The Trigon AR01R Is Dimpled Like A Golf Ball for Aerodynamics: Taipei Cycle Show 2024

Welcome to Velo’s Taipei Cycle Show coverage, where we share our favorite things we’ve found at the 2024 show. Bikes, components, accessories, and more: if we think it’s cool, you’ll see it. See the rest of our coverage here.

You’ve seen bikes with internal cable routing and deep tubes. You’ve seen Zipp using dimpled finishes on their rims to improve aerodynamic efficiency. But never have I seen those dimples make their way to a frameset. That’s just what has been done here with the Trigon AR01, or All-Rounder.

Trigon’s history is interesting. The company started as a manufacturer for other companies before going off and building frames under their own name. The Taiwanese brand brought a couple of bikes, but their All-Rounder is what drew us in. First was because of that finish, and second was because of that texture.

The texturing here – similar to what was employed on older Zipp wheels – is said to prevent air from sticking around tubes as they pass around the leading edges of a frame. As such, you’ll see the dimpling here around the head tube, seat tube, and around the down tube area. Trigon claims that this type of coating can cut drag by almost half when done strategically, though they’re not claiming this bike is twice as aerodynamic as a standard tubed road bike.

Their closest comparison is against their HC01, a lightweight climbing bike that doesn’t have much in the way of aero focus. In comparison, Trigon claims their AR01 is something like 20 percent more efficient.

One important part to note is that the AR is UCI-certified. What takes away the certification is these bolt-on brake caliper fairings. Perhaps they make the bike too slippery?

This red version is a new AR 01 R, which saves about 70 grams over their standard bike thanks to a lighter carbon layup.

Of course, what drew me in with these bikes were the finishes, which looked phenomenal. The integrated handlebar and stem combo is par for the course here, but the finishing and paint matching are about as good as anything else I’ve found at the show.