Argon 18 Gallium Pro

by Simon · 12/06/2013

[two_third]

The i-ride hub is located in a terrace of glossy new purpose built industrial units in the Mid Sussex Business Park, Ditchling Common; draw an almost straight line north as the crow flies, from the infamous Ditchling Beacon and you’ve found it.

The new units sparkle and gleam over the higgledy-piggledy units of the older part of the business park – a disorder of concrete roads, brick units and a hum of activity. It probably all made sense once, but now holds a certain well-worn charm.

i-ride have been around for years and moved into their new home in Ditchling Common around 2 years ago, whilst making the transition from Jim Walker and Co. Ltd to trading under the name i-ride. Jim Walker, as you may or may not know, is now Directeur en chef, along with master frame builder Mark Reilly, at Enigma Bicycles.

i-ride are also a specialist UK Service centre for Fulcrum, Campagnolo and Speedplay, though no longer Armstrong fans…

What I didn’t know is that i-ride once occupied an industrial unit just down the road from me in Hailsham, by some odd serendipity, the unit in which Enigma now resides. Progress, expansion and the need for larger premises, combined with better road links via both the A23 and the coastal A27, no doubt offers greater speed and efficiency in i-ride delivering to their extensive network of shops.

i-ride’s expansive range of prestigious cycling brands includes: 3T, Argon 18, Campagnolo, Catlike, De Rosa, Eddy Merckx, Fulcrum, Prologo, Speedplay and Zipvit to name just a few.

CycleTechReview’s Paul and I had arranged to meet with Tom, Marketing Manager for i-ride, to spend a morning looking at the new offerings from Merckx, De Rosa and Argon 18. A coffee and a quick tour of the well-stocked facility and we were up in the workshop to meet Mark, a Brand Manager for iRide, who was fettling with some bikes in the stand.

As Jerome K. Jerome says, “I like work, it fascinates me, I can sit and look at it for hours…” i-ride Brand Manager, Mark, sets up the De Rosa.

As Jerome K. Jerome says, “I like work, it fascinates me, I can sit and look at it for hours…” and in this respect watching another man work, especially a bicycle mechanic, is just as enjoyable.

As Mark worked on the bikes he explained about the Argon 18 and De Rosa brands, and we discussed bikes, materials, component choices, on-trend colours for 2013/14 and wheels.