Staff Build Alert ! ! ! Joshua's Argonaut GR3

After years of working on bicycles at Cycle Project Store, Josh has developed a fairly clear idea of what he values in his own.

It is not necessarily the newest technology, the lightest frame or the latest trend.

Traditional frame shapes still appeal to him. Simple, serviceable details still matter. And as the years have gone by, one thing has become increasingly important: Comfort.

“Comfort is speed,” he says.

It is perhaps the simplest way to understand the bicycle he eventually chose for himself. An Argonaut GR3.

Coming from a mountain bike background, it was the geometry that caught Josh's attention first.

A 68.5-degree head angle. 74.4mm of trail. A remarkably short 415mm chainstay. And clearance for tyres up to 50mm.

On paper, the GR3 suggested an interesting combination: stability at speed without giving up agility.

That was exactly what Josh was looking for.

At the time, he was focused heavily on gravel racing. His previous bike was capable and fast, but once the terrain became more demanding while maintaining race pace, he found that it could wear him down quickly.

The GR3 offered a different experience.

On rough terrain at speed, the bike felt planted and forgiving. A less-than-perfect line or a small mistake did not immediately become a problem, while the short rear end still gave the bike enough snap to regain momentum when the pace dropped.

For Josh, that balance was the attraction.

Stability when things get rough. Agility when it matters.

That philosophy of 'Comfort is speed" carried through to the fit.

Despite having the numbers to do so, Josh deliberately chose not to slam the stem.

The Argonaut was not built purely as a race bike. It would also see adventure rides and ultra-distance trips, where comfort becomes less of a luxury and more of a requirement.

The goal was simple: build a bike that could go fast without making the rider pay for it later.

Comfort is speed.

One component choice tells a slightly different story.

Josh has never been a fan of SRAM's previous D-series hydraulic brakes. In fact, he remembers them as some of the least convincing drop-bar hydraulic brakes he had used.

So when SRAM introduced the E-series with its redesigned lever and single-finger braking, he was sceptical.

Then came a long, high-speed gravel descent.

Riding aero on the hoods in the peloton, Josh found himself relying heavily on the brakes. The modulation, lever feel and braking power gave him a level of confidence he had not expected. It changed his mind completely.

For someone who works with bicycles every day, that kind of conversion says plenty. He was sold.

Other choices are much quieter.

Underneath the downtube sits a simple bottle cage mount. Something that could easily be overlooked on a modern gravel bike.

For Josh, it has become one of the most useful details on the frame.

After enough ultra-distance riding, he knows exactly where he wants his tool keg. A traditional bottle cage mount is easy to access, easy to replace and does not rely on proprietary parts. It does not rattle, and it does not interfere with the various bags that come along on longer adventures.

When the ride is over, it simply comes off. 

Simple. Clean. Practical.

It is also a good reflection of Josh's approach to bicycles. Not every problem needs a complicated solution.

There is a small irony to the Argonaut.

Josh has never been particularly fond of fully integrated framesets. Yet the GR3 is his first.

Working on it has given him a new appreciation for the details that disappear once everything is tucked inside the frame.

Preparing headset bearings properly. Choosing the right grease and applying the right amount. Getting the hydraulic hose length right. Thinking ahead about servicing and even how the bike will eventually be packed for travel.

These are details most riders will never see. But they are the details that determine how a bicycle lives with its owner over time.

Josh admits that he does not maintain his own bikes quite as obsessively as one might expect from a mechanic. Instead, he tends to use them as test beds.

Parts, durability, wear and real-world tolerances become lessons that eventually feed back into his work at CPS,  and the advice he gives customers.

Ask Josh what makes the Argonaut special among all the exceptional bicycles he encounters at CPS, and the answer is surprisingly simple. The geometry.

His description of the ride is equally direct:

“High-speed stability of a modern XC race bike on the dirt, efficiency of a race-ready road bike.”

Ultimately, that is what the GR3 represents for Josh.

Not the latest trend. Not the lightest possible build. Not a collection of fashionable parts.

Just a bicycle whose geometry allows him to ride the way he wants to ride. Quickly when he wants to, comfortably when he needs to, and confidently when the trail gets rough.

And perhaps that is what makes Josh's Argonaut his own.

After spending so much time working on other people's bicycles, his own choice comes down to something remarkably straightforward, knowing what he wants from a bike.

His advice to anyone building their own is just as simple.

Know the purpose of the bike. Set a realistic budget. Get a bike fit.

Everything else comes after.

And if he were not working at Cycle Project Store? 

“Honestly, I don't know. I probably wouldn't even be riding a drop-bar bike to begin with.”

Maybe that is the most fitting way to end it.

Fancy an Argonaut?

Get in touch!