The AR is the bike for you if going fast is your thing. Whether you are in the hunt for PRs, segment leaderboards, or Olympic gold, the AR is built to get you to your finish line. Not just faster but better in every way, the AR is designed with performance its core purpose. We know that going fast isn't only about cheating the wind—though the AR doesn't disappoint on that front. It's also about keeping yourself fresher and more composed than the competition so check out the AR for the complete go-fast package.
This is why we rebuilt the latest AR from scratch, starting with a blank slate. We took the performance data from the prior AR, knowing just how fast it was and that it remains a reference point for racers and much of the cycling industry. But, on top of this, we elevated the importance of ride quality and handling to ensure that the total package is simply the fastest and best aero road bike we've ever designed. The AR is a whopping 9% faster than the previous AR rim brake bike depending on the conditions!
Fully-hidden cable routing systems and one-piece integrated cockpits may look good and certainly work perfectly for some. But, the drawbacks can be deal-breakers for many riders. Chief among these is a significantly more tedious and time-consuming maintenance process. It also makes the bike more difficult to easily break down for travel. And, due to inherent space constraints, many fully hidden systems can cause excessive wear and tear on cables and housing if not perfectly set up by an expert mechanic. Likewise, one-piece handlebar-and-stem configurations limit a rider’s ability to dial-in their preferred body position, as well as fine-tune their favored set-up of brake hoods to bar profile, to bar tilt, and the other fine-tuning efforts that really make a bike your bike. With the AR’s cock-pit system, riders have the option of using our semi-integrated stem (in lengths from 80mm to 140mm) or their favorite stem in whatever material and length they prefer, as well as their preferred handlebar in a myriad of materials, shapes, and sizes.
We pioneered a unique seatpost design for the previous-generation AR, and it offered such a high level of aerodynamic efficiency and a superb ride quality that it only made sense that we would revisit it for the new AR. This latest version still features the signature split design that not only allows for an aerodynamically optimized interface between the post and the seat tube junction, but the two halves of the post flex and shear independently of one another, increasing overall rider comfort. We also created a co-molded rubber insert that lives within the junction of the seatpost and seat tube, giving the entire interface added compliance. Finally, the slotted seatpost design allows for the use of a proprietary clamping mechanism that results in a lighter overall setup thanks to the use of thinner carbon walls, and a more finely tuned level of compliance for rider comfort. So what does all this mean? The new AR’s seatpost provides 112% more flex than the seatpost of the previous- generation AR. Purists will say that an aero race bike shouldn’t be “comfortable" but the hurt you encounter should be what you dole out on the competition.