nick – you pay yer money and take yer chance………………

Right…that was helpful.

Have an AM and ST both fantastic bikes that beg to be ridden quickly!!

TLR is referring to the fact that invariably on any completed Nicolai order, there is something not quite what was ordered.

I have an AM now and have also owned an Ion. On the Ion, they missed off the glitter from the rear triangle (probably not a bad thing) and on the AM, I only found out that the original paint order had been noted down incorrectly (I’d ordered pearl white and they were proceeding with just plain white) when I asked for the colour to be changed.

My AM weighs 30.5lbs (weighed recently on HeiHei’s digi-scales), this is with Stans Arch wheels, the new 36 Floats, which are just a shade over 2kg, Float RP23, super light ti axle pedals and an XTR chainset. Oh and I also run it 1×9, which nets another .7lbs accounting for the chain device. I run it for everything and have even spent a weekend hammering Gawton DH on it (Super Tavi and Egypt).

The HA on the new AM is billed as being 66 degrees, but the referring fork measurements has also changed from 545mm to 565mm or thereabouts. I’ve seen some postings that said the weight had gone up a little indicating that they’ve beefed the DT up to accomodate longer travel forks. If that’s true then the HA would be effectively unchaged but if I were to order again, I would probably spec a 1.5″ head tube and fit a Cane Creek angle reducer cup.

From all that has been said on here i reckon i’ll be looking at the ac if not the cc. But expect to use it for pretty much everything relying on my lack of balls to keep me inside the bikesoperating evelope.

The differences between order and delivery, how major are we talking?

Geetee – Thats great info. I was just looking at the new 2011 techsheet for the AM and i noted that fork referencing length was 545mm. Where did you get 565mm from? HA is 66.5 degrees with 545mm fork. I’m in a real dilema regarding fork choice. Should i just stick on my 2 ride old 32 150mm’s or go for 36 TALAS????? I’m after a fork that matches the rear end stiffness really.

For whats it’s worth, the rest of spec will be XT drivetrain, E13 Heim2 device, Pro2/XM819(F) & DT440/Stans Flow(R), Hope Mini Mono and RP23BV.

My AM frame came with no front mech cable stop… so I use a Hammerschmidt which is ace… but partly why mine weights 33lbs.
There was a new order system when mine was ordered and somehow between shop and Nicolai it got missed… an arrangement was came too and I am very happy.
I went for the 1.5 and with a deep acros headset I have a 65deg head angle. Did I say how much I love mine? Just be sure to get the shop to check your order as there is so much to choose…. but that’s the thing about options.

Mine will be Ano Black so hopefully no confusion over colour choice should occur…..i gave up trying to choose any other colour, the choice was just too much!

I want one. I want one I want one

Is the CCDB worth it? Recommended shock?

IF…Running light but strong wheels e.g Pro2 s on flow rims, tubeless setup (high rollers or similar) tapered tube Fox 36’s up front, Saint brakes, Joplin post or similar, middleburn x-type RS8s double/bash/chaindevice, Saint rear mech, xtr shifters what might it come in on the weight front, would that build into something 32lb?

If so I can feel an exploratory call to 18bikes coming on, a demo and a CC 😀

Hi Nick

Yes well spotted. I made a mistake. The tech sheet does indeed have a referring fork measurement of 545mm and the maximum fork travel is given as 555mm. I got these two measurements mixed up (and just plain wrong it seems!)

I can however give you some advice on running the 32s on the bike as I’ve actually done this for two months on my Nic. I bought them new, 150mm versions with 15mm QR. In terms of steering acuracy and control over fast rocky descents they worked really well and I never felt that the HA was too steep in terms of steering response, BUT (and for me it wa a big but), it did drop the front end quite a bit and after about the third time of the front wheel tucking under on steep tight turns, I gave up on them.

The problem might have been poor set up on the forks and not enough support on them or more likely it was just that the front end was too low. I tend to move my weight forward quite a bit to get the front wheel to bite and on steep turns, I just ended up pitching over the bars. I’d run Lyriks before these 32s and never experienced this problem before so I know it’s not rider error.

In terms of the errors made on the order, they’re never a major issue really, but frustratingly it seems to be always something small enough that you just put up with it because you’ve already waited 3 months for the thing to arrive (yes it really will take that long, but it’s worth the wait!). I was in the LBS when a customer collected his Nato Olive Green AM, which was supposed to be matt (matte?) finish all over but had a matt front and a glossy rear.

These errors will always be fixed but it means sending the frame back, which you’re always loath to do for something relatively minor.

When I ordered the AM I knew to follow up so I got in touch with Simon from Momentum (UK distributor) and asked him to check it himself, rather than going through the LBS. They’ve implemented a new order system now so things may well have got better.

I’d happily buy another Nic tomorrow. The issues I’ve had and seen other people have, would never put me off buying one.

Is the CCDB worth it? Recommended shock?

I was on the Peak’s Pootle todat and was using the CCDB for that. It is fabulous and makes a significant difference to the bike’s performance. I also have an RP23 which is probably 80% as good but 1lb lighter.

what might it come in on the weight front, would that build into something 32lb?

Yes about that. Mine’s more or less that build and weighs 30.5lbs but has slightly lighter wheels (say 100g), lighter chainset (say 200g) a 1×9 set up (saves about 500g) and light pedals (probably around 200g?). So all in about 1kg, but I add about 300g little for the large size and the paint on the frame.

CCDB?

cane creek double barrel shock

Geetee – Interesting stuff…having never owned 36’s before (or indeed any other 160mm fork!) i think i will probably run with the 150mm 32 i have, for now. Got my eye on the BOS Deville though!!!! Seems the only drawback to the 150’s might be th tuck-in issue but whilst alot of my riding can be steep it doesn’t involve alot of tight turns (except the annual Alps trip!) plus i’m no heavyweight (11 stone) so don’t anticipate the fork wanting to dive too much.

I read about the colour mis-match over on MTBR….i would have been annoyed if it had been me. Ano Black with Silver ‘Extra Love’ parts and Chrome decals can’t be that hard to get right…can it?

nickegg
If you’re that bothered about errors with your order, give Nic a call directly, am sure Karl will get back to you.

FWIW, I own 3 of them and have owned 4 in total and they have never got an order wrong on my frames. So, as ever, you often hear about the folk who have a problem with an order, but you won’t hear from the (majority) of the rest of Nic owners who don’t have a problem.

Again, FWIW, my experience with Nicolai has been as good as Turner (which I’ve also owened) on the CS front – when I’ve had issues or questions I’ve emailed Karl and co and have always got a good response.

When you get it you will love it – was on my AFR doing uplifts at Cwmcarn today and it was fantastic fun.

Not so worried really…..i am hoping to get my order confirmed for the early November production slot so hopefully won’t have to wait as long as some have.

nickegg – good luck running the 32’s.
as geetee mentions, there will be a tendency to tuck during compressed carving turns [think berms, etc].
i spoke to karl nicolai about the 32 running on an AM frame and he advised the use of a lower race headset extender [reset racing do them] to permit suitable A-C measurement.
i’ve not bothered as the 36 FLOATS on mine are perfect geometrically for the frameset.

what other options have you considered ?
iscg for h/s is now free option so i’d get that.
12mm bt rear axle is also free and worth consideration.

again – good luck !

oh – there’s also a choice of levers available to permitting 200×51 or 216 x 63 [iiirc].

i hear the rumour is the longer stroke works better than the shorter stroke, but it remains un-confirmed how much improvement is apparent.

As i understand it the longer stroke should work better with air shocks which would make sense and thats what i’ll be running.

ISCG mounts i am getting as i run a double/bash/guide set-up. Shan’t bother with a bolt-thru set-up as it was, by far, the stiffest frame i’ve ever ridden.

I’ve got a awhile to decide about forks although i too had wondered about a spacer below the lower headset cup…..i will probably just give in and go with some 36’s or Deville’s (if i’m feeling really rich!!!!!)

TLR makes a really good point about the taller lower crown from Reset. Technically you need a deep insert headset anyway for warranty on the headtube (although a lot of people don’t use them and I’ve never heard of anyone ovalising a Nicolai headtube!), but either way, having a Reset racing unit fitted at the factory is not a bad idea and it would mean they could fit the taller lower crown race.

This does mean that a 520mm A2C fork (i.e. the 150mm Fox 32 or Rock Shox Pike) would work perfectly in terms of geometry. I would have gone this way myself but I wanted to run two different forks for when I was doing downhill/uplift days.

The Devilles look amazing, but the only thing that startles you more than their sexiness is their price 😯

It’s great to hear from Auric that in four orders he’s not had a single thing wrong. Does kind of restore the faith but it makes me wonder whether the problem is between the LBS and Momentum or between Momentum and Nicolai. The guys that run Momentum have full time jobs outside of running the distribution business. Maybe they are busier at some times more than others?

With black ano and silver levers etc, I can’t see anything going wrong. The ISCG tabs are standard now and therefore not an upcharge (I had to pay £90 for mine and then a month later they made them stock items!)

Also were you going for a 1.5″ HT? I really wish I had done as it just gives you that added flexibility and future proofing that can make the bike all things to all people if it needed to be. I’m not saying the HA is too steep, because I really don’t think it is, but the beauty of the 1.5″ is that you can run the angle reducer cups, which then means the bike becomes more effective and useable in lower travel settings, for example in the 140mm mode.

Currently with the standard geometry, the 140mm mode makes the bike too high and steep as you don’t sag into the travel so much and therefore the BB remains higher and HA a little steeper. Reducer cups would also mean you could happily run a 150mm Fox 32, probably without the need for the taller crown race. It makes the package even more versatile.

Given the frame is already so stiff, I have not ridden one so thats based on responses, other than future proofing, is there a performance difference to either a tapered or 1.5 head tube?

I may look for a s/h frame as well as investigating new and anything from last year or before will have a standard head tube wont it?

1.5″ HT simply offers more steerer choice.

my 1.125″ is stiff as in collaboration with the AM gussetry.

That’s what I like to hear 😀 ..checks 0% offer on credit card 😆

It’s getting harder and harder for me to not just go and buy one!