Van Nicholas: the Dutch Titanium Bike Company
Van Nicholas is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer that specializes in designing and fabricating high end titanium frames and components. That lovely bike above is the Van Nicholas Zion Rohloff 29er with Gates Carbon Drive and Rohloff speedhub. We had the opportunity to spend time with this great bike brand during the recent Gates visit to the Bike Motion Benelux trade show. “Our mission is to create the ultimate lifelong cycling experience for every individual customer,” says general manager Ralph Moorman.
Van Nicholas only builds titanium frames because the company loves the inherent qualities of the metal.Titanium has a great strength-to-weight ratio. In other words, a titanium frame will be much stronger than a steel or aluminum frame of the same weight, which means you can make a super strong but lightweight titanium bike. Ti also resists corrosion, which is why Van Nicholas never paints its frames, preferring to simply brush and polish them to show off the metal’s luster. Better still, the company guarantees every frame for the lifetime of the owner.
Below are photos of Van Nicholas models with Gates Carbon Drive. If you like titanium and are in the market for a well designed ride that will last a lifetime, check out the Van Nicholas dealer locator and the photos below. First up is the Pioneer Rohloff flat bar touring bike.
The beauty below with a black Brooks saddle is the Amazon Rohloff.
This drop bar touring and fast commuting bike is the Yukon Rohloff.
Below is another view of the Zion Rohloff mountain bike.
Want more? See our previous post about the Dutch “Men in Black” mountain bikers, or our Van Nich post with some information about Gouda cheese, a Dutch favorite. You can also read the review of the Amazon Rohloff in Adventure Cyclist magazine, and the Pioneer with ‘riemaandrijving” (Dutch for belt drive) in Bike & Trekking magazine (in Dutch). And for our friends in the Netherlands, please watch our Carbon Drive University videos in Dutch.
