Argon 18 Krypton (2015)

Road racer with little flash and a lot of function

Pros

- Doughty Shimano Ultegra kit
- Surprisingly comfortable for a performance bike
- Vittoria treads

Cons

- Not going to attract envious looks for its showy kit or colors

Review

Canadian manufacturer Argon 18 bring some real quality to their range with the all-carbon 2015 Krypton. The Krypton is really a slightly modified version of the top-of-the-range Gallium Pro (yep, they love their chemistry and the Periodic Table over at Argon 18), and like the Gallium Pro the Krypton is really all about the frame.

Imagine a line drawn diagonally from the top of the head tube to the rear dropouts - anything above the line is designed to flex vertically to aid and add comfort, whilst everything below the line is made for maximum stiffness, power transfer and superior handling. This concept forms the basis of Argon’s Horizontal Dual System (HDS), and it really does make a noticeable difference. Fast cornering and flowing descents are a true pleasure on the Krypton: the bottom bracket is 5mm lower than the industry standard height, bringing the center of gravity closer to the road, and the steering is smooth and specific, with any vibration being eaten up by the Kr36 monocoque carbon fork (again with the chemistry – you probably already knew that the element Krypton is number 36 on the Periodic Table).

Shimano have come to the party in a big way with the Krypton, supplying both front and rear derailleurs, crankset, shifters, cassette, brakes, brake levers and chain, all at the Ultegra level. The rear cassette comes in a standard 11/25-tooth setup, with the front chainring offering a compact 50/34-tooth selection.

Take a glance at the Prologo Kappa Evo saddle and you’ll probably decide it’s as hard and uncomfortable as it looks – and you’d be wrong. It is surprisingly soft and forgiving, and weighs in at an acceptable 250 grams (8.8 ounces).

One truly delightful feature of this bike is the headset/head tube design, which Argon call 3D. Instead of a set of standard headset spacers slotted over the slimmer fork steerer tube, the 3D system has a series of threaded interlocking extensions, like thick threaded washers, that lock onto the actual head tube. Apart from adding extra strength to the head tube area, the genius with this design is that should you decide to adjust your riding position (down or up) you’ve got more than 30mm of adjustment – way better than having to buy a new fork and steerer tube!

The Shimano C35 wheels, clad in Vittoria Zaffiro Pro 700x25c tires, roll fast and silent, and the tires themselves are impressive on greasy and wet roads, and in dry conditions offer enough traction to push the bike to its impressive limits.

The FSA stem and handlebars are the only deviations from the Shimano/ Argon 18 monopoly on this bike, but they do the job nicely.

Overall, this is a bike that ticks all the boxes, and is equally useful as a race machine, scenic cruiser or Gran Fondo conqueror. It is functional and capable, but doesn’t have a lot of bling appeal. If you’re into performance and reliability and don’t care if people are watching you or not, this could be your bike.