Anyone got a Van Nicholas Ventus?

Floydyboy
Floydyboy Posts: 12
edited February 2013 in Road buying advice
Thinking of getting a Van Nicholas Ventus, anyone just bought one? Would love to hear your thoughts on it :)

Comments

  • exlaser
    exlaser Posts: 264
    hi, i have just picked up my new ventus a couple of weeks ago( it was a 50th birthday present from my wife).
    its the cheaper one the s.c with a apex group set.

    because of the weather a have not ridden much, it new and i still dont want to get it dirty! :D but here are some of my first impressions.

    1) it looks great, the welding is very good and finished off to a very high standard.( though i do think the rear dropouts on the old mistral looked prettier! :lol: )

    2)the ride is a dream and everything i hoped a ti bike would be. its very responsive and smooth all at the same time, if that makes sense. the bike weighs in at about the 8kg/18lb mark, but seems to feel lighter when ridden

    3) i was i little concerned about having sram apex group set( am a campag fan), but i am very pleased with it so far. it is as good, if not better than the campag veloce i have on my old bike.

    4) the only change i made to the standard spec was to change the wheels as i did not want the easton ones the bike came with and my lbs did me a very good deal on them.

    5) it looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D

    i hope this small bit of information is some use to you. the only other thing i can add is, i got mine from john atkins cycles in leamington spa and their service was second to none( even had a bike fit for the first time) and a cannot recommend them high enough. 8)
    Van Nicholas Ventus
    Rose Xeon RS
  • Hi exlaser, thanks very much for the info, glad your enjoying the bike. I am still thinking of buying one mainly because I like the look of titanium and for the comfort factor that I have heard so much about, not that I have ever had the chance to try a titanium bike out. Was also looking at a carbon but would be afraid of wrecking or damaging it or the paintwork if I fell off.
    The bike shop called Fatbirds in Norfolk seems to have the best prices on the Ventus SE and they said they would be prepared to sell me the bike without the wheels and change the gearing and derailleur to a 11-32 cassette as I live in South Wales with some big hills near me.
    I am 5ft 4" with a 30" leg so I am after a 52cm frame size for the Ventus SE. Planet x were doing Van Nicholas Euros frames for £499.99 but only in the 50cm frame, was thinking of maybe taking a chance and buying one of them and building a bike up from scratch with a longer stem to accommodate for the smaller frame.
    Anyway thanks for the advice mate.
  • Hi Floydyboy,

    Good choice in choosing the Van Nicholas. Although I don't have the Ventus, but I have been on my Chinook for 2 years & I love every minute of it, a real joy to ride. In fact I ride this more than I do my summer carbon bike.
    I too got mine via the post from FatBirds, and they were great to deal with over the phone. First class service!

    In terms of size, may I be so rude as to suggest you may take a second look at it.
    You see, I'm 5'7" and ride a 52cm Chinook with a top tube length 535mm which I find works for me, all my rides have been between 530-540mm. At 5'4" I would think a 50cm Ventus with a TTL of 520mm would be more appropriate, the 52cm TTL is 531mm.
    A club mate of mine purchased the 50cm Euros (with TTL 520mm) recently from Planet X for the said price & I think she's around your measurement.

    I would phone up FatBirds (or go in to the shop if possible) or email Van Nicholas and ask for their opinion to se what they say. You got to be sure about the size, because nothing worse than a poor fitted bike in my view.
    If you do get one, you'll not be disappointed at all!

    I hope I'm not being rude & that helps in your quest for all things TITANIUM!

    Regards
  • Hi Look656wong,

    Not being rude at all I appreciated any good advice. Just thinking the 52cm would be a good size as it is a similar size to my 52cm Specialized Secteur sport which I find comfortable and also I inputted my measurements into the Van Nicholas site which gave me an ideal frame size of 51cm. I then emailed them and they told me that out of the 52cm or 50cm frame sizes I would probably be better suited to a 52cm but could get away with a 50cm with a slightly longer stem.
    The Euros frame from Planet X does seem good value though and I am tempted to buy the 50cm Euros.
    Would love to go and have a fitting on a Van Nic but there are no dealers with any stock near me so I would probably have to buy online.
    Thanks again for the advice though and if you want to comment any further please don't hesitate.
  • luv2ride
    luv2ride Posts: 2,367
    I hired a VN Euros when in Mallorca a couple of years ago, with VNT carbon forks and Ultegra triple groupset as I recall. It was a very nice bike indeed, and as a consequence I've decided I'll go titanium when the opportunity arises.

    I reckon that PX deal is great if you can make the frame fit
    Titus Silk Road Ti rigid 29er - Scott Solace 10 disc - Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 disc - Scott CR1 SL - Pinnacle Arkose X 650b - Pinnacle Arkose singlespeed - Specialized Singlecross...& an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 4 string...