Van Nicholas

[Deleted User] · 06-05-2021 9:22pm #1

hello all, is there anyone among us who owns or has any experience with a Van Nicholas? I am tempted to buy a Skeiron, but have no experience with the brand, or ti bikes in general. I have been riding carbon bikes now for many years and am interested in a different experience. As they are quite expensive I would like to hear any first hand information , I am always wary of online reviews / magazines etc, TIA.

Wishbone Ash · 06-05-2021 11:26pm

Mercian Pro of this parish rides a VN - I've no doubt he'll be along in due course.

Weepsie · 07-05-2021 12:35am

Someone I know has one. His dream bike. He doesn't cycle much, but when he does he wanted it to be on a bike that he would always enjoy and that's it.

Biker79 · 07-05-2021 8:43am

Several clubmates and associates have had (or currently have ) a VN - nothing but good things to say about them.

They are made in China, not Holland, and in general Ti has had issues with weld joints in the past. These days I think those issues are largely sorted.

Worth googling for peace of mind though.

thehangtenguy · 07-05-2021 6:39pm

I have a VN ventus about 7 years now and very happy with it. It’s my go to bike for longer spins and rougher roads.The only negative comment I say about Ti in general Is if you have a worn headset/ bb/ wheel bearings on the bike, the creaking seems to resonate louder thru a Ti frame and is very annoying until you find the issue. I have a Lynskey Ti mtb and experience the same issue with it.

koutoubia · 07-05-2021 8:06pm

Club mate has a VN Skeiron I think.
Absolutley loves it!

[Deleted User] · 07-05-2021 9:01pm

thanks all for the responses, sounds very promising, now just to decide what spec I want, I think if I go ahead with it I will get it delivered to my address, I don’t see any advantage of getting it delivered to a dealer shop,

cyclocross! · 07-05-2021 9:29pm

I have a VN Boreas. Lovely bike to ride. The frame comes with a lifetime warranty. Very comfortable and well made. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

Highway_To_Hell · 08-05-2021 12:54am

I have a VN Skeiron which I bought 3 years ago and love it, I bought it directly from the VN site but they shipped it to Local dealer (Stagg Cycles in Lucan ) to make sure everything is OK before you get it. Glad they did this as there was a minor issue with the hanger that I would not have noticed but Staggs did, this might have caused problems with gear changing and taken an age for me to solve. I went the whole hog and got decent wheels, Di2 and hydraulic disc breaks. I had looked at a few different TI options and liked that the Van N had full internal wiring where some of the other brands only had internal wiring to the bottom bracket. 3 years later I still admire the bike and it gets comments from other cyclist as well. Van N are really good to deal with and due to the initial issue they sent me a full Van N cycling kit FOC. Also recently I needed new bottle cages as the ones I had broke and they replaced them FOC as well. Would advise ordering spare rear hangers as they are bespoke to the bile and useful to have them to hand if there is a problem and you don't have to get them shipped in from Holland. I have covered over 15k km in the 3 years and it still looks like new.

benneca1 · 08-05-2021 7:01am

I rode a Yukon for a few years lovely bike well made and keeps its looks. Sold it on to buy a Gravel bike but still wish I had kept it. Ti keep their looks

C3PO · 08-05-2021 9:44am

Decided a while back to buy bikes that I intended to keep for the medium to long term rather than regularly changing. An essential for me was a threaded bb. Bought a Kinesis GF Ti frame and built it up. Absolutely love it. Next time I will push the boat out and buy the best Ti frame I can afford!

timmyjimmy · 08-05-2021 12:31pm

I'm looking at a J. Guillem Major myself. J. Guillem is the guy who started VN and then sold on the company. He has now started J. Guillem bringing his Ti knowledge with him. Anyone have any experience of J. Guillem bikes?

Highway_To_Hell · 08-05-2021 3:57pm

timmyjimmy wrote: »

I'm looking at a J. Guillem Major myself. J. Guillem is the guy who started VN and then sold on the company. He has now started J. Guillem bringing his Ti knowledge with him. Anyone have any experience of J. Guillem bikes?

Also looked at the J. Guilleum bikes when buying my VN, really liked them and the owner was great to deal with and willing to build the bike with any components I wanted. I did contemplate travelling over to Mallorca to look at his setup and try out the bikes but in the end decided the frame geometry was a bit race orientated for me and the internal cabling only went to the bottom bracket so I went with the Van N and have no regrets I did so.

lennymc · 08-05-2021 4:05pm

if you are any way near the bike station in dundalk, they have a van nicholas ventus in stock, and the frame, although entry level, is very nice.

[Deleted User] · 10-05-2021 7:49pm

thanks for all the replies, much appreciated, looking at their website now they are out of stock until end of next month,

cyclocross! · 10-05-2021 7:52pm

Jakub Zytecki wrote: »

thanks for all the replies, much appreciated, looking at their website now they are out of stock until end of next month,

That's not bad in the modern purchase of cycling equipment world. It will be worth the wait.

Dexif · 10-05-2021 9:22pm

timmyjimmy wrote: »

I'm looking at a J. Guillem Major myself. J. Guillem is the guy who started VN and then sold on the company. He has now started J. Guillem bringing his Ti knowledge with him. Anyone have any experience of J. Guillem bikes?

Yep, I have my Major nearly two years and am very happy with it. I bought the frameset from Pedal Revolution as it worked out slightly cheaper than going direct to JG. It's a great bike and very comfortable. My build is not the lightest but the bike still feels fast and nimble...

timmyjimmy · 11-05-2021 8:07am

Dexif wrote: »

Yep, I have my Major nearly two years and am very happy with it. I bought the frameset from Pedal Revolution as it worked out slightly cheaper than going direct to JG. It's a great bike and very comfortable. My build is not the lightest but the bike still feels fast and nimble...

Excellent. Just finished my last college assignment ever yesterday ('m in my 30s). I spotted a new one on ebay based in the netherlands... I think a present from TJ to TJ is in order

benneca1 · 11-05-2021 9:13am

If you are in a hurry I think Race Right Cycles in Portlaoise have stock.

Van Nicholas

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