Argon FR
I’ve been riding my Argon FR for a few weeks now and am loving it. Mine is an XC build – Marzocchi Marthons XC, Race Face Deus kit and a Rohloff. A weekend in Wales saw it swallow the trails at Afan as well as the classic Gap route in the Brecons and it’s been years since I’ve enjoyed riding a hardtail this much. The geometry is slack enough to give loads of confidence downhill (which is handy if you’ve got overly reliant on full suspension) but not so slack it can’t handle steep ups. We reckon this is the ultimate winter bike – with a Rohloff hub there are no drivetrain worries and running Conti 2.3’s as I was there is masses of tyre clearance.
The customer who took the first bike of the production line mailed us after 600miles to say: “the bike with the Rohloff is superb – it’s now known as The Tractor by my local club as it seems to keep grinding on when all other bikes are failing in the Chiltern mud. My daughter unfortunately has taken to calling it The Clockwork Mouse as a result of the gear-7-and-lower whirring noises, but either they’re going away or I’m getting used to them. Overall, it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped.”
My older Rohloff hub is almost silent – they really do get better with age.