Argonaut GR3 first ride review: Carbon layup just for you

Why buy off-the-shelf when custom competes on price?

What is a hands on review?
Argonaut GR3
(Image: © Argonaut)

Early Verdict

Choosing an Argonaut GR3 gravel bike means choosing a bike built only for you. The carbon layup matches your weight and riding and it's sized perfectly. There is no better bike and the big brands are making it look affordable.

Pros

  • +

    50mm tyre clearance

  • +

    Short chainstay

  • +

    Surprisingly affordable

  • +

    Incredible stable descending

  • +

    No toe overlap

  • +

    Plenty of mounting points for bottles

Cons

  • -

    Lacks mudguard mounts

  • -

    Lacks aero considerations

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Gravel cycling is maturing. We've started to settle into the ruts, and the wild experimentation of years past is falling away. There are adventure bikes and gravel race bikes and there's not a lot of crossover anymore. Do you want to go fast in a one-day race or underbike on single track? Whatever feels best to you, we have options on our list of the best gravel bikes. What if you are looking for something a little more personal though?

Have you ever considered a bespoke bike that is uniquely yours? Argonaut sits in the high desert of the American Pacific Northwest and it has a new gravel bike for you to consider. It's a bike unlike anything else on the market, not only because every single frame is hand built to your exact measurements but also because it's a go-fast gravel bike that bends genres. You could describe it as a gravel race bike but as the big brands move towards road bikes with tyre clearance, Argonaut is going the opposite direction. The establishment is zigging and Argonaut is zagging, but does it work? I spent a day in the landscape near the headquarters testing just that and I came away impressed. If you feel like the gravel bike you want doesn't exist, keep reading. It could be that the perfect bike is out there but you haven't heard about it before today. 

Josh Ross

Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx

What is a hands on review?

'Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view.