Anyone ridden the Mojo Nicolai yet?

I don't think there is hate for the Nomad, not from me anyway, merely comparing to that as its stated to be 'the' bike and costs a fortune in the high end. Hard not to reference an almost £3k frame shock.
That gets you a lot more than a frame shock from Mojo.

Regarding the weight question...careful, and usually expensive, component selection. High end drivetrain (xtr, xx1) light bars, grips, brakes, Cabon wheels, carbon saddle, light stem...it's all about 60g here, 60g there...but it costs to save the last 1.5-2lbs and its debates Le if it's worth it. For me I can so I do!

As an example an xx1 cassette is 268g but an Xt 11spd is 420g on my scales, but one costs £65 the other often well over £200...
Using Sapim CX Ray spokes saves 100g over a pair of wheels compared to comps but costs almost 8 times as much at £80 a wheel.
Sella Italia SLR kit carbonio saddle 125g, 'normal' saddle 250g-300g.
ESI grips over lock ons saves another 80g...
There's just over 1lb but costs another £350..we haven't got to wheels, dropper posts etc..

What do they say, about £1 a gram, it's a fools game really!

The current Ion is not much heavier than an AC, and only about an extra 80g for a Geometron over a std Ion.

As for the industry, I wouldn't be surprised if Kona was the manufacturer to push their geometry closer to this (though not as extreme).

That would make me all warm and fuzzy inside, after they tore up the handbook on geometry under Barel's stewardship in 2005 to bag a world title and with the current Process bikes doing so well I would love to see this....c'mon Kona make it happen!

[i]How are you getting an Ion to just over or even under 30lbs[/i]

lie?

seriously, my medium Carbon Yeti ARS5 is 28lbs it's single ring, with Revs and XTR everywhere, ok it's got a reverb and "robust" wheels, but everyone who picks it up estimates it at about 25lbs...

after they tore up the handbook on geometry under Barel's stewardship in 2005 to bag a world title

They didn't though did they? Barel and his mechanic took it upon themselves to modify what they had by any means necessary because Kona wouldn't build him a bike. They had one of the worlds fastest riders and he had to break out the dremel to get the bike he wanted. Kona stubbornly stuck to that absolute donkey of a bike until the cows came home. The Operator was about a decade overdue.

I agree with Chris Porter's opinions on how timid and conservative the bike industry is. They will bow to public opinion no matter how uninformed that opinion is (super short chainstays everywhere). They will slowly drip feed developments year after year. A few mill here, a degree there. Is it so they can shift a new bike every year that's a tiny bit different to the last one?

I'm glad someone has been pushing the extreme end of sizing and geometry just to see what happens. When he's gone too far he's written about it and reigned it back in to find the balancing point. I'm not a customer for his bike (not this year anyway) but I appreciate the mad work he's doing because no one else is.

The mainstream companies just want to paint every bike dayglo and pay a pro to do big whips and skids on it.

Agree with sharkattack, CP is doing us all a favour with this bike!

It's a lot more money than I can afford or TBH would be prepared to drop on a bike, but I have to admit it's comparable to overpriced plastic MTB and road bikes.

And I get the feeling its a labour of love rather than a quick buck exercise from Porter. Looks like each sale would be backed up with considerably more staff time than any other bike sale.

Anyway, it's better that people with obsessive personalities and large disposable incomes spend their money on MTBs than hi-fi, fancy watches or big game hunting IMO.

The last stabs, were long and slack, in fact it kept getting slated in reviews/ firums because the rear was too long !

The long reach, slacker ha and steeper thing is great

Would have to ride the Porter bike to see about the longer rear, my hardtail has slidi g dropouts and its much more fun with them slammed forward than back

@Nickc why lie? it's not exactly a headline weight!! You can see from what I posted that it costs a lot. The difference, if even possible, that ANOTHER 1.5lbs makes is huge in terms of difficulty and cost.

You said you ran a Reverb, it's over 100g heavier than my Vecnum...xtr isn't the lightest, the cassette is 75g heavier than xx1...which is why I run xx1 cassette with xtr mech. They are all 1x...tubeless is necessary and at or below 30lbs with an Ion, carbon wheels. My stem is typically 40g lighter than an equivelant at 103g...you get the picture... A really light saddle can save 0.5lbs...I was running a 72g Saevid carbon blade...but then I realised it doesn't really matter as long as it's not toooo heavy, pedals well and you like the kit so I even swopped out carbon bars for Ally....

I think an average build in a Geometron is about 31.5lbs, decent wheels around 1700g, tyres around the 750-800g mark, Xt/xtr/xo1 light brakes like xtr or Hope race x2, carbon bars etc..no one is building with cheap build kit understandably.

But we digress it's ace...

And Chris service is top notch and comprehensive.

....you can save another 0.5lb with the right pedals....but it's not worth it...been there...

Would have to ride the Porter bike to see about the longer rear, my hardtail has slidi g dropouts and its much more fun with them slammed forward than back

If you read his dirt articles, the longer rear is about speed not fun. He slates modern short chainstay bikes for pandering to feel over speed. 'Feeling' faster through a corner means your bike is compromised for straight line outright speed, so overall slower, or something like that.

[EDIT: can someone else confirm that was the jist of the article, im questioning my own memory now]

I'm using mine for local semi-xc rides

Is that riding XC with a semi? 😯

31lds without much effort 8) standard length tho.
[URL= http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr259/godzillaqwerty/Mobile%20Uploads/A6D7A63E-F0C8-4A3A-96D2-A1C52ACACDBC_zpsii6hcyku.jp g" target="_blank">http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr259/godzillaqwerty/Mobile%20Uploads/A6D7A63E-F0C8-4A3A-96D2-A1C52ACACDBC_zpsii6hcyku.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

As far as I can tell, everything CP does is in the interest of increasing speed. If speed isnt your fun then you may not like his bikes.

I'm not very fast but would still like to try a frame out

I thought half the downtube was missing for a moment 🙂

I can concur...it is about speed and handling not manuals and jumps...it IS harder to manual, but I've seen it made to look easy by those I'm sure could manual a tandam, I'm not one of them!

it jumps well and its "poppy' due to the suspension, but thats not it's true purpose. For me. I'm in it for the corners, I love how it gathers speed through a series of corners and carves and how I can retain control on really steep stuff by still weighting the front without too much fear of going through the front door, though it is possible..I did it last year in the basque country..

@godzilla nice that.

They will slowly drip feed developments year after year. A few mill here, a degree there. Is it so they can shift a new bike every year that's a tiny bit different to the last one?

Santa Cruz anyone 😯

31lds without much effort standard length tho.

So it's all in the wheels and tyres. I shall have to investigate those two things for when my Ion arrives.

I love Nicolai's and my next bike will be an Ion 16 but probably just their standard geometry. What I don't get though is how people are building up their Ion's so light? How are you getting an Ion to just over or even under 30lbs? My Helius AC is more like 32lbs and it has a frame weight 0.5lbs less than the Ion. Even with pointless tyres on it's still heavier. The mojo Ion is miles longer and has bigger wheels than my helius (ie more metal) how can it be 2+ lbs lighter?

Special scales.

I have a frame that's over 1kg lighter, and probably what could be considered a very light, blingy build. It's basically 28.5lbs on the nose.

Somewhere there is 2-3lbs 'disappearing' on some peoples builds, but, whatever.

That said, it's not all about the weight if it rides great. Wouldnt be for me though, Whilst I like a longer bike, I know where my preference ends, and even the shortest is beyond it. Plus it hasn't got a bottle cage.

Tbh, I don't know about other people but I don't care that much about chainstay length (doesn't the yeti SB-6 have relatively long chain stays too?).
What I care about is how it rides, actually feeling centered on the bike.

I weighed it at 31, my well respected bike shop weighed it at 31, that was without pedals, (Nukeproof electron)
I did put some Ti bolts in the calipers so that's got to save like 1ld right? 😆

Not too obsessed with weight compared to build quality, reliability and geometry/sizing that suits me. I just don't want to lug around much more weight than my current bike on the endless Lakes hike-a-bikes that play a major part in the weekly Lakes epics!

Would be delighted with a 30-31lbs Ion but what happens when you fit Lakes proof wheels and tyres?

@duir that is with Lakes proof wheels and tyres! Magic Mary snakeskin and and Minion Exo's for me on DH Derby rims. So about the same weight as the Gw(rim) DT EX471 or a Flow. I'm running CK hubs too so they are not particularly light.

I've ridden the set up on the DH tracks in Finale and in the Pryenees, Coggiola in Italy...

I did run a Rock'r and razor dual ply but they were a tad heavy....

Right so last night I had my first proper look at the sizing and geometry of the Geometron to see what we're dealing with. You can find it [url= https://www.dropbox.com/sh/33jno0yrhc13reo/AAC4C6LWswaYd7HazjdXyc_ga?dl=0 ]HERE[/url]

I currently ride a large Cotic Bfe. It felt massive when I got it. I'm used to it now but it's still a bit of an unwieldy barge. It's fast and comfortable but I used to like jumps and manuals and had an 'arsing around' style of riding and I haven't really cracked that yet.

Now, the thing is the Geometron blows it out of the water in every dimension. Even the smallest one would increase my reach by 66mm.

Lets assume that becasue I'm 6'2" with long arms that I went straight from the largest Bfe to the longest Geomotron. The increases in size would be;
Reach- 101mm
Stack- 51mm
Eff Top Tube- 51mm
Chainstays- 26mm
Bottom Bracket drop- 15mm
Head Angle- Approx 5 degrees slacker

I can of see now why everyone was freaking out about it! The thing is a giant. But I am really looking forward to getting back on a modern suspension bike (the Bfe was always a stopgap) and this is the most intriguing bike out there for me.

I'd definitely do the £200 test day for the knowledge and experience you'd gain, plus the chance to try loads of kit and settings before you settle on anything. No one else offers anything like it. Also if you hate it you'll be relieved that it only cost you 200 quid to find out.

But, I would prefer if that 200 quid was deductible from the price of a frame and fork not just the full bike as I'm not feeling the full spec. I'd much prefer to swap the Hope brakes and cranks for Shimano and the Mavics for Hope Hoops. It would be the most expensive bike I've ever had so would justify my first proper custom build I think.

For me right now it's just something to daydream about. And spend hours searching for the blackest, most murdered-out components available to build the most evil looking, goth bike every made.

Colour scheme inspiration-
[img] [/img]

I'd kind of expect that for the amount of cash etc you'd be able to at least make some changes to the spec. It's not unreasonable surely?

Probably but you're still looking at 6 grand. They're not going to do you any favours on Shimano XTR with its sky high RRP. I'd much rather shop around for the finishing kit. Who doesn't get excited by bargain chasing? It just adds to the excitment!

@sharkattack Pick up the phone to Chris, he is happy to discuss these things e.g. the charge, the spec. what you may or may not want from him you may also be surprised at what he can do on the other kit e.g. Shimano kit (XT from him was competitive with ze Germans) Hope was outstanding value, when bought as a package from him. I was very surprised. He was unconcerned that I wanted other wheels etc and to use my finishing kit...

Likewise I did not want a full bike, neither did all the others I mentioned on this thread, all have their finishing kit preferences, but many ended up with a bit more than the base package Frame/Fork/Shock/Seat Clamp/Headset (Dropper is a bargain when bought with it too as well as being rather good I've found) but nothing like a full bike.

Chris is approachable and won't, in my experience, try to force any wider spec on you. He is of course passionate about the suspension/frame/fork and frankly you'd be mad not to go for that.

email me if you want a chat, in my profile. CP might be outspoken and opinionated but he knows how to deal with a (potentially) paying customer and appears to be very conscious of maintaining reputation and service (again in my experience!)

He has been in regular contact since I got the frame to get feedback, offer set up advice, make sure I am happy.

@sharkattack You could also try the Longer size it might suit you more for the kind of riding you like.

as for size, I know I've said it here before but don't judge it by the paper numbers, it doesn't feel anything like a giant!

Thanks for all the input so far. I don't want to start bothering them yet as I definitely won't be buying a bike this year.

I am already a fan of Mojo and their service. I've been a Fox and Mojo customer in the past and also worked for a Fox dealer where we had lots of suspension going back and forth. They transformed my old Stumpjumper Evo and they've vastly improved some pretty average Fox products. So yeah, their talents are not in doubt.

Don't worry I'm not scared of Chris. I much prefer his brand of passion and honesty to bland sales patter.

Until I'm ready to go shopping I just hope I bump into a Geometron owner somewhere so I can blag a quick spin.

@sharkattack where are you. might be able to put you in touch for a spin...

Newcastle. A long way from Mojo HQ unfortunately. Regularly get to Hamsterley, Inners, Glentress etc.

Found myself needing something read to occupy sometime one day this week and grabbed a copy of mbuk. Was surprised to see there was in fact an article about the geometron in it.
Was a favourable review of the frame and a very favourable review of the level of service Chris and mojo put in to help get the bike tuned to his riding style.

I found it interesting that test rider feel he was going slower than he actually was and kept over jumping things.

I'm just back from a trip to Spain with Doug at Basque MTB and Ed aka Greatrock on the Back Country Pyrenees tour.

Apart from the fact the riding, overall, was the best I've ever experienced, it was also very challenging especially at speed. We rode everything from high mountain steeps, 3 EWS stages in Ainsa to super tight switchbacks, often with technical features all the way around, the Geometron took it all in its stride, flattered it's rider and surprised everyone.

I think on one or two hairpins and climbs we may have broken the internet.

Demo day at the Forest of Dean for Nicolai bikes 7th and 8th November....

The guys from Nicolai will be over with a range of bikes, Mojo will be there, uplift will be available and a BBQ...

Chainline, any more details on the demo day; for example would I need to book? I can't seem to find any details when I search online...

Are they bringing ION GPI over?

I'll get some more details on the Demo day, need to talk to Matt today. Perhaps I can get him to put something on STW, if not I'll post details.

Check out Nicolai Bikes UK facebook page.

I assume the GPI will be coming over. Again I'll ask Nicolai.

@toofattoride there will be 3 GPIs all sizes to try.

Great news. Shame that FOD is so far away from London.

3hrs, same distance for me near as.

Anyone from London coming on Sunday 8th November and wants to join?

Anyones?

[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nicolai-Mojo-GEOMETRON-Enduro-xc-all-mountain-bike-/171983640038?hash=item280b0615e6:g:iCsAAOSw9mFWMnuM ]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nicolai-Mojo-GEOMETRON-Enduro-xc-all-mountain-bike-/171983640038?hash=item280b0615e6:g:iCsAAOSw9mFWMnuM[/url]

£4K... A hard sell 2nd hand. I wonder if you get to set it up again?

I like it, if I had 4k burning a hole in my pocket.....

That advert smacks of someone caught up in the hype, buy with haste repent at leisure and all that.....i should imagine once manufacturers have milked the whole 'short chainstays, conservative head angles' thing to death you'll see Porter's Geometron appear in various guises as the next big thing from the main manufacturers.

I like it, makes perfect sense for riders like me....super stable at speed, DH slack when aiming down, steep enough seat tube and long enough chain stays to stop it pulling wheelies while climbing, if you're an XC whippet you'll hate it but for 'winch and plummet' riders it looks ideal.....may stick a -2 degree headset in my Trance and see if I can get close to the same thing.

Short chainstays are crap, unless you're a slopestyle rider throwing whips and need that 'in the air' maneuverability then most of us would benefit from more stability on the trail not less from a stupidly short twitchy rear end that often limits tyre choice too!

It'll never ever be xc weight but if you were committed and a light rider using one for light trail you could get it down to 28lbs usuign a few mfrs tricks like Schwalbe tyres etc...but there is more frame to begin with. Hard to know if the owner is genuine about having to sell or as you say found out it isn't for him.

Anyone e-mailed the seller to see what the craic is? One day to go...

lots of views and watchers. at £3500 or less that'd be a great buy. I expect a lot of people will go frame/fork package and transfer/buy other parts so the bike is a harder sell.

odd that it has no dropper, although I guess not everyone uses one.

I'm sure Chris would give advice on shock set up (spacers etc for weight) If I didn't have one already I'd be in there..

If you are looking for reference..up to 6'1" for Medium or 'Longer' All based on 30-35mm stem and 760mm - 800mm bars.
sizing:
Long = 1.65-1.75m
Longer = 1.75-1.87m
Longest = 1.87-1.96

Yeah I thought that no dropper post was a bit odd too. I think £4k is optimistic given its quite niche. Would be tempting at a lower price..