Gravel riding is a discipline that is only becoming more diverse and complex as it evolves. There are those racing for big victories at a professional level, slamming around corners and down descents with lightning speed. Often in the same events, there are others taking a steadier approach, enjoying the view and the challenge of completing a long ride away from cars and roads. Then there is the bike-packing side of things, where riders are taking on multi-day adventures with luggage in tow, often sleeping in nature with tents attached to their bikes too. Many riders want a bike to be able to do it all – whether that’s taking on a race occasionally on one weekend, and going on a cycling holiday off-road with their friends the next. So do we now need multiple bikes for different types of gravel riding? Or is there an option for a bike that can do it all?
Argon 18, with its newly-updated version of the Dark Matter gravel build, is aiming to answer this need. “Gravel riders define their own roads and require versatility in a bike, so that they can go wherever the ride takes them,” says Alexandre Coté, Product Director at Argon 18. “The new Dark Matter prepares you for the unscripted and unmapped. It’s not just about performance—it’s about purpose.”
With the latest Dark Matter, Argon 18 has tried to create a bike for everything: the longer reach and wheelbase, as well as a 1-degree slacker head angle makes for race-ready, more aerodynamic geometry that can handle well in technical situations. At the same time, the bike is also compatible with wider tyres, taking up to an impressive 57mm wide rubber with 50mm versions fitted as standard specification. For those wanting to explore, there are multiple options for mounting bags and downtube storage, plus increased comfort levels thanks to dropped seatstays – this is all while making the frame weight 150 grams lighter than the previous version. Performance? Tick. Comfort? Tick. Suitable for bike-packing? Tick.
So, is it really possible that the Canadian company has designed a gravel bike for every type of gravel rider? I had the opportunity to put the new Dark Matter to the test on the rolling gravel roads of Kielder Forest at the 2025 edition of the Dirty Reiver. While I wasn’t expecting to win the 130-kilometre event, I was hoping for a bike that would allow me to have fun and push the limits on descents, while also being comfortable for a six-hour day in the saddle, dampening out big vibrations and not putting me at risk of back pain or aching shoulders in the sections where I wanted to chat or cruise with friends. Performance wasn’t my priority, but like it is for the majority of bike riders, it was still a consideration for the event. With this in mind, here are my first impressions after a big day out on Argon 18 ‘s Dark Matter.
Ride impressions
I rode Argon 18’s Dark Matter in a size small. I was impressed by how quickly I felt comfortable on the bike as soon as I took it out for a test ride, despite never having used one of the brand’s models before. I’m used to frames with aerodynamic profiles predominantly for road riding, so the fact the updated Dark Matter leans towards more race-ready geometry was to my liking. The build I was racing on was specced with a 1x SRAM Rival XPLR eTap groupset and DT Swiss G1800 XDR wheels (which come stock with Schwalbe G-One RX PRO tyres but I switched these out in favour of Panaracer’s Gravel King X1 tyres.) Other features of the Dark Matter included FSA A-Wing Pro AGX handlebars and a Repente Quasar S 2.0 saddle. Sitting in the mid-range of Argon 18’s build offerings for the Dark Matter, the bike I was riding is priced at £4500.
The route of the Dirty Reiver is a healthy mix of long, flowing fireroads and tightly-packed gravel, combined with a dose of technical singletrack and some steep ascents in the latter part of the parcours. I was impressed by how quickly the Dark Matter got up to speed on the long and fast sections of the course, it felt sturdy and grounded underneath me while still managing to dampen vibrations if I hit any big stones. The bike is also dropper post and suspension fork compatible which is something to keep in mind if you plan to tackle more severe terrain. DT Swiss’s G1800 wheels felt a little bit heavy and less pacey than I would have liked if I was truly trying to race the Dirty Reiver – this is an upgrade to consider if a rider was mainly planning to use the bike for competition. Panaracer’s Gravel King X1 tyres were completely faultless over the rugged terrain of the Kielder Forest – while riders around me were stopping to plug punctures, the Gravel Kings stayed strong throughout and had the perfect combination of fast rolling resistance and enough grip to keep me feeling safe around corners with loose gravel.
Like with the DT Swiss G1800 wheels, the 1x SRAM Rival XPLR eTap groupset is also a more entry-level offering that I wouldn’t expect to see used by those competing for victory in gravel events. While I was impressed by the braking performance and the sensitivity of the rotors to even a light touch, as well as the quick shifting and lack of chainslap over rough roads (thanks to trickle-down technology from Force and Red), the groupset is considerably heavier than its more expensive SRAM siblings. With this in mind, the Dark Matter build I was riding wouldn’t be my choice for high-performance gravel riding where marginal gains are a priority.
However, considering the components and the mid-level spec of the Dark Matter, the bike did impress me when I was riding fast. I was hitting high-speeds on the descents and the slacker headtube angle combined with the longer reach helped me to get in a nice and low position on the drops. I found the ergonomics of the FSA A-Wing Pro AGX handlebars comfortable and generally the bars were impressively compliant with the right balance of flex for technical sections while still feeling sturdy while out of the saddle on steep climbs. The Argon 18 felt impressively close to an aggressive, light-footed race bike despite the fact it has elements which make it versatile enough for bike-packing extravaganzas.
I didn’t make use of those features due to the fact I only really used the Dark Matter in a race scenario, but if I’d purchased the bike myself I would have been happy to see the huge number of mounting points for bottles, racks, and fenders as well as the downtube storage and dynamo routing in the fork and 57mm tyre clearance. Argon 18 has come close to creating a gravel bike that can do whatever you need it to.
Above all, this is what makes Argon 18’s updated Dark Matter stand out. The Canadian company has redesigned the frame and geometry to make it better-suited to gravel races that are only growing in popularity by the season, while also staying true to the fact this is a bike which can take you anywhere. For riders who aren’t sure exactly where their gravel roads will lead to, this bike is a good choice. It’s true that if you are looking for a high-performance race bike then it would be necessary to switch out components with weight and performance in mind, but considering the price of the Dark Matter, it does a pretty good job in this department. As we all search for one bike for a number of different use cases, the Argon 18 Dark Matter is a solid option – and a good example of a brand responding to the ever-changing demands of the market that it serves.
