If there’s any indication that the new E117 and E119 bikes are designed specifically for triathlon, it could be that the the Argon18-sponsored Bora pro cycling team was riding the E118 Next TT bike introduced in 2014 rather than these new, wicked fast looking bikes from the Canadian brand.
The new E119 Tri is, indeed, the successor to their flagship E118 Next, and claims significant aerodynamic improvements. It’s also available in two versions, the standard one shown above, and a “plus” edition with an assortment of integrated water bottles, bottle cages and additional storage compartments. Below it is the new E117 Tri, also available in regular and plus offerings.
“We created this new line of triathlon bikes with the entire cycling equation in mind: the cyclist and his or her bike during the race,” explains Martin Faubert, Argon 18’s Director of R&D. “These bikes have been first and foremost designed to renew and enrich the racer’s experience by supplying him with simple and clever solutions for hydration and nutrition, while transcending expectations in terms of performance, comfort, and aerodynamics.”
The E119 Tri’s frame gets all-new integrated brakes on the fork and seatstays, both with aero coverings to reduce drag. This provides the wind cheating benefits without putting them in awkward positions that make service more difficult. It also makes the bike easier to pack, a consideration carried across the entire bike with things like standard rear dropouts and derailleur hangers so that no special tools or talents are necessary to bring it with you to far off races.
The seat angle is 78º with a new seatpost that offers +/- 28mm mounting positions to provide a massive range of adjustment.
The frames use a nano-tech infused high modulus carbon fiber with overall shaping they say gives it the best performance out there, particularly between 5º and 20º crosswind (yaw) angles. It all adds up to a claimed 14.89% aerodynamic improvement over the E118 Next. And it’s lighter.
The E119+ adds storage boxes on the top tube and behind the saddle, the latter also holding two standard water bottle cages, one off to each side.
Between the bar extensions sits an aero shaped water bottle with drinking straw. Both the extensions and base bar are full carbon, as is the fork. It’s capped with the OneNESS 3.0 stem system, which traps the handlebar between the top half of the stem and the fork for a sleek, integrated system that can be flipped to raise the bar 10mm.
In addition to the accoutrements, the E119+ boasts an even lighter frame than the standard E119 Tri. Both come spec’d with full Dura-Ace Di2 and proprietary carbon cockpits with Prologo saddles.
The E117 and E117+ borrow its bigger brother’s aerodynamic frame shaping but stick with more traditional aero brakes front and rear. Both are still in easy to reach spots, but they’re exposed.
The E117 switches to Argon18’s 3D stem system that uses fitted spacers to create a stiffer extension of the head tube to raise the stem rather than traditional set of spacers stacked atop the headset. The E117+ also shares the same add-ons as the E119+ (storage, hydration), but this model switches to FSA stems and Vision Trimax bars and extensions.
The E117+ drops down to Ultegra Di2…
…and the standard E117 gets mechanical Ultegra. All bikes are spec’d with Vision Metron deep section carbon wheels.
