In what could be interpreted as an unimaginative choice I’ve opted for a Nicolai Helius AC as my new long term test bike. Unimaginative only in so far as this is my second Helius AC I’ve had for an extended period of time. The first was four years ago and was the 26in version. But, things have changed in the interim, not least the wheel sizes available. I have the 27.5 version now and along with a bigger wheelset there’s also a solid rocker link, slacker head angle and RS Monarch/Pike suspension (the first came with a Fox shock). There’s now less adjustability in that the old AC had a rocker that offered up four different shock mount positions. The latest version has a one position suits all approach. It’s still very much the AC of old complete with the Germanic levels of industrial looks supplied by the square section rear triangle.
The bike is available in two complete builds or as a frameset option – Two options seems pretty limited but Nicolai’s long standing fans tend to opt for a frameset option and custom build the rest. In fact that’s a service offered by Nicolai too, which is what makes this company that bit different to what we shall politely call the ‘mainstream’.
The ‘E’ word
I’m reluctant to use the ‘E’ word to describe this bike only because a) I’ve never going to enter an enduro race and b) the majority of owners of burly bikes like this have never entered one either. Most of us ‘ordinary’ riders just want a bike to ride on with our mates week in week out – calling it an enduro bike to my mind narrows down it’s appeal unnecessarily. It may just be semantics of course and if you ARE part of the minority set that rides enduro events then by all means, go ahead and call this an enduro ready bike. For me it’s a bike designed to be ridden up as well as down, which is perhaps a much more common and appealing trait for the majority of us weekend warriors as it reflects what we all actually do every time we go out for a ride. As such I shall not refer to the ‘E’ word again in this article.
Sizing
My original Helius was actually a small. I’ve always liked a more upright and compact riding position and being vertically challenged at 5’6″ I’ve generally skirted between small and medium frame sizes. I always new that moving up to a medium on this bike, with the associated larger wheel size was going to present a contrast but I was still surprised at the actual measurements when it arrived. The top tube on this medium stretches out to 605mm, which felt long and after a cursory check of the current stock of medium test bikes we had in the office proved to be a reality. A direct example for comparison is the new Mondraker Dune with it’s deliberately long, forward geometry top tube, which measures 630mm in size medium – that’s just an inch longer than my AC here. With a 60mm stem that actually puts my hands about 10mm further away from the seatpost than a Mondraker with forward geometry. There are large sized bikes from some manufacturers that come in under that length. A longer reach I can deal with, the standover is a more fundamental barrier. Out of the box we could see it looked tall and straddling it had me scouring the paperwork to see if there had been a mistake and we’d been sent a large instead of a medium. This bike is tall with a standover height of 743mm quoted. My inside leg is 29″ (736mm) and bear in mind the standover is measured at the lowest point of the top tube, which in this case is not the part of the frame that tends to correspond to my man tackle when I’m straddling the bike. As a comparison the standover on a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR in medium is a reassuring 729mm and that is measured from a, much more realistic, straddle point on the top tube too. This all had me a little worried that I’d saddled myself with the wrong sized bike and it was touch and go whether or not we sent it back for a small. But I didn’t. It was here and so I thought I’d at least give it the benefit of the doubt for a ride or two.
Not the tidiest cable routing but certainly well locked down 
Loads of clearance at the back 
Hope stoppers – a bit grabby to start with but better now 
Proper engineering with redundancy built in 
Stubby but goes well with the TT length 
Obligatory head badge shot 
RS Monarch shock takes care of the ride now 
RS Pikes are a favourite of ours 
No longer an adjustable linkage 
I’m glad I did..
Having decided to stick with it I took it out for a first ride or two around Calderdale’s steep tech trails – not just because they are on my doorstep but also because these are the sorts of trails this bike is designed for. That 66.5 head angle, burly Pike forks and chunky 2.4 Continental Mountain King tyres and 780mm bars all point towards techy steepness. But for my everyday riding I need to get up the hills so this bike needed to be a reasonable climber too. This is where I missed the adjustability that the old AC offered – I loved the option to tune down the rear suspension on the old AC so it was more stable on the climbs at the back. The newbie relies entirely on the RS Monarch shock to keep things under control, which I have to say it does pretty well. I still miss the versatility of the old frame though.
1st Ride
I was worried. This bike was tall. If I came to a sudden stop I stood a good chance of ‘nutting’ myself on the top tube. I was also worried what this would do to the handling of what I had come to know in it’s previous version as a spritely long travel bike that I could throw into corners and really mess about on. Everything pointed towards it being a lot more single line plough through the rocks kind of ride. But that’s not what happened. The wide bars added a level of stability and control to the ride that seemed to compensate for the longer reach and the tall ride. The standover height didn’t feature at all. Once I was stood up and riding the technical bits it all comes down to contact points and those are just pedals and bars. I didn’t have call to suddenly dismount and so the high top tube was irrelevant. It was all about the contact points and they were right where I needed them to be for a solid and confident ride. And if I’m honest the longer reach than I’m used to helped with the climbing position – I was just better positioned all round. It confirmed at least, that I made the right decision to not swap it for a small. At least just yet.
Over the coming weeks it will be put through it’s paces on a riding holiday in the Basque country on some very technical trails. In report two I’ll be reporting on how it got on and what changes I will be making to personalise this bike for my kind of riding. In the meantime here’s specs, numbers and measurements for you.
All sizes for size Medium (as tested)
- Head Angle: 66.5
- Seat Angle: 74.5
- BB Height from axle: -15mm
- Chainstay: 432mm
- Top Tube: 605mm
- Seat Tube: 470mm
- Wheelbase: 1170mm
- Standover: 743mm
Review Info
| Brand: | Nicolai |
| Product: | Helius AC (Techline Build) |
| From: | Nicolai |
| Price: | 4999 Euros |
| Tested: | by Mark for 1 Month |
