Why I Will Always Ride Argon18 Bikes...

Over the past few weeks my racing bike, an Argon18 E-112, has developed a bit of a creak. I’ve chased it everywhere. So far, my ride has gotten a new bottom bracket, new chain, new brake pads and I’ve regreased and retorgued every single nut and bolt I could find, from the rear dropout screws to bar end shifters. Nothing. Until I checked the tiny bolts holding the derailleur hanger in place. Aha! One of them was stripped. Could this be the cause of the noise? It seemed likely. But I’ve got a race this weekend and there’s no way I’ll be able to find a replacement on Wednesday for a race I’ve got Sunday… But worth a try anyway.

I give Argon18 a ring at about 10:00 AM Wednesday morning and explain my predicament. Though they prefer you work through the shop that sold you the bike, I knew I’d never get a part that had to be shipped to another company and then to me in time for a race. I prepared to beg…
But I didn’t have to. The guy I spoke to said, “No problem, we do keep some spares on hand for racers and emergencies. What’s was your address?” I gave it to him with profuse thanks and he said it should be here by Friday.

Cut to 9:00 AM this morning (less than 24 hours after I made the call) and a replacement hanger and bolts was being delivered to my door by FedEx. Unbelievable. It’s incredible to see a company step up like this. I had the hanger mounted within the hour and as off riding soon thereafter. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the cause of the noise, but it still needed to be replaced as soon as possible and Argon18 made sure I literally had to go less than a day without my beloved bike. Amazing. When I compare it to the offer AT&T made me to replace my broken iPhone for $100 MORE than I paid for it (plus the $18 ‘early upgrade’ fee and extended contract I would need) it makes me hope Argon stays in business for a long, long time. I knew the bike was fast, but now I know the company is also incredibly reliable, and I think that’s probably just as important…