Nicolai goes Nathan Barley, or somewhere the sun doesn’t shine?

by 22

This video from Nicolai deserves more attention. I’m not totally sure whether that’s because it’s the perfect parody of that internet era phenomenon ’the unboxing video’, or if it’s because Nicolai has disappeared so far up an orifice that it’s coming out of another one in a projectile vomit reminiscent of Nathan Barley’s hair. You’re going to have to watch it to decide.

The item being unboxed is a book. The book comes with tools – not promotional items. There are suggestions where to place the book around your home. There are no page numbers. There is no contents page. There is no correct order to read the book, but there is an epilogue, but it’s not at the end.

There is a picture of a box of scrap metal that is given the level of significance usually only found in an undergraduate art exhibition. There are pages. There are blank pages. There are QR codes (which is actually a pretty cool idea). There is lift music in the background, there are stickers. 26 is a round number, like 27.5 and 29.

Nicolai has either out Rapha-ed Rapha and beaten all the gravel marketing hyperbole into sand, or they’ve created the bicycle industry equivalent of The Thick Of It. I’ve watched the video more than once and I still can’t decide which it is.

What I do know is that despite that, I really want to have a look at the book. Dammit.

While you’re here…

Author Profile Picture
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.

More posts from Hannah

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Nicolai goes Nathan Barley, or somewhere the sun doesn’t shine?
  • voodoo-rich
    Full Member

    Awesome, looking forward to the 27.5 year anniversary already!

    binners
    Full Member

    Totally Mexico, yeah?

    ads678
    Full Member

    I found it funny, Hopefully I was supposed to.

    stwhannah
    Full Member

    ‘The book will be delivered laying down’

    I’d love to know which postal service guarantees this. I can barely get anything delivered whole, never mind a specified orientation.

    multi21
    Free Member

    keep it foolish

    thenorthwind
    Full Member

    I really hope this is a German attempt at humour.
    If not, the “we only make bikes out of aluminium, because carbon and the environment” is really worrying.

    jameso
    Full Member

    I think that is a brilliantly dry and genuinely amusing poke at some of the pretense around from other brands, as well as showing off the creativity at Nicolai well. Way beyond what I expected and 5 mins well spent. Applause..

    kelvin
    Full Member

    The work that’s gone into that! And then to promote it that way! Great work Nicolai people.

    misteralz
    Free Member

    Fantastic. German sense of humour. 😀

    willard
    Full Member

    My god! That is fantastic. I want one, so badly. Just… because.

    I love leaving stuff around the house (my GF hates it), but something like that is perfect. It’s, no, it’s just perfect. I may need a better coffee table just to rest it on.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I may need a better coffee table just to rest it on.

    Handmade from Nicolai frames.
    Slack custom geometry.
    Odd graphics.
    Win.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Another question: every brand goes racing. But I have never seen a Nicolai DH or Enduro team or frames under other riders – am I mistaken?

    a11y
    Full Member

    Another question: every brand goes racing. But I have never seen a Nicolai DH or Enduro team or frames under other riders – am I mistaken?

    You’ve obviously not seen me on mine hurrying to the brewery at the end of evening rides 🙂

    Jordan
    Full Member

    @Hannah Dobson

    ‘The book will be delivered laying down’
    I’d love to know which postal service guarantees this. I can barely get anything delivered whole, never mind a specified orientation.

    As a postie I can guarantee that if a book is packaged in a book shaped package it will land somewhere near your door in a layed down position. How near to your door, I cannot guarantee!

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    https://m.pinkbike.com/news/one-vision-race-ready-for-2018.html

    Another question: every brand goes racing. But I have never seen a Nicolai DH or Enduro team or frames under other riders – am I mistaken?

    Jack reading raced on Nicolai for a while. He seems to have moved to commencal. I looked like he was a privateer so I’m not sure if that covers the brand going racing or if he just got a/ some discount on the frames.

    Mat
    Full Member

    Well weapon!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    thenorthwind
    Full Member

    I really hope this is a German attempt at humour.
    If not, the “we only make bikes out of aluminium, because carbon and the environment” is really worrying.

    I can’t decide if it’s all a joke or not, but if it is, then this might well be a swipe at Pole.

    Obviously the real reason Nicolai only build with aluminium is because the only reason anyone buys them is for the welds and anodising.

    cookeaa
    Full Member

    welshfarmer
    Full Member

    Listening to the German with the subtitles turned off, the underlying humour/irony/taking the piss is very evident. Nicely done.

    cookeaa
    Full Member

    I really hope this is a German attempt at humour.
    If not, the “we only make bikes out of aluminium, because carbon and the environment” is really worrying.

    I don’t think they’re being ironic, or having a pop at anyone else. Just deftly missing the point, TBF Nicolai was never a brand for “thinkers”.

    But for €95 they will sell you 2.5kg of dead tree covered in a quarter century of their promotional imagery… Bet the pages smell nice though.

    misteralz
    Free Member

    @welshfarmer, yep, that was very much the impression I got too.

    big_scot_nanny
    Full Member

    That is fabulous. The provision of sticky notes to mark pages is genius. Genuine LOLz. Well done Nicolai!

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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