Readers’ Rides: Ally’s Resurrected Nicolai Saturn 14

For this edition, Ally Mitchell shares his “resurrected” Nicolai Saturn 14. What made him choose it? “Geometry and sizing mostly”.

Bike brand and model

Nicolai Saturn 14.

Why this bike?

What made me choose it? Geometry and sizing mostly, but I’d be lying if I said the clean lines, straight tubes, raw finish and attention to detail didn’t play a part in my decision. Very much marmite looks but I love them.

It’s all about the geometry for me. There’s LLS, then there’s Nicolai/Geometron LLS. At 187cm I’m not that much of an outlier in height etc, but through trial and error I’ve realised I like big bikes (and I cannot lie) – in a length sense rather than travel. I was keen to replace my Tallboy 3 after swapping my other, bigger-travel bike to an older Geometron a few months previous and discovering how much better a bike could fit me. A few rides were enough to convince me the Tallboy had to go: despite much more travel and weight, the G15 climbed much better than the Tallboy due to the better riding position.

The main contender – the only other contender really – was a Cotic FlareMAX. Their Longshot geometry is akin to a ‘Geometron-lite’ and I’ve got a soft spot for Cotic in general. Favoured the Nicolai in the end after being so impressed with my Geometron.

• Frame: Nicolai Saturn 14, size XL, 2021
• Fork: RockShox Yari RC with Charger 2.1 RCT3 damper, 140mm air spring
• Shock: Fox Float X 210 x 50, 130mm travel
• Wheels: Hope Pro4 silver, DT Swiss XM421, silver DB spokes and brass Squorx nipples
• Tyres: Front: Specialized Purgatory Grid T9 29 x 2.4, Rear: Ground Control T7 29 x 2.35 (swap to something meatier for winter)
• Tyre Inserts: None, tubeless only
• Chainset: Shimano Deore M6100, 170mm, 30t
• Rear Mech: Shimano SLX M7100 12-sp
• Shifters: Shimano XT M8100 12-sp
• Cassette: SRAM XG1275 10-50t 12-sp
• Brakes: TRP Slate EVO 4-piston, 2.3mm thick rotors 203/180
• Bars & Stem: Bar: Nukeproof Horizon Carbon, 25mm rise, cut to 770mm. Stem: Nukeproof Horizon, 50mm.
• Grips: Specialized Sip XL
• Seatpost: Brand X Ascend 200mm, with newer V2 lever
• Saddle: Specialized Henge Comp 143mm
• Accessories: Front Zefal guard, Blackspire bashguard,
• Size: XL
• Weight: 15.2kg inc pedals, mudguards, etc

Suspension Set Up

I’m 89kg and 187cm. Fork: 94psi, 3 tokens, LSC 0, HSC 0, rebound 10 clicks. Shock: 215psi, 0.2″ vol spacer, rebound 5, compression 10, although I’m still getting the shock dialled in after a recent swap from a RockShox.

Additional Comments

I bought the frame unused from Paul Aston (AstonMTB) nearly 3 years ago around the time he was setting up his Italian bike/farm project. I’d replaced my enduro bike with an older Geometron (via George ‘MUTN’ Thompson) a few months previous which was eye-opening. I now wanted a trail bike to match. The Saturn 14 hasn’t disappointed.

I swapped over almost everything from my previous trail bike with some upgrades during the 3 years since, many due to STW forum PSAs. More emphasis on functionality/durability than flashiness or weight saving. Mostly stuff I’ve used for years and know from experience they work without fuss and/or suit me. The brakes were a great find: I needed brakes to complete mini-a11y’s latest bike so my old 2-piston SLX brakes which didn’t always stop me well enough (steep stuff and an 89kg eijit on board) made way for the TRPs with thick rotors with more power and feel.

The way the frame’s designed and built resonates well with me. Probably guilty of being taken in by the marketing (aren’t we all?) but it really appears to be built to last. Little things like the sealing on the pivot bearings meaning even after 2 years of regular use inc Scottish winters, the bearing were still great. Being able to take a 3M scouring pad to the frame to polish it back to new condition. The quality and appearance of the welds. The helpfulness of the folks at Nicolai. There’s a lot I like.

I had a wobble earlier this year and swapped everything over to a Deviate frame after being curious about high-pivot and enjoying a test ride. Also, they’re a local company on my doorstep and the occasional Deviate employee/owner is on our rides. It wasn’t for me though so I’m now back on this Nicolai! It’s the sizing: even in XL with a 495 reach the Highlander felt too short to me and I knew as soon as I swapped back to my Nicolai I’d made the right choice.

So, I’ve (now) got no plans to change my Saturn 14 in the near future: in the words of Take That, it’s back for good. It’s the bike I ride most of the time for MTBing, it’s got a goldilocks amount of travel for just about everything, and most of all it’s just fun! The weight doesn’t bother me in the slightest – I’d much, much rather have a bike that fits me properly. I wish I’d learned that sooner.

Share you bike with the group

Whether you’ve got a special new bike or just a bike that’s special to you, this is where you get to tell us about it! You send us your submissions, and then we cast our judgemental expert lustful eyes over them and bring them to the world to ooh and ahh over. We’re picking the prettiest, the most curious, and the ones with a good story for you to appraise, praise, and maybe look wistfully at.

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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