NS Bikes: The Best Looking Brand At Eurobike?

The NS Bikes stand – and its Rondo road and gravel bike sibling – surely offered up the most concentrated collection of want-inducing bikes at Eurobike. The stand itself was just a basic stepped display, unlike, say, Kona’s, which was effectively a free standing wooden shack. But the bikes placed upon the steps were really rather nice.

Define

This is a new 29er in carbon – previously there was only a 27.5in carbon bike in the NS range. Interestingly, there is one frame, available in two sizes, that results in two different bikes in four sizes. Say what?

First up, the reach of the bikes can be altered thanks to an offset headset, which NS says can be easily altered without difficulties in lining up the new position. On a M/L Define 150, this changes the reach between 480 and 490mm, and on a Define 130 there’s a choice of 490/500mm. Next, although there is one frame, there are two bikes. One has 130/140mm travel and the other 150/160mm. The difference comes from the length of the shock combined with the length of the mount. NS says that in due course you’ll be able to buy the shock mount so you can swap between the different travel bikes should you wish (you’ll need a shock and fork too of course…).

Hailing from Poland, where the weather is not always nice, NS has introduced extra sealed bearings, washers and O-ring in the Horst link bearing, to keep the mud out. It’s also bigger and stiffer than the Snabb, on which the kinematics of the Define are based.

The bikes are dressed with NS Bikes’ own parts, included 35m diameter bars with a 35mm rise. NS seems to have mastered the art of either wild and loud finishes, or just enough accents to be interesting. The top end Define 1, in either travel, comes in at €6,399.

Nerd Lite

The Nerd Lite is another new bike on the stand, tucked rather awkwardly behind a big pillar, making it hard to get a clear view of through all the people that always seemed to be gathered round the stand. Offering a lighter and lower priced trail bike compared to the Snabb, with a single pivot and 120/130mm travel, the top end model comes in at €3,499.

There were also a number of slopestyle, jump and dirt bikes on display which made even the most wheels on the ground rider want one. How about a Movement 1, a 26in wheeled dirt jump bike at €1,299 that looked like the only bike Hulk would ride.

And look, Hannah found some sunglasses on another stand which would match perfectly. Maybe it’s a sign…

Eccentric Cromo

More of a practical choice would be the NS Eccentric Cromo, with its lovely steel tubing, black cosmic glitter finish paint, and tan sidewalls.

NS explained that they’ve used their dirt jump expertise to create a  strong frame through eccentric tubing rather than needing a gusset at the junction of the head tube and down tube. This model has an RRP of €1939, which is maybe a little steep given some of the components (140mm Rock Shox Rekon fork, SRAM NX Eagle), but then it is very pretty.

Nerd JR

With growing room built in, the Nerd JR is a 24in wheeled bike that will take 26in wheels. A Suntour Raid-XC fork with 120mm of travel and Manitou Radium Expert shock will keep your youngsters playing out in the woods for the foreseeable future.

Finished in a wild tiger print pattern, and costing €1859, it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but to our eyes it looks like a lot of fun. But then, we like this leopard print saddled dirt bike too.

RAG+

We’re going to sneak in this drop bar bike just because it was such a hit on our forum when it was first released a couple of years back. For 2019, there will now be a lower priced RAG+ 2, in a fetching black with yellow accents. The main changes to get the price down to €1,499 are lower priced 40mm Kenda Flintridge tyres instead of Panaracer Gravel Kings, and mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulic.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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