Some Bikes Are Like Buses

Something like 15 years between drinks on a Nicolai, then two come along at once… sort of.

If you’ve read my last post about my return to a Nicolai, you’ll know how happy I was about it. That’s until I became less happy. Which sounds like I became unhappy. I didn’t. I just had a few realisations that eventually led to true happiness. And still on a Nicolai, which is where the second one comes in.

Confused? I’ll explain…

When I bought New Nicolai Number 1 – a Saturn 14 ST – I did a lot of thinking about the geometry. The reach on the large size was longer than I’d gone before, but I’ve always felt medium-sized bikes seemed too short. It has never helped that when my saddle is high, medium-sized bikes look ridiculous – and, at 770mm, it is pretty high (I’m all leg). I was erring on the side of the large, then had a conversation that seemed to confirm that was the way to go. Trigger pulled.

I loved it, but something niggled and I could never quite pinpoint what it was. On my local trails I was getting away with it. That niggle was there, but I could ignore it. Riding some new trails one day had me struggling through some tighter stuff than I normally ride, though. The bike suddenly felt like turning a barge. It plagued me, so I revisited the geometry numbers. In hindsight I couldn’t believe how dumb I’d been. At around 15mm longer than the bike that came before it – which was already a solid 10mm longer than the bike that came before that – I should never have gone for the large.

Me being me, this was a disaster. I can’t ignore shit like this. No, this would plague every ride from this point onwards. The bike was doomed. Doomed I tell thee!

But talking helps, right? A bit of back-and-forth with a certain someone not far from here (which will become apparent in future posts I’m sure) and a deal was struck at only a minor loss. A bit of back-and-forth with the Australian Nicolai dealer and a new medium Saturn 14 ST was on its way, albeit in anodised black this time.

Enter New Nicolai Number 2.

The large, number 1, was already a barnstormer of a bike. Eye-opening even. The medium, number 2? That thing is “oh shit” good.

Now, I’ll caveat that a little. It is “oh shit” good for me and the riding I do. I’m not, in any way, claiming that this is the best bike on the planet, or that anyone looking for a 130mm-ish travel trail bike would be stupid to look anywhere else (stupid not to shortlist it, maybe), or any other such BS. No. This is “oh shit” good because it is the perfect bike for what I need, for the trails I ride, for the way I ride them, at this moment in time.

I’d call most of my regular riding ‘chunky XC’. In bike media & marketing speak, the riding I do sits squarely in ‘trail/downcountry’ territory. Sometimes I’ll step up to more enduro-ish stuff, sometimes I’ll do longer, firetrail-heavy XC stuff. As far as the Nicolai range goes I probably only need the Saturn 14 – and even then that’s only because the 140mm travel is useful for some of the chunkier stuff. In fact, if I were a better/fitter/lighter rider I’d probably be perfectly well covered by the Saturn 11. But availability is key, so the Saturn 14 ST is what I have (hell, it cost enough to ship it interstate, let alone internationally).

Thankfully it is versatile enough that it is well suited to all of these riding styles, with very little reason to feel like I’m being held back – if anything I’m the one holding the bike back, rather than the other way around. Sure, with lighter wheels and tyres the XC stuff will feel more spritely. No doubt that a bigger fork and chunkier tyres would make the enduro stuff less bum-clenching. As an all-round capable build, though, the 140mm fork, 30mm wide rims and middle-of-the-road tyres are the perfect balance for 85% of the riding I do. If it feels “oh shit” good for that much of my riding I can’t really ask for more.

Let’s be clear on one other thing:  Perfectly suited nature aside, much of the appeal of a Nicolai is in their uniqueness and exclusivity. I’m a fan of Commencal, but they’re everywhere here. I love a Norco, but where I live they’re only sold by Flight Centre 99Bikes. Specialized, Trek & Giant all make solid bikes, but… yeah nah.

Nicolai, for me, are the pinnacle of bicycle engineering excellence. The thinking and execution that goes into them is smile-inducing. Parts that other brands just thread into the frame are redesigned such that you don’t have to bin said frame if you happen to cross-thread that particular bolt. Details that other brands would shortcut are executed to efficient excellence. Pointless solutions that achieve little other than marginally better aesthetics are eschewed in favour of functional perfection. Drool-worthy ‘stack of dimes’ welds are left as created for all the world to see.

Topping that off? I doubt I’ll ever see another on the trails over here even if I ride in a new location every week. I know that mine is one of only a small count across the whole of Australia. I know where the “oops that’s too big” one ended up, and I can choose to ride with the new owner or avoid doing so (the riding near him is much more up my street, but it’s a long way from home!). That all sits very well with me.

I’m not one to keep bikes, but, frankly, as far as an MTB that suits my every need is concerned, I don’t know where else I’d go from here… Don’t quote me, but – for now at least – I think I’m done.