I’m now in the market for a new all road/endurance road bike (not a gravel bike). As an older and shorter rider, I’m researching bikes with a shorter reach (~365 or shorter) and taller stack (~525 or taller).
Two bikes that popped up in my search were the Argon 18 Krypton/Krypton Pro and the Open Min.D. I’m somewhat familiar with the brands, but not these models. Both have some unusual features. The Krypton line has a “3D” system that actually raises the top headset bearing to maintain stiffness while increasing stack height. The Open Min.D. has a seat mast with a proprietary top cap. There are other differences, but both seem to fit the bill.
Probably a long shot, but does anybody have any experience with either model?
I can’t tell you how any of these two ride, but I see Open frames and bikes discounted to real bargain prices, like 1365 € for a Min.D. frameset. If that is your kind of product, I don’t think you can do much wrong at this price.
I expect that a new version the min.d may be on the way (many styles out of stock on the open webpage and deep discounts elsewhere).
I expect the min.d 2.0 will have an integrated front end (like the recently released up 2.0) which is a pro or a con depending on perspective and UDH which I view as nice but not a necessity particularly for road.
Is there any reason you are married to carbon? This seems like a reasonable time to consider custom steel or titanium as the bike can be built to fit YOU rather than trying to adapt something off the shelf.
I have a 2021 Argon 18 Krypton Pro and love it. It was a bit of a lark based on a nice review on the Grand Fondo Magazine Website. But I have been very happy with it. I ride about 120 miles a week and have not changed a thing on it to date. Every now and again, I think about the possibility of a new bike. But I honestly cannot think of anything that would be that much better on a new bike. I may some time point finally get around to swapping out the HED Vanquish wheels for a different wheelset. But that will be more of a want than a need. I’ve been happy with it and I like that I don’t see too many other Argon 18s in the Metro DC area.
Heavily limited only if you want Sram XPLR or possibly some future Sram road groupset. Not for Shimano or Campagnolo. And how many people do really swap groupsets?
Brian - I own both of these! Let me know if have specific questions.
A few thoughts:
You can get an Open now at a discount. At least in the US, Argon 18s are harder to find
The Argon has a higher stack than the Open and much wider tire clearance. It also has usable internal frame storage. The Argon has semi internal headset routing.
The Open is lighter and has the general feel of being more premium. (I have the non-Pro Krypton).
If you get the Open, make sure you get the taller seat mast to allow for more fit flexibility if you ever sell it.
I feel the Open has a bit livelier ride and the Argon a bit cushier.
If money were no object, I would recommend you look at the ENVE Fray.
I got a Krypton with force AXS (not pro level) for 50% off last spring. MSRP seems a bit high. I’m older (56) and liked the extra stack with the 3d spacer but had to switch the seat post to one without any setback and I really didn’t find the stock bars very comfortable. With those things sorted, it works for anything from a fast(ish) group ride to 200mike rides. Handling is pretty neutral and with 32c tires it’s very comfortable. The roads up here in Maine can leave a little something to be desired
Good luck with your decision (I also like that the bb is t47 internal and the cables were only semi-integrated making the stem swaps simple).
Thank you for all of the feedback. I ended up choosing the Argon 18 Krypton Pro based on geometry. It hasn’t arrived, yet, so I can’t add to the comments. For those interested in the Open Min.D., I did reach out to Open, and they told me that the new Min.D. will NOT be released in 2026. Their next release will be the WI.DE.