Van Nicholas Yukon Road Bike 56cm. Touring, Commuter, Titanium, Shimano Ultegra Groupset. Make – Van Nicholas. Frame Material – Titanium. Frame Size – Top Tube 56cm (C to C) Im 6.1 foot and it fits me perfect. So above or below that with a few minor tweaks it will fit fine. Frame – Optiformed tubing, CNC cut dropout, rack mounts. Forks – Dedacciai Blackrain Carbon Fiber. Rear Derailleur – Shimano Ultegra. Front Derailleur – Shimano Ultegra. Chainset – Triple Shimano Ultegra (30-38-52). Cassette – Shimano Ultegra 10 speed (12-30). Brakes – Shimano Long Reach. Brake Levers – Triple Shimano Ultegra. Wheels – Mavic Ksyrium Elite. F & R Hubs – Mavic Ksyrium Elite. Saddle – White Leather Fizik Arione. Just fitted brand new brake and gear cables so it might need a bit of a service after a few miles as new cables stretch a little bit after a few rides. Handlebar Type – Drop. Discipline – All-Rounder, tourer (rack holes), winter, Commuter. The Van Nicholas Yukon. Is like a Swiss army bike due to the fact that it suits all of cycling purposes i. Road riding, touring, the Yukon is trouble-free, comfortable and fun. Its also eye-catchingly good to look at! Happy to answer any questions you may have. Review: (please note different spec on the reviewed Yukon below). The Van Nicholas Yukon is marketed as a fast-paced Audax or sportive bike. It promises comfort, responsiveness and durability. It delivers all of those and more! My first impression when I took it out of the box was that its beautifully built and finished. The welds, the embossed logo, the Titanium finish itself all very impressive. In the design of the Yukon, Van Nicholas also had the good sense to include braze-ons for rear panniers as well as good clearance to fit mudguards when and if needed. While you might not choose to go mountain biking with the Yukon, itll handle pretty much everything else. On a weekday ride with the fast group, I sit just in behind the top of the range road bikes and get to the coffee shop not long after them. On a slower, countryside road ride with the 28mm tires, (Schwalbe Marathon Supreme semi slicks), and the Specialized Toupe saddle, it handles the gravel roads with ease. Im confident on whatever I find out there, and in Australia, that can mean lots of variations from the road surface, condition and maintenance, to the odd kangaroo or snake. Ive got a Sram Apex setup with a 50-34 on the front and 11-32 (10 speed) on the back. Where I mostly ride is very hilly with some tough climbs and Ive never been short of gears. During a recent bike tour in Taiwan, I wished for just one more gear on only one occasion the second day of a 90 km sea level to 3300 meter summit. The last two kilometers to the summit were super tough, but I think the problem was more the legs than the gears! The Sram Apex decision was, for me at least, made mainly on price, as its far cheaper to replace if I bang it up somewhere. Having said that, Apex seems to work well once Id got the front derailleur jumping off the chain from the small ring to the big issue sorted. Ive got no complaints with either the Sram Apex system itself, or the available gear selections. The brakes are caliper style. I dont have strong feelings or opinions in the caliper versus disc brake discussion. However, if a disc option existed for the Yukon, I would probably go for it. TitaniumThis is my first Titanium bicycle and Im not one to go on at length about the various opinions, qualities and controversies around the material used to build bikes, but believe it when I hear that nothing rides like Titanium. It might be sales hype, I know, but it sounds true to me especially after I replaced the seat post with a Titanium one from Van Nicholas and noticed an immediate, noticeable difference. Theres enough stiffness in the frame to handle well without being too twitchy, and is also relaxed enough to dampen road vibration. It responds to extra effort and always feels like what you put on the pedal goes straight through to the road. Its obviously a very durable material and almost indestructible. How Does It Ride With Panniers On? When I cycled around Taiwan I used the setup pictured: Topeak bag with attached small panniers, plus extras on the front bar. There was around 15 kgs of gear in total and Im around 72 kgs myself. Everything I needed was crammed into the available space: tent, sleeping bag, clothes, sleeping mat, etc. There wasnt a lot of room left over, but it all fit okay. Once I got used to the dynamic of having the weight behind me, the ride seemed even truer and more stable than unloaded. Descending was the same, there wasnt a moment where the added weight had me feeling nervous. The Yukon feels tremendously stable in all situations. Panniers or not, its nimble! Frame GeometryThe Van Nicholas Yukon is an odd mix of genres, it seems to me, but it works. In the head tube angle (72), the fork trail (70mm) and seat tube angle (73.5) the numbers look on the touring bike end, but when it comes to the chainstay length (42.5cms), and the wheel base (101.5cms), it looks more like a cyclo/road setup a bit more bunched up. The overall effect is that while its a reasonably relaxed ride, you do get the feeling of the bike being tucked right in underneath you. This is especially noticeable when you are out of the saddle (yes, with an adjustment in riding style, and a bit of confidence, you can get out of the saddle with the panniers loaded) the front wheel release is right below you and at first gave me the impression of being too far forward (overbalancing almost). I dont think about it or notice it anymore, but the fit is tight. Another keep the concentration moment is when descending, because of the tucked up effect, the front can feel slightly unstable if the descent is bumpy. Im a cautious downhill rider and havent had any mishaps, but Im careful. The result of this overall tightish geometry is the very positive reward for effort that comes with the Yukon what I put on the pedal goes straight to the road. The pros clearly take the prize. While its a mid-priced bike, youll be riding it for a long time, so you get your moneys worth. There has never been a single day that I wished I could get off the bike due to discomfort or any of the multitude of nagging aches and pains weve all experienced. The only con I have (which is probably a consequence of the tight geometry in the wheel base and chainstay length), is that there is about 1.5 cms of toe overlap on the front wheel, highlighted especially when the mudguards are on. Im used to it now, but it takes a bit of getting used to and requires adjustment to the riding style, plus full concentration whenever you have to negotiate intersections, sudden stops, or its late after a big day out and so on. Ive only fallen off once, at an intersection, in a group. It all looked pretty clumsy, and I felt a bit of a novice, but no harm done. On another occasion in Taiwan, my toe hit the mudguard, which took quite a deal of time to repair afterwards, the mudguard that is! I think that if Van Nicholas ever re-designed the Yukon frame, a couple of centimeters extra up front to cut out the overlap would be a great improvement, if they havent already done so. The Van Nicholas Yukon In Summary – The Van Nicholas Yukon is a fabulous titanium all-rounder for the rider who does a bit of everything. Just watch the toes and the bumpy descents. The item “Van Nicholas Yukon Road Bike 56cm, Touring, Titanium, Shimano Ultegra Groupset” is in sale since Sunday, January 24, 2021. This item is in the category “Sporting Goods\Cycling\Bikes”. The seller is “richardgfs1″ and is located in Leeds. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.

• Brand: Van Nicholas
• Bike Type: Road Bike
• Material: Titanium
• Frame Size: 56 cm
• Vintage: No
• Handlebar Type: Drop Bar
• Number of Speeds: 10 Speed
• Suspension Type: No Suspension
• Brake Type: Rim Brake – Mechanical
• Department: Men