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The New Argonaut R43 Road Wheels Blend Performance and Ride Quality

Argonaut Cycles R43 Wheelset hero(Photos / Argonaut Cycles)
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Argonaut Cycles is excited to announce its new R43 Road Wheels. Hot on the heels of the recently launched D33 gravel wheels, the R43 wheels are designed for the ultimate performance and ride quality on the road.

Argonaut Cycles R43 Wheelset pair first picture
(Photos / Argonaut Cycles)

The new R43 Wheels are built with proprietary rim profiles and Argonaut’s “thoughtful selection” of spokes and hubs, keeping serviceability and longevity in mind.

Keep it Stiff

At the core of the R43 wheel design philosophy is stiffness. The Argonaut R43 hoop was engineered to be “incredibly stiff”, ensuring all of the power from the rider gets fully delivered to the road.

Argonaut Cycles R43 Wheelset logo

When the rider uses Argonaut’s compliant frames, they can experience a smooth ride that doesn’t sacrifice the rigidity and responsiveness of the wheel.

Keep it Aero

The Argonaut R43 Wheels feature a 43mm rim depth. They chose this depth for its balance between being aerodynamic and lightweight. After extensive research and testing, Argonaut found that a 43mm rim depth offers significant aero benefits compared to a shallower rim. But any deeper, and you start paying a more significant weight penalty, which is why they feel 43mm is the sweet spot.

Superior Build

Every move made during the design of the R43 was focused on performance. The wheels are built with incredibly strong and light DT Aerolite spokes. The construction is said to be completed to a precise tension of 125kg. This ensures durability and performance under the most demanding scenarios.

Argonaut Cycles R43 Wheelset rim tape

On top of that, the hidden nipples will further enhance the R43 Wheels aerodynamic profile, further reducing drag (and possibly irritating mechanics who have to work on them). The DT Spokes are paired with DT Swiss 180 hubs.

The DT Swiss 180 hubs have a reputation for being reliable and easy to service. The hubs are light and durable with the total wheelset weight a claimed 1266 grams.

Argonaut R43 Retail & Features

Retail: $3400

  • Tire Range: 28-35mm*
  • Rim Depth: 43mm
  • Internal Width: 23.5mm
  • Thru-Axle: 12x100mm front – 12x142mm rear 
  • Hubs: DT Swiss 180 Centerlock
  • Spokes: DT Aerolite
  • Weight: 1266g – Pair
  • Freehub: Shimano – SRAM – Campagnolo
  • Hookless Rim
  • Hidden Internal Nipples
  • Built in Bend, Oregon

ArgonautCycles.com

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7 Comments
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Joenomad
Joenomad
14 days ago

Under features, it list the rims as being hookless, therefore tubeless only tires and that wasn’t addressed in the short write up.

Victor
Victor
14 days ago

So Terra CLX is as light. Available for three years, cam be found for half the price (still, 1500-2000), and hooked. Am I missing something?

SomeGuy
SomeGuy
12 days ago
Reply to  Victor

These are pretty aero – significantly deeper than the Terra CLX – and they’re built on DTSwiss 180 hubs with ceramic bearings all around. A more appropriate comparison would be the Rapide CLX II’s.

The fact that these are the width they are, and 43mm deep, AND still under 1300g is pretty surprising.

c c
c c
13 days ago

This just look like any other Chinese brand wheels. Hubs with such low flanges / PCD are designed for stiffness first? Unbelievable.

Tom
Tom
13 days ago

$3500 is a tough pull, there is so much competition. Betting these appeal to buyers of Argonaut framesets/complete bikes, and that’s about it.

Bumscag
Bumscag
13 days ago
Reply to  Tom

Yeah, it seems to be pretty much just a value add option on their full builds. Can’t speak to the rim cost but the hubs and spokes aren’t exactly cheap. Guessing they’d have to be 50+ margin to make it work.

Tom
Tom
13 days ago
Reply to  Bumscag

depends on if the rim profile is truly unique vs off the shelf from one of the carbon rim suppliers. If custom, the cost per rim really depends on volume, but I’m guessing $4-500/rim. If off the shelf, they can get a rim like that for less than $300

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