What bike in the £1,500(ish) bracket..?
Discussion
I was at the folks this weekend and on a quiet Saturday afternoon, thought what better to do than pop over to Fat Birds to have a look at some Van Nicholas bikes.
Spent 15 minutes or so talking to the lady who worked there and was utterly reassured that they'd be a great place to buy a bike from.. and as a bonus, I had a good look around several Van Nicholas builds they had on display. They were very sweet, very understated. They look just like what I want, and Fat Birds looks the ideal place to buy them.
Time to get saving. I'm 33% there
The lady also reckons that the £1400 Tiagra based build should be running for quite some time (it's not a short term offer).
Spent 15 minutes or so talking to the lady who worked there and was utterly reassured that they'd be a great place to buy a bike from.. and as a bonus, I had a good look around several Van Nicholas builds they had on display. They were very sweet, very understated. They look just like what I want, and Fat Birds looks the ideal place to buy them.
Time to get saving. I'm 33% there
The lady also reckons that the £1400 Tiagra based build should be running for quite some time (it's not a short term offer).No, I was hanging on until I could sign up for the C2W scheme to get a road bike, but with all the uncertainty with the changes now, the reduced savings and the fact that most of the bikes I liked fell outside the £1000 limit I thought I'd be better off looking for somewhere that would do 0% finance rather than going through work. After reading this thread and seeing the Van Nicolas, my mind was made up. Fat Birds was the cheapest place I found, but no 0% finance. Had a Google and came across cyclesense.co.uk. They're VN dealers and do give the option of 0%.
I spoke to the owner of the shop and he was great, seemed very close with the VN guys, lots of details of the range, changes for the 2011 models, which parts of which bikes are up to date in the pictures on the VN site etc. Deposit paid and the papers to sign were through my door the next day. I need a 60cm, which they don't keep in stock, but he checked that they had them in the warehouse in Holland and reckons it should take a week or so until it's ready to collect.
I'm getting it pretty much standard spec. Truvativ cranks, 105 gears and shifters, Easton Aero wheels (not sure of the exact model) and their new style shallow drops. Since then I've got the pedals, bottles and cages, all sitting here impatiently waiting...
I spoke to the owner of the shop and he was great, seemed very close with the VN guys, lots of details of the range, changes for the 2011 models, which parts of which bikes are up to date in the pictures on the VN site etc. Deposit paid and the papers to sign were through my door the next day. I need a 60cm, which they don't keep in stock, but he checked that they had them in the warehouse in Holland and reckons it should take a week or so until it's ready to collect.
I'm getting it pretty much standard spec. Truvativ cranks, 105 gears and shifters, Easton Aero wheels (not sure of the exact model) and their new style shallow drops. Since then I've got the pedals, bottles and cages, all sitting here impatiently waiting...
Interesting. You sound almost exactly the same as me, in so much as I was looking to do a 0% deal as well. But following some er... input.. from my girlfriend who only has my interests at heart (!!) it looks like I'll be saving up for the bike instead of 0% financing it!
Look forward to some pictures when you get it, if you feel like sharing them
Look forward to some pictures when you get it, if you feel like sharing them
Well, keep us posted. A Van Nicholas is definitely in my future but not for some months yet I don't think, so will have to enjoy your purchase via the internet rather than my own! Woohoo! The bike is in the shop ready to collect. I'll not have time to get down today, but I should be able to collect it in the morning at long last (well, it seems long, but it's actually only been just over 2 weeks since I first called them to order it and it's had to make it's way from Holland in that time).
Quick iPhone pic before I start work...
I was supposed to wait, but couldn't resist a quick 15 miles around the block. Haven't had a chance to form any real impressions, but I love it so far. The frame is just an amazing piece of work to look at, perfect welds, light, stiff and so comfortable (imagine the carbon forks will be helping there too). I've only got steel frames to compare it to, but it's a in a different league altogether. The other main thing that grabbed my attention riding it was how good the brakes are. I was also impressed at how quick and smooth the gear changes were, but then again, the last time I rode a geared bike was in the early 90s!
I should know more and have much better pictures for the 'show off your bike' thread after Tuesday when I take it for it's first proper run out, but at the moment, I couldn't be happier.
I was supposed to wait, but couldn't resist a quick 15 miles around the block. Haven't had a chance to form any real impressions, but I love it so far. The frame is just an amazing piece of work to look at, perfect welds, light, stiff and so comfortable (imagine the carbon forks will be helping there too). I've only got steel frames to compare it to, but it's a in a different league altogether. The other main thing that grabbed my attention riding it was how good the brakes are. I was also impressed at how quick and smooth the gear changes were, but then again, the last time I rode a geared bike was in the early 90s!
I should know more and have much better pictures for the 'show off your bike' thread after Tuesday when I take it for it's first proper run out, but at the moment, I couldn't be happier.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff