First Look: Argonaut Spacebike Updates
Executive Editor Leah Flickinger reviewed the Argonaut Spacebike in the December 2014 issue of Bicycling. She loved it then, but how does she feel about it more than a year later? “I still love it a lot. It's the first bike in years that I've put thousands of miles on—so I'm in that place where I don't really think about how it rides that much any more," she says. "But I still love how it climbs and how it descends, and how it handles overall. I love riding it.”
But the Spacebike is not a static platform. Argonaut’s Ben Farver continues to tweak and refine his custom carbon dream bike. Here’s a look at some of the updates
More production
Argonaut is producing about 100 frames a year right now, but Farver plans to double production by improving the efficiency of the design and frame-building process.
RELATED: How a Custom Carbon Fiber Road Bike Gets Made
In-House Paint
Currently, Argonaut bikes are sent out for paint, but for 2016 paint comes in-house. This gives the company more control over the process, and should reduce the time it takes to ship bikes to customers.
New Dropouts
Redesigned dropouts retain metal surfaces where they interface with hubs, but shave about 45 grams off the frame. Inserts allow conversion from open to thru-axle, and for disc-equipped frames, the non-drive dropout was updated to the flat-mount disc brake standard. The derailleur hanger is replaceable, and electronic-derailleur wires route through the dropout.
Flat-Mount Disc Brake
Introduced earlier this year, the flat-mount standard for road-disc calipers is more compact than the post-mount standard borrowed from mountain bikes. “The design is much more refined compared to post mount, and takes up much less space on the frame,” said Farver. The smaller package should save some weight also.
T47 Bottom Bracket
Farver had a hand in the conceptualization and development of the T47 bottom bracket standard, so it’s no surprise that his are the first T47-equipped frames available. Farver estimates that switching from press-fit BB86 to T47 knocks about 45 grams out of his frames.
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