LIMITS TO SIZE – Now many would consider this bike massive. And maybe because of this and bikes like the Dune and Mojo Geometron there has been a perception that these are futuristic monster size bicycles. This is incorrect. True they might well be the largest size mountainbikes but as bicycles go they are no more than average when you look at road equivalents, this is contrary to what many are suggesting that the lack of mountainbike sizing is because of companies following the same geometry as that of road.

The road market is far more switched on to rider size and fit and many of the component angles change depending on frame size. More than this there is a bigger spread of sizes in road frames for rider size and height. Many bikes can be purchased in upto seven sizes plus custom options and frame fitting as a pretty standard fare. However the size range differences of the bike comes in contrasting places as you can see below.

The table shows the range of certain aspects of frame geometry from the smallest to largest bikes between particular bikes. It compares an average size road bike –  the Trek Domane – to what’s commonly talked about as a monster mountainbike.

Geometry Range between road and mountainbike (smallest- largest)

                                             Reach            Wheelbase    Top tube  Standover

Trek Domane (7 sizes)         18mm             48mm             74mm             120mm

Mojo Geometron(3 sizes)     35mm             45mm             42mm             68mm

What the chart shows is that the difference in reach between 7 sizes of Trek Domane from small to extra large or frame size 50-62 in real terms – is a tiny 18mm. However the top tube length has a greater range than the three sizes of Geometron (one of the largest off road bikes we could find) and a standover range almost double that of the Geometron. Interestingly the reach range numbers on the Geometron are in fact quite small, in fact you could almost twist a handlebar to attain a similar range.  But look at the numbers of each particular bike.

SUSPENSION/CHASSIS – The Ion has featured several damper units over the last eighteen months but none have worked so well as the 170mm Fox 36 fork up front. Its simply the perfect companion for the Ion’s aggressive angles which revel in hitting downhill runs. The bike currently has a 170mm Lyric fitted but simply doesn’t come close to the performance of the 36.

On the rear we have ridden the bike with the old Fox Float X and the new Float X2. Recently we rode the Geometron with the new Mojo link which is an improvement over the one seen on this bike. However trying to get fizz and pop out of the bike is a feature of both and is a crucial element to get the bike moving. The new Float X2 is currently being run on zero rebound damping to try and get some life into the bike so its an issue we still need to resolve.

When new the Ion had very bad stiction on the chassis when we  removed the rear damper. This is down to the rubber seals in the linkage areas which slows the bike down terribly. Some people remove the seals to ‘loosen’ the bike up but this clearly introduces a reliability issue into the frame.

COMPONETRY – The Nicolai has been graced with a case of XTR great and XTR bad over the past eighteen months. The brakes were removed early doors and replaced with Sram Guide Ultimates. As much as we have been impressed with XTR over the years the latest offerings simply lacked the power needed on a 160mm bike. Too much flex in the lever, not enough bite.  Thankfully it stopped there because the XTR gearing has been exceptional and the XTR cranks clean, crisp and such a great engagement.

LIMITATIONS – Whilst it’s a myth that longer bikes don’t go around tighter corners as fast common sense will tell you there is a limit to wheelbase at which point a bike will become slower. On some other custom Nicolai bikes that we’ve ridden over the last few years its simply difficult to weight correctly. However this bike and even the longest Geometron don’t have such an issue, the cornering is precise. That said for those not used to the ways of the longer bike it still requires patience and understanding.

On fast, dry, downhill terrain as mentioned this bike excels, maybe not in damping but definitely in terms of shape. But when it gets wet, slower and less steep the business of counterweighting front and rear tyres takes a split second more than on a more conventional size bike. With a bike that is constantly moving around on slick mud terrain when the front end brakes away its more important to counter it quicker.

These bikes are different to normal and many will not necessarily find them much fun to ride at first. Pumping the terrain becomes a different art using different shapes. You can get used to the larger bikes but they are very much uphill climbers and downhill killers – sometimes you just want to muck about at which point the long, slack bikes don’t want to party quite like a slightly shorter bike. They simply take a lot of manoeuvring into the detail the ground offers, pick and go, nosing in, isn’t as instantaneous as shorter bikes. But the key thing is they are fast, so you need to make a choice.