Completely overshadowed by their drag-measuring concept bike at Eurobike, the all-new Argon 18 Gallium Pro Disc gets the obvious layup revisions to handle disc brakes’ forces. Where it surprises is the weight, coming in lighter than the current rim brake version. We’re awaiting confirmation on actual frame weight UPDATE: the frame comes in at just 790g plus 75g worth of small parts (axle, hanger, etc.), and the fork is 395g plus 20g for the NAILD thru axle. That’s light for a disc brake frame, here’s how they did it…
For starters, Argon 18’s tubes are particularly thin, even coming with warnings not to clamp your workstand on the top tube. Thin flattened seatstays lead up to a new seatpost that’s lighter (190g) and uses a spring-captured saddle clamp so when you adjust or change your saddle the small bits don’t go flying. A proprietary collar protect the super thin tubing but still holds the post in place.
The seatstays and fork have plenty of clearance, but max recommended rubber is a 28mm-30mm tire thanks to a little tighter spacing at the chainstays.
More weight savings comes from using a riveted front derailleur mount replaces the screw-on version to save more weight. The cable port’s cover under the BB now clips in rather than bolting in, saving additional grams.
The bike uses 12mm thru axles front and rear with the integrated NAILD system. NAILD’s LocIt lever has been updated, enclosing the red release lever completely inside the black lever. To remove the wheel, you must depress the red lever then pull the black lever. There’s virtually no way for it to come loose on its own. Once you’ve opened the cam, give it a quarter rotation and pull the axle out. It requires the female end to be integrated into the dropouts, but works with any thru-axle compatible hubs.
Available in October, the Gallium Pro Disc will be available in gloss or matte black with Dura-Ace Di2 ($10,499.99), Ultegra Di2 ($7,699.99) or the frameset ($4,749.99).
