Does anyone recommend Van Nicholas?
Comments
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Like my sig says, I ride an Enigma Esprit and I love it. Wish I'd had the new look etched logo on the front of my bike though.
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
Euros and Zephyr are not full on race bikes (although quick enough that some do compete on them) so a good choice for a fair weather bike suitable for "sportive type" rides.
If you want something that can also take guards and possibly a pannier rack then the Yukon model is also worth considering, I reviewed mine here that may be of interest.
Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.ukpopette wrote:I want something a bit different and there is so much out there that I can't decide. I like the look of Van Nicholas - it doesn't seem too flash and the marketing spiel really does sell the benefits of Titanium to me. I'd want a "sportive type" frame - perhaps the zephyr or the euros.
Anyone got one? Is it any good?
I was hoping to spend around the £1500 mark but could push the boat out a little bit for something really special. Got any recommendations?
Thanks0 -
Paul - how does the Chinook fit into the handling curve from racey to audaxy?
I like the look of the frame - I have a 2001 Giant TCR at the moment which is too twitchy. I don't mind an aggressive position, but I don't want such fast handling0 -
I have both the Yukon and Chinook, both set up for the intended riding styles, Yukon for Audax/touring with lower gearing and larger heavier tyres etc than the Chinook which that is set up for faster riding with lighter tyres and higher gearing, the bike is also lighter as a result. The positions are also set up slightly differently, the Chinook with more focus on speed and faster riding with more effort over shorter distances, the result is it does quicker than the Yukon.leonlikestrees wrote:Paul - how does the Chinook fit into the handling curve from racey to audaxy?
I like the look of the frame - I have a 2001 Giant TCR at the moment which is too twitchy. I don't mind an aggressive position, but I don't want such fast handling
However if both bikes had the same set up in every way then as I mention in the review of my Yukon here “Cruising along, it feels comfortable and stable. Unloaded and riding on a flat level road, it feels quick; never quite as quick as a full on race bike but relatively fast nonetheless. If I had to highlight the difference of riding this style of geometry makes over a race bike, then personally I would say I only notice a slight drop off in performance when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle. The rest of the time it is much closer, which is exactly what they claim it is designed to be”.
In terms to how much faster the handling is then I would say that although I do notice a difference in as much that the Yukon does feel more stable at the front end, that doesn’t mean that I find the Chinook twitchy
Paul_Smith0 -
To me that implies that essentially, I can tweak the handling more by changing position etc, than I would from switching between a Yukon and a Chinook?
Sounds like the Chinook would be a good ride for me, although having had another look, I think the Euros may be a better bet. I tend to ride very heel in, and another annoyance with my TCR is that I catch my heels on the straight chainstays. On my cross bike which has houglass stays, I get enough heel clearance.
As far as I can tell, the main differences are skinnier curvey stays on the Euros (more compliance, not as stiff?), and a compact v. non-compact geomtery. From this I deduce the Euros is cheaper just because it uses less Ti...
The other thing that strikes me, is that looking at the geomtery, they all have short top tubes, with the 60cm having a top tube at 57.7cm.0 -
Yukon will always feel more stable at the front than either Chinook or Euros as it is designed to potentially carry luggage on the rear, which is in part why the head angle will be shallower in comparison, if it had the geometry of a race bike it could possible ‘shimmy’ at speed when luggage is carried.leonlikestrees wrote:To me that implies that essentially, I can tweak the handling more by changing position etc, than I would from switching between a Yukon and a Chinook?
Sounds like the Chinook would be a good ride for me, although having had another look, I think the Euros may be a better bet. I tend to ride very heel in, and another annoyance with my TCR is that I catch my heels on the straight chainstays. On my cross bike which has houglass stays, I get enough heel clearance.
As far as I can tell, the main differences are skinnier curvey stays on the Euros (more compliance, not as stiff?), and a compact v. non-compact geomtery. From this I deduce the Euros is cheaper just because it uses less Ti...
The other thing that strikes me, is that looking at the geomtery, they all have short top tubes, with the 60cm having a top tube at 57.7cm.
Chinook has a stiffer set up than Euros, the rear stays are straighter and more oversized with stiffer, more expensive dropouts. I personally chose Chinook over Euros as I do the occasional race, plus even though I have worked in bike shops for over twenty years I still keep my bikes for a long time, so wanted something with classic lines.
Paul_Smith0 -
Hmmm, I suppose the best thing would be to ride the two and compare. Looks wise I prefer the Chinook, but not enough for it to make me choose it.
I have an on-one ti cross bike at the moment, and it always feels great until I have a go on someones ALuminium cross bike, after which it always feels a bit 'soft'. Maybe it would be nice to have the stiffness....0 -
Sorry to be coming in a bit late on this thread but wanted to just give my opinion too.
I started out with a Blaze frame late in 07 shifting all my kit over from my old Tri / TT bike just before doing my second Ironman. I can honestly say that the bike helped me through on what was one of the hardest 6 hours I have experienced in the saddle. The finish and ride quality are great, amazing value for money all round and the warranty is pretty good too. The guys at V.N. were realy helpfull when making countless enquieries.
I was so pleased with the Blaze that I have since bought a Yukon frame and built it up for the winter and it hasn't disappointed.
Now the question is which frame should I go for to upgrade my good road bike. I am not a racer other than the odd Tri or TT so I am really just looking for a fast long distance performer for long summer days in the saddle and the regular Sunday club runs?
I like the classic look of the Chinook but the Zephyr would seem to tick the boxes for my riding style. Any views on the merits of the two?0 -
Posty_Paul wrote:Sorry to be coming in a bit late on this thread but wanted to just give my opinion too.
I started out with a Blaze frame late in 07 shifting all my kit over from my old Tri / TT bike just before doing my second Ironman. I can honestly say that the bike helped me through on what was one of the hardest 6 hours I have experienced in the saddle. The finish and ride quality are great, amazing value for money all round and the warranty is pretty good too. The guys at V.N. were realy helpfull when making countless enquieries.
I was so pleased with the Blaze that I have since bought a Yukon frame and built it up for the winter and it hasn't disappointed.
Now the question is which frame should I go for to upgrade my good road bike. I am not a racer other than the odd Tri or TT so I am really just looking for a fast long distance performer for long summer days in the saddle and the regular Sunday club runs?
I like the classic look of the Chinook but the Zephyr would seem to tick the boxes for my riding style. Any views on the merits of the two?
The Zephyr was their flagship race bike back when they were still Airborne, that model being the Airborne Zeppelin (they later introduced the higher spec' Torch model). As many buy Titanum bikes as a long term purchase, many, myself included chose the Chinook in preference due to the classic styling, working in the theory that it will not date as much. Chinook was also cheaper than the Zephyr, which was also a factor.
Of the three popular sports/race bike models, interms of pure performance they list it as Euros, Zephyr and the quickest would be Chinook, however unless you are actually racing where fractions of a second may make a difference then you should find al three give enough performance for "fast long distance performer for long summer days in the saddle and the regular Sunday club runs".
Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk0
