I spoke to Shand a few weeks ago and he was mentioning a semi production 29er frame being available soon. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

2013 AC rated for forks up to 160mm

Good 😛

The axle to crown geometry figures for the AC are for a 539mm fork which is a 160mm Fox 34 fork (538mm). Fox 36 160mm are 545mm axle to crown (Lyrik and 55 are 170mm forks at 555mm, Fox 36 180’s are 565mm).

I know it’s only 7mm but it’s an intent thing rather than a measurement thing. AM and Ion show geometry at 545mm axle to crown, and 66deg head angle as the OP mentioned 🙂 .

I’m sure an AC would be awesome with some 160mm 36 Floats on the front… 😉

Spank Spoon is 40mm and the Bearclaw is 35mm.

Only the one colour option on the Bearclaw that I can see.

What fork are planning to run on it Duir?

The AC is designed for 150mm forks like Rev’s or 32’s (and 160mm 34’s I guess). If you like speed and “gnar” then perhaps a Lyrik/36/55 fork would be better suited? I have some Rev’s but I much prefer running 36’s and 55’s due to the increased stiffness (I’ve never tried the Rev on the AM as really don’t think it would fit with how I ride it; it’s merely okay on my hartail although I have broken one on it 😈 ). On an AC running a longer fork would slacken it off a tad (and raise the bottom bracket which is not always a good thing).

Have you considered an AM (or Ion 16) which are designed for the longer fork? On paper the new AC is very similar geometry to the older AM but the AM is designed for the longer and stiffer forks. The AM is a more weighty frame but it’s designed for a harder style of riding… a proper AM bike rather than a trail bike with AM like angles.

There are a few folk around who have built AM’s to under 30lbs 😉

Spreadsheet…

Current component weight
Replacement component weight
Replacement cost (less sale of old bits)

Work out and sort by cost per gram.

Trick is working out where the compromise is, decide if it’s a benefit then how much you have to spend.

This is sad but it works 😳

Weigh everything yourself to get the real weights.

I’ve gone through this process with my Nicolai Helius AM… it’s currently under 30lbs and feels brilliant for it.

As above… wheels and tyres are the most effective place to start (and the most expensive 🙄 ).

I dare you.

(not a Bengal)

Balmedie/Newburgh

There was once a 10km sandcastle built up there – one of the longest sandy beaches in the uk IIRC… and part of one of the largest sand dune networks including Trumps Menie estate *spits*.

I want to singlespeed my Mmmbop at some point.

I think it will be interesting… although not pretty as a tensioner will be required 😥

Hi Tymbian, I’m looking for something to replace my Ragley Mmmbop. It’s not a bad bike, in many ways it’s a very good bike… but it’s a little short and I’d like to run a longer fork without the bottom bracket being stoooooopid high (+ISCG etc etc). I had a Ragley Troof which suited me and was ace but broke.

The Fire-eye would have fitted the bill, as may the new Dialled Alpine when they come (August says Mike)… if I can wait that long and the Geometry looks good I’ll probably go for the Alpine if i have to wait anyway.

13-1/2 stone and I run no preload air but the forks are a bit soft, which I like.

I run the normal weight oil but would like more damping, I run my ajdusters pretty much full open as when I add more Reb/Comp it gets clunky and they lock-up on repetative hits (the internals are very basic). I think I’ll try Travo’s suggestion above and use a heavier oil (If I put these forks back on the bike as I’m currenly running something else… more of which I will tell once this snow shifts!).

I got an email from Mike.

We’re about to start taking pre-orders on the new Alpine.

Full price will be £500. Pre-order price, £400. Deposit £200. Delivery around the end of August.

Looking forward to seeing the updated geometry… if it looks good for me I’ll be very tempted.

Bottle of wine if your not expecting to have to drive home afterwards…

Flowers for the gentlemanly win BTW.

Market forces innit 😉

Product wise there are probably no real stinkers out there like there used to be (except at the low end). Some feel better than others and have features or functions which riders may prefer the sound or feel of… mostly I think we like what we know and thats why market share is so important… but in reality it only takes a ride or two on something new to adapt.

Fox charge what people will pay… the perfect capitalist way is to charge a little more than people want to pay which makes the item “aspirational”… this gives you a big budget for marketing/sponsoring/advertising; and if you have product left over at the end of the year you drop the price in a “sale” and those people who want the item but can’t or won’t buy at full price may be tempted to grab a “bargain” and clear your shelves ready for next years stock. This is what Fox and Mojo do very well controlling the UK market with aspirational product and loads of marketing.

One fly in this ointment is the “OEM” or “grey” market whereby stuff is sold to somebody destined for one place but actually ends up for sale and sold somewhere else. In this way the control of the price of the item is lost as if there are enough grey market items available you have to drop your main market price if you want any sales… this is where RockShox seem to be. They would love to get the full price they quote sometimes which is nearly the same as Fox… but their stuff is always available at a discount somewhere so they seem to have dropped the price to that slightly lower level. Pushing for market share is eroding the ability to change a high premium and be fully “aspirational”.

Marzocchi get some OEM stuff at the lower end which unfortunately is not the best product and gets them a bit of a bad reputation. The good stuff seems to be available in limited quantity so they can keep the after market prices high.

Magura and DT are only really in the aftermarket game at the moment so have to have a good enough product to stand up for itself… getting buyers who don’t want products from the other manufacturers… niche mongers or people who value the “features” only available on these products… or bargain hunters on last years product 😉 .

Manitou seem to be fighting for any sales they can get. I used to like Manitou and if they had a produst which suited me I would probably give them a whirl for nostalgic reasons (I loved my Travis TPC fork).

Not sure where X-Fusion will go. If the product is great they should be able to make dents in top end sales through reviews and pricing below Fox/RS. This won’t bring big profits until they make dents in the OEM market where big product share and shifting huge numbers of units kicks in. It will be interesting to see who suffers as X-Fusion tries to take a bigger slice of the market… which might eventually erode the higher price they can change for the top end stuff? Perhaps it’s all calculated so for a few years they might take a hit on pricing and profits to get market share and awareness of product?

Obviously other stuff is available and I just made all that ^ up; it’s an opinion. Buy and ride what you want for the reasons you see fit.

Mike… maybe he would buy a Prince Albert if it had a 44mm headtube?

How are the new Alpine’s coming along? Got a date yet?

Goodies installed 😀

But I have a stinking cold and there is snow on the ground 👿

Really poor quality pic taken as the sun was setting. Even newly rebuilt my bike is still covered in mud 8)

No more black Bombers… just Avalanche Downhill Racing goodies at both ends.

Now I need to get it ridden.

The Hammerschmidt is having a holiday as well… not sure that is going to work out 😕

I’m not sure a pound or two takes much difference to how much fun your going to be having on a day out in the hills… but the lighter the better, all other things being equal 😆

Anodised Nicolai frames all the way… hence all the Black Ano Nicolai’s you see. Boring it may be… but it’s a tough finish which is lighter and more hard wearing than paint… and every gram is a prisoner of gravity 😆

Captain; as I think I said when this came up before there is more stiction to the bushing pivots than there is in bearings. I can feel it in the Nicolai bushings in the workstand compared to the Intense I had before which was bearings… but I can’t feel it when 13 stone of idiot is throwing it down a mountain track. Bearings or bushings designed correctly (and looked after) will do the job and last a reasonable period… I’d go by the track record of the company rather than what system… I wouldn’t go choosing one bike over another on such a detail (unless a company was trying something bizzare like chocolate lubricated bushings or marshmallow bearing surfaces 😕 ).

I’m guessing that’s Broad Cairn with Loch Muick in the background?

😉

A bit like this then…

Top of a Munro in the Grampian Highlands 😀

not a Black Bike with Bombers!

Fair enough… but your not going to like my newest version of the AM then

Tech Sheets and Tech Sheets Archive at Nicolai.net has plenty of info LINKY or ask about specific versions on the MTBR Nicolai forum where some very knowledgeable people hang out.

Early AM’s had a 200*57 rear shock and last three years have 215*63. There are other changes around head angle and bottom bracket height and there are custom versions and other changes available so it’s helpfull to know details of what frame your looking at.

tymbian – those Fire-eye frames are delayed at least a month as there is a problem with production. Fire-eye are also not sure who will be importing them and hence if CRC will be stocking them.

Bummer 🙁

Not taken in Scotland… spot the Giant Saguaro Cactus!

Thanks Tomaso… but I prefer Geetee’s; I’d like a little tweak to the geometry of mine (a very little tweak really and hence probably not worth doing), and just look at those ENVE wheels!!! 😯 .

Mine is indeed a three year old Helius AM. It’s had quite a lot of changes over the three years as when I bought it I was a bit tight for cash so it had a very second hand bargain hunting build (it was still awesome and was/is the best bike I have ever had). Over the last three years I’ve tried quite a few different builds on it as I’m a faffer and each build had an event or something requiring the changes, so it’s been pimped and improved to where it is now… it’s currently looking a little different again… 🙄

I’ll post a photo tonight if I get a chance.

One thing about second hand Nicolai’s is knowing how old they are and hence what the geometry is. Some of the second hand frames look in great condition but are much older than they look so the geometry might be a bit odd with modern forks.

What I like about Nicolai’s is that I’ve not broken one in the eight years I’ve been an owner (I’ve had three)… if I like a frame and ride it hard they tend not to last a year. I sometimes look at other manufacturers but I suspect my next big bike will another Nicolai. I’d love an Argon AM hardtail but as a second bike I’ll buy (and probably break 🙄 ) other cheaper options.

As Geetee says the AM is extremely versatile, full on doonhalling with stormtroopers one day and climbing munro’s the next. Brilliant bit of kit.

Thread from a year ago where I wrote my thoughts about my Hammerschmidt (LINKY).

I have managed to completely clag the thing solid with mud on a ride this year which was a PITA. I might try a mud claw thing if we don’t get a summer again.

I still like it; but I’m not sure it sounds good for what your after… if your going to be in the overdrive most of the time you will hate the feeling of the drag.

spanishfly – BG, “Messiah” please what rear mech are you using with the Hammer’ ?

Short cage 9spd Saint. Works brilliantly with the Hammerschmidt… although I guess it’s a bit weird having a SRAM front shifter and a Shimano rear; although it works great so who cares if it’s a bit weird.

My AM in a more mile munching build.

It’s getting confuddling?

Is there a new 29″ movement taking over from 650b as flavour of the month now that 650b has been shown to be little more than an overhyped and pumped up 26″? If so can we expect the new 29″ movement to again show us “once and for all” that the new 29″ is better than 26″ (and 650b of course) and the old original 29″ (which clearly had “issues” which the new 29″ movement has obviously fixed) which is why the old 29″ is evidently not as good as the new 29″; and that is why we should all be aspiring to join the new 29″ movement rather than the old clearly not as good 29″ or either of the absolutley not as good 650b and 26″ movements (perhaps it’s obvious really)?

I’m running a Kinesis Strut bar which is the same weight and dimensions (possibly the same factory?) on my AM hardtail and it’s working out great. Scary light to hold in the garage but no hint of flex or funny noises when being thrown around the trails (and I mean thrown 😈 ).

My Formula the one’s have been the easiest brakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of bleeding. I followed the instructions I got with the bleed kit from epic solutions ( Linky[/url] ).

I hope your new hoses help… that is an expensive solution 😐

And to put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons Fireeye bikes are bringing this out at the end of March.

Nice find tymbian.

27.2mm seatpost means the Surge gets a “No” from me (limited droppers and I have a habit of bending slim posts).

I’d also be thinking of the new Dialled Alpine when it comes it.

Based on my experience both of these frames really like a fork of around 140mm so thats a good start.

Of the two the BFe has a lower bottom bracket and a steeper headangle, which makes it responsive at low speeds but capable as speeds increase. The Ragley has a slacker head angle, a higher bottom bracket and long chainstays which makes it less involving at slow speeds where it feels a bit ponderous, but as speeds increase it becomes very confident and capable.

Pig X has the adjustable dropouts if you want to run 12mm axle or singlespeed… might be important and swing it one way or the other. Its a discontinued model though so you either pick up NOS or buy second hand. Quality was a bit hit and miss last year as well so there might be issues (My Troof broke).

I believe the 2013 Blue pig loses the adjustable dropouts but the bottom bracket is lower… which should make it a better handling bike, although they have dropped the 17″ size which is the one I would want.

Cotic get the fan love on this site and the designeer is often about for advice… you don’t get any of that from Ragley (even their website is dreadfully out of date).

Cotic for the win.

Well this has gone down well!

It’s a Marin… on STW… what were you thinking would happen 🙄

Time for a celebratory hand-shandy while the nerves are jangling… it’s like a risk free dangerw*&k (this is my free gift to you on this momentous day).

Onzadog – that was one of my reasons for buying both together. When I run the Float fork and the CCDB the shock feels better than the fork, if I run the Marz with a Float shock then the fork feels better. Both Floats is okay but not great at speed, or both coils is great but a bit wallowy (and a heavy option for some riding).

Hoping for a well ballanced do it all set up… as I’ve said above it’s all geekery really and I know it won’t make me any faster etc; but I enjoy faffing 😀

Hi Sam,

The gnargnar junkies in Phoenix Arizona raved about the Avalanche stuff. Where they ride has a habit of blowing up shocks and forks due to the type of riding in the heat and dust. They liked the Avy stuff as it performs really well and requires less fixing than other kit.

Been wanting to try it. Needed new kit. I’ll know soon if it was worth it.

“Why should I work for you?”

This.

It’s not just them interviewing you… your interviewing them to decide if you could/should work there.

Enjoy (seriously… interviews get the nerves jangling like a good doonhall… once you’ve dropped in relax and enjoy the ride).

I’ve not ridden them yet banks 😳

We’ve got snow on the ground and I like my hardtail when conditions are like this.

So far I can say that the Fox DHX Air is 421g vs 550g for the CCDB, and add 310g for the Ti coil (or 520g for steel). So it’s lighter 😉

As I said above the Float 36 has gained 150g from going RC2 cartridge to Avy oil bath. It was 2180g and is now 2330g. The Marz 55 RC3 Ti is 2450g.

Both feel smooth in the workshop in the standard settings. So far I know the weight of everything and the performance of nothing 👿