Anyone ridden the Mojo Nicolai yet?

Looks like nicolai want to make the choice even harder and have just released the g15. Which is remarkable similar to the bike I have just built.

http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/shop/bike/ion-g15-techline.html

If anyone wants to watch a really dull video, here is someone using computers to tell you how good a Geometron is at pedalling...

blakec , did you get your xxl built , I would love to hear your thoughts .

blakeC - much to CP and my annoyance.....

The G15 they have release is extremely close, other than 10mm shorter travel, to the Mojo G16 with 29er wheels except for a lower BB in low and it's steeper. In high it's almost a carbon copy of the Mojo G16 BB drop but with a (again without discussing) a steeper head angle, narrower BB, less tyre clearance, narrower bearings with the requisite impact on the bottom end and the necessary boost crankset.

There is simply no need for yet another model....not enough differentiation, the G13 was/is distinct... back to same old Nicolai in some ways... The model range is far too big for a small company with too much overlap. <bangs head against brick wall.

The G15 also of course has less travel than the Custom G13 with DHX2 Mojo built and will cost much more.

cheers for the video sharkattack, very interesting

So, phoned today to order a frame....... No stock.......

Hoping that the crank and bb arrive for this so I can collect it before the weekend.

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4437/36111524533_6ba3ce655c_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4437/36111524533_6ba3ce655c_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/X2418X ]Amanda's Geometron Almost Done.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

Sweet. I do so love mine 🙂
Hope crank or different?

Thanks chainline, if I have new lowers fitted (29) and reset height and service at same time, how long in time to reset back to 180mm from 160 mm ive never adjusted or had forks apart tbh but I'm mechanical minded. Thanks

The new nicoli e bike being shown at euro bike

To keep costs down, Nicolai have developed an adjustable system called the 'Mutator' to change suspension travel, wheel size, and geometry. There are four setups possible that mirror Nicolai's existing GXX range. The G13 is a 130mm 29er, the G16 a 160mm 27.5", and there will be a G19 available which will be a 200mm travel e-downhill bike.

So if they built this into a non e bike frame would it.be possible to have two forks,two shocks and have a dh bike and a trail.bike in one?

tall martin, kinda, but tgh thats exactly what you get with a GeoMetron. just swop to 175mm rear and put 40's on it. Thats what I do. officially you can't but you can run them at 200mm front.

If you want very progressive 155mm to feel like the 130m of a G13 you can set an X2 to act that way.

I have two shocks and two forks, 40's and 36's and a 216 and 222 X2.

alheginbottom. About half an hour to change back. Assuming you have the 27.5 lowers.

You can run the 29 at 180mm if you want. The 'new' 170mm 29 is marketing bollox, no new chassis parts or anything.
As mentioned just set the travel as you would for the 27.5 lowers.

You will need a pin spanner (about £6) to change the neg spacer but that's the only special tool. Better with a flattened off socket for the fork air cap.

It's essentially a lowers service (utube vid for this) and moving the travel pin and removal of the neg spacers to suit.

Travel adjust video also online.

...just swop to 175mm rear and...

I was wondering about this. The G16 is listed as 155/175 but there's no obvious adjustments on the frame. Do you need to swap stays or linkages?

I've just ridden my first Geometron! Just briefly but enough to form some opinions.

It was a Longer, and the owner is good 5 inches shorter than me. The reach from the saddle to the bars felt and looked similar to my current bike (large Cotic Bfe, confirmed with tape measure) but in every other way it dwarves it. BB to top of headtube is 10cm longer.

I'm surprised by how normal it felt considering you can see the whole front of the fork from the saddle right down to the axle bolts. When the saddle is up it puts you in a very central position right above the cranks. On the Enduro 29 demo bike I've been riding, when you pop the saddle it feels like you're right over the back axle. It felt very nimble and easy to carve around on. I'm also pleasantly surprised by how light it felt (I didn't weigh it). It wasn't a weight weeny build but it certainly felt 'modern day trail bike' weight.

I'm 6'2" on a good day so not sure if I need a Longest. The Longer is way bigger than anything I've had before. Now that I've had a good poke around a bike I'm a lot more convinced that I want one. Nothing about it put me off.

Only one thing struck me as a complete ball ache just waiting to happen. The rear brake hose runs under the welded on shock mount. Which means every time you want to fit or remove a rear brake you have to remove a calliper or lever. On a Hope brake with a braided hose that will be nerve shredding stuff!

Bigmagoo Arse. Did Paul say when they expected stock. I know Chris is trying to keep up with G16 and was with Kalle Nicolai a couple of weeks ago to discuss supply amongst other things.

Sharkattack. I really would recommend trying out a Longest at your height. To save me going through the thread where are you?
As mentioned it's easy to set up a Longest to be the same cockpit and physical reach as a Longer but you would have the option if needed to increase the space. You can do the same adjustment with the chainstay using a different insert (+5mm)

And you change the travel by using a different shock. You get the same leverage as shown in the video.

I'm in Sheffield. The dude I just visited currently has a Long and a Longer, he's going to keep whichever one he prefers.

Yeah I think I want a Longest. I also want the full 180 front/175 rear travel. Can I ask them to set it up like a jump bike? 😉 I know they're designed to be progressive anyway but I love jumps and drops. My last bike had all the grip in the world and was super fast but I couldn't get the bloody thing off the ground. It was a bit of a buzzkill sometimes.

Do they not have a fleet of demo bikes that they can ship all over the country to serious potential customers? Wishful thinking I know, I only ask because that's what Orange do. I'll pay shipping if it's refundable off a frameset...

They wont generally ship bikes to you but Toby does travel with demo's set up as you request.

Sounds to me like a day at BPW for the £200 demo fee, refundable against a purchase would suit you.
Loads of jumps and drops to test to your hearts content and a dude to fettle your bike and set the suspension/bike up exactly to your preferences.

Tell him he prefers the longer then he can sell the long to me at a discount

Anyone here running the fox x2 at the upper limit on a g16 , I'm 105kg and wondering what psi it will need, the guys at mojo have said about me being at the limits, would be great to hear of if anyone has been using one in these conditions, @heavyhole! No confirmed dates for a dpx2 which will have a working range up to 350 psi. Cheers!

I have to run the float X on my G13 at the limit. Pump to around 315 to account for airloss taking the pump off. It works fine but I'm always skeptical about the longevity of the seals due to running at the limit. no probs so far though. Very tempted to swap out for a coil though.

Tell him he prefers the longer then he can sell the long to me at a discount

Keep an eye on Pinkbike it's going to be for sale once he gets the new one fettled.

Pump to around 315 to account for airloss taking the pump off

That hiss when you removed a shock pump is not your shock losing pressure!

Sounds to me like a day at BPW for the £200 demo fee, refundable against a purchase would suit you.

Honestly, I'm close to just hitting the button on a Largest. Got an uplift at BPW booked and I want a bike ready for then.

Even second hand they are a bit more than I can justify spending considering how much I ride mountain bikes these days

That hiss when you removed a shock pump is not your shock losing pressure!

I appreciate that but I definitely lose some when I take the pump off. I also have it on pretty good authority that I'm not going outside the actual tolerances in my approach.

Bigamoo

My XXL was one that they had on stock order though Toby did mention it would have take longer if there hadn't be a stock order already in place.

yes now all built with 29 wheels front and rear. Its running the fox 36 29 44mm offset 160mm fork up front and the 215 x2 in the chip in the 222 position. this gives a BB height of 350mm and a head angle about 62 degrees ( this isn’t super accurately measured).

For me it feels good first bike I have ridden that feel just right, though I think I might have to play around with the stem handle bar combo to get it perfect. I have ridden it about 6 hours now and it wasn’t till about the 4th hour I felt completely comfortable to really start pushing it this was more due to it is a completely different bike to what I had before. I also apear to be using different muscles in my legs due to the steeper head angle. For me cornering on the two 29 wheels feels good they are so much grip available. I feel its better than the hybrid setup I rode in the demo but that was on a XL with the handle bars set much lower as the steerer tube had been cut for a medium. It was also pissing it down.

To answer your question about the x2 at Max. I run it a 250psi (which I think is the max for a 2018 x2) and am about 115kg kitted up. I run the rebound/dampening at the settings fox recommended by for for that pressure and it feels good. I also spoke to Paul at Mojo who set up the shock as per my weight and the settings recorded from the demo day. I haven’t hit anything big with it yet but I do feel I am using a bit more travel than I should. But I will play around with the settings and spacers a bit more. I also have to arrange a second day with Toby to refine the suspension for me as I am now on the XXL not the XL that I had on demo.

Overall I am very happy with the bike. but it dosen't fit on my bike rack on the back of the car as the wheel base is to big. from edge of tyre to edge of tyre its about 2m 5cm so sticks out the sides as well. Any one got a solution to attaching a geomotron to a thule tow bar carrier. Current thoughts is to build some 16 inch wheels for transporting

Also interested to hear what Thule carriers folks are using... want to get a wheel support tow bar one

Also interested to hear what Thule carriers folks are using

Just get the longest ordered and be done with it. My longer was looking pretty small on you to be honest! As you say it all felt fine and as chainline says you can play with a size with bar position etc to balance it as you wish.
Just get it done!

Podge - Depends what you think too much, I'm even local too 😉

Don't tempt me, I might just cave in.

interested to hear what Thule carriers folks are using... want to get a wheel support tow bar one

I'm not. I'm using a Buzzrack Scorpion from roofbox with the fatbike kit. This gives the extra length for my small with plenty to spare and is obviously plenty wide for 2.3-2.4 tyres on chunky carbon rims

Thank you Gotama and blakec !!!! . Great information , helps a lot for piece of mind on my future purchase .
Blakec . as for the bike rack , I did a mod on my bike carrier for a mega290 (1250 wheelbase) I removed the plastic brackets/feet that the wheels sit on and attached black reinforced pvc guttering with self tappers and washers and extended it as required , it works a treat , I will try and get you a picture later.

I can confirm that a XXL g16 with 29 wheels sort of fits on the bpw uplift trailer. You need an extra strap to attach the front wheel to the top of the wheel holder as it doesn't go in the wheel holder

@blakec, did you get anywhere with the rear shock in way of the travel , you did say that you felt that it was using more that it should or is it sorted ?

Bigamoo. I went with my kids so wasn't hitting it a full pace. I added an extra ring and it felt better off of some of the drops.

I'll have my raw XL G13 frame for sale shortly if anyone is interested. Mail in profile but will put a sale ad up in the next week or so.

why you selling?

Thankfully it'll be too big for me

Catvet... It's a brilliant bike, better at a lot of things than the bike I'm replacing it with which in itself seems a little stupid but the reality is that for me, it's too much bike for a lot of my riding. I'm based in the Surrey hills so our downhills are short and generally lacking in gradient or rough ground. I also come at riding from an undergunned perspective, forced to have one bike I'd have a hardtail, irrespective of how good the FS is. I like to feel like I'm on the limit of control if that makes sense. To me the Nicolai feels like its still great at riding the more benign trails but at the same time I'm forcing it to do something it would rather not, until I get to the odd steeper or rougher section of trail and then it's awesome.

Clearly it's personal perspective, my riding mates are on YT Capra, Spec Enduro etc and they love them. If I lived in South Wales, the lakes or could get out to the Alps for more than my usual annual long weekend then I'd be keeping this bike, no doubt in my mind. I also expect that there'll be a lot of times where I regret selling it but I can't justify two full suspension bikes as well as the hardtail. When testing a few bikes I tried a Santa Cruz hightower, as an apparently comparable bike it had nothing on the Nicolai for composure and ability to cover the ground over those rougher sections.

If its possible to run a G16 with either 27.5 and/or 29 inch wheels, is it possible to run a G13 with 27.5 inch wheels?

Something like a 160mm fork up front with 130mm out back for a similar axle to crown as a 29er fork?

Gotama

So what have you decided upon, out of interest?
Thanks

Catvet - santa Cruz tallboy, using my 36s at 140mm and running the plus tyres. Even though it's essentially an xc orientated bike I found that during my demo ride on local trails the Nicolai was far better at steep, more technical climbing which surprised me a bit. The tallboy does however pick up pace faster when you mash the pedals and feels out of control more of the time, skipping over the rougher (relatively speaking) parts where the Nicolai just stays composed. I am still slightly tempted to stick the Nicolai frame in the loft and build it up for wales/Alps trips. Its just a lot of money sat in a box for 2 or 3 trips a year!

Interesting gotama. I've got to say this is my concern

I think that's why a few have been asking about shorter travel versions

I've got a 160f/150r 29er geometron, and this is something that worried me. Yes, it is overkill for a lot of the Surrey hills, but not in a way to hold you back. I find it fine on the more mellow trails, as long as your pushing on. I find the bike a bit uninspiring when coasting along, it covers the ground quickly and nicely, it's just a bit, meh. As soon as you start too push, it comes alive, and is amazing. I've found it doesn't really matter on the trail, as long as your trying to go fast, it's simple brilliant.

Gotama

That IS quite a change!!

Hope you enjoy it

The podge, that is the shorter travel version!

Gotama, have you thought making the rear even more progressive to limit travel to 100-100mm and doing the same at the front with 140mm travel but progressivity limiting to 120mm?
You'll never make a GeoMetron twitchy of course, it goes against the basis of design.
I'm with uselesshippy on the mild trail thing but we're all different, if being on the edge of control as opposed to the edge of grip but in control is your thing then the GeoMetron may not be the bike. Even on flat trails you can go into corners far too fast and drift it or just slide the back about, it's just less likely to go full widow maker on you

IChainline
I love the line "" go full widow maker!!"

In fact on the isle of Lefkas in Greece there is a most excellent trail of the same name!!

All best
H

Catvet , only a figure of speech, not a slight on other bikes

Just really giving the Geometron some thought, most likely the G13 130/140mm version. I'm 6ft2 with short legs and long torso/arms. Can't quite decide how long to go.

Even the 'smallest' G13 would have a reach figure similar to my current 'large' transition.....

Anyone give me some feedback either on your height and what size you went for or how you decided what length to go for?

Groundskeeperwilly you will want at least a Longest.
An XL would be the automatic size choice based on height and I'd recommend trying both but Ongest would work well,

I ride a Longest at 5'11". A former singletrack rster also rides one at 5'8" but that is stretching it and ideally he'd prefer a lower ST.
Another friend is happy on an XL at 6'

Thanks Chainline, Longest was my assumption. I'm sure I saw some pics of Longest or XL's in here somewhere that I can trawl back to!

Mrs stu's Longer G16 is final here.
Had a couple of rides on it so far and really likes it.
Given her confidence to ride a couple of features she's always shied away from. 😀

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4393/36881395386_fceb298c10_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4393/36881395386_fceb298c10_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Yc5MVm ]Geometron G16 Longer.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

If you order a G16 with fork and shock without doing the £200 demo day, do you get off the shelf suspension? Or can you still get a specific set up for the kind of riding you intend to do? Obviously, just as a starting point for further refinement but not starting from scratch with production suspension.

In the past I've been pretty disappointed with the Fox stuff on new bikes until they've been to Mojo to be made more supportive.

I bought a frame, shock and fork and they've helped me with setup and re valved my fork.
Didn't do a test day as such but did get to try one out with Paul.
The service I've received so far has been just brilliant.
nothing seems too much trouble for them when it comes to getting the bike right for you.

I'd echo what Stu said. Paul and Mojo are excellent to deal with.

They've even offered recently for me to drop in and fine tune my suspension settings.

Best service I hVe had when buying a bike!

What stem lenght are people running on these?

Majority seem to be using 32 - 40mm. My demo had a hope 35mm stem from memory.

Thanks Howdoo. I thought that was the case, but couldn't find the info on this mahoosive post!!

30-35mm stem typically, occassionally up to 40mm

That looks lovely Stu, seen it on Instabang. Super glad she gets the confidence. Exactly what has happened with my daughter.

And yes, buying any combination beyond just a frame gets you the Mojo tune of your choice for the suspendy parts and they will continue to help with setup as and when you need it (within reason of course!)

By within reason I mean you might not expect free revalving and rebuilds two years down the line but tuning advice and diagnosis if you're having setup issues yes.

I just had a very expensive email exchange with Paul. Might have a new arrival soon.

Until then...
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Awesome! SharkAttack I'm green with envy!

Might have a new arrival soon

You can't get pregnant by email 😀

Go on, what exactly have you ordered?

I'm still dreading the email from steveh saying he's selling his.

G16 Longest. Frame, fork, shock and transfer post. In shiny raw alloy.

I still have to send him my particulars to have the bouncy bits correctly tuned but it's bought and paid for.

I've been riding mountain bikes for 20 years and I've never had a proper, all new, custom build. If I hadn't accidentally crash landed back in the bike industry last year then I couldn't afford any of it so I'm gonna grab it while I can.

Oh arse! I forgot to ask if they had any of those fancy Kashima top caps in stock...

excellent.

podge - dodgy hamstring so not ridden the longer yet, it'll come soon 😉

Good lady wife tested the daughters NotSoLong at the weekend. loved it. She's 5' tall. Felt very confident, especially over the front. First time I've seen her brave enough to properly commit to the front in loose corners.
Length was never mentioned.

It's been a while since she has ridden due to injury.

She then went on her current bike (Knolly Warden( which is pretty on trend and not so short at that end of the spectrum as a Small (580mm ETT, 408mm reach approx). Feedback was it felt kinda high and she was much less confident over the front and felt less stable going into corners. This was rapidly followed by doe eyes and the request to get the wallet out..

This is both good and bad. The good bit is the NotSoLong is clearly good for someone of 5'. Target size is from 4'10 or so up to 5'5".
The bad is obviously regarding the wallet.

Looks like I'll be putting a minty Warden up for sale soon..

The good bit is the NotSoLong is clearly good for someone of 5'

That is interesting. What length of dropper post was fitted and what was the saddle height? Do you hav a picture you could post of the bike as it was setup for your wife?

Thanks

I do LAT, 150mm dropper fitted with 1.5" of exposed post. As mentioned I designed it to be able to work with people from 4'10 with a 100mm dropper.

Running 155mm cranks here (we can also source 150mm from a certain well known British brand)

From ground height is 92cm
From centre of pedal crank 73cm - 76cm (to front of saddle - to centre of saddle intersect with centre of seatpost i.e. longest measurement)

Seatpost has 6cm to top of collar, about 3.75cm to bottom of collar (LEV, fairly tall collar compared to say a Transfer)

If you want more specifics just PM me, I have the drawings etc.

[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4350/36530357323_203fb84400_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4350/36530357323_203fb84400_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/XE4CwX ]IMG_1263[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/ ]Phil[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Wife,

Daughter (5'2")
[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4294/35455845914_7019d8965d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4294/35455845914_7019d8965d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/W27tJb ]IMG_1094[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/ ]Phil[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Good friend based in Hebden (5'2")
[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4389/36945600910_e1a45fa861_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4389/36945600910_e1a45fa861_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/YhKRZ9 ]IMG_1207[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/ ]Phil[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Saddle up
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4312/35456805853_11e6f04d73_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4312/35456805853_11e6f04d73_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/W2cp5R ]IMG_1088[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/ ]Phil[/url], on Flickr

Well, here we go....
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So glad I went for raw instead of black. I love black bikes but this is so shiny in the flesh and it shows all the details.
I'm not one to gush about bikes but now that I've got it, I'm pretty excited about it. It's a beautiful bit of machinery and it's already got about 20 different sets of finger prints all over it. All those big, fat welds and machined bits had everyone touching, poking and rubbing it before I could get it stashed.

That's it for now. A big box of Hope goodies should land tomorrow and it'll be bike shaped tomorrow night. I might have to wait for pay day for bars, stem, saddle, drivetrain etc...

I've been riding a steel hardtail for 4 years I am literally gagging to smash through some rock gardens.

Looks great that.
You're going to love it.

@chainline

Many thanks for pics and measurements.

Hi all,

I've bought myself an extra longest g13 frame! It's all built but I have couple of questions for the collective wisdom.

It's a raw frame and arrived lovely and shiny. After building it it has started to discolour. Any hints on how to keep it shiny?

It came without a shock so I've bought a Cane Creek double barrel air climb switch. Has anyone used one on a geometron any Base tunes you would care to share?

Cheers all!

Using a DB air without the switch on an Ion 16 GPI, and using the settings off their Web site for the Ion 16, seems good so far, just added 1-2 click on the low speed compression to aid peddling from memory.

Any hints on how to keep it shiny?

Thanks and thanks.

Mine was second hand, so no cleaning pad included. Would one of the green kitchen pads be OK?

Cheers

Martin

Mine is brand new and didn't come with any cleaning products. I wasn't expecting any. I bought raw because I was thinking if it looks like crap in a years time I'll pay for a decent paint job.

Would one of the green kitchen pads be OK?

No! I learned this lesson as a toung man when I destroyed an Azonic Shorty stem. I'm still upset by that.

Martin - I suspect yours has been buffed like mad to get it ready for sale. You'll never keep it that way so I'd just let it dull slightly. Different parts of the frame will look slightly different shades of alu, some shinier, others duller for want of a better way of describing it. That said, by discolour what do you mean, its not going green is it?!

But mine did come with the dark red scouring pad. Sharkattack - you've missed out 😀

Oh and a tip is to put some of the rubber 3M tape you use for quietening down chainstays under the cable clamps on the downtube. It stops the cables moving and rubbing the bare alu.

tall_martin - it want the one off eBay last week was it?

Thanks! I'll avoid the green pads then 🙂

It's not going green. Just not super shiny. I have a cannondale Road frame i thought was raw, clearly it's just painted silver.

I've got some 3m helicopter tape comming and I was planning on using that to avoid cable rub. I do love a quiet bike so I might give the rubber tape ago.

Yep, off ebay last week.

I have a cannondale Road frame i thought was raw

A lot of 'raw' frames are actually lacquered - not all aluminium alloy copes well with being left unfinished.