Argon 18 Subito E-Road Road Bike

Argon 18 Subito E-Road: The Perfect Proof That E-Bikes Have a Place in Every Cyclist's Rotation

If there is still a section of the cycling community that needs convincing e-bikes are not only a good thing, but something that everyone of us can happily work into our bike rotation, then the Argon 18 Subito E-Road is perhaps the best proof possible.

As a pretty lightweight e-road bike, the Subito, which is Italian for “immediately” or “right away”, can definitely get you going further every ride or doing your usual loop faster. It’s a way to build big miles and still have something left in the tank to play with the kids. The Argon 18 designers recognize that this will be a road bike that will most likely slip into your leisure rides and have given it an appropriately endurance-oriented geometry, more laid back compared to the racier geos you’ll find on the Gallium Pro, for instance.

They have incorporated the same nifty 3D+ System at the front end to ensure that the handling will feel stable and the fit refinable to your personal preferences. This system allows you to adjust the front end stack according to your needs – 0mm if you rather like a steeper drop to the bars, 15mm if you like to stay fairly low but want to give your back a break, and a whopping 30mm if you really do like the added comfort a higher stack can offer you. The clever integration with the head tube of this seamless rise system has been enhanced in the Subito E-Road’s integration of the Ebikemotion control button in the extension of the 3D+ cap.

Efficient Motor and Battery Integration in the Subito E-Road

Argon 18 definitely wanted this bike to feel as responsive and fun to ride as their normal road bikes, so they were intent on keeping the weight down. The frame is made from a high quality lightweight carbon, and for the motor and battery option, they have joined forces with the Ebikemotion X35 pedal assist system. Weighing just 3.5kg, it is one of the lightest and user-friendly pedal assist systems currently on the market, and it is also just about the smartest as well. The X35 works with a 250 watt hub motor and a battery neatly hidden in the down tube. They particularly liked this set up because it allowed them to create a stiff and light frame since the battery requires only small cutouts in the frame material, rather than large sections of the tubing which would naturally compromise the overall strength of the frame. As for the motor assist, it will cut out once you are riding over 20m/h and though Argon 18 says that battery life is contingent on a number of things, they suggest a reasonable expectation is that you can do approximately a 47 mile ride on one charge without a battery extender. And if you do want to do bigger miles, an additional battery can fit neatly in the downtube water bottle cage.

Keenly focused on comfort, especially for an endurance-oriented bike like the Subito E-Road, Argon 18 has developed what they call their Topological Compliance System. Focusing on the fork as well as the frame, it is a concept that incorporates a level of springiness where it will do the most good, like the fork legs and the seatstays, without compromising how well the frame responds to your pedaling power. Most of the magic might be hard to see with the naked eye, though you can understand a little of what they are doing by looking at the fork design, with its shape to enhance vibration absorption and handling control.

The Argon 18 Subito E-Road can accommodate 700c wheels with up to 40c tires. It is available in six sizes, starting with an XXS for smaller people who probably have had trouble finding e-bikes in their sizes, and then all the way up to an XL for the bigger riders who are also often under-represented on geometry charts.

Also check Colnago e-bikes.