Yes, yes…..maybe it’s a strategy –

Customer.
I want to buy a custom built full suss tandem.

UK Importer.
OK we’ll find out the options and a rough price.

Customer.
Any ideas on price and options.

UK importer.
Silence and no replys from four emails over a couple of weeks.

Customer.

OK I’ll spend the money on other stuff. 🙄

It wasn’t John Atkins Cycles was it Stu? They seem to want to ignor customers requests!

Hora, there’s a lot of function in their consutruction and design. For instance, unlike most mass made bikes and indeed some ‘niche’ handmade American ones (not mentioning any names because things can get a little ‘intense’ when you do), the front wheel and the back wheel are actually in the same county as each other. Infact, they are in the same line as each other to a degree of accuracy that a rocket scientist would be proud of. This does two things you can ‘feel’.

First is the frame rides like a laser guided missile; it has a degree of integrity and unity that I’ve not felt in other frames and it goes precisely where you want it to.

Second, the bushings and bearings tend to last a very long time and they don’t have levels of stiction that might cause you to think the links were welded together (like another niche US brand that I Gee ‘Turner’ couldn’t possibly mention!)

And yes the samples given above were as ugly as sin, but do you think this is ugly? It might not be pretty, but it’s definitely handsome.

Can’t wait for my Helius AM….clearly the looks appeal to me as i have had 2 Orange 5’s in the past! I think they look great against all the ridiculous swoopy hydroformed nonsense thats so fashionable right now. Plus, Nicolai’s never seem to look too dated IMO.

Singlespeedstu – I’ve always found Simon and the other guy at Nicolai UK (Mike?) really helpful, even despite my prolonged dithering around my refurb’ request. Maybe you were just unlucky and caught them at a particularly busy time???

Well seeing that this has turned into the “I love nicolai’s” thread, orange 5’s, now there’s a load of old bollox 😉

Lol@ The Swede, I agree 🙂

Maybe you were just unlucky and caught them at a particularly busy time???

I’ve dealt with small custom build one man outfits that have waiting lists of over a year and still got email replys from them…

I do love my Nicolai 😀

And that’s okay as long as I don’t ‘love’ my Nicolai.

Singlespeedstu – everyone’s allowed one mistake, surely??? Come on, feel the love… (Edit – bad choice of words given my previous post!).

I can feel the love.

They’ll never be feeling any of my custom though. 😉

Stu, hold on to that clutch bag 🙂

I’m not saying they are crap bikes or ride badly but come on, did Fred Dibner design them int coal shed.

Oi; it’s ‘Dibnah‘, you philistine. ‘Ave some respect! 😡

Agree with you re their looks though. Not designed by a person with any sense of aesthetics, that’s for sure.

That is truly, truly nasty. And all those nooks and crannies to collect grime. Quite possibly the ugliest bike I’ve ever seen a picture of. I spose it’s only saving grace is that you won’t have to look at it, if you’re riding it. And your riding mates will.

Actually, in that respect, I think I quite like it! 🙂

Propperly gopping though in’t it? Let’s be honest.

That one surely needs a German SS dispatch rider on it. 😯

Or 2

No actually it’s **** ‘orrible, proper baby-frightener. 😯

my nicolai has taken an absolute fukkn beating and is still straight on the original bearings.

quality frame.

As I said in an earlier thread. Elfinsafety. Sensitive boy.

There are nicer looking bikes, but I would brake those. Not too heavy either, with a very strong build this weighs in at 32lbs

I really like the industrial look, it does what it needs to do. May look into getting an AM next year, although it may take longer than that to choose what colour….

gotta be like pinder’s.

ano black with green x-love.

In fairness, I’d struggle to name a huck bike that wasn’t hideous.

Personally I hate curvy bikes, love the straight-tubed honesty of the nics.

I quite like them, they are purposeful, very German and appear to do the job they are designed to do, although I’ve never ridden one…….then again I always fancied a Rotwild 😳

Pretty bikes are for tarmac.

That ugly thing is a bit of a cheap shot, its really old and was probably some sort of concept bike. The bikes with G boxxes would be much prettier with normal gearing but that’s not what Nicolai is about.

personally I think the majority of his bikes look pretty nice, industrial and purposeful. I would prefer to buy one of them than a number of the other boutique brands that everyone gets excited about: Orange, Ventana, Ellsworth for example.

As above, using 7 or 8 yr old concept bikes is hardly a fair example. Give me a hand built Teutonic frame over a mass produced Far Eastern hydro-formed frame all day long (apart from my Anthem X as I love that).

Functional, well engineered, tough – I’m building a new ‘aircraft grey’ Helius CC. I love the fact it has a no nonsense, getting on with business look. Simple clean lines but with great design touches like mirroring the oval cut outs in the suspension linkage and chainstays.

simon nicolai, how’s the riding?

didnt think orange was boutique.. 😉

some nicolai’s look gash, some look proper tasty, in a functional, hard as nails kind of way

He hee

I even ride mine too!!

How can people say my Ion is ugly,Its a stunning work of art and rides even better

And this was my FR before i sold it to get the ION

so ugly the internet pixies have prevented the images from making peoples eyes throw up 😆

booooo

you’ve gone back to fix it!

No someone is going to come along and tell me this is better looking 😆 😳

tazzymtb – Member

so ugly the internet pixies have prevented the images from making peoples eyes throw up

booooo

you’ve gone back to fix it!

🙂

I rode a mates Nicolai Helius CC today. An excellent bike – in fact I want one.

They have an industrial look about them that appeals to me.

One mans ugly is another mans wife – it’s all in the ride.

if you want an industrial looking bike get a sinister. At least it’s proper red neck engineering and proud, rather than german panzer chic

ianpinder – Member
There are nicer looking bikes, but I would brake those. Not too heavy either, with a very strong build this weighs in at 32lbs

I LIKE that one. Which model/option is that???

I could warm to the ‘industrial’ looks if they could stop the dyslexic thicko that’s responsible for putting the bloody transfers on back to front……..

I quite like them- sure they’re a bit brutal looking, but that’s sort of attractive in itself in a ‘form-follows-function-and-that’s-it’ kind of way.

Judas Priest. Have you seen the pricing?

WHAT The fick?!!!

No I do not understand how anyone can call my old Helius ST ugly:

I was rather fond of my Helius FR too: