Argon 18 Nitrogen wind tunnel

[BLD25]

I have read a bit about the Nitrogen, and I can't seem to find much in the way of wind tunnel testing. It looks cool, is much more rare than the venge, S5, Propel, etc, and it seems to review favorably around here when I have searched threads.

However, has it been in any wind tunnel tests? How does it fare against the big boys? I had a Felt AR, which I know is among the most aero, but I sold it to a friend and regret it.

Any thoughts or more information? I am looking specifically at the rim brake version.

[TheDoctor]

I can't help you with wind tunnel data I'm afraid but the rim brake Nitrogen is a great bike to ride. Mind that is the previous generation and will be hard to get hold of.
From experience I do find it's relatively sensitive to crosswinds, especially on the back, which I guess is due to the tiny seat tube - rear wheel clearance. I ride it with Fast Forward F4R fcc wheels (45mm, different than in the photo in my signature). It's far from scientific but power required for a certain speed appears to closely match my Tarmac SL6 with Zipp 404s.
If there is one thing I'm not too keen about it is the comparatively low BB height. In my local club races, which are held on closed courses that have fast tight corners, pedal strikes seem to occur just that little bit earlier with the Nitrogen than other bikes I've raced. But it's entirely manageable and the handling and stability of the bike are superb.

[Renne]

My previous bike was also a rim brake Nitrogen. We've now made the switch to disc brakes and you now also have a disc brake Nitrogen which is a beauty if you ask me.
I loved my Nitrogen, it was stable but not slugish, responsive but not twitchy, not the stiffest but by no means a noodle, hard yet comfortable and for a full on aero bike surprisingly light.
I didn't really find it overly sensitive to crosswinds like TheDoctor notes...only with pretty heavy crosswinds in flat races (where I 'd use the 65mm wheels) I found I needed to take notice of gusts of wind.
When it comes down to aerodynamics, I couldn't find any wind tunnel data either and to be honest it has a faialy square downtube that isn't incredibly aero. But again, because it was such a great allrounder I didn't really care too much about that. It was still fast enough to win some races on so hey, there you go.

[BLD25]

Thanks for the opinions so far. It sounds like a great bike! I have a supersix EVO V2 right now that I am quite smitten with. I would have to get something more aero to have something different in my stable.

[BLD25]

So overall, it sounds like a great bike, but the only way to know it's aero ability is just to guess?

[sigma]

So overall, it sounds like a great bike, but the only way to know it's aero ability is just to guess?

I would actually contact them and ask. Their TT bikes are very well regarded for the aero abilities, and they are responsive. That being said, I've had a Krypton Pro on order for several months which has been pushed back 3x. So, I think stock is quite hard to come by.

[Stendhal]

I didn't know that nitrogen was used in wind tunnels, I always thought they used regular air (which admittedly contains nitrogen). Or, for that matter, argon, which is rare.

Come to think of it, you may have hit upon how Argon 18 (in all seriousness, I'm a fan) names its models. The Nitrogen is tuned to ride well in a nitrogen-filled environment, the Krypton in a krypton-filled environment, the Gallium if there are traces of gallium in the soil, etc. The Rare Earth, though, is for weirdos.

I'll be appearing nightly at the Laff Riot Club downtown