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Just in: Van Nicholas Chinook

Looking for an alternative to carbon fibre? Look no further

Do one thing and do it well must have been Van Nicholas’s founding motto, because the Dutch company only produces titanium bicycles - there’s no carbon fibre, aluminium or steel - and it been turning out some very fine bikes over the years. The Chinook, one of the company’s racier models, has just arrived in the road.cc office for testing, here’s a quick rundown of its main selling points before it hits the road.

Titanium, first discovered in Cornwall in 1791 and originally the preserve of Russian submarines, started to appear in the cycle world during the 1990s, when it commanded extremely high prices but set in stone the aura that surrounds the material and still makes many cyclists go a bit weak at the knees. These days though there is a lot more choice and, while not as affordable as other frame materials, is a lot less expensive than it used to be.

 

The Chinook is made from 3AL/2.5V Seamless Optiformed titanium tubes, with an oversized down tube and curved seatstays. With its combination of skinny tubes, clamp-on front mech, chain hook, external cable routing, external bottom bracket and headset, it has a rather traditional appearance (no bad thing) that is a bit of a throwback to a previous era of bicycle design. In an age of oversize everything and press-fit bearings, it’s rather refreshing to see. The biggest concession to modernity is the carbon fibre SLR fork.

It’s not just the details that are traditional. The geometry - this bike is pitched as a sporty frame - bucks the modern trend for tall head tubes, short top tubes and long wheelbases. The Chinook is long in the top tube and low at the front, with a short head tube providing a position that will suit speed merchants and a similarly short wheelbase that should provide the sort of snappy handling you want in a race bike.

The bike here is a 56cm, one of seven available sizes (50 to 62cm) and if none of those sizes work for you, Van Nicholas can also provide a fully custom frame designed to your exact specifications. The geometry numbers for the 56cm include a 56cm top tube, 15cm head tube, 405mm chainstays, 990mm wheelbase, 73 degree head angle and 74 degree seat angle.

There are some very neat details. The eye-catching dropouts, with a 7mm thick plate, have a pair of short tubes that allow Van Nicholas to oversize the rear stays, providing the necessary larger weld area. That should contribute to the stiffness this frame needs to provide if it’s to live up to its sporting credentials. The chainstays bridge and cable stops are all CNC-machined.

 

A classic non-tapered head tube, fitted with an external headset, has a lovely engraved Van Nicholas logo. The frame has a hand brushed finish. One of the appeals of titanium is its famed durability. That extends to the finish - it’s resistant to corrosion and scratches. Details you can see but which matter greatly includes the lifetime warranty and crash replacement policy.

Van Nicholas offers a choice of groupsets depending on your budget, and each bike is built to order in Holland. The test bike is equipped with a SRAM Force 22 drivetrain based on a compact 50/34t chainset with an 11-25t cassette. Slotting into the dropouts are Mavic Aksium One wheels with Vredestein Fortezza Senso All Weather tyres in a 25mm width.

The notable upgrade on this bike is the Chris King NoThreadset external headset which is something you rarely see on off-the-shelf bikes, especially with modern frames that mostly have integrated headsets (the bearings press directly into the head tube).

The finishing equipment can be tailored to preference or price as well, the bike coming fitted with the company’s own VNT parts. That includes a 6061 aluminium handlebar (44cm wide) with a matching stem, seatpost and saddle. The carbon fibre SLR fork is the company's own.

Claimed frame weight is 1.59kg (3.19lb), while the complete bike weight is 7.8kg (17.2lb). The Chinook frame costs €1,399 and complete bikes start from €2,711, with the pictured bike costing €3,416, - that works out as £2,458. There are a number of UK dealers you can go through, or you can buy direct through the company’s website.

www.vannicholas.com/

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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19 comments

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KarlR | 8 years ago
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My Chinook has served me well, huge difference compared to my winter bike.
Mine is a 60 frame, I think extra bits of carbon help make the frame look even nicer. Doesn't stop me wanting a carbon bike though, grass is always greener..

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fukawitribe | 8 years ago
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They all look stunning to me - I love my Wilier deeply but i'm thinking the unthinkable more frequently the more I see titanium framed bikes like these...

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srchar | 8 years ago
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I've got a VN Ventus with alloy Campag Athena on it, looks beautiful and rides very nicely. I'd have another one in a heartbeat. Ti snobs often look on VN with some disdain (I've never quite worked out why) but, for my kind of riding, they're great frames.

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wellcoordinated | 8 years ago
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Alright since you insist..

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Paul Madden replied to wellcoordinated | 8 years ago
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Hi,

I have query about the photo of the lovely Ti VN you posted, as I am looking into getting one myself. On your page it says your bike is an Aquilo, which is a frame I am particularly interested in. I am puzzled by the seat post, headset and dropouts, and wondered if it's a custom frame, or an older model? I have the same split leaf seat post myself, and as far as I know it only comes in 27.2mm dia (whereas the current Aquilo requires a 30.9mm dia post, only the Chinook I think has a 27.2). The Aquilo also has an integrated headset, but yours looks like a threadless. Finally, the dropouts on your bike are breezer style, but all the current VNs have these distinctive ones with what can only be described as 'hula hoops' on.

Any assistance would be great, and I guess you wouldn't hesitate to recommend the frames?!

Cheers,

Paul

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cmcg867 | 8 years ago
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I've got the track version of the Chinook and I love it. I know that on paper it's not the stiffest bike, but when you ride it it just seems to fly. And the classic look gets it plenty more attention next to everyone else's carbon aero stuff!

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PonteD | 8 years ago
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STOP POSTING PICTURES OF Ti BIKES DAMMIT!!!  20

I dont' need a new bike...
I dont' need a new bike...
I dont' need a new bike...
...
 35

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WolfieSmith | 8 years ago
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I'm not posting a photo of my Condor Moda. Suffice to say it too has traditional non integrated headset bearings so looks beautiful.

I do wish Road.CC wouldn't post photos of Ti bikes for the great unwashed to view and covet. They're exclusively for those of descerning taste left unmoved by plastic frames.

Oh go on then. Phoarrr look at that gleaming metal and subtle etched branding....

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wellcoordinated | 8 years ago
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I have two VNs: a Euros and an Aquilo. I wouldn't swap either for one of them there plastic bikes.

Here's my Aquilo! What a beauty!

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yingyang20 replied to wellcoordinated | 8 years ago
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Beautiful bike!
I'm thinking of getting either this one or the Chinook. I'm not the most powerful rider at 64kg. The Aquilo has slightly wider tubes than the Chinook and I don't know if it will be a little too stiff for me and my needs. Do you have any recommendation? Are you a similar weight to me, if you don't mind me asking. It's very hard to make a choose as I can't find a dealer in my area who has one to try out.

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wellcoordinated replied to yingyang20 | 8 years ago
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I come in at 73Kg so a bit heavier than you. To be honest I don't find it too stiff but you are lighter than me. One thing I would say is that I got the Aquilo first and then the Euros. The Euros is no longer made, but was made with more traditional tube sizes. It's also near enough the same geometry as the Aquilo and I don't notice a big difference in how the two ride. So I wonder if the difference between the Aquilo or the Chinook will be that noticeable. My advice is always try before you buy, but either way you won't be sorry if you buy a VN.

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yingyang20 replied to wellcoordinated | 8 years ago
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Thanks a lot for your reply. I will try to find the Euros and take a look at its spec's. Yes, I will definitely try before I get one or the other!

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wellcoordinated replied to yingyang20 | 8 years ago
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I come in at 73Kg so a bit heavier than you. To be honest I don't find it too stiff but you are lighter than me. One thing I would say is that I got the Aquilo first and then the Euros. The Euros is no longer made, but was made with more traditional tube sizes. It's also near enough the same geometry as the Aquilo and I don't notice a big difference in how the two ride. So I wonder if the difference between the Aquilo or the Chinook will be that noticeable. My advice is always try before you buy, but either way you won't be sorry if you buy a VN.

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David Arthur @d... | 8 years ago
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Quite right Kadinkski, sticking fingers there. All corrected

You're not wrong amazon22, I don't think I say anywhere it's a new model. It's never been tested on road.cc before, it's still a current model, so is still worth a review.

Van Nicholas actually launched a brand new road bike at Eurobike. There's a story about that coming very soon

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graybags | 8 years ago
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I'll stick with my decidedly not off the peg TI bike, for not much more £'s

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mingmong | 8 years ago
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A thing of beauty.  8

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amazon22 | 8 years ago
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This isn't a new model - it's been on their books for years, as have all their other models. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that since the business was sold to the Accell Group (who own Lapierre, Raleigh, Koga and Diamondback amongst many others) a couple of years ago, model development seems to have stopped. I love my VN Amazon, and its coming back into fashion with the advent of trail bikes, although buying direct was not a pleasurable experience at that time.

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StantheVoice replied to amazon22 | 8 years ago
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amazon22 wrote:

This isn't a new model - it's been on their books for years, as have all their other models. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that since the business was sold to the Accell Group (who own Lapierre, Raleigh, Koga and Diamondback amongst many others) a couple of years ago, model development seems to have stopped. I love my VN Amazon, and its coming back into fashion with the advent of trail bikes, although buying direct was not a pleasurable experience at that time.

Some companies are harder to get test bikes out of than others....fact of life...

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Kadinkski | 8 years ago
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Love that classic look.

The price isn't so bad these days either but I think you mean '€' not '$'?

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