2019 Argon 18 E119+ Tri Frameset

There aren’t too many events that can claim to be more grueling, more difficult, more demanding than a triathlon. To succeed, you need to excel at three different, often at time conflicting, disciplines. But the utter joy of crossing the finish line, knowing that you have accomplished an excessively difficult sporting event, can make all the preparation and suffering worth it. And when you turn to the Argon 18 E-119 Tri + as your machine of choice, then you will quickly find a lot of pleasure riding through the pain.

The E-119 Tri + is not a bike for splitting hairs. This is a triathlon-specific superbike. Argon 18 call it a fully committed triathlon bike, and glory in being able to throw off the shackles of the UCI regulations. You might be surprised that it still looks pretty recognizable with two triangles, considering the fact they could go as extreme as they wanted. But really, what this means is that they have been able to use the best design principles of bike building, and include tri-specific considerations without having to worry about making sure it will pass the gates of a final time trial in the Tour de France.

With a lighter carbon layup than the E-119 Tri or the E-117 Tri, the E-119 Tri + really can shave the weight and still form a seriously aero frame. They have had a lot of feedback from their sponsored triathletes, which ensures the comfort have been added into the equation. The carbon frame has been designed to absorb energy sapping road vibrations, while the bike has been given a wide range of fit adjustability to make sure you can find your perfect position. Their integrated handlebar with what they call their ONEness concept means that there is greater headset adjustment options, to get the optimal aero position for you. After all, if we’re uncomfortable, we can’t hope to reach our power potential. Of course comfort in this context has to be relative to a certain extent. This is a full-on racing machine with an aggressive triathlon-specific geometry. The seat tube angle is 78°, and the saddle position can be adjusted from +28mm to -28mm.

Once you get the fit down, then you can start to appreciate the real-world wind-cheating design Argon 18 have given the E-119 Tri +. They have taken the bike into the wind tunnel and on the velodrome to conduct their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis in order to find the optimal aerodynamic design solutions for actual wind conditions, focusing on 5° to 20° yaw angles. So it’s not only fast going into a headwind, but also fast at a wide variety, the full gamut actually, of side winds. And as anyone who has spent a bit of time on a bike, it’s the side winds that are the real killers, especially if you have mis-guided deep dish wheels or supposedly aero shaped frames. Argon 18 have also built into the frame a specially designed concealed front brake as well as a rear brake that sits conveniently and unobtrusively at the seat tube-seatstay interface. This configuration makes them aero, super-light, and easy to adjust.

In fact, for a super-tri-bike, the E-119 Tri + offers quite a few convenience-oriented perks. For one, it is travel friendly, which means that the cockpit and the wheels are easy to remove without complicated hardware or compromising the settings. The frame can clear up to 28mm rims and 25mm tires which will help prevent rubbing brakes and facilitate faster wheel changes. It has also the specially integrated hydration, nutrition and survival accessories. Not only is it integrated, but customizable to each rider’s needs depending on the race conditions. In addition to that, it will come with a BTA bottle, bento box and rear saddle mount, all of which makes the hard life of a triathlete that little bit easier.

When you are serious about training for and performing well in your triathlons, then the best way to make the bike portion a success will be to buy yourself a bike like the Argon 18 E-119 Tri + , which is as serious about getting the job done as you are.