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The guys at Above Category have kidnapped the Manual for Speed Argonaut, aka Space Panda. They’re holding it in captivity for a while, so all of their customers can see it in person. If you live in the Bay Area and wanna see just how ridiculous this thing is, swing by or if you just want to see more photos of this beast, head over to the Above Category blog.
For the Columbia River Gorge bike, Argonaut Cycles delivered an amazing split tone green and tan disc road bike. Check out more information as to how this bike can be yours (for free) at 7 Bikes 7 Wonders…
I had the pleasure of seeing this bike in person at the Rouge Roubaix, but didn’t get a chance to shoot any photos of it myself. Luckily, it was recently featured as Above Category’s Bike of the Week, so head over and check it out.
Oh man, those two globe-trotting, flash bulb firing, brilliant minds over at Manual for Speed really did it this time:
“Do you dream? Of course you do, who doesn’t? But how often do your dreams come true? They’re just dreams after all. Have you ever thought, “Hey, I am sick and tired of my dreams just being dreams? I want these dreams to be a reality, but how could I possibly do it?” You have to want it, you have to understand it, and then you have to REACH FOR THE DREAM!
And we’re here to help. That’s right; you want to make that magical-rainbow-laser-unicorn-tropical-island-melting-clocks-brilliant-light-bouncing-off-of-the-floors-hyper-everything bike of your dreams a reality? We know how! With our proven process you can have that bike of your dreams, so join Manual for Speed and special guest Kanye West as we walk you through the necessary steps to making all your dreams come true.”
Check out the full story at Manual for Speed, pick up some unique MFS custom goods at their web shop and see more of the custom Speedvagen and Argonaut road bikes below. Seriously, I want one of those fly-ass Mike Cherney stem caps!
Part of my job during the Rouge Roubaix was to document the Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge, or #RRBC2015 as the internet likes to catalog things. Last year, in a late night hot tub session, somewhere in SoCal, Ben from Argonaut, Billy from Echos, Aaron from Mosaic and myself were discussing NAHBS. Part of the frustration Ben was voicing was that he had infinitely more fun riding bikes with people, than sitting in a tradeshow booth for three days.
The idea expanded, phone calls were made and soon, the RRBC was born. Sort of. You see, it couldn’t be just one team, so a few were invited. Out of 5 teams, three committed: Argonaut, Breadwinner and Mosaic. Each team would send out a call for entries and select a team mate from the applicants, build them a bike and race the Rouge Roubaix with them.
For Argonaut, they chose Stephan Kincaid, a power house from Pennsylvania.
Since Ben had never met Stephan, who goes by the nickname Geronimo, the RRBC was just as much about the bike as it was new-found camaraderie. We arrived in Baton Rouge on Thursday and had two days to gather course intel, shoot photos, drink and prepare for the race on Sunday. This gallery represents those days in St. Francisville, Louisiana.
Stephan’s bike is an Argonaut disc road with Shimano Dura Ace, Chris King, Reynolds Wheels and ENVE cockpit.
Team Argonaut would like to thank ENVE, Shimano, Reynolds, ENDO, Rothera Caps and Chris King.
Last year’s Rouge Roubaix coverage was a huge success, so this year, we’re heading back with even bigger plans. A group of American framebuilders have assembled teams to compete in the event and to make things interesting, each company chose one lucky individual to be on their team via an application process.
These wild cards each have a custom bike waiting for them in Baton Rouge where they will compete alongside their new teammates. The teams are: Team Argonaut, Team Breadwinner, and Team Mosaic. This has been aptly dubbed the Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge. Last but not least, we’re all lucky enough to have Chris Diminno from Chris King Gourmet Century on hand to provide nutrition. We’re gonna need it!
The Radavist will be on hand, documenting the bikes, the teams, the main event and some of the vernacular found in this truly unique part of the United States. If you’re going to be at the Rouge Roubaix, say hello and if you’re racing this weekend, best of luck!
When the team at Pedalers Fork became a dealer for Argonaut Cycles, they needed a bike that would operate as both an advertisement and a floor model / test bike for interested clients. While I love my matte-black Argo, stealth is not the best at advertising for the brand, so Gideon at Pedalers Fork cooked up a purple, flashy, chevron-inspired design for painter Eric Dungey to get to work on.
Since this particular model will be a test bike for inquiring customers, Pedalers Fork chose the traditional seatpost spec, rather than an ISP. The result is a flashy, yet classic stance with the brand’s name in bright silver on the downtube. With a painted PRO stem, a blue King, a purple seatpost collar, Mavic 125ans wheels and Dura Ace throughout, every detail has been considered… It’ll be sure to turn heads.
Southern California is a second home to me, for many reasons, the obvious of which being the excellent cycling and the people that live here. Life’s a bit easier when it’s always sunny and excellent riding is at your finger tips. Perhaps that’s why Ben from Argonaut has always liked the crew at Pedalers Fork in Calabasas. They’ve got world class roads and trails literally surrounding their unique restaurant, coffee and bike shop.
I can’t tell you how many times people attempt this business model, yet Pedalers Fork didn’t just attempt it, they nailed it. Excellent food, great coffee and high end bicycles. Pedalers Fork has created an environment that caters to the local cycling scene with group rides, fund raisers and parties. While their bike is small, they turn out many precision high end builds. Up until this point, they’ve sold only Moots. Not because of any exclusivity deal, but because they were looking for a carbon fiber match to the brand. That’s where Argonaut comes in.
A few weeks ago, Ben from Argonaut asked if I wanted to come out to Calabasas, ride bikes, eat great food and hang out with friends. All to celebrate this new union. Well, that and Ben would be giving a presentation of sorts about the brand to a few select people… and I’d shoot some photos.
We spent the morning riding bikes over the Santa Monica Mountains, with lunch at Pedalers Fork, an afternoon Putt n Pump track action at a secret location before attending a dinner, curated by Chris DiMinno of the Chris King Gourmet Century.
Rough day, huh?
Over the weekend, team Mosaic, Breadwinner and Argonaut selected their winners for the 2015 Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge. Below are the final selections, with a short description as to why they were selected.
This came out so nice! As I announced earlier, Above Category in Sausalito has picked up Argonaut Cycles, to give customers better access to the brand. The shop will assist in ordering one of these unique custom frames, by walking the consumer through the step by step process.
To celebrate this partnership, Argonaut and Above Category brought Brian Vernor out to make a short video showcasing the brands and their dedication to the custom market.
Learn more at Above Category and check out some photos below.
Watching Argonaut Cycles grow and gain traction in this market is exciting. Especially within the realm of retail, a world that most framebuilders decide to avoid due to margins. But sometimes, you find a home where your brand easily nestles in between the existing offerings.
Argonaut Cycles has teamed up with Above Category, along side BAUM, Pegoretti and Mosaic. Three exceptional frame builders who have mastered their materials. It’s not bad having such great company, is it?
See more at Above Category!
I’ve learned a lot in the past two years and so has Ben at Argonaut Cycles. He looks at his made in the USA, fully custom carbon road bikes as a project that’s ever-evolving. With each frame, he learns more not only about his customers, but his own process. My Argonaut was perfection in my eyes and while I loved it, some things about it made it less than ideal for my lifestyle and by that I mean, I travel. A lot. At the time, Ben didn’t offer a traditional seat post, only an ISP…
Garrett Chow is an exceptional designer and I’m very fond of his work. In today’s industry, so many cycling-related projects rely on paint design, meaning it’s the ultimate crux in a project’s success.
It’s easy to draw some chevrons, or paint a logo a pantone and call it a day, but to really dive into data, something that’s typically not visually stimulating and pull a compelling paint job from a series of numbers and historical markers takes talent.
With the recent Mavic 125ans project bikes, I took a liking to Argonaut‘s design. There was information there and it required you to stop and really examine every aspect of the bike. There were a lot of immaculate paint jobs in the 125ans bikes, but this one was more than that…
See more below!
The Mavic 125ans Project came about to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the company. After the release of the Ksyrium 125 wheel in France earlier this spring, Chad Moore of Mavic USA reached out to a select group of frame builders who they felt were standouts in the industry.
Argonaut Cycles – working with designer Garrett Chow, Lynskey Performance, Mosaic Cycles – working with designer Zach Lee on their paint design, Ritte Cycles and Seven Cycles were contacted directly by Mavic.
Each builder was given a timeline and other than that, full artistic reign over their project bike. Looking to the Ksyrium 125 wheel for inspiration, each builder approached this unique collaboration in a way that represented what Mavic means to them and their brands.
These bikes will be released at Mavic’s brand communications center and Service Course in Los Angeles on 10 July, but I got a special sneak peek at the bikes yesterday, as I shot each in detail within the Mavic mechanics area. Both the Ritte and the Seven 125ans bikes will be auctioned off at the Pros Closet later this fall.
See this project in its entirety in the Gallery and there will be more to come, including interviews from some of the builders and an extensive look at Garrett Chow’s inspiration for the Argonaut Cycles road.
Manual For Speed in collaboration with Argonaut Cycles and Speedvagen present Reach For The Dream… What is Reach for the Dream? See more below!
I love seeing two friends come together from opposite ends of the cycling industry to make something rad. Ben from Argonaut and Garret from Strawfoot designed a waxed canvas saddle bag together. It’s a limited run, with only 50 available. Each bag is made by hand in Santa Cruz and stamped with the Argonaut “A” logo on the strap. It’s meant to carry a spare tube, tire levers, a multi-tool and a patch kit.
Pick one up now at the Argonaut Web Shop for $48.
This is the video Brian Vernor made, documenting both the Argonaut disc gravel racer and the Rouge Roubaix. We were in St. Francisville for three days, where Brian and I did our best to document the bikes in action, before and during the race. His interviews offer insight into what makes the Rouge Roubaix tick, while opening up the personalities of the race officials and local vernacular.
Let’s just say he captured it all perfectly and it was an honor to work next to him that weekend!
The Rouge Roubaix exceeded mine and Ben from Argonaut‘s expectations. I don’t think anyone involved with that trip knew how that race would unfold. Backtrack to a few months prior, team Argonaut had the idea to pull Brian Vernor in to do a video and bring me down to shoot the race and document the new Disc Racers.
We spent the two days prior to the race testing out the bikes and looking for key vantage points to photograph the event. While Vernor got his video footage, I took some photos of the bikes and (part of the) team River City / Rapha. These photos are to be used on the Argonaut website…
Check them out in the Gallery and see the bike in person at the Aether NYC event this Friday!
