Van Moof call the Noir a “homage to the archetypical Dutch workhorse.” It’s built around a 6061 aluminium frame with a big old top tube that extends right through the head tube and the seat tube.
You get an LED system integrated in this tube – with lights at both ends. The LED is solar powered although you can also charge it through the micro USB port on your phone.
The Noir features a Shimano Nexus 7-speed integrated hub gear, roller brakes and an anti-rust chain, so it should cope okay with all-weather riding or getting locked outside with the need for minimal maintenance.
The idea behind all of Van Moof’s bikes is that they’re minimalist and functional, so you get strong wheels, for example, durable Schwalbe Road Cruiser tyres and mudguards. You also have the choice of either a flat or a riser handlebar. You’re looking at a weight of around 13kg (28.6lb).
The Noir is priced at £688 and is available in the UK through Leftfield Bikes.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now pushing 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.