences which helped a lot in setting the tone for the discussions that followed. It took about 10 weeks to get the frame, which is fairly standard for a custom bike.

It was a pretty easy decision when working out how to build up the bike. I really like Campagnolo components and was looking forward to the new 2015 mechanical group. In fact I was lucky enough to get one of the first groups, including the new Bora Ultra wheels. I also really like Fizik components and like that they make a matching cockpit. So my bar, stem, tape, post and saddle are all from Fizik, which helps keep the build clean.

The build spec is as follows:

Campagnolo Record 2015 Groupset with with mid-compact (36-52) crank and 11-25 cassette
Campagnolo Bora 50 Tubular wheelset
Chris King I8 headset
Fizik Cyrano 00 bar
Fizik Cyrano R1 Seatpost
Fizik Arione R1 seat with braided carbon rails
Continental Competition 25 tires
Speedplay Titanium pedals
King titanium bottle cages

I was a bit hesitant on the paint job at first. But after building it and looking at the complete bike I really like the simple fade. But paint is so hard to choose and there are just so many different ways you can go. Luckily, the frame seems to be built tough enough that if I want, in a few years I can re-spray it and have a new bike again.

The first thing I noticed when taking the Argonaut out for a spin was how smooth it was. I mean really smooth. The first couple rides I did on it were in the hills and it felt really light climbing. Even when I put the heavier clinchers on (while waiting for the glue to set on the tubulars) it felt the exact same.

Stiffness in a sprint was as good as I needed it to be. I was pretty blown away by how well it descended though. It held the line with ease and was incredibly stable — very confidence-inspiring. In the end, this is what we were looking for in a custom carbon bike. These are the traits we talked to Argonaut about and they built a bike that did it.

This is why custom is nice. I can build a super stiff sprinting machine, or a more comfortable, all-day bike, or a mix of it all.

Disclosure statement: CyclingTips was not paid for this article. Above Category sells Argonaut’s custom carbon bikes.

wheels50

I’ll just pull my tongue off the floor now
Neil

I have to say that I found last weeks bike more interesting, purely due to the story behind it.
For mine, I kind of feel that all the custom builds are a bit same same (without taking anything away from any of the parties involved). Found a great bike builder, he really knows his stuff, custom fit, top level componentry, etc, etc.
I would really love to know more about how they learned their trade and so on. The group that the wheelworks guy went to to learn how to build a bike, for example.
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  I wish we could get those stories every week Neil! As for the rest, enjoy as simple bike p0rn.
- Mark_Kelly
  
  “Smoked Out” on VSalon is the place for the backstory on many custom builders. Argonaut is there, though they haven’t updated for a while.
CC

Love seeing what they guys put together… still love his Assos blue inspired Baums. Chad, does this mean the end of Assos Blue at AC?
Allez Rouleur

Lovely bike! The orange whip fade is spectacular! Reminds me of an orange bud creamsicle!! Even like the busy logo tape.

I know they’re standard, but I just don’t like the shape of those cages. But hey, not my bike. Overall a dream machine.
velomonkey

Serious question: is bikes of the bunch just an advert for Above Category? In the industry they call this “sponsored content” - NYTimes is doing it, so it’s fine, but just curious. I know you got your “disclosure statement,” but this is just getting to be a bit much.
- H.E. Pennypacker
  
  I don’t think so. The one before this was basically a home build. By my count only 2 of the last 5 and 3 of the last 10 bikes of the bunch have been associated with Above Category.
  - velomonkey
    
    We’re at the point where 40% of a sections content supplied by one source is proof NOT of sponsored content?!?
    - http://cyclingtips.com.au Matt de Neef
      
      As Wade mentioned above @velomonkey:disqus, this is, by its very definition, not “sponsored content”. Above Category does not pay us anything to feature their bikes nor is there any commercial arrangement in place. That is, they are not a sponsor - just a shop that, in our opinion, is doing some pretty great stuff that fits Bikes of the Bunch perfectly. If there was any kind of commercial agreement or money changing hands for this content, we would disclose it.
- Manly Velo
  
  I had the pleasure of visiting Above Category last year, and the bikes that they are turning out are quite frankly incredible! There are probably only a couple of shops in the world doing what they do. Even if we have seen a couple of bikes from them lately (and I don’t think there are too many), I love seeing the BEST bikes in the world in Bikes of the Bunch and this looks to be one. I don’t like looking at pictures of Holden Commodores either…show me the Ferrari any day!
  - velomonkey
    
    There are plenty of other shops putting out stellar bikes. FACT. Also, lease we forget, the peg that was featured here and by Above Catagory was then sold on Ebay - so it for sure didn’t have the appeal that was published here, that’s for certain.
    - http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
      
      Yes, but as I said above, as many bike shops as we reach out to, barely anyone gets back to us.
    - ron
      
      troll
      - velomonkey
        
        Hey, Ron - you would be dumb enough to think that’s an insult.
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  Hey @velomonkey:disqus, fair question and I understand why it’s being asked. This is not paid for in any way nor is there a commercial arrangement of another form. The Bikes of the Bunch is a simple column to show people’s unique builds. The easiest and most diverse way for us to produce this content is by other people approaching us. AC has been very proactive in approaching us with various customer builds lately, and we’re happy to post it if we think you’ll find it interesting. We’ve reached out to many other bike shops as well with not much success. You might say that the bike we featured last week (http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/12/bikes-of-the-bunch-tristan-thomas-the-number-1/) had a commercial interest in approaching us as well, and that’s fine - as long as he had a unique and interesting but for us to gawk at.
  
  I wish we had the resources to be scouring roads all over the world looking for the most interesting bikes, but that’s not feasible. The arrangement where we ask people to provide them to us is what works best.
  - velomonkey
    
    Oh, got it. So you pick shops and if they get back and you like the bike then it’s in. That would make sense because I filled out your long comment form suggestion a review I was doing for a shop’s blog on 2 unique bike items that currently really don’t have any reviews and after taking the time to write into you guys I heard nothing but radio silence. So this makes a lot of sense now.
    - Steno
      
      Should you of had a disclaimer before your first post that you had an axe to grind? Love the Bikes of the Bunch and don’t care if you are paid by the brand or shop as long as the content stays at the current level. Well done guys.
    - Steno
      
      Should you of had a disclaimer before your first post that you had an axe to grind? Love the Bikes of the Bunch and don’t care if you are paid by the brand or shop as long as the content stays at the current level. Well done guys.
    - http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
      
      Shops and individuals are also welcome to get in touch with us. If there are good photos and a unique and classy bike, then I think our readers will be interested.
De Mac

Being brutally honest, I don’t like the orange stem faceplate. Other than that ….what a sensational looking rig - pure class!!!
Will

The bottle cages are a shame…
- sachbear
  
  Disagree, King titanium cages are way cooler, look great, and, more importantly, are functionally superior cages than most carbon equivalents.
zurp

I don’t know why, but I love the shots of the front derailleur
- wil
  
  I did get in touch about mine, but you never replied to me! Burls titanium disc roadie….
chargin_tom

should feature my bike :)
Bobster

I do like the stories behind “bikes of the bunch”. However, the bike and rider dimensions are an important part of a custom build, I’d most interested if you could include with each article.

Bikes of the Bunch: Argonaut Custom Carbon

by Chad Nordwall