So after singletrackworld convinced me this was the frame to get followed by a very impulse buy of one of the cheap stock frames, here is the final thing! It has been a while coming as my bust knee cap meant I couldn’t ride it, so my other half (p20) just built it up slowly for me and after a successful few days walking etc in the Lakes this week, he has very kindly finished it today so that I can slowly build my fitness back up on it.

The handlebars are still to be replaced (it has been built with the old ones to check size), but otherwise it’s done. Some kit is off the old Trek EX8 (such as the scruffy forks, which I just can’t afford to replace at the moment and are still serviceable), some is new (such as the wheels) and some is second hand (such as my first upy-downy seat post – have a Thomson Masterpiece on standby if I don’t get on with it).

Just cant wait to ride it. 6 months of injury means I am very unfit, but this looks to be a fun way of getting my fitness back!

P.S. The weeds are along the neighbours fence in the back lane before you lot start 😛

tidy! liking the red and black.

only criticism is…too clean!

have fun getting back out on the bike 🙂

Very nice, love the colours. I have a Helius AM and love it lots; it climbs very well considering its HA and 30lb weight, and of course it’s alot of fun descending. You’ll love your CC, it’s probably a better all-round UK bike than an AM …get fun getting fit!

Ashat has made big steps towards being back to normal in the last week, things are looking good. We’ve managed a couple of basic old railway rides and walked Coniston old man without pain. Its so so nice to have her back on the bike, even if it was pootling.

The Helius is damn impressive. Really well built and I like the look of it. Certainly feels better than the old trek, but that’s just up and down the back lane 😀

only criticism is…too clean!

I agree 😀

That looks lovely.

Just got mine built today and had a quick spin – I bought one of the bargain’s too. It feels very quick and nimble, and I’m going to cane the tits off it!! I’ll get pics done tomorrow.

I’ve used my build kit from my 2011 Five I sold. it feels about the same weight but loads stiffer and responsive.

thats just begging for a good pasting! lovley colours.

Ahsat bought mine in the same sale. Took it to snowdon 2 weeks after being built. Took a while to dial the shock in and bed forks but now every time I ride it nothing but a silly grin. Glad I put a fatter set of tyres on mine because now I’m starting to gain a little ” air”.
Will do pictures tomorrow.

fantastic looking bike.
one day i will own another nicolai.

Nice. I like

Cheers all. I have to say I am pretty proud of it and suddenly having to get fit again doesnt seem so bad!

Condodavid – good news – I am liking your review 😀
Mildred – enjoy 😛

Yay- welcome to the club.

Cheers Ambrose – you were one of the main drivers of this purchase!

I serve to please. I’ve just bought some nice new bits for mine- I shall fit them tommorrow.

Ahsat that looks fantastic! It must have been pretty difficult waiting to heal before you could ride it. I just looked back at the old thread where we all talked you into getting one and remember thinking ‘boy I hope she likes it’ after you posted that you’d just pressed the GO button.

Also glad to see you went with the RP23 rather than the DT Swiss 😉

Let us all know how you get on with it.

Waste of a frame that is!
Only criticism is it’s not set to it’s fully available travel setting otherwise it looks bloody lovely. 😉
Welcome to the nicolai club.
(took me a while to find anything remotely wrong with it, well done.)

SLAYER!

Mate live almost as much as your user name!!!!!

Looks great- as someone else has pointed out you’ve dropped a travel setting at the rear. That will lower the BB and slacken the head angle. With 140mm forks you’ll probably prefer the ride in the top setting.

We’ve a few other frames discounted at the moment if anyone else is looking..

still working on images

green dust caps 🙄

nice looking that is i like red and black 😀

26.8 lb of boingy fun

Nice bike, would quite like a Nic my self 🙂

Si i’ll lend you mine for a weekend on a holeshot???

I just looked back at the old thread where we all talked you into getting one and remember thinking ‘boy I hope she likes it’ after you posted that you’d just pressed the GO button.

Lol – yes I felt the same!

Looks great- as someone else has pointed out you’ve dropped a travel setting at the rear. That will lower the BB and slacken the head angle. With 140mm forks you’ll probably prefer the ride in the top setting.

Cheers Simon and flatfish. We put it there as there was too much choice, so I just went for the suggestion I had read in one of the bike reviews.

green dust caps

I know, shocking! But it took so long to get valves for the tubless set up, I was just grateful to get something sorted thanks to Biketreks in Ambleside!

I am back from a weekend of 70th birthdays and weddings and was hoping to take it out tonight, but have woken with a stinking cold! Oh well, I am sure a bit of a pottle wont hurt 😀

Si @ Progressive………… Why ?

It’s not often a bike is pretty (handsome?) enough to make me go ooooooh, but that red and black Nic just did. Very nice, great job.

Pal of mine got a Helius a few years ago which he criminally hardly ever rides, sits in his chalet basement in Verbier of all places. He’s a very tall guy so think Simon you built him a CC with a beefier rear end from a AM?

It’s not often a bike is pretty (handsome?) enough to make me go ooooooh, but that red and black Nic just did. Very nice, great job.

Ta. Me to. Is it wrong to be so pleased with it you set a picture as your desktop background at work?

ahsat – nice build, reminds me somewhat of my old Ano Black one 😉

The the 116mm travel setting (next to top) works great with 130mm forks IMHO, thats what I ran my old one at when I had the 130mm Revs on it.

Really snappy climber in that mode and none too shabby on the way back down.

I keep meaning to run my new one in that mode with the current forks dropped to 120mm, but it’s a PITA to shorten them internally then back again – might have to get another pair and have them set at 120mm all the time 😀

Si @ Progressive………… Why ?

Just for a change, maybe..

Looks great. Hope you are recovered enough to give it a proper shake down soon.

I love my CC, it was awesome in the Lakes at the weekend. I’ll keep an eye out for you around the NE – still never seen another Helius while I’ve been riding.

This changing the head angle thing. I run 120 forks on my CC but have always thought it was a little steep in the longest travel setting, but also thought that changing the travel setting did not affect the HA? But it turns out that if I run it on the second hole I’ll get a slacker head angle – do I have that right?

And a bit OT, but is the Helius AM the same? – I have the older, steeper 2009 frame.

Thanks.

Si @ Progressive, to see if you like the Helius and whether I would maybe like a Holeshot 🙄

But it turns out that if I run it on the second hole I’ll get a slacker head angle – do I have that right?

Dazzlingboy that is right for the Helius CC but NOT for the Helius AC/AM/AFR etc. The holes in the latter are aligned so as not to change BB height and HA when you alter the travel position.

Simon that’s correct isn’t it?

Si @ Progressive, to see if you like the Helius and whether I would maybe like a Holeshot

Thanks for the offer, I know someone with an AC to try 🙂

Where are you based, maybe you could borrow my ti holeshot for the day?

I always thought on the CC the holes were aligned so that the angles/BB height didn’t change.

Steve, no, the ac, am, and afr do, whilst the fr and cc change geometry

I’ve just googled the frame! 😯 Nice and I want one but out of my price range!!
Goes off to look at selling kidneys…..

To confirm –

Helius CC and Helius FR (4 hole lever) – Geometry *does* change if you drop the rear travel but keep the fork at the same length. Keeping the front and rear travel *the same* keeps the same geometry. Keep the same length fork and drop the rear and it gets lower and slacker.

Helius RC/AC/AM/AFR and final model Helius FR (2 hole lever) the geometry doesn’t change (although in reality the ‘ride height’ of the bb actually increases marginally due to the difference in sag).

Still a few bargains to be had – check our special offers page for details.

Boom….went for my first ‘technical ride’ in 7 months round the local woods this evening. My body is broken (just very unfit), but man that bike is AWESOME. When I first asked the stw massive for suggestions of a frame, I said I wanted something that climbed like a hardtail and descended like a full sus and boy is this it! I picked my way down some of the technical stuff as I haven’t ridden in so long and have the fear about how my knee is going to work, but once I got a bit of confidence back I flew down the freeride track and came out the end with my head buzzing! P20 met me in the car park on his way back from work and I wouldn’t stop talking (once I got my breath back!). Yes, it was exciting to be out on some singletrack again, but even for that short blast, I am really impressed and I still cant get over how well it climbs! Just need my lungs and legs to catch up with it!

THANK YOU EVERYONE 😀

Taken on iPhone at the end of the Chopwell freeride track!

First technical ride of 2011!! by ahsatb, on Flickr