Van Nicholas Chinook

thespanishadam

It took a long hard think to work out what I wanted from the bike and this is what came about. I personally love the classic look about the bike which had to have Campag. The build was courtesy of Corridori Cycles (apart from the tyres which I put on after and aren't lined up properly....), very good service indeed from start to finish. I learnt a lot about how important a proper fit is and very happy with the end product. The only thing left to do is play around with the steerer spacers.

Frame: Van Nicholas Chinook 54cm
Forks: Easton EC70
Bars: 3T Ergonova
Stem: 3T Arx
Headset: Chris King
Bar Tape: Lizard Skins

Front Brake Lever: Campag Centaur
Front Caliper: Campag Centaur
Rear Brake Lever: Campag Centaur
Rear Caliper: Campag Centaur

Shifters: Campag Centaur
Cables: Campag
Front Mech: Campag Centaur
Rear Mech: Campag Centaur

Seat: Prologo Vertigo Ti
Seat Post: Van Nicholas Ti
Seat Post Clamp: Van Nicholas Ti

Cranks: Campag Centaur
Chainring(s): 50 / 34
Chain: KMC
Cassette: 12-25
Pedals: Look Keo
Bottom Bracket: Campag

Wheels: Pro Lite Bracciano
Tyres: Continental GP4000s

Accessories: Tacx Bottle cage, Knog speedo

Weight: ??

greasedscotsman

markyone

Very nice,are those bars the team edition?

thespanishadam

markyone wrote:

Very nice,are those bars the team edition?

They are not the team version, the standard pro ones. First proper ride out on it tomorrow..

thespanishadam

A slight update.. removed some decals, shorter stem, cut down steerer and new wheels. Overall very impressed.

bmxboy10

Ok how did you get the transfers of the top tube and leave the Chinook transfer on? I want to do this on my mistral but the transfers look to be all one transfer. Also what made you want to change the wheels in the first place?

thespanishadam

solboy10 wrote:

Ok how did you get the transfers of the top tube and leave the Chinook transfer on? I want to do this on my mistral but the transfers look to be all one transfer. Also what made you want to change the wheels in the first place?

I ended up using acetone based nail varnish remover along with a mix of a hair dryer (to warm up the sticker), an old credit card and a hell of a lot of elbow grease with an old rag.

The transfer is all one, was careful with the bit the joins to the writing.

No real reason to the change in wheels, more of a 'want' than 'need' I guess. I think the simple ness works pretty well.

milleman

Looks lovely

I have a VN Zephyr which I love, quite tempted to buy the VN Ti seat post (have a carbon one at the moment)-have you noticed a difference in ride quality with the Ti seat post?

thespanishadam

I've never ridden it with any other seatpost so can't really comment.

After seeing the Ti seatpost on other bikes, the choice was simple. Note the seatclamp is Ti also, it makes it look like all one piece which I love.

Redhog14

Very nice indeed..

carl_p

Very nice indeed.

I'm very impressed with my Euros and will probably be looking to remove the top tube decals before long - they don't seem that robust.

How are you finding the Ti seatpost? The VN ones look fab.

thespanishadam

Carl_P wrote:

Very nice indeed.

I'm very impressed with my Euros and will probably be looking to remove the top tube decals before long - they don't seem that robust.

How are you finding the Ti seatpost? The VN ones look fab.

I find it a nice finishing touch, as for ride wise I have nothing to compare it to. I was sold on the looks alone though.

velojay

Sorry to highjack the thread. I have ridden my Chinook with both the VN ti seatpost and also a couple of different carbon posts. The ti post is quite stiff and responsive and for me is a little less comfortable than the carbon posts. I have had a Specialized post with zertz insert which was very comfortable but now am riding with an FSA K force light seatpost which is a little more stiff than the Specialized but not as stiff as the ti post.

The VN posts do look great though.

thespanishadam

A few new bits added and a good clean up.. Had to take a photo at least.

ianbar

i am looking at getting a mistral, or at least buying the frame and building the rest myself, yours has just rejuvenated my need!

thespanishadam

ianbar wrote:

i am looking at getting a mistral, or at least buying the frame and building the rest myself, yours has just rejuvenated my need!

It's when the 'want' turns in to a 'need' that things get dangerous. It makes me want to spend more time on it when I enjoy looking at it. Not looking to change anything for a while, but that can soon change.

nathancom

Before you get the Mistral, this offer looks very good to me:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ok-ltd-105

thespanishadam

Slight update so thought it was worth a photo, especially with the sun being out.

FransJacques

Interesting shifter set up, did you do that?

The reason you needed a shorter stem is that your shifters are mounted approx. 1cm too far down the 'bars from what is considered a stock set up. Despite the bars being rotated up very high (i.e. your drops are very steeply angled) your shifters still point downwards.

If you're bored one day and want to tinker, try mounting the shifters higher up so that the tops of the bar flow into the dugout of the shifters as a continupus horizontal line, then you can rotate the bars down a bit which make make for a more natural wrist position when you're in the drops ... or not... :-) Everyone's different.

Check out:
http://www.cervelos.com/bikes/r3sl/bike-124.html
or:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 6t%3D60905
these are slightly different bars but the red Look is nigh on perfect in my view:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... =3&t=59430

thespanishadam

FransJacques wrote:

Interesting shifter set up, did you do that?

The reason you needed a shorter stem is that your shifters are mounted approx. 1cm too far down the 'bars from what is considered a stock set up. Despite the bars being rotated up very high (i.e. your drops are very steeply angled) your shifters still point downwards.

If you're bored one day and want to tinker, try mounting the shifters higher up so that the tops of the bar flow into the dugout of the shifters as a continupus horizontal line, then you can rotate the bars down a bit which make make for a more natural wrist position when you're in the drops ... or not... :-) Everyone's different.

Check out:
http://www.cervelos.com/bikes/r3sl/bike-124.html
or:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 6t%3D60905
these are slightly different bars but the red Look is nigh on perfect in my view:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... =3&t=59430

Thanks for the advice. This was how they were set up when I picked the bike up.

I tweaked it last time I rode as I haven't been getting on in the drops, looks like dropping the bars and bringing the levers up and in line should do the trick. Thanks again.

thespanishadam

Had a tweak with the position, dropped it to a -17 degree stem. What a difference it makes..

RideOnTime

thespanishadam wrote:

Had a tweak with the position, dropped it to a -17 degree stem. What a difference it makes..

good job...