The question that needs answering is: Does titanium just look good, or does it ride differently too? To do this we rode the 2010 model Euros, which is functionally identical to the 2012 model, save for the fact that the newer model has slightly different decals and a laser engraved head tube.

The Euros can be purchased as a frame only or as a complete bike; our example came with the current season Shimano Ultegra groupset and a few other nice options such as an upgraded Van Nicholas OEM carbon clincher wheelset, titanium seatpost and titanium seat tube collar. As pictured, this bike retails for around $5,500.

It truly is a magnificent looking bike. While, of course, personal tastes vary, the traditional lines of the Euros’ titanium tubing will never look dated the way some modern bikes surely will. The beauty is in the details; take the rear dropouts for example – exquisitely sculptured. When you begin to spot these details, you begin to understand what owning a titanium bike is about – class and subtlety.

This attention to detail in the frame is reflected in the quality of the OEM parts. The saddle, for example, is wide and flat and the bar tape is thick and comfortable. The optional titanium seatpost looks magnificent in the frame.

While we fell in love with this bike, there were a few small things we didn’t like. The Spin Stix skewers weren’t a great match, as the rear dropouts stopped them from spinning all the way around, making it difficult to get tight (and without “lawyer lips” that’s important). The rim tape wasn’t up to scratch either, and we kept bursting tubes. In all, though, it’s not a terrible list of quibbles and the distributor was happy to take this information on board to fix on future models.

The VNT 50mm carbon clinchers were very impressive. Reasonably light but quite stiff, they offer a great feel under acceleration. It’ll cost around $900 to upgrade from the standard wheels to these ones but they change the character of the bike significantly.

We took the Euros out for quite a few rides before we looked at the numbers. Our first impression was that it felt like the bottom bracket was a little high, but in fact, this wasn’t the case. Instead, it’s simply that the weight is distributed a little more forward courtesy of a steeper seat tube. In fact, contrary to our initial opinion, once you get used to it, the Euros responds really well to getting down low and pushing with your hips into the corner.

The handling is helped by the steering which is progressive and stable at high speed. We put this down to a slightly slacker head tube and slightly shorter rake. We also feel that the flexion properties of the titanium front triangle plays a role here – providing a little give mid-corner. In short, it has a solid, trustworthy descending character.

While the steering isn’t twitchy, it’s by no means lazy. For something that’s at least partially targeted towards the comfort-conscious buyer, the Euros’ geometry is actually quite aggressive; it shares almost exactly the same geometry as the top-of-the-line Astraeus.

When it comes to issues of ride quality, there will always be some contention, so we’ve injected some science into what is a subjective minefield. First of all, be assured that under sprint conditions, the titanium Euros does feel different to modern carbon race bikes. Tested up to 1300 watts, it feels as though it gets progressively stiffer and stiffer the more it flexes (instead of the more linear feel of carbon). This progressive stiffness provides a really stable base and makes it feel reliably strong, rather than unyieldingly rigid. It felt good to sprint off and was more than stiff enough to ensure the wheels never rubbed the pads.

When it came time to test the frame’s vertical compliance, we took the bike to some rough chipseal roads to test it out. Of course, we had high hopes for the Euros since it seemed to be a lot smoother over the normal roads we had been riding. The lesson learned, however, was that a rough road is a rough road, no matter which bike you’re riding on.

Somewhat disappointed, we wondered if the titanium hype had gotten to us. To test this, we attached an accelerometer to the top of the seatpost on both the Euros and an Orbea Orca and set out to see what the numbers would say. We then used several statistical tests to assess the most important characteristics. As you can see from the table below, every measurement put the Van Nicholas ahead of the Orbea, and by roughly the same amount (usually around 10%). Hooray for science!

The Van Nicholas Euros is an expensive bike, but it’s not the kind of bike you upgrade in 12 months – it’s the kind of bike you buy to ride for the next 12 years. The manufacturer and local distributor stand by their product and, if you purchase or sell any Van Nicholas bike second hand,  the local distributor will check it over for any maintenance issues, repolish it, update the decals on it and “re-certify” it for around $250. This ensures the next owner can be confident in riding it for another 12 years!

After enjoying the Euros for a few weeks, we have to admit there is something special about it.Van Nicholas claims the Euros is ideal for long days in the saddle and judging by the accelerometer data we collected, it’s hard to disagree. While comfortable, it is still stable at high speed making it well suited to racing too. In the jostle of a charging bunch on a criterium circuit, the extra stability is very welcome.

The Van Nicholas Euros is an investment in pleasurable cycling and if you’re willing to trade around 300 grams for a nicer ride quality and/or a bit more style then the Euros lends itself to a wide range of applications.

Van Nicholas bikes are available in Australia from Blue Globe Alliance (www.blueglobe.com.au) who are happy to fully customise every detail of your new bike.

On review is the Boardman SLR 9.0 with a carbon fibre monocoque frame, tapered stereer and BB30. This particular version of the Boardman SLR uses exactly the same frame as the more expensive 9.2 and 9.4 models. It is a well rounded frame that does everything well. It’s more comfortable than some of it’s competitors in this price category, while still maintaining a reasonable amount of stiffness. It is light weight and the steering definitely gave it a very pleasant character on the road.

The components consist of the ever reliable SRAM Force (with Rival brakes), FSA Energy BB30 cranks, Ritchey bar and stem, Boardman seatpost, Fizik Arione seat and Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheelset. The SLR series is aimed at every aspect of performance other than aerodynamics, which is the focus of the Boardman AIR Series.

The SLR has adequate stiffness between bottom bracket and rear axle for out-of-the-saddle climbing. When we say adequate, we’re not underselling it – for the moderate challenges that climbing presents to the Boardman SLR, it offers no unwelcome flex.

Only under full-bore sprint conditions is the drive structure’s stiffness genuinely tested. In tests up to 1300 watts, the Boardman presented no erratic steering, no brake rub and no rear wheel skipping. Some flex was noted, however the lag between unweighting and re-weighting the drivetrain was nowhere near long enough to be disconcerting or distracting.

When cornering, the Boardman offers a light touch though the response is very predictable. Uphill the Boardman was responsive, it felt like a bike that would help you on an uphill breakaway.

One of our testers found himself in an emergency braking situation while riding in a 20 strong pack. The steering remained smooth and predictable without any shuddering, even if the same can’t be said for fellow riders.

The great thing about this kind of package is that you get so much actual performance for a comparatively low price. Few companies provide the same frame across an entire range, with many citing higher spec carbon or more intricate layup processes for their higher-end bikes. For those companies, that may or may not be correct. However we applaud Boardman for not “dumbing down” their frame offerings across the range. The fact is that quality Carbon Fibre frames are now becoming a good option at this price point whereas only a few years ago aluminium was a safer option.

If that still makes you wonder about the frame’s credentials, it’s worth noting that the Skil-Shimano team at one time rode a frame that was also offered in bike shops with a 105 Groupset that cost just a little over $2,000.

The differences between the components on the more expensive models and those on the SLR 9.0 offer incremental upgrades that should see some reasonable performance improvements through to the top of the line 9.4. However, at around half the price, the 9.0 is far more than half the bike and on paper only 600 grams heavier (7.2 kg). A model with an integrated seatpost, the SLR 9.8 is also on offer in this range with a retail price more suited to it’s ‘higher up’ model number and the Zipp 202 tubular wheelset.

The Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels that come on the SLR 9.0 are a great Rain, Hail or Shine wheelset that can be reliably ridden day in and day out. If you decided to commission a set of lighter or more aerodynamic wheels for race days, that alone would bring the bike close to UCI minimum weight.

The frame finish for review bike was excellent, the artwork detailing and carbon fibre finishing was clean. The internal cabling on this monocoque frame mean that the details, inparticular the yellow colouring on the inside surfaces, lend more character to SLR 9.0. This also means a little more cleaning is required to keep it looking tip top.

You won’t find Boardman in your local shop. As a relatively new brand, the team at Boardman were looking at the options for international supply and with the long and time consuming prospect of setting up and developing distribution partnerships in each country across the globe, they have taken a rather radical approach by partnering with one of the biggest international online cycling retailers, Wiggle. With over a million deliveries a year internationally, Australia is one of biggest markets for Wiggle – and much to the delight of their Aussie customers, processing and shipping times are relatively short. A delivery time of 5-10 days is suggested though you will find numerous reports of even faster shipping times. With the customs charges due (as explained below) the actual delivery time, door to door, will however be longer so allow for time for customs processing, payment and release.

With one of the risks of online shopping being difficulties with services and warranty, a new move by Wiggle is setting up “Service Points” which are exisiting retail outlets cooperating with Wiggle. Currently Australian customers can take advantage of a free service in Sydney at Bike Brain in Pyrmont or at Fuel Performance in Murrumbeena in Melbourne. For the free service, customers need to take in their original invoice and original invoice and ‘service point flyer’, and then also qualify for half price fitting of new equiptment.

The current list price of the Boardman SLR 9.0 is $2430 while shipping starts from $152.98 for delivery to Australia. As an imported item valued at over $1000, you will also have a customs charge made up of Duty, GST and a customs processing fee. This adds circa $480.80 which is payable to customs before the bike is released and means total ‘landed’ cost of around $3020. As a note, because this is an exported item, the 20% English VAT is not applied. For further details and variations surrounding customs processes and charges, here is a useful resource.

In overview, the SLR offers great value for money and at this price point it ticks all the boxes. While Boardman Bikes are still a young brand, with the SLR 9.0 they have avoided the teething troubles that other youngs brands suffer and have earnt our seal of approval.

The Boardman SLR 9.0 retails for $2430 (delivery and customs are extra) from their international distributer Wiggle. View: Boardman SLR 9.0 on Wiggle

Co-Authors: Danny Beveridge and Martin Renwick