Van Nicholas Aquilo

For those of you who've embraced electronic shifting and are after a titanium race bike without breaking the bank we give you...well actually, Van Nicholas give you the Aquilo.

With a full Ultegra Di2 group and FFWD's F6R-C carbon wheels added to the titanium frame the €3999 (roughly £3200 in real money) is a relative bargain, but yes, £3200 is still a lot of money.

So why go for a titanium frame anyway? Well, apart from the longevity, comfort is the main plus that's bandied about, and for good reason too. Even on a race bike like the Aquilo the natural absorbancy and flex of the material soaks up the majority of the vibrations from the road leaving you feeling a lot less fatigued on long ventures, especially in the upper body.

3Al/2.5V titanium alloy is the material of choice; the letters and numbers indicate 3 percent aluminium and 2.5 percent vanadium to strengthen the paent metal. Each tube is custom drawn to VN's spec creating the ride style and performance they're after, either through tube profile or butted wall thicknesses. Therefore, regardless of frame size the ride will be the inherently the same.

It's a simple looking frame which, in my eyes, is part of its charm. While carbon frames tend to get chunkier with paint and logos screaming for attention the understated hand polished titanium with narrow profile tubes looks elegant. Add small details like the etched headtube and rear brake bridge logos, chain hanger and welded bottle bosses, and the Aquilo looks more bespoke than mass produced. Finished off with CNC machined dropouts at the rear end this Van Nicholas is one beautiful looking bike.

The 73/73.5° angles highlight the racing nature and our 56cm frame has a 55cm top tube and a 17cm head. The Aquilo is a compact frame thanks to the slightly sloping top tube which allows the front and rear triangles to be smaller, therefore stiffer. A few years ago it seemed customary for every titanium frame to come with curved narrow seatstays to provide comfort. While Van Nicholas has kept the narrow tube profiles these seatstays are straight and look all the better for it.

Designed for Di2 only, the Aquilo's frame is predrilled at the head tube and mech areas for the internal wiring, which passes from the shifters along the down tube to the battery and splitter box. Speaking of the battery, there's no cable tie holding this one on. The Aquilo's driveside chainstay is drilled and tapped so that the battery mount can be fitted directly to the frame. Having the battery tucked in behind the chainset cleans the lines up and now makes the groupset look like part of the bike rather than an add-on.

Van Nick's in house VNT brand supply the forks, full carbon jobbies no less. The steerer is 1 1/8" from top to bottom and the legs have a pretty standard rake of 43mm. The matt black finish ties in nicely with the rest of the bike too.

It's true the Aquilo doesn't have quite the same amount of customisation on Van Nicholas's website as other bikes in the range but there is more to come. At the moment, it's pretty much just bar/stem sizes and crank lengths, but the level of kit is easily on a par with the frame so its no biggy.

VNT is again the moniker on the alloy bars and stem - oversized as you'd expect and finished in the same matt black as the forks. There is a choice of seatpost material though and our test bike has come with the 31.6mm titanium with zero setback and a titanium seat collar to match. It's the little things that count. Another VNT component is the saddle with a leather cover and titanium alloy rails.

As mentioned above the Aquilo will only work with electronic groupsets, and Ultegra Di2 is the only option. It's a full groupset of shifters, chainset, press fit bottom bracket, mechs and brakes finished off in dark grey to further complement the look of the bike.

A 50-34 compact is the only choice, with the option of selecting your required crank length paired with either a 12-23,12-25 or 11-28 cassette. Odd, you might say, not to offer a standard 53-39 on a bike with racing aspirations - but we'll see.

The handbuilt FFWD F6R-C aero wheelset is the limited edition version with black logos instead of the usual white and red and at 58mm deep will provide a true aero advantage when you take the tyre height into account as well. Front spoke count is 20 with 24 at the rear using Sapim's great CX-Ray spokes. The integrated alloy rim should bring a slightly more controllable braking surface than carbon's grabby tendency and also allows higher tyre pressures; carbon clincher rims are usually limited to 120psi.

Right then, the most important thing of all – how does it feel to ride? Quite simply the Aquilo is absolutely stunning. In this line of work you find yourself constantly adapting to different bikes but straight from the off the Van Nick fitted like a glove. Thanks in part to being able to spec bar width and stem length but also just down to sensible geometry. The steepish seat angle sits you nicely over the bottom bracket with the 170mm head tube positioning the bar height just right for comfort and aerodynamics.

Acceleration is brisk, not quite as quick as the similarly priced BMC Team Machine tested last year but then the Van Nicholas does carry an extra 1.4kg. That's not to say the Aquilo isn't quick, it's just that the magic happens once the wheels are rolling. A poke on the pedals sees the Van Nick surge forward and once up to 25-30mph on the flat it'll happily sit there all day with what feels like very little input.

How much FFWD's DARC (Double Arc) rim design has anything to do with this is difficult to measure but the F6R's do seem to roll better than my own more standard 58's. The only negative is that the F6R's can make the steering a little twitchy in a cross wind, but its a small trade-off for the aero performance.

Descending is an absolute joy and will soon see you heading off for your latest gravity-assisted fix. The steering is direct and quick and there's loads of feedback coming up through the forks. Push on and the quicker the Aquilo goes the more stable and planted it becomes, 50-55mph through the bends no problem. A 97cm wheelbase brings the rear wheel in tight to the seat tube and makes the whole bike feel very flickable as you dart about. The grippy Vreidstein Fortezza tyres reflect their top end price tag feeling supple like a tub and with massive amounts of grip, you can really bank the bike over without fear of it sliding out beneath you.

The VNT finishing kit also brings a lot to the overall feel. The alloy bar and stem are plenty stiff with just a touch of give when you're really cranking the bike from side to side under hard acceleration. The saddle is great straight out of the box, with similar levels of stiffness and comfort.

We couldn't do a review of a titanium bike without mentioning the so called 'absorbent' ride and it's safe to say the Aquilo has it. If you've never ridden a Ti frame then its a funny feeling at first, almost like your tyres are a little soft. The Aquilo is very stiff; sprint, climb, descend, try whatever you want and it won't be flustered, yet hit a rough section of tarmac and it'll just glide over without the slightest hint of vibration.

If you have got as far as riding an Aquilo you've already decided that you want to go electronic and I'll happily join you. The Ultegra Di2 is great to use and the look of those mechs is starting to grow on me. The shifting is quick and you do find yourself changing gear more often than with a mechanical group thanks to how easy it is. The narrow hoods are also comfier, and it's easier to change when in the drops as well.

The compact chainset wasn't really a problem for me. Paired with the 12-25 cassette, if you're happy spinning at 90-110rpm it's a good usable gear range. The Aquilo climbs well as it is thanks to the stiff responsive frame so paired with the low gear, steep gradients aren't a problem.

Put it all together and you've got a quick bike over virtually any terrain and personally I think the compact chainset works to bring the whole bike together for the majority of riders. Who's most likely to buy the Aquilo? Fast club riders, weekend warriors, the type of rider who is a bit useful and is going to use it for quick blasts and day rides either on his/her own or with a group, the odd sportiver maybe; and the compact opens this up to a lot of people.

If you're a big gear/low cadence rouleur there is nothing to stop you fitting a 53/39 but it is a shame it's not an option on Van Nicholas's website. The balance of comfort and aero means you can spend hours on the Aquilo pushing out a decent pace with very little fatigue. As an example, I spent 85 miles looping round the Mendips at an average of over 18mph and finished feeling - in the upper body at least - as if I'd only been out for a couple of hours.

At over three grand it's going to be an investment, but you won't be disappointed, especially when you divide that price by the years of riding you'll get out of it.

Verdict

Out for an hour or five, the Aquilo will see you arrive home with a grin.