Last week we finished off a custom built triathlon bike for a client. Having just completed a Frame Selection Bike Fit, he was keen for a new rig and asked us to put something together that matched his needs. Challenge Accepted!
Shining in the sunlight
We started this build with the latest Argon 18 E-117 frameset. This is a lovely frame for a time trial bike and has a huge range of options to allow us to dial in a riders position by offering 3 headtube heights for every frame size, thus giving a perfect adjustment of handlebar height for every rider / front end rigidity increase of +5% at 15mm, and +11% at 25mm versus standard spacers. To complete the cockpit we added a set of 3T’s Stealth Vola base and extension bars matched to an ARX Stealth 3T stem. The result is a very clean, stealthy and simple front end with plenty of adjustment.
XLAB Torpedo Refresh Kit in Black + Space Saver computer mount
Tiny frontal area for clean air flow
Wrapping the bars and ensuring the rides hand don’t slip is some Prologo plain touch black bar tape. Keeping the cockpit wiring tidy is some clever use of spiral wrap to make sure the cables don’t separate, but allowing them some flex to move as the bike moves. Mounted atop the stem just under the back of the BTA bottle is a 5 port junction box. This keeps the trim adjustment for the Di2 within reach as well as the freedom to charge the internal battery mounted in the seat post via the charge port on the side of the junction box while still keeping it and and the shifter wires hidden and out of the way.
The client wanted to mount a Profile Design hard sided bento box for storing nutrition for long course races, but with a twist. The idea was to push the bento box as far forward as possible to keep the look clean, so we cabled the bikes Di2 wire and rear brake cable into the front of the bento box, installing a barrel adjuster on the brake cable to allow for rear brake adjustment and an easy way to take the bike apart for full servicing and cleaning without the need for full rewiring.
Holding the BTA bottle stable is taken care of by bolting the bottle cage through the aerobar extension bracket and into the base of the BTA mount. It is very secure and very streamlined.
Cockpit cabling all neatly wrapped up
The groupset chosen is a Shimano Ultegra Di2 11-speed mid-compact set up. This gives more than enough range to hold high speeds along the flats and descents with plenty of gears left when needing to climb. Mated to the left crank arm is a Pioneer Power Meter which communicates to a head unit on a space saver mount add-on to the top of the XLAB Torpedo Bottle. Controlling all this are Di2 extension bar and brake lever shifters to make all gear changes from anywhere on the front end.
The bike is then finished with a Fulcrum Racing Zero Nite wheelset wrapped in the ever reliable Continental GP4000s II 25mm tyres.
Fulcrum Racing Zero Nite’s deliver power from the drivetrain to the road
The bike looks beautiful from any angle
