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VAN NICHOLAS line-up New for 2013. A four-ce to be reckoned with We at Van Nicholas are proud to welcome four new models to our 2013 range. After another hard year of research and development, testing, refining and technical advancements, the Ventus, Yukon RH, Zion RH 29 and Chinook Fixed are ready to roll out of the factory. Internal cable routing A much sought-after feature is now available for our flagship racer the Astraeus, as well as the Aquilo and Zephyr. The ingenious internal cable routing not only improves the aerodynamics, but also makes these bicycles compatible for both electronic and mechanical groupsets. 650B 650B wheels, sitting between 26 and 29, offer the agility and acceleration of 26 wheels, with obstacle clearance and free-rolling more akin to a 29. So naturally we felt our MTB s should be able to sport the very latest in high-rolling rubber, and the Tuareg and Valkyr have the optimised geometry to match. Dotting the i s and crossing the t s Each and every Van Nicholas Titanium frame looks stunning, you need the components to macth. Therefore and new for 2013 we have a redesigned range of forks, clothing and Rohloff road handlebar. Never hold back A Van Nicholas mantra we observe every day. We never stop pushing ourselves to design the best Titanium frames for their intended use, but we raised the bar even higher with the latest edition of our magazine. It features not only beautiful (mouth-watering only really applies to food!) images of our brand new bikes, but also articles on Gispen and Piet Boon and their design philosophies, a great recipe for the hungry rider from the three starred Michelin restaurant De Librije and features on rides of a lifetime in the USA, Canada and Australia 2
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VAN NICHOLAS engineering 2013 H-bridge. Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) we have been able to refi ne the H-bridge system into an even lighter, stiffer component. By decreasing the length of the upper vertices, and increasing the length of the lower vertices, the material stresses are better transferred from one side of the chainstay to the other. The result? Increased rigidity, better power transfer and less weight. below, left A normal cycling scenario without H-bridge, illustrating how the welds around the bottom bracket are stressed during cycling. below, right The identical cycling scenario with H-bridge, illustrating how the stress zones around the bottom bracket and in the chainstays are signifi cantly reduced. 4
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engineering Internal cable routing. With all the exciting new trends in the cycling industry think of the emergence of super efficient electronic groupsets, for example we were faced with a dilemma. How could we keep making bikes that will last a lifetime, and still keep up with the latest trends? Like everything we do at Van Nicholas, we worked hard to find the simplest solution. In collaboration with the engineering team at Jagwire, we designed, engineered and built a system compatible with all our high-end road bikes. So how does it work? We made small incisions in our frames to feed the gear and brake cables through and made custom grommets which function as cable stops and cable guides. In this way we are able to make a high performance frame which exploits all performance and aesthetic benefits of internal cable routings, with minimum impact on the frame itself. But the best feature is the fact that your new Astraeus, Aquilo or Zephyr is compatible with both mechanical and electronic groupsets at the flick of a finger. 7
VAN NICHOLAS road Road racing. astraeus Ride the best. Despite being the best Titanium racing bike in production, we refined the details to make it even better. The introduction of a tapered headset (1-1/8 to 1-1/4 ) and tapered front fork (see later in this update) optimises the front-end rigidity without compromising on weight, while the larger surface area allows for optimised weld quality. Also, the new headtube gives the Astraeus a more angular, aggressive aesthetic that further accentuates the contemporary, purposeful feel of the bike. But the improvements haven t stopped there. We introduced a Press-Fit bottom bracket, a re-designed H-bridge for optimal stress transference, and every new 2013 Astraeus is compatible for both electronic and mechanical groupsets (see previous pages for details). This way, your bike will last a lifetime and can be fitted with an electronic groupset whenever you like. 8
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aquilo/zephyr Thoroughbred racers. The 2013 Aquilo and Zephyr (left) feature the same new ingenious internal cable routing as the Astraeus and will also benefit from the advantages of a Press-Fit bottom bracket and integrated headset. ventus Winning bike, winning price. The Ventus is the latest high performance bicycle aimed at those riders keen to take a step onto the Titanium ladder a winning bike, at a winning price. In the Ventus Special Edition (SE) guise, the bike is offered with quality components like the SRAM Apex groupset, VNT Elements wheels and an Easton Aero fork all for a very competitive 1899 incl. VAT. It is also available in a fully customisable version, but whichever option is chosen, they both feature the same gorgeous Van Nicholas carved drop-outs, external cable routing bosses for a neater finish and slicker shifting, and the classic Van Nicholas engraved head tube. 11
VAN NICHOLAS yukon Ride on, and on. Light, no-nonsense touring needs to be hassle-free. The Yukon Rohloff is as hassle-free as they come. It features a sealed Rohloff hub and Gates Center Track Belt Drive for thousands of miles of maintenance-free riding, and an integrated headset for improved reliability and the minimum of fuss. The newly designed VNT Rohloff drop handlebar allows the Rohloff shifter to be mounted in the middle of the handlebar. Please keep an eye on our website for its imminent launch. This VNT product will be available soon. 12
tour Bike touring. amazon One for all. For the Tour range, improvements to comfort and performance levels were the key objectives for 2013. The Amazon, Van Nicholas s true utility bike, now benefits from oversized tubing, an integrated headset and optimised chainstays to take care of the performance angle, and a smaller seat post diameter (30.9 mm instead of 31.6 mm) to keep things comfortable. The addition of new external cable routing bosses has improved shifting performance, and allowed for easier inclusion of a third water bottle mounting. pioneer Brave new worlds. The Pioneer also benefits from the newly refined external cable routing along with the 27.2 mm seat post upgrade. But, in addition, the heavy duty expedition bicycle benefits from technology that has already proven very popular with Van Nicholas mountain bikers 29 wheels. Better obstacle clearance, improved comfort and rollability that makes the biggest challenges that much easier to conquer. Die-hard 26 wheel fans will still be able to opt for their wheel of choice. 13
VAN NICHOLAS mtb Mountain biking. tuareg/valkyr 650B, high-rolling rubber Van Nicholas felt their MTB s should be able to sport the very latest in high-rolling rubber, and the Tuareg and Valkyr (left) have been optimised accordingly. 30.9mm seat posts and Press-Fit bottom brackets complete the upgrade and guarantee the 2013 bikes will scale new heights. zion the Ultimate Twentyniner Belt Drive Rohloff We wondered how we could make our Zion Twentyniner even more desirable, even more special, and we knew there was only one way Rohloff, with a Belt Drive. Twentyniner wheels for non-stop rollability and a Rohloff hub and Belt Drive for easyclean, trouble-free riding. Optimised for 80-100mm travel to take the sting out of the technical stuff, it s a bike that will keep on going long after you start to fade. 14
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VAN NICHOLAS redwood Forest firestarter. Never change a winning team, and that is exactly what we did with the new 2013 Redwood. A high performance Titanium hardtail MTB, with a complete SLX groupset and quality VNT elements components starting at an incredible pricepoint, just 1999 incl. VAT. For this year we did adopt new vertical dropouts and offer the option of three different front forks. 16
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specials Special biking. track/fixed The ultimate one gear speed machine. The Chinook Track is a velodrome king. Optimised for all-out sprinting and precision manoeuvring, it s the ultimate one-gear speed machine. We have taken this concept and re-designed the Chinook to be the ultimate street machine too, in the form of the Chinook Fixed. We designed the drop-outs from scratch to allow for millimetre-precision performance tuning so with the right rider, the Chinook Fixed will be king of the streets too. 19
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blaze Feel the burn. Like its road performance siblings the Blaze has been upgraded for 2013 with a Press-Fit Bottom Bracket and Integrated Headset System for that additional power when needed. cross Off road, race on. The all new Amazon Cross (left) is available for disc brakes and V-brakes, ready for the fi elds. 21
VAN NICHOLAS accessories Dotting the i s and crossing the t s. clothing Dress to impress. Gorgeous Titanium frame, beautiful VNT components and hand built wheels dress up or be shown up! The re-styled 2013 apparel range will ensure you re looking good enough to ride Van Nicholas. For 2013 we have a newly styled set of clothing to match and these will be available soon. new vnt forks Complementary looks. Last year we completely redesigned the look-and-feel of all of our bikes with our new decals. To complement these well received aesthetics we upgraded the VNT elements forks with complementary striping. the SLR (1-1/8 and 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 tapered) ADX SLX (available for V-brakes and disc brakes) TRX 29 er, full carbon rigid tapered front fork 29 er, 1-1/8 alloy/carbon front fork All mentioned forks will available right away and can also be ordered as single parts. 22
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handbuilt wheels We build them. True. We have mastered the art of wheel building over a period of twelve years. We know how to marry a hub to spokes to rim to create a wheel that stays fast and true, strong and reliable. For the 2013 range we now offer wheels with VNT Elements hubs in all our product segments. For the MTB s we have 26, 650B and 29 NoTubes Crest rims. You already know our excellent Rohloff wheels for touring and our latest addition is a 35 mm alloy wheelset for the road. 25
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