Review: Argon 18 Grey Matter

Before the Argon 18 Grey Matter’s launch in early September, I took a test model on my local ravine run. It has flat, multi-use paths with fairly fine crushed gravel as well as a bit of singletrack and some really steep, loose inclines. I know the area well. On my own gravel bike, I need to balance my weight just right across both wheels on a certain climb to make it up without the rear wheel slipping. With the Grey Matter’s wide cassette range and 38c Vittoria Terreno Dry tires, I spun up the ravine edge easily.

I was also struck by the Grey Matter’s handling. The bike has essentially the same geometry as the carbon-fibre Argon 18 Dark Matter, which is an agile gravel racer. The aluminum Grey Matter isn’t meant for competition. At 10.17 kg, it does have a bit of heft. Still, it moves well on twisty trails. The carbon forks that both bikes use are practically identical. The fork blades on the Grey Matter, however, each have three mounts, which reveal the bike’s main purpose: hauling stuff for a two-wheel adventure.

The Grey Matter has many mounts for frame bags, racks and fenders. It also has the stability to carry this stuff well. At the front, the cable and brake hoses aren’t fully integrated into the stem, but they’re discrete, out of the way. This setup means you can put on a handlebar bar bag and it won’t cause any ghost shifts bumping against the shifter cable. According to Vincent Lemay, vice-president of R&D, one of the goals in the Grey Matter’s design was simplicity. The routing of shifter cable is clean and much easier to service than a fully internal wire.

When I spoke with Lemay in September, he also mentioned the frame material. “It’s been a while since we’ve produced aluminum bikes,” he said. “This is a comeback. But it’s here to stay. There’s a need for it.” While designers can make a tough, durable frame with carbon fibre, it’s much easier, and cheaper, to make a robust frame with aluminum. Even before the pandemic, Lemay and his colleagues noticed a demand for entry-level gravel bikes—machines that aren’t too complicated or expensive. The company’s 3D+ system gives you a wide fit range, letting you set your stem quite high, putting you in an upright position. With the Grey Matter, I’d say Argon 18 has produced an entry-level bike that you’ll stick with for years because its design and spec are so well thought out.

Still, one upgrade I’d go for is a tubeless setup, possibly on a new set of wheels. I do like the Vision Team Aero i23 AGX wheels—they’re tough and roll well—but hoops with wider inner rim widths and tubeless tires would give a more suspension-like behaviour to the rubber. That change would make the bike a bit more comfortable and would boost the handling on rough surfaces. This bike can fit 42c tires on a 700c wheel. You can go as wide as 47c with 650b hoops.

The Grey Matter is a sharp bike. It’s simply ready to go, ready to tackle whatever route you want to take on.