Van Nicholas Astraeus

Everything in the bike world is carbon these days. Frames, forks, handlebars, seatposts, wheels, even your mini pump and the top cap on your headset. Carbon is definitely a Good Thing. And if it’s not carbon, it’s so last century. Trouble is, we can overlook the fact that lots of things that aren’t carbon are good too… like titanium frames, for example, which can be very light and strong and last aeons. And Van Nicholas’ Astraeus is an absolute beauty.

The Astraeus' double-butted frame is without doubt one of the best looking we’ve ever seen – and, believe us, we’ve seen a whole lot. The top tube is a bottom-heavy diamond that slims down in profile towards the seat tube junction. The biaxial down tube is a fairly similar shape, morphing from tall and thin up at the head tube end to short and wide by the time it reaches across the bottom bracket shell.

Straight chainstays and seatstays lead to intricately sculpted dropouts at the back while up front you get a skinny, traditional-style head tube with an external headset – of the type most ti manufacturers have returned to now. The workmanship is excellent, the welds are unobtrusive, and the brushed finish and lack of gaudy graphics give the Astraeus a chic, stylish appearance.

The frame on its own will set you back €1,999, or you can spec it yourself from the wide range of parts that Van Nicholas offer. Ours came fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain and brakes along with a Chris King headset, Fizik Arione saddle, and Van Nicholas’ own fork, seat post, bars and stem.

First off, though, why would you even consider titanium when carbon bikes offer such impressive stiffness-to-weight ratios? Well, we’ve got nothing at all against carbon – far from it – and we think that the ‘amazing ride quality’ that Ti manufacturers like to suggest is inherent in the material is overstated. For us, the main reason to think about choosing titanium is for its strength and durability. It has a high fatigue life and its crash damage tolerance is high too. Plus, it won’t corrode and any little scratches are easy to buff out. In other world, titanium is good at handling real world riding – which, we guess, is why Van Nicholas are able to offer a lifetime guarantee on the frame.

Enough of the background, how does the Astraeus perform out on the road? Hitting the scales at 16.3lb (7.44kg, 56cm model, without pedals), it’s light, though not quite super-light, and that’s reflected in its crisp, sharp acceleration. There’s a tad more sideways sway in the bottom bracket than you get with the stiffest bikes out there, but that’s only detectable when you’re riding out of the saddle and really looking for it – this is an efficient speed machine.

The Van Nicholas’ deep section rims offer an aerodynamic advantage on the flat and they’re pretty darn light for wheels of this kind. They come fitted with Schwalbe’s featherweight Ultremo R tyres too, helping the Astraeus to hot foot it up the climbs. Whether you're seated or standing on the pedals, it springs forward to give you the feeling that you’re being helped upwards, rather than dragging the bike up there kicking and screaming.

Van Nicholas’ full carbon VNT fork is a new one on us and it puts in a very workmanlike performance up front. Sling the bike through the bends as fast as you like and it’ll keep things steady with only the smallest amount of sideways flex and just enough fore and aft movement to dampen out vibration from the road. It’s a sound option.

The Dura-Ace components work as well as always. Quick, reliable gear shifts up and down the block, comfortable levers, easy adjustment – we’re big fans. Braking on the carbon rims isn’t nearly as predictable as on alloy braking surfaces, particularly in the wet, but it’s okay once you adjust your mindset.

Fizik’s ever-poular Arione saddle adds more comfort, as does Van Nicholas’ titanium seat post, much of which extends out of the frame thanks to the sloping top tube design. But Van Nicholas have also built enough ‘give’ into the frame to keep the ride nice ’n’ smooth, meaning that you feel fresh on board, even towards the end of your longest stints in the saddle. No doubt about it, you will enjoy riding this bike.

Verdict

Pretty light and very comfy road bike with cool looks and tons of durability