Anyone ridden the Mojo Nicolai yet?

I think the long (aka small) would suit you perfectly but there is only one way to find out and your profile says you are not too far from Mojo. I'd probably also wait for a response from chainline as he must have seen dozens of people on these bikes by now and I've only seen one

The Long should be fine. First impressions are usually a bit deceptive, once you are on the bike they don't feel anywhere as long as they look.

If you get the chance just demo one at BPW, then you will know for sure. I've had mine nearly a year now and Mojo have been really helpful all the way through.

Speeder - Member
Is anyone relatively short riding a Geometron I'm a bit over 5'7" with a 29-30" inside leg and am considering one of these if I can manage to wangle a cash payout from the insurance co following the theft of my trail bike.

Would even the Long be too much? I was riding a Medium 2010 Tracer with a 35mm stem, offset bushes and the seat quite far forward and that was about as long as I'd felt comfortable. I'm no racer and this'd just be used for occasional razzing about and uplift so it may be overkill. Having said that my DH bike is/was (it doesn't get built up much) a Keewee Chromo 8 and that was one of the longest bikes ever at the time and I've never had a problem on that with the seat in the fwd position - kind of mimics this geo to an extent I guess.

Deffo talk to Chainline, but for me, the bike is less about massive length and more about centring you in between the wheels. So while the numbers seem huge, the bike itself feels much more normal. Consider the "Long" as "Small" - my "Longest" has an extra 80mm reach on my old Large Nicolai Ion, but the feel isn't that different when you sit on it at first.

Shandy - Member

once you are on the bike they don't feel anywhere as long as they look.

Yes, exactly

My only real concern is being too stretched out and not being able to comfortably loft the front wheel. Guess I'll need to book a test to try one out. First things first I've got to convert that figure to spend at Wheelies into a cash payout. 🙂

I'm 5'8" (172cm) and have ridden a long/small. Not stretched at all, borderline needing a longer/medium maybe but I don't think so. The wheelbase is long and this can make the front harder to lift but really, if you are interested in getting one, you should get a ride on one. Forget all your preconceived ideas and just try it. Like so many others I was surprised at how normal the bike feels and this may be a little disappointing when you are expecting it to be radically different. My overall impression as a mediocre middle aged rider is that I loved the bike even for my mincing around. Give it a couple of years or so and I think there will other bikes with similar geometry as others copy

Speeder, you are spot on for a Long/S. One guy your height is on a Longest/M but thats no different to me being on Longest at 5'10", neither of us are normal in that but as a straight question I would say Long is ideal for someone your height.

However I back up Shandy, ride them. Not just the size you think will fit. Also ask Mojo to set up both bikes with the same cockpit, you may need to use a 30mm on the Longer and 35mm on the Long and a change in bar roll/headset spacers and saddle position but you can set up both bikes to be close/the same in fit, they will just feel slightly different. Not quite so relevant in a car park test but if you test ride it is.

Having said all that, I'm confident that if you went with a Long based on car park fit, you would not give another thought to wonder if you wanted something even longer..

Read this, it's my friend from Italy who wrote a blog on the experience, he is your height. We are off to the Back Country Pyrenees tomorrow, should be fun...

http://aadm.github.io/2016-01-10-nicolai-mojo.html

Just discovered this thread & although I haven't read every post (apols, there's a lot to get through) I thought I should post a few thoughts as I’ve been racing DH all season on a Geometron. Here’s some key learnings for anyone who’s interested...

So, background is that at 6’ 6” I’ve spent the last 5 years on a quest to find a DH bike that fits. I’ve been through a lot of bikes. The closest I got was a prototype Orange 225 that was custom built for Ben Cathro but much to my dismay it snapped at the headtube 6 months in. Last season (in despair) I went to see Chris with my XL V10 & he modified it (the shock) for me to try & make it fit - shorter shock meant it permanently sat in the first inch of it's travel which made it longer. It was much better but still too small “it will always be too small”. Whilst I was down there getting the V10 set up I rode a Geometron & I just didn’t want to give it back. We were testing on the DH tracks near their building & the Geometron was the nuts, like a whole other world. At last, I didn’t feel like I was fighting to stop myself going OTB all the time. A few weeks later I bought one (in Longest) for trail riding.

At the end of the season Chris rang me & said “I’ve got this frame that I think might work for DH...”. I think it’s one of the original Geometron prototypes that he made. It’s got a 60 degree head angle & a 1380 wheelbase. It’s bloody huge. Unsure how much rear travel it’s got, maybe 175mm but Chris has set the rear shock up & you’d never know it wasn’t a DH specific frame. I raced down Val Di Sole on it a few weeks ago at Masters Worlds & never felt the need for any more travel so…

Anyway, I’ve been racing it all season & my results have improved significantly. Last year I finished the season 21st in the Vet category at the BDS, this year I finished 7th. In July I took the trail Geometron out to the Alps & raced the Mega. Last year, on the modified V10 (with a dropper) I made the Challenger race, this year I made the Pro race. So it’s definitely working. But, as mentioned by others it takes a bit of effort & commitment to ride it. Having spent year hanging off the back of bikes, fighting going OTB on the steep stuff it’s a complete change in rider position & it’s bloody hard to get your head around. You have to weight the front wheel. You have to push it into the turns, you have to put it where you want it, other wise it will run away from you. The most dangerous run of the day is always the first run as you can’t “just potter down”, you have to put some effort in. The other thing I’ve found is that you have to use your head when you race it. You can let it fly on the straights but you have to back it off a bit on the corners if there's no berm to catch you.

There’s a few things I’ve done to work on the fit, the main ones being 820mm wide bars & 155mm cranks. The bars came about because being so tall my span is also pretty massive. I read something about measuring your hand width when doing a press up in the most comfortable position & mine was 840mm. I tried the bars at 840 but it was a bit too big to turn. The cranks, well with the low BB I was getting a lot of pedal strikes so I gave the 155mm Canfield Brothers cranks a try & they haven’t been off since. Tried them on the trail bike & it’s fine if you’re out in the Alps for a week with a gondola but noticeably spinney if you’re on a 4hr Peaks ride.

The thing I’ve played with most though is stem length. I started the season on a 25mm stem but midway through I switched to 45mm for some flatter tracks & to help getting my weight over the front end. I got comfortable with that but a consequence of the 820mm bars is that I could only find them in 15mm rise & the final 2 races of the season were on steep tracks - Val Di Sole & Llangollen so I jacked the front end up with some stem spacers. This brought the bars back a bit so I went to a 60mm stem. I’ve got used to that now but it’s kind of buggered up my plans for next season. I’ve been looking at the G19’s that Jack’s developed with Chris / Nicolai & I fancy one but the reach on the XL is 25mm less than the current bike. Given that I've been running a 60mm stem I can't go much beyond that so I'm probably just going to stick with what I've got.

Anyway, unsure if that's of any use to anyone on here but... let me know if you've got any Q's.

Here's a pic - think it's the only bike that doesn't look like a clown bike in photos 🙂

rockitman, nice story, your issues are easily solved, ping me an email but in summary..

Your bike is almost the same as mine, the std G16 is DH able and runs up to 175mm rear travel (what yours is most likely and Chris recommends the One Vision team run with 180mm at the rear) and up to 200mm front Chris assures me is ok (its what Jack ran to begin with)

There are longer sizes in the G16, the XL and there will be a...XL well, call Chris about that one..

For £500 notes (I think that's still the custom charge) you can spec your own, no more 60mm stem..the DH bikes have less reach as Nicolai in their wisdom, whilst going for it in every other way specced a 74deg ST not the 77 -78 of the std bike which is what we expected it to be

So you could go custom with a 78deg ST on the G19 and get all of your desired reach back, you could also extend the ETT to the length you want for the exact reach you obviously want which may also alleviate the need for the 820mm bar or allow you to go to a higher rise 809mm minaar bar, thats if the XL or the ...XL are too long or short for you.

Alternatively you could extend the ETT on the G19 to get the reach but from experience that's not the best solution. The DH bike is a tad shorter to accomodate the steep tracks but clearly thats not so great if you are really big.

You could customize the G16 to do the same thing, as that is what you have really, but there would be less mods required to the G19 for the travel and purpose (they should have gone with the right SA in the first place 😉

In short email me or talk to Chris and you can be on the right size bike.

I'm with Chris in the Pyrenees for a week from Saturday but I'll pick up emails when service allows can't say if Chris will, probably.

Hey Chainline, cheers for this. Yep, emailed Chris this week & he suggested trying XXL G16... Custom G19 tho... Hmmm 🙂

A few quick Q's you might be able to help with.

- Can you just explain how ST angle affects the reach? I aways thought reach was horizontal distance between centre of head tube & centre of BB?

- The figures on the Nicolai site for the G16 - are they in low mode or high? Also, no XXL figures despite being able to order one, do you have?

- Can you just explain how ST angle affects the reach? I aways thought reach was horizontal distance between centre of head tube & centre of BB?

It is. But if you steepen the seat tube whilst maintaining the same ETT you naturally increase the reach.

Ah right, have just sat here playing with 2 pens on my desk & I suppose it does. Hadn't thought of that 🙂

@chainline

Boom, this build is coming together - can't wait to receive my frame. Ordered it with frame and all parts anodized matt titanium. LARGE as the base geo, but with extra low top tube. I'm 188cm/6,16' with regular proportions and 75KG including gear.

If running the 180mm fork:
[b]1. RENTHAL APEX 33mm or 40mm stem?
2. RENTHAL Fatbar Carbon with 20mm or 30mm rise?
3. RENTHAL 760, 780 or 800mm bar width?
4. ENVE 70Thirty HV or 60Forty HV front wheel[/b]

Hope your trip is rocking, cheers from Norway.

Christoffer

Shame you couldn't get over to Mojo for a demo christofferbraathen, getting to try different set ups back to back would have answered those questions for you. Rather a long way from Norway unfortunately

Haha, yeah, I know. But part of the fun is to research and dream up that "ultimate" dream build you know. Think this is gonna be one solid bike. Looking at 13.5 KG in LARGE with pure performance parts, no ridiculously light but under dimensioned parts. Not too bad, but a big step for one that usually goes all in on weight. Build looks like this now:

Nicolai ION-G16 – Large
Anodized Titanium – Matt Black Standard Decals Underside of Downtube
Extra Low Top Tube
Fox Racing Shox Float X2 – F-S – 222 x 70mm (175 mm travel)
Fox Racing Shox 36 Float HSC/LSC FIT Factory – 27,5" – 180
Fox Heritage Decals – Stealth Black
Trickstuff Direttissima Brakes – L: SRAM  R: I-Spec II
Trickstuff Front Brake Adapter PM-PM+43 (CNC) 
North Shore Billet Fox Fork Cable Guide for Fox 36 – Black
Trickstuff Dochle-Disc– 180mm – High-gloss polished
Trickstuff Dachle-Disc – 203mm – High-gloss polished
Sapim Aero Bladed CX Super Spoke – Black 
Sapim Aluminium Hexa Polyax Nipples – Black
Renthal Apex35 – 33mm
Trickstuff Ringli Headset Spacer Kit – Champagner
Fox Kashima Top Cap
Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon35, 7 Backsweep, 5 Upsweep – 30mm 
Ergon GD1 MTB Downhill – Slim – Frozen Black
ControlTech TiMania Seatpost Clamp – 34.9mm
BikeYoke Revive – 365mm/125mm / 435mm/160mm – 31.6mm
Triggy + Stand Alone Clamp
Fizik Gobi M1 
Jagwire Mountain Elite Sealed Shift Kit – Frozen Grey
Jagwire Mountain Elite Sealed Shift Kit – Frozen Grey – For Dropper Post
Shimano XTR 11-Speed Casette CS-M9000 (11-40T)
KMC X11SL Ti Nitride
Shimano XTR Mechanical Shadow+ Rear Derailleur RD-M9000 – GS
EnduroBearings XD-15 Ceramic Rear Derailleur Jockey Wheels – Vanilla
KCNC Shimano Pulley Bolts – Gold
Shimano XTR Mechanical Rear Shifter SL-M9000-R 
absoluteBLACK SRAM OVAL BOOST 148 Traction Chainring – 30T
Praxis Works Lyft Carbon – 170mm
absoluteBLACK OVAL BASH GUIDE ISCG05
Mavix Crossmax XL Ti Pedals 
Chris King ThreadFit 30
Chris King InSet 2
Onyx Racing Products MTB BOOST – 148/12mm Thru – 28H – ISO – HG Aluminium Hub Shell with Steel Pins
Onyx Racing Products MTB 110/20mm – 28H – ISO – Antifreeze Green/
ENVE M Series 60 Forty – 27.5 - 28H – HV – Black REAR
ENVE M Series 70 Thirty – 27.5 - 28H – HV – Black FRONT
Maxxis Minion DHF – 27.5X2.50WT - 3C MAXX TERRA – 3C/EXO/TR
Maxxis Minion DHRII - 27.5X2.40WT - 3C MAXX TERRA – 3C/EXO/TR
Token Products Presta French Valve Caps – Anodized Black
Extralite BlackLock 12.3 B Maxle "Boost" 182 
ProTi Assorted Bolts Eloxated Titanium

Why the weaker wheel on the rear and tougher up front?

I'm absolutely sold on these things. But, I'm now a full time bike mechanic. So I can only have one if they offer very favourable trade prices to low level grunts like myself.

@honorablegeorge

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but I do think the front wheel takes a harder beating than the rear, that is more a "follower". Wanted to save weight where possible, and it might be "enough" with the 60FORTY on both front and rear. On the other hand, the 70THIRTY HV is more suited for a 2.5-2.6 tire to increase traction on climbing, an the front could be a tad slimmer and more precise. Curious - what's your thoughts?

My thought would be just the opposite - that the rear wheel takes a lot more beating than the front because more of your weight is on it (less so on the Geometron than most bikes, but still.

If I was putter a higher volume tyre anywhere, it would be up front, but I'd want a tougher rim/tyre out back

The Mavic wheelsets seems to go for a wider rim on the rear wheel, but again, your take is interesting, and just as logical. I'll research some more of-course 🙂 Thanks for the input.

Are you sure christoffer? I always thought the mavic wheels were set up narrower at the rear as the likes of nico and Fabian barel (and I think Chris porter) like additional lateral flex in the rear wheel, nothing to do with strength. By going enve you're ruling out flex albeit you may get more movement in the tyre sidewalk with the narrower rim.

Gotama - Member

Are you sure christoffer? I always thought the mavic wheels were set up narrower at the rear as the likes of nico and Fabian barel (and I think Chris porter) like additional lateral flex in the rear wheel, nothing to do with strength

They do some with skinnier rears... The Enduro wheelset frinstance has IIRC a 21 front and 19 rear, and less spokes in the back. And they make fake ones available to their sponsored riders that look the same but use the stronger, wider rim and spokes front and rear 😆 Couldn't tell you whether Barel used this, Joe Barnes definitely did though and I saw Cedric Gracia getting a stock one replaced with the beefier one. Bit cheeky tbh.

Rears definitely have a harder life imo, exactly [i]because [/i]they're the follower. (I remember seeing Chris Porter's own bike had a crossmax enduro on the back but an SLR on the front)

Rears definitely have a harder life imo, exactly because they're the follower

Yes, me too. In fact I have a particular knack of smashing them into the wrong side of the landing on doubles 😳

So, yeah, I now agree with you - my mistake. Wheelbuilder will swap them. ordered with NICOLAI logo laser engraved on the ONYX hubs:-)

Now the crank...
THM Carbones M3 MTB (Proven, and one of the stiffest - no 170mm)
Tune Black Foot (unproven - no 170mm)
Race Face Next SL G4 (proven - OK 170mm)
Praxis Lyft M30 (not proven, but probably a solid product - OK 170mm)
B.O.R XM557-1X Boost (super solid, similar to Race Face alu, but lighter - OK 170mm)

Any thoughts guys - maybe just stick to the basics and go solid. The Hope and the Race Face Alu is to heavy - trying to hit 13.5 with solid wheels and that wild ONYX rear hub that weighs a ton.

Peace,
Chris

Is the next sl proven? Mine were the previous version, the pedal inserts came loose- they denied it was a known issue while saying they'd fixed it for the new ones which was a good trick, but who really knows til they've been beaten up by owners more- I'm sure they thought the last one was strong enough too

Depending on how you ride isn't it more Sixc territory rather than Next which is more XC/trail orientated?

And I don't know how the weight (apparently 665g with axle, cranks and 32t chainring) stacks up but what about the new Rotor Hawk cranks?

Really looking forward to seeing your build Chris as it sounds pretty pimp!

Ah, those ROTORS, in real metal - soooo nice. I completely forgot about them. Thanks. Really like them. You're right about the territory, but the matter of fact is that there is no difference in needs between the two types of riders . On XC, weight is important, hence the higher priced products. At the same time, they are the ones that demands stiffer stuff to not loose W, so that makes for great products. When weight isn't that important, the products become cheaper and the "burlier" parts is something that just comes along naturally with that. I actually think the markup on XC weight-weenie stuff is lower than on "enduro" components. Should we go ROTOR maybe? HAHA, I feel like a kid with LEGO.

Thanks for feedback/chat folks - always nice.

By the way.... ANTIDOTE Carbonjack. O H M Y G O D! But I think it's time to try something NEW, not just nicer. Geometron it is!

[img] [/img]

665 grams VS Tune Black Foot at 370!!! There is a difference. The Praxis Lyft M30 with AbsoluteBlack is 447. Not to bad, and probably higher quality than Race Face. But CINCH is nicer than SRAM 3-bolt DM system.

[img] [/img]

And.... it makes it more "German" - if that's a good thing?!?

[img] [/img]

I'm just really attracted to this thing as well. Hmmm...

The 'german' aspect is one of the reasons I've always wanted a Nicolai. But going back to cranks and happy to be wrong here but isn't the super light weight stuff achieved through thinner walls. So whilst the race face next might be as stiff for (for arguments sake) beasting up a hill, when it comes to smashing down a bike park you're going beyond the designed useage and the thinner walls will allow flex whereas the burlier sixc will remain as stiff as when beasting up the hill. Clearly the worst outcome is a crank snapping because you're landing a 20ft gap on something that wasn't designed for it. As I say, I'm no expert, that was just my understanding of how these things work.

The thing is that I'm coming from that disease called "fat-phobia" in the XC world. Haha. It's just bollocks on a bike like this. But the Rotor is in fact heavier than XTR, which should be a plenty stiff and solid crank for this type of riding. Besides, I'm not the best jumper, and weigh 70 KG, so not toooo scared.

For now, I think the Praxis Lyft looks the most tempting in the Carbon realm, and the BOR in metal. The Rotor is INCREDIBLE, but would probably just have bought the REX then, at 550 grams. That is probably a better crank than the BOR, even though it's Spanish 😉

I have absolutely battered the last gen XTR and the latest on my Geometron here in the Lakes. I'm a fairly big lad, they are very strong cranks. The previous XTR cranks survived my last two bikes. Couldn't imagine ever putting carbon cranks on a Geometron!

OK, that's the drop. You got me officialy "metal" hooked. Need to dive into this alu-crank nonsense you're hyping and get my self a shot 😉

AluHa

christofferbraathen - some of your build choices seem a little odd to me, although of course you are welcome to build your bike however you like! However I'm of the belief that weight in the middle of the bike is a lot less important than weight at either end. With that in mind I'd not worry too much about 100-200g of crank weight and instead I'd get rid of that Onyx hub and XTR cassette for a DT240s and SRAM cassette probably saving you 300g+ in unsuspended weight.

You will notice the extra weight of the xtr cassette over a Sram XX1 or similar, likewise the hub. Huge difference to the suspension where sprung weight will only enhance its performance.

Chris's suspension this last week looked sublime in no small part to the 2kg of lead he was hauling near the BB.

@stevet1 and Chainline

I do see your point, and I have been very reluctant to go down the ONYX route due to weight, but they just have their aluminium HG drive shell out this week, reducing weight by 75g down to 427g. Still a hulk, even compared to a CK, but that sprag clutch....

The XTR cassette is purely due to myself not really getting along with XX1 compared to Shimano, but I completely agree, they have NO competitive cassette options, neither range, nor weight. Maybe I need to change my mind... Now your messing up my build - damn you 🙂

The crank issue is mainly just playing with options, not seriously thinking about the Tune - they never deliver on usability/quality in my opinion. Much more tempted by the Rotor, the BOR or the Praxis.

Luckily I'm in time to switch around the hub configuration and legitimize the ONYX by swapping for XX1 cassette - no Eagle.

Thanks a million for chiming in guys - always fun to discuss pros and cons. Frame is 14 days out - can't wait. EXT Storia, possibly LOK version will be available to test once build is complete - I'll report on that. Take a look here: [url= http://www.extremeshox.com/en/bikes-mtb ][b]EXT Storia[/b][/url] Had the ELEVENSIX, hoping this might be better.

But soooo eager to try the MOJO X2 Fox - if it holds up to all your praise, it might knock this out of the water.

Christoffer

reducing weight by 75g down to 427g.

I use XX1 cassette but Shimano gears/shifiting. All fully compatible in 11spd.

The last few (literally) 2016 GeoMetrons in each size are available now so S(Long), M(Longer), L(Longest) and XL (Longesterer)
Get in touch with Paul at Mojo (or me if you'd prefer, but purchase would be through Mojo) for pricing.

In addition there will continue to be differentiation between the Mojo G16 and the Nicolai G16 going forward.

Nicolai were less keen to implement some changes that Mojo felt were appropriate given the specification of bikes going out and feedback from customers.

Chainline - Member
I use XX1 cassette but Shimano gears/shifiting. All fully compatible in 11spd.

+1, use same on both bikes, shifts brilliantly.

What are the differnces with Mojo and Nicolai? I see their G16 ships with the 170 36 instead of 180 - what else?

I'm not sure, but the 170 to 180mm is something you can order from Nicolai as well, as this is done as a fork service at Mojo.

To update a bit on the hubs/cassette/rim front:
The ONYX rear would be 140 grams heavier than I9 in comparable spec. The rear would be 400g compared to 265 for I9 - both CL and XD. King only noticeably lighter at 367 XD and actually lighter with HG at 341 - negating some of the loss for native XTR cassette if running King.

Front would be the same, as I9 doesn't offer 20mm without 6-bolt, which adds 50g to the rotors and your up 33g - not enough to care, unless it's to match the rear. Both would still be a 170g solid total.

Going to the 60Forty rim would drop another 70g from the rear, and we're down to 70g difference, which I think is acceptable.

I know - I'm tricking myself here, but I just really really want to try a silent drivetrain!!! Nobody else have that feeling?

C

After reading XX1 cassette with XTR RD, I'll switch to that, and the SRAM chain. No KMC after reading the threads on that type of setup.

@Chainline - anything specific on those changes? As I have a down payment for a "custom", I might be able to ask them to implement whatever you deem valuable.

I would of course have bought it from you as a Geometron had I not discovered this thread too late.

C

Christoffer

Mojo changes to 2017 model. Specifically the large

83mm BB (may upset your crank choices!) and wider bearing spacing of the G19 BB. Crank std not boost to give good chainline with boost rear but also more heel clearance.

62.5 HA referenced to 559mm a2c or 170mm fork. Giving inherent 62HA with 180mm fork and eff. 77deg SA.

Size specific CS length; 449mm for Large size.

I'll grab the other sizes/geo but basically the S and M have 445mm CS with 420mm and 440mm ST, the L and XL have 449mm with 460mm and 480mm ST and the XXL with the ETT beginning with a 7 has a 455mm CS and 500mm ST.

All versions can use either 222 or 216 shock for 155mm or 170mm rear travel, as can the Nicolai. Both travel lengths can be set up to pedal/feel the same when pedaling.

Chainline, is there a even longest er in the pipe line or did I imagine that? Saying that a 520 reach is long!

Wookster, Nicolai joked about the Longesterer haha. That is the XL

Terminology;
small=Long 485mm reach
Medium= Longer 502mm reach
Large = Longest 520mm reach
XL = Longesterer 535mm reach
XXL = Longestwrwr+ 555mm reach

*I made the last name up but the numbers are right...

Wow!
Exactly what sort of RAD lines do you guys ride to need a reach 4" longer than the bike that just won Rampage under it's 6ft1" pilot?

Can you post pics, vids, Strava etc for us to see?

100% serious question BTW.

Have we all stopped riding our X2 equipped Geometrons on the advice of Fox? Mine has been hammered for the 9 months I have had it here in the Lakes and up in Scotland but is showing no signs whatsoever of exploding!

Pretty strange to suddenly realise they can explode and fairly sickening that Fox have issued this statement but failed to supply a solution. Seems like Mojo found out the same way we did, which is pretty poor. It's a very expensive item for Fox not to be offering an immediate fix or replacement. Hopefully a quick fix will mean we can use them with confidence again.

noncycler - Member
Wow!
Exactly what sort of RAD lines do you guys ride to need a reach 4" longer than the bike that just won Rampage under it's 6ft1" pilot?

Can you post pics, vids, Strava etc for us to see?

100% serious question BTW.

POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

I rode this today mate.....on a 29er, really made the trails feel alive, but with I was on a boost equipped 27.5+ mainly for vertical compliance.....

[img] [/img]

Chainline cheers fella!

Thanks for the Rampage spoiler in a totally unrelated thread - I'm only halfway through watching it FFS.

Duir, I don't the no so.if I wasn't somewhat banged up from a bit of an off in the Pyrenees last week riding with Mr Porter I would certainly be riding my X2 equipped Geometron.
Totally agree the announcement and method was a bit poor. Mojo found out the same way we did social media and pink bike.
I've never seen a 250 psi max sticker on any of the X2 shocks i've seen since they came out !

Float X2 on a new Slash:

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/14042479

Mine says max 300psi so apparently could blow up. Can't see it happening though, I run 4 spacers and 210psi. It seems to me to be a really reliable, low maintenance shock that just works and is perfect for the Geometron.

Bet this is a bloody nightmare for Mojo with 100 calls a day and no idea what to tell people!

noncycler, its not about needing to be more rad as such. It works differently. its about making the bike work as a whole and it being fast, flexible and forgiving. I guess there could be aspects of rampage that it may not suit, although getting down that stuff in control it could help! The G19 has a little less reach than the G16 due to it's purpose and anticipated steepness of tracks.

I know its custom geo but looks like the Robot bike people are pushing in a similar direction to the Geometron [url= http://www.pinkbike.com/news/robot-bike-co-r160-custom-review-2016.html ]http://www.pinkbike.com/news/robot-bike-co-r160-custom-review-2016.html[/url]

That is so awesome.

That robot bike is the beanz !

Well - that's Paul Aston, who reviewed the Geometron for PinkBike, and he's had that Robot frame built to more or less the same geometry.

It's incredibly expensive though, and even with carbon 24 spoke wheels (no thanks) and a Pike, it's still 30 lbs - I'm not sure there's much of weight benefit to the deign, whatever you save in weight with the carbon you lose with the titanium.

Yeah, I posted before reading the whole article and he does mention that he's based it on the Geometron but also says the bike will have to go back so hopefully others will review the bike and comment on its geometry.

Low weight is over rated and having experience of printed Titanium I can believe a healthy chunk of that cost is on the brand not the materials.

Paul is tall and wanted the 29er GeoMetron so I am surprised he has built such a small bike (smaller than mine anyway) , although there wasn't the XL and XXL when he commissioned it and so he wouldn't know if even bigger was better.

Also surprised he's gone that steep on the 27.5, it feels much better below 63deg, between 61 and 62deg is the sweet spot for the trail bike with tuning for personal preference using offset I think. The 2016 GeoMetron is only 63.5 with the reference 170mm fork a2c.

If there is one thing I've learned over the last 18months its that it is not just the geo that makes the difference, you just cant take out the suspension and how it's balanced/tuned in my experience over the last year and whilst anti squat plays a part I mean more how the setup works dynamically together.

I had a torrid time in the Pyrenees the other week for the first day and a half while I got my bike set up for the terrain as it was so different to that I ride in the UK, but once it was, it was an astonishing difference to ride. Of course it helps that I was riding with CP but much to do with what I have learned over the last 18months about setup.

I love that in this thread 63.5 is considered steep for a head angle. I really need to get the offset bushings in my bike which should bring it down to about 65 / 65.5 on a 29er and see how that rides.

Also got a Sussmybike on order so hopefully will be able to get some better suspension setup, albeit a long way from a custom job from Mojo but I'm not in the league or really needing that.

I had a torrid time in the Pyrenees the other week for the first day and a half while I got my bike set up for the terrain as it was so different to that I ride in the UK, but once it was, it was an astonishing difference to ride. Of course it helps that I was riding with CP but much to do with what I have learned over the last 18months about setup.

So you had Mr Porter with you and have been 'into' suspension setup for the past 18 months and it still took you 1.5 days to get the bike to set up properly? Doesn't sound ideal. There's a lot to be said for K.I.S.S 😆

thepodge - Member
Also got a Sussmybike on order

Please share your thoughts on this once you have got your hands on it.

thepodge - Member

Low weight is over rated and having experience of printed Titanium I can believe a healthy chunk of that cost is on the brand not the materials.

TBH it's not so much materials as opportunity cost- unless Renishaws think it's worthwhile for PR like they did with Charge and Empire, they'll be expecting the same rates as they get for making bits of planes and spaceships.

Partly perhaps but a friend of mine had some titanium lugs made and I was positively surprised at the cost

Euro,

It was a lot to do with circumstances and a painful experience with CB Mallet (wrong terrain and time to try them out coming from Shimano!) There was no time to make the changes during the day so had to do it post days riding and then tweaks on day 2. Chris and I also disagreed slightly on the issue 😉

CP was mainly focussed on smashing the trails and the terrain, he was loving the 27.5/29er setup it it's fair to say....

G13 29ers due in soon...Tim at Mojo is putting the miles in on the first bike and getting the DPS tuned in.

Chainline.
Just emailed you.

Got it Stu, on it.

I must say I'm really looking forwards to trying one of these out.
I've even sold some niche singlespeed tat to make room in the garage in case I like it enough to buy one.

Thread resurrection....

X-Longest Nicolai G13 with 36s up front rather than 34s and the piggyback shock. Thoughts from the demo are carried through into this bike which is a bit of a relief given the changes between the mojo test bike and this production variant. It climbs incredibly well, the steep seat tube and long stays make controlling the slack front end a non-event. Downhill it’s brilliant. At a smidge over 6ft 3 it’s the first full sus bike that truly feels like it fits. There’s a much bigger sweet spot where I can move my weight around without feeling like I’m hanging way over the back or about to be pitched over the front. I also feel a lot happier when the back is sliding around on corners, it’s actually fun to drift rather than being panic stations. That all said where it really surprised me is how composed it was when it gets rough. I’m not sure if that’s the suspension, the geometry or a combination of both; although I suspect it is mainly the geometry given I set the suspension up very quickly as I didn’t have time to meet up with the man from mojo before riding. Particularly noticeable going into one section which is quite narrow, steep ish and littered with deep braking ruts. It was easily the fastest I’d ever ridden through the section and the bike felt completely composed compared to a mate on his 160mm Commencal who commented that he felt as if he was on the limit. Anyhoo, I'm happy as I suppose anybody would be having just shelled a load of money on a bike and ridden it for the first time! Always wanted a Nicolai. Gratuitous pics below, excuse the front brake hose and state of the grass, I was desperate to get out for a ride.

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That looks amazing Gotama, no wonder you are pleased! 8)

Could I ask which size it is as doesn't actually look that big! Is it an XL or a XXL?

Also what are the changes between the mojo test bike and the production one? Sorry if it's been mentioned in the thread before, I've been following it from the start but some of it has faded from my aging memory now. 😳

That is fantastic and Imlove the wheels too. Mega jealous

Sooo happy you're happy Gotama. It does indeed just look right. I need to pick mine up and put it together. First job will be an angleset 😉

Are you running 150mm up front Gotama?

I think Stu swung a leg over mine last week at Mojo too.

Stompweaver - It's the XL or X-Longest in mojo terminology. It definitely looks in proportion with the 29er wheels. The Mojo test 29er was a 150mm bike and the sizing differed in that it was a Longest with the reach around 520 (I think) and a slightly slacker head angle which put the wheelbase roughly the same as this one. My X-Longest has a reach of 530mm and a 64 degree head angle. So whilst a size smaller in labelling the test bike was only marginally smaller in numbers (I think!). It was the travel difference and BB height which were the biggest changes. If that doesn't make sense say and i'll try again!

Chainline - No, after a chat with Toby I stuck with the 140mm setting but with a 10mm bigger negative air spring. I'm due to catch up with him soon to get the final settings for the shock and fork as he's promised to work some of his magic. Thanks again for your help with this; much appreicated.

Very nice, you say the Mojo test bike was 150mm but not how much travel this is, I assume you are referring to the rear?

Should be 133mm rear thepodge.

Thanks for the reply Gotama, it makes perfect sense. I have been thinking about a Geometron/Nicolai for a while. I've had an Enduro 29er for the last couple of years and a Stumpjumper 29er before that and I can't see me ever going back to smaller wheels. I love the Enduro but it's always felt on the small side (465mm reach) as I am 6' 2" and have short legs and long torso for my height. I've got the 650b shock yoke on it which slackens it off and drops the BB a bit but it could do with being slacker still. Compared to my DH bike it feels very nervous and skittish.

I think I'd go for the Geometron over the Nicolai for the extra travel at the back. You can never have too much skill compensation... 😉 Is there a particular reason that you chose the G13 over the Geometron?

Interesting stuff, enjoy your new bike 😀

Chainline I thought the Geometron 29er was 150mm rear travel?

Ignore me.

Chainline will no doubt correct me if I’m wrong but the G series produced by Nicolai are the Geometron bikes. G13 is the 29, G16 is the 650b and G19 is the downhill bike. Mine certainly has Geometron printed in pretty large lettering on the seat stays. Anything else is special order and I believe can still be done through Mojo.

Podge – 140mm front, 133mm rear although lifting it to 150mm without any other jiggery pokery is apparently not an issue as you would expect.

Stompweaver – 95% of my riding is round surrey hills which is not exactly rough. My Banshee Prime was fine travel wise (135mm rear) in the Alps last summer (riding with guys on Specialized Enduro 650b and YT Capra) but at the same time my riding is more geared towards natural alpine singletrack (the enduro race stages for example) rather than smashing out park laps with big jumps all day. Geometry makes a massive difference though. I’ve had a pretty long Swarf Spline (490mm reach) that I’ve been riding for a while now and the difference in how that feels at speed over the rough stuff is remarkable. Geometron works to the same principle. I truly believe that it’s not the travel per se, it’s the design around the travel. I can’t stand the aforementioned Enduro (no offence intended) as it just feels way too short in reach (2015 model) even in XL, my mate enjoys it though. It’s personal preference but I can’t see any downside to the longer bike apart from perhaps if you like hitting a lot of jumps and getting stylish in the air where I assume it is harder to move the bike into whatever funky shape you’re looking for. That’s not my riding though so I can’t really comment. You do have to muscle the bike around more in the corners but it’s something you get used to very quickly in my experience. All I would say is that if you’re looking to spend on a new frame, don’t discount the Geometrons from the numbers, it’s definitely worth a ride and they’re really accommodating in sorting something out.