Fast gravel goes slack in new Argonaut GR3 gravel bike

The boutique carbon fiber manufacturer Argonaut has a new gravel bike called the GR3 that features a super slack (68.5-degree) head tube in an otherwise racy-gravel package with a short head tube and 415mm chainstays.
I spent a few days in Bend, Oregon checking out the Argonaut facility and manufacturing process, which involves 3D-printing silicone mandrels. I got to ride the new bike for about 10 hours over three days on gravel roads, singletrack, and a little pavement.

[@WayneCouyon]

I absolutely love these honest reviews. No sugarcoating, to the point, informative, no hint of any influence of brands & sponsors. The way bike journalism should be done properly. Thanks Ben, keep it up!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it.

[@johnykryll]

An honest review these days on YT, impossible to find

[@JoshMcGehee]

This bike is super interesting to me. I've ridden a mountain bike for the exact reason Ben talks about: staying with a group on sketchy descents. Of course then I get dropped on the flat.

[@burronorteno]

I like your honesty about all the products you review. I am sure not popular with all the manufacturers. Hope you can keep it honest.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Honest reviews are the point of this channel. I'm not trying to be antagonistic or clickbait-y; just trying to keep it real and provide context. Thanks for your support.

[@lazarosnikolaidis256]

So nice presentation of a true beauty! V. satisfied to see small builders working all as one on building two-wheeled gems. Nice details but that hit me immediately was the excerpts from your 'first-person-footage' where I 've noticed a very stable and compliant ride. Thanks Ben.

[@soloist777]

Really enjoyed your analysis of the Argonaut GR3 and interesting blend in the frame's geometry. And I do like the look of it. Factor in the exchange rate into Aussie dollars and unfortunately it will remain wishful thinking for this down under gravel rider. But hey, good to see what the boutique bike builders are doing.

[@alanhill7965]

Great work Ben my go to favourite cycling show I love the way you give your honest down to earth reviews , a wise and experienced rider /journalist and all round good bloke as we say in Australia

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks 👍

[@thegrumpygraveller8820]

Love your honest style of reviews Ben

[@jmscheel]

Good stuff, Ben. As usual!

[@wohnzimmerlampe2115]

Just discovered you have your own channel now! All videos ive watched so far were top quality content, nicely presented and very authentic. S Tier bike content!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you very much. I hope to keep improving.

[@desigmate1223]

Great review Ben! It’s a pleasure to watch your videos 👍

[@thomasmcdaniel7908]

Super interesting mullet geo - party of front, business out back 😂 This goes to show that riders benefit from paying attention to the terrain and attitude of the brand where bikes are designed and engineered! They tend to ride best in this types of terrain that match brand “homes”!!

[@velo.voyageur]

Good review and thorough. Not a brand I’d heard of, cool process it looks like. Thanks for the solid content.

[@fraho6431]

Thanks a lot Ben for your great and valuable content! I wonder how the carbon fiber forks can survive such rough terrain, and when a suspension fork makes sense. Maybe that’s content fo an upcoming video 😊

[@stevekelly6544]

Love to see someone review the new Felt Breed Carbon gravel racer too- nobody has looked at that one yet-

[@richardwhitehead4684]

Another no BS review. Nice going Ben.

[@chrisdistefano198]

Two rad guys named Ben, I love it. Great review, looked fun out there.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

CD! When are we playing basketball?

[@buzzman4860]

👍 waiting on your tire preferences. Will be hard to get me off the pathfinders though I would like more bite for cornering.

[@chrisvejnovich116]

Hey Ben! Just a quick comment on the Rene Herse tires here. I would say for gravel riding you definitely need to be riding the endurance casing. And I believe that Ted King rides the endurance plus casing. I currently ride the same tire that you were talking about in your video, but in the endurance casing and I've never had a problem with it. I probably have about a thousand miles on my tires with no issues. That includes gravel and mixed surfaces. Before that I put about 1500 mi on some bontrager tires. GR1s I had no problems with those. But I will admit that my average speeds are way lower than yours. I rode the Robidoux like yourself this summer. I only rode the 67 mi course. And my average speed was like 11 miles an hour. So maybe that's why I have less flats.

[@davidf1288]

Looking forward to your top gravel tire review. Another review idea for the channel would be gravel bikes from your backyard in Colorado - Rodeo Adventure Labs, Alchemy, Black Sheep, Moots, Mosaic, DEAN, Why - you get the idea. It would be interesting to get your view and how their offerings stack up against the bigger brands.

[@los1379]

Big fan of the Zia beanie! New subscriber from Sandia Park, NM.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hey, thanks! My folks live on East Ridge just off Frost.

[@los1379]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Crazy! We’re on Frost and Tumbleweed!

[@ambushell5778]

Pursuit cycles is handmaking carbon gravel and road bikes in Montana, check them out too!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks for calling this one out.

[@Hunttherider]

Yep, and that Sex Pistols ‘NMTB’ painted All Road is just the dogs!

[@glennoc8585]

Nice bike👍

[@rolffuchs2737]

Ive got the URS and it suits me everywhere. Seems to be in the middle of it.

[@zeuszuki6698]

Another thing I don't like about 'slack' front ends is they wander all over the place when climbing, there definitely is a sweet spot. I'll stick with my 2018 diverge, not too much unnecessary 'tech' (only the 1 5 future shock which has performed flawlessly) and personally the geo is pretty spot on. I do enjoy your honest reviews, very refreshing. Keep up the great work 👍 🍻

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. And thanks for sharing your experience.

[@pedrolahoz]

I would be hesitant to ride a 6k carbon gravel frame. Ride through thick mud, your chain stays get scratched. Go to an event with bodies sharing the ride, your frame gets scratches. Guess it depends on the depths of ones’ pockets. Better to get something that wont make you cringe, when pebbles strike your down tube.

[@dingodango1]

I spent a shit load on a gravel bike. It's getting all banged up in short order. Should I be worried that the scratches and stuff will weaken the material? I hope it doesn't ruin the bike. Can all these scratches, scuffs and nicks render my bike unusable?

[@daryl4841]

​@@dingodango1 I wouldn't worry about it. Lots of little cosmetic scratches and such won't break the bike. Since you spent a lot of money(I did too) just enjoy using it and riding hard. Common sense maintenance or bringing it to the shop occasionally and you'll be riding it for a long time.

[@dingodango1]

@@daryl4841 yea I like banging my bike up and making it look like it belongs to a caveman. Just want to make sure it's not bad for the bike.

[@thodpa]

Ben, I love you. Direct, frank, no frills. Always trust your hot takes.

[@stevekelly6544]

You should check out the Fezzari Shafer- similar concept in design, but a little longer rear end- 430mm chainstay, 68.9 degree head tube angle- be a good one to review

[@DickKnorr]

Found your videos and loving them. Great content delivered in a polished, but fun format.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you, Richard. With 20 years of journalism in the rearview mirror, I’m keen to make this my full time thing. Still plenty of work to be done and all manner of room for improvement, but I am having a blast.

[@TheBenupton]

Nice Zia cap there. I miss NM!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Got it in Taos like a tourist. I'm eager to go back home for Christmas.

[@TheBenupton]

I hear you. I’ve been in the UK going on five years now and really miss the chile!

[@Rambomname]

Nice review, thought this might be my next steed until you mentioned the price. Happy to hear a small business can charge that much though.

[@robbchastain3036]

I, too, cannot afford pricey bikes right now, tho' I would say these Made in the USA frame prices are easier to understand in light of smaller production numbers and a team of builders crafting each by hand.

[@michaelsrealm9365]

New Mexico Zia 👍

[@manji001]

interesting build indeed, Thank you for featuring these guys ^_^ quick question: does zipp make N3W freehubs for ekar now? I've been looking for those since Campy Ekar came out!!!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cory Benson at BikeRumor reported last year that 3T, Boyd, Carbon-Ti, Deda, DT Swiss, ERE, Hunt, Industry Nine, Scope, Vision, and Zipp all have N3W freehubs available on their new wheels going forward. bikerumor.com/campagnolo-n3w-in-detail-how-campys-new-freehub-body-fits-all-10-13-speed-cassettes/

[@stevenagy7152]

Great review, though integrated headsets lose me from the beginning. The worst example would probably be the Allied Echo. Just a hard no to those.

[@pmcmpc]

I think this drive for super short chainstays generally results in very compromised bikes. with a long front centre, very slack head angle and actually not very steep seat angle at all (average for gravel or endurance road these days), it's always going to feel like more of an off road bike (which is a good thing given its use case). Lack of 2x isn't going to be made up for by the rear end feeling a tiny bit more lively - emphasis on tiny. Add 10mm and 2x and you have a way better bike. Even if you run a 46 - 10-52 mullet, whilst you get the gear range, there are such huge gaps and you lose so much efficiency relative to a 2x 50/34 or 48/31 that it feels shitty, particularly if you're racing. but removing versatility (vital features actually) and pretending you have a (trendy) USP does make the marketeers happy.

[@wecycleshop]

Hey Ben, would love to see a factory tour of Argo. When do you plan to release some footage? 😍

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks for the reminder. I need to get on that...

[@wecycleshop]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Of course! Keep up the great work. :)

[@jerseybarrier64]

Loving this channel and the smile logo placement is working and has me asking what is it? Please share for those not in the know 🤔

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

You mean the T shirt? That's from Funkwerks - a little brewery up in Fort Collins that specializes in sours. My wife was up there with some friends, and knows I love their beer so brought me back a shirt.

[@jerseybarrier64]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney yep that’s it! You have a sticker in your garage as well. Thanks for the explanation. Need to look them up next time I’m in CO.

[@mattedler5788]

No strike plate with that tight tolerance? Guessing that chainstay is gonna see some scratches at best.

[@Omnis2]

I love the look of this for flat Florida trails. Does it use a standard head tube size stem or do they do 1 1/4 like Giant's OD stems?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Standard 1 1/8, I believe.

[@Hunttherider]

Great review Ben, calm, considered and useful. Also, very low buzz word count - did you even mention the word ‘compliance’? 😊 As for Argonaut, as an admirer of their RM3, your perspective on some of the handling quirks of the GR3 really surprised me, that Argonaut has produced a gravel bike with such race-dictated features that appear to undermine its real world appeal. By contrast, the RM3 is billed as the ultimate in road bike refinement, and I don’t think the word race is even mentioned on its webpage.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cheers, Kipper. I think Ben and Argonaut have a similar thought on the GR3 - it's an all-around gravel bike that you can race. I hope I didn't misrepresent that. Also - will work harder on the buzz words. ;-)

[@Hunttherider]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Thanks Ben for the follow up. On the contrary, no misrepresentation on your part. My comment comes from Ben's piece at 6:25 that focuses on the design features that help the bike stay with a group on race day - to which your follow-up comment, on what to optimise for, was well made.

[@markkutoivari8000]

​@@TheRidewithBenDelaney

[@danwilliams6367]

I want the disc road Argo shown @2:15ish.. looks like my size too.

[@c.wagner7482]

.3:44.and lets not forget Calfee out near Santa Cruz, Ca.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Good shout.

[@TenSapphires]

Isn't OPEN made in USA? Nice to see this, I'm sure I could order custom frame with custom paint and still have change left for nor choosing Specialized Diverge (high end one).

[@pmcmpc]

No. Previously TW, now CN. Build quality is amongst the worst in the industry.

[@DogDude4all]

@@pmcmpc agreed. Both of mine were from Taiwan and said cervelo on the sticker along with the Chinese character. Mine ended up cracking the seat tube as it was very oversized out of the box.

[@pmcmpc]

@@DogDude4all an OPEN that said Cervelo on the serial # sticker? If you have a photo, send it to Hambini ...

[@marcowalther7867]

Hey Ben, awesome review on this one! I would love to get your opinion on the Cannondale Supersix Eco SE/CX. Could you get your hand on one of those? Cheers

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thanks, Marco. I've spent a bit of time on it. Will see if I can rustle one up for a video review here.

[@marcowalther7867]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Hope that works out. Your vids are such a valuable resource for gravel nerds like me. Also, a video about your take on the ideal one for all bike (maybe with two wheel sets) would be highly appreciated.

[@robbchastain3036]

I know why they all start with the letter A. So they're listed first in the phone book under Carbon Bikes. 😀

[@blazacrew]

😊😊

[@OnyxTortoise]

I believe ibis is making a carbon frame in the USA. Maybe volumes are still too small to mention?

[@adrianc6534]

I have an ibis hakka. the sticker on the frame says made in Taiwan.

[@OnyxTortoise]

@@adrianc6534 they are only making the exie stateside

[@stevekelly6544]

3T uses 415mm chainstays too

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Good shout. Thanks!

[@Francky74]

Salut, comment sélectionne t'on l' Options de roue GR3....?? Avant le passage à la caisse ?🤔 Et faites vous la livraison sur l'Europe ( à défaut avez vous des revendeurs....?? ) Merci par avance, sportivement Franck

[@johnykryll]

12,000, wowzer, it'll last you a life time mind

[@BenZCardiff]

So it’s a lower / slacker front end Open WIDE? Which, have you rode before Ben?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I have not. Need to get on one!

[@Hunttherider]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney and I’d really like to hear your perspectives on the Open UPPER - it’s getting on in years, but was it so ahead of the game that it’s still relevant?

[@jeremysweeten2792]

How does slack angle PERFORM different from rake? Both extend the wheel length, right?

[@jeremysweeten2792]

Also, I would love to ride there. Those look like some happy trails!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

That is an industrial-sized can of worms… Stay tuned for a handling geo video with a framebuilder. Short answer is yes, both extend trail, which is the third piece of the handling equation.

[@anthonyharris483]

Do they have a steel version? Me likey $6500? That's insane

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Nope. They're carbon-only. And yeah, I hear you on the price.

[@michaelupchurch3779]

Argonaut needs to improve the chainring stay clearance this would be my last choice

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Yeah, I heard ya, bike not too gravel friendly. I like my diverge, a tank and can go anywhere, not fast but very capable … ah for future references, you need a sunglasses over your go pro to cut the glair

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

Curious Ben, how does a fast racing gravel bike compare to a cyclocross bike?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Good question. The cynical answer would be: "marketing." A better answer would be: A ‘cross race bike is optimized for 60min of tight turns, off-camber pedaling, etc. A fast gravel bike is optimized for 6+ hrs of long slogs, higher downhill speeds, rougher surfaces, hauling more water and supplies, etc. Fast gravel bikes sit lower and the so-called progressive ones have a longer reach and often more trail than a 'cross bike. For example, a Giant Revolt and a Giant TCX both have a 72 head tube, but... the Revolt has more trail than the TCX (65 to 62), more reach (39.1 to 38.5) and way more bb drop (8 to 6) in size M/L. Then there are things like top-tube and under-the-down-tube mounts and frame protection on gravel while some cx bikes have just a single bottle mount. Can you race a cross bike on gravel? Of course you can. Alexey Vermeulen spent all of last year on a Bianchi cx bike and did just fine. And Specialized now just has a single bike for cx and gravel - the Crux, where the geo kinda splits the difference and there are no extra mounts or frame armor. But the short answer: longer, lower, and built for the longer haul.

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney thanks Ben for taking the time for such an in depth answer, very much appreciated.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

@@chrisvanbuggenum871 Yeah, man. I should have also said - tire clearance! CX bikes are getting wider, too, but typically nowhere near 45 or especially the 50mm clearance that the GR3 has.

[@MorganBrown]

Thanks for sharing some of the economics of the business. Although $12K is indeed pricy, these guys are only making 200 bikes * $12K/bike = $2.4MM in gross revenue. Do you think their gross margins are around 40%? Anyway, only about $1MM/year left over to pay the 18 employees. Tough business for sure. Makes me want to stop being such a cheap ass and buy a custom bike!

[@pmcmpc]

There's no way 200 is correct. 18 employees and finishing one frame every 1.8 days? Has to be at least 5x that.

[@CM-ft9ep]

$12k is for the whole bike, not the frameset, which is the only part they actually make.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Ben Farver said they make 200 frames a year. Allied does 1,000. Will find out on Alchemy.

[@pmcmpc]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney I seem to remember TIME were employing about 40 people at their factory in Slovakia several years ago, and making about 3500 bikes .. 18 people and 200 bikes make zero sense.

[@therealSIRBOOM]

$6,000 for just the frame. I wish.

[@HardCorps88]

Cool bike but will never afford one.

[@Francky74]

T'as le poids du 🚲🤔...?? ( Ds le plus haut de gamme...)

[@nmonye01]

$15k bike

[@galenkehler]

Haha Rene Herse tires are for hipsters who ride 3km out into the woods to make their aeropress coffee, not for racing.

[@rab0309]

tell Ted King that lol

[@markxkovacic]

Tell Lauren De Crescenzo that LOL

[@mgoo1713]

So it's a mid 90's MTB with 29/700c tires and drop bars...🤣😂🤣😂

[@arizonan1]

Neither. Both suck on a bicycle unless you are running downhill and freeride courses.

[@angruwasp8782]

Gravel bikes are a marketing scam.

[@seanmccuen6970]

good vids, subbed.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@LeoInterHyenaem]

Kudos on Argonaut on foregoing the stupid dropped seatstay (which only a couple of companies do well, i.e., Cannondale in their Synapse, Cervélo in their Aspero and BMC in their U.R.S.) fad.

[@THEBLACKANARCHIST]

Your seat is way too high 😜