Nicolai calls it “the perfect all rounder”, and we couldn’t agree more.

Thanks to a lightweight, low slung and compact frame, with adjustable rear travel up to 146mm, the Helius AC really climbs as well as it descends, making it ideal as a Cross-Country/All-Mountain bike.

This current build weighs in at 13.8 kg, perfect for a long travel Cross-Country bike that the owner required it for.

Anodised Black was chosen for the entire frame as the owner wanted a fairly stealthy look. As the RockShox Sektor RL Solo Air up front was only available in white, we couldn’t possibly let it slip, so we had it painted in matt black!

Together with the Anodised Red rocker links, bearing covers, cable guides, and the Hammerschmidt Pimp Kit that you see here…

…components with subtle red accents were selected to provide the Helius AC with some colour.

Don’t all these little details just make you want to take a closer look at it?

- Ben

Here’s one of the 4 Nicolai Ion 14 we have receive in the first Nicolai Shipment of the year. They could very possibly be the first few pieces out of the factory at this moment.

Finished in Nicolai Gates team blue (Sky blue) and red anodized extra-love linkage and parts, there no doubt this beauty resembles the race machines Nicolai factory riders were riding for year 2011.

Build more for trail riding as a shorter travel alternative over the owner’s Nicolai Nucleon AM with a similar color scheme, we had the longer travel setting for him with a lowered RockShox Lyric fork on the front and a 200x57mm rear shock on the 125mm travel mounting hole.

Stopping power comes from a set of Magura Marta FR brakes on 180mm front and rear SL rotors. With Sram XO 10speed group-set propelling the bike with the aid of the 2 speed internal Truvative Hammerchidmt Crank-set.

A dual purpose frame with more build possibilities then this Ion 14 and WildFire, not forgetting the different variable ride characteristic for us to explore. We just got ourselves excited as to what will be the other two more Ion 14 build going to be base on and how its going to turn out.

- Walton

Loving the standard Specialized Enduro as his first off road rig, Dominic, decided to jump on what could possibly be the best Enduro in the Specialized range, the Specialized S-Works Enduro.

The frame kit was purchased off our local Specialized dealer, right off the display shelf. This means that it should be the only piece in Singapore at this moment.

The S-Works frame comes standard with a custom-valved Fox Racing Shox Kashima RP23. It is sensitive, and has held up to all that Dominic had thrown at it, pretty damn well in fact.

A light weight Sram XO drivetrain provides crisp shifting, a perfect balance of weight and durability. The patented FSR linkage provides a plush and sensitive feel OF the rear wheel, absorbing all bumps and keeping the rear wheel on the ground when it has to to maintain rear wheel traction and grip at all times.

Down to the cockpit, we have the new coloured Thomson stem faceplate, and headset top cap. Colours are available in anodised red, gold or blue.

The rainbow coloured titanium bolts you see here on the stems and other cockpit areas are separate upgrades, each sold separately!

Just in case you were wondering, the standard Specialized Enduro with a similar set up weighs around 16kg. After making the swap to an S-Works Carbon frame, along with a few other carbon parts, it saw an overall weight reduction to 14.4kg!

- Walton

Once again we have a list of Nicolai Bikes Used/ new in stock. Here we are a short list of what’s available now! Drop us a ring @ +65 63444579 or email us @ info@attitudebikes.com for an Appointment if you have an interest in what you see so that we can do arrange for a test ride or fitting to be sure that it fits your size,requirements and needs.

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Nicolai Helius RC 2012 , Brand new.

Ready stock for sale , 120mm front fork application – horst link XC / Enduro frame- 2.3kg with DT swiss carbon rear shock. Specials :-”AttitudeBikes ONE5 anniversary – RACE” engraving+ special anodized red hanger “one off ” option. Tailored sizing – please make appointment for fitting / viewing.

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Nicolai Helius AM 2011 Used complete bike. SOLD!

Frame : – Helius AM Size S 2011

Thanks for your interest!
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Nicolai Nucleon AM 2012 Used complete bike. Size m, very lightly Used ( less then 5 rides) . 170-180mm front fork application. 172-193mm rear travel . G-boxx 1 frame . Owner Migrating.

Frame : – Nucleon AM 2012 , G Boxx 1
Fork :- BOS Idylle SC 180mm ( only piece regionally)
Headset :- BlackSpire Double Deep Headset
Stem/Bar :- Easton Havoc
Brakes :- Not avaialble.
Seat post :- Thomson
Wheels:- ZTR Flow Rims, with rear Nicolai G-boxx Hub and Front Chrisking ISO

More photos here!

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Nicolai Nucleon AM 2012 used complete bike. Size S. 170-180mm front fork application. 172-193mm rear travel . G-boxx 1 frame , Complete bike to go, owner upgrading. ( Reserved!)

Frame : – Nucleon AM 2012 , G Boxx 1
Fork :- RockShox Lyric Coil 170mm
Headset :- BlackSpire Double Deep Headset
Brakes :- Avid XX
Stem/Bar :- Thomson /Diety
Seat post :- Thomson
Wheels:- ZTR Flow Rims/ Atomlab Rims, with rear Nicolai G-boxx Hub and Front Hope Pro 2 Hub.

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Nicolai Helius ST 2010 , SOLD

Thanks for your interest!

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Nicolai Ion 20 2012, Display Frame

Bright Orange and Red Extra Love, 83mm BB, 150x 12 maxle rear. CaneCreek Douible Barrel Rear Shock, 1.5 headtube on Reset Racing Headset for 1 1/8 steerer use, rear travle 200mm/222mm, front matching fork 200mm. Boxxer WorldCup 2012 available as a package. Size M – Fits riders from 168cm onwards!

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Nicolai UFO DS 2009/10, Used / Superb Condition.

Full Matt black anodized. Without shock. ChrisKing Steel set headset and standard 10mm QR rear axle. Dirt Jump/ Slope Style/ Dual Salom frame. Your Answer to a do what every you want short travel full suspension frame! rear travel 105/115mm. front matching fork 100-120mm. New Decals on desire of customer.

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The build that we have for today is Pivot’s premium do-it-all trail bike, the Mach 5.7 Carbon. Thanks to it’s carbon frame, it has a better strength to weight ratio than it’s aluminum brother, the Mach 5.7.

In the cockpit is the ENVE DH Bar bolted onto a Thomson Elite stem. At 250g the DH Bar is seriously LIGHT, but we are assured that it can take the stresses of anything that we can throw at it. ENVE builds some of the best carbon products in the market, and they have been tried and tested by the Santa Cruz Syndicate.

Braking and drivetrain duties are taken care of with Shimano’s XTR groupset, including the XTR Shadow Plus rear derailluer.

Included with the March 5.7 Carbon frame is a custom valved Fox Racing Shox CTD shock.

A build at AttitudeBikes is usually not complete without some fabrication of our own. The rear DT Swiss 240 hub had to have a custom 142mm x 12mm conversion in order for it to fit perfectly.

The 240′s are laced to ENVE’s Twenty6AM rims with Sapim CX ray spokes.

11.65kg is the final weight of the Pivot Mach 5.7 build that we are featuring today. It is a perfect example on how strength does not need to be compromised, while still being able to enjoy the weight savings of carbon components.

What was once only used in the MTB industry to build XC race frames/components, carbon fibre has been gaining popularity in the recent years as an ideal material for manufacturing All-Mountain and Downhill frames/components, thanks to advanced manufacturing techniques and processes.

29er’s. Love em’ or hate em’ many manufacturers like Giant, Specialized,  Santa Cruz, and Cannondale have all jumped on board the bandwagon and produced  their own 29er bikes, especially in the XC and All-Mountain segment. While it is certainly not for everyone, advantages such as better rolling over terrain, and better traction/braking compared to regular 26″ wheels have slowly, but surely, helped 29er’s gain popularity over the years.

The build that we have here is a Niner R.I.P.9. As you can tell by the name, the team at Niner believe only in one wheel size for their bikes.

This wasn’t the original colour that the frame came spec’ed with though, and at the owners request we had the paint removed.

Easton Havoc bars bolted onto an Atomlab Pimplite stem keeps things nice and tight in the cockpit.

Ever-so-reliable stopping power comes from a pair of red Magura Marta SL’s.

Sticking out in the sea of red parts is a Fox Float CTD rear shock bolted onto Niner’s very own CVA suspension linkage.

A full SRAM XO drivetrain provides crisp shifting on the R.I.P.9.

The 29” pair of ZTR Flow rims are laced to Hope Pro 2 Evo Hubs with 14 gauge Philwood spokes.

Thanks to improvements in 29er geometry in the last couple of years, the advantages of 29er bikes are not just solely reserved for XC bikes, and we can be sure that they are here to stay. Manufacturers like Intense have even explored the possibility of using 29″ wheels on their downhill bikes.

We’ll leave you with this video of Oak Bay Bicycles’ Andrew Sherry and Geoff Pendrell testing out the Niner R.I.P.9′s longer travel brother, the W.F.O.9.

Breaking news from Nicolai!!

Prior to Eurobike 2012 that will be taking place next week from the 29th of August to the 1st of September, they have just released some new information/updates on their 2013 models!

The following is from their press release:

“Dear traders, dear distributors,

The 2013 season is around the corner.

This year we would like to present some of the Eurobike newly hatched Nicolai models.

Argon AM

Frank Schneider has proven that an Argon AM is fast, aggressive and capable of winning. In Master Class at Megavalanche race in AlpeD’huez he became first and this is something special. The Argon AM, Gates Carbondrive ready, optimized for 150mm forks and a pleasant AllMountain geometry, leaves beside the Zero Stack head tube and the new 12mm Thruaxle dropout no wishes unfulfilled.
A carefree Bike for the growing Trail Center community and epic alpine tours.

Helius TB

The Helius TB is the successor to the RC Helius.
A trail bike par excellence.
Travel 120-130mm, progressive kinematic flat steering angle, Zero Stack head tube are the key features of these very easy to be accelerated Trail Center-weapon.

Helius AC 26 “2013

We have modified the geometry of the Helius AC completely
Optimized for 160mm trail forks, fitted with a newly designed shock rocker (150 and 140mm) and with much DNA of the Helius AM
An all-mountain / enduro bike for everyone who is looking for a swiss army knife This can be both, your Everyday funride and your enduro race bike.

Helius AC 650b 2013

Although currently the choice of wheels and tires is limited, we decided for this intermediate size between 29 and 26 inches.
The reason? Simple … a rather small person looks a little bit lost on a 29er. A trail bike with a lot of fun potential when running downhill and comfortable seated position uphill.

Helius AC 29 “2013

Also in 29er AC we have set the pen again.
We can not and do not want to compete with the carbon sub 8kg bombers which start peeing themself in front of the next curbside.
The decision to make our 29er so handy and downhill orientated as possible was just logical. The result is a comfortable bike you can climb easyily and beeing even faster down the hill.

ION 16 2013

The coronation of the 2013er model range
New and advanced technologies paired with a complete new formal language.
The Tapered Zero Stack head tube ensures a low front and maximeses the traction on the front wheel
Reverb Stealth cable routing for a clean look and secured cable routing
Redesign all bearing locations, load-optimized bearings with additional sealing elements maintenance-free and protected against corrosion.
142×12 rear with mounting guides.
160mm post mount brake mount
Geometry adjustment by ET-K (Excentric Trail Key)
A mini DH bike with 160mm which gives you pure downhill skills, but also brings you comofortable up the hill.
Furthermore, the Helius AM (2013 Tapered ahead) initially remains in the program, at least until the customers accept the Helius AC (160mm) or Ion 16 just as worthy successor.

The geometries of the Helius AC 2012 and RC 2012 are no longer available from 04.09.2012

All 2013 models include optional:
– Reverb Stealth
– ZS44/56 Zero Stack head tube as standard

New price lists for 2013 will be handed out at the Eurobike or in the following meetings on request.

Best regards Vincent”

It was an honour to meet Jilly Sherlock when she made a stopover in Singapore as part of her solo journey to travel around the globe on her bike.

Here’s an email that she wrote to us before flying to New Zealand to continue her journey (photos courtesy of: Jilly Sherlock).

“On Saturday 9th April 2011 at 11:12 am I set off from my home town in England to embark on a solo mission to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle,

My journey has taken me through 26 countries so far. I have followed the winding route of the River Danube in Europe, struggled with the short yet steep climbs of the jagged Black Sea coastline of Turkey, battled through rain and rocky roads through Georgia, ascended five mountain passes in Armenia before facing the desert and mountains of Iran, the 5 day dash through the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan, admired the wonders of the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan and the beauty and challenge of the high altitude plateau of the Pamir Mountains (up to 4667m) in Tajikistan.

Winter time saw me fighting my way through the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert of China, camping in sand dunes or in tunnels under the road and trying desperately to keep warm and avoid frostbite. I then headed south towards Laos and into South East Asia where my new challenges were searing heat, jungle and humidity. Having cycled over 18000km through temperatures ranging from -30′C to +45′C through sandstorms, blizzards and monsoons I have now reached Singapore, the end of the Eurasian landmass. I decided to head to Sumatra to cycle across the equator and to climb an active volcano before returning to Singapore where the next part of my journey is about to begin.

One of the highlights of my journey has been the people I have met and the incredible kindness I have encountered with strangers on the road. Yak farmers in Tajikistan took me into their home and gave me yaks liver and bread and then ate my leftovers, in Iran people stopped me in my tracks to welcome me to Iran and to invite me into their homes, people in cars, buses and trucks have stopped to give me water, apples, bread, cheese, bananas and even beer! People often believe that the world is dangerous especially for a woman cycling alone yet I have learnt that people want to help not to harm.

It was tremendous to be put in contact with the guys at Attitude Bikes in Singapore who have serviced my Rohloff hub, changed my cables and replaced my chain. A wonderful service and a great shop!

I am flying out to New Zealand in 2 days time and I plan to cycle around both North and South island covering some 5000km before heading to South America where I aim to cycle the length of the Andes from the south to the north. You can follow my journey on sherlocktales.blogspot.com or SherlockTales on Facebook.”

AttitudeBikes would like to wish Jilly all the best in the rest of her adventure around the world! Ride safe!

The Nicolai Helius AC is arguably one of the best selling Nicolai’s in Singapore alongside the longer travel Helius AM.  A lightweight frame with 120mm-150mm of adjustable rear travel, and a mix of Cross Country/All Mountain geometry makes it a perfect  ’do-it-all’ bike for local trails.

This Anodized Black frame with Anodized Gold Extra Love options (rocker links, bolt covers, cable guides), was an upgrade over the owners previous 160mm Turner.

As you can see, the subtle bits of gold didn’t just stop there though, the rest of the components were selected to complement the frame, without going overboard.

A perfect example you see here are the gold Chris King hubs laced to black Atomlab Suprelite rims with Philwood spokes and gold Atomlab torque nipples. We even made sure the RockShox Revelation up front had custom decals so that everything matched!

The frame was spec’ed with Truvativ’s HammerSchmidt crankset that provided a reliable range of  gears and great clearance from the ground without having to run a dual chainring set up. Here’s a close up of Nicolai’s Pimp Kit for the HammerSchmidt cranks, in Anodized Gold of course.

When a frame comes out of the box as beautifully made as a Nicolai, there’s an even greater responsibility for us to ensure that the complete bike rolls out of the shop looking just as good, if not even better.

Just as Nicolai has shown us in the way their frames are crafted, it’s all in the details.

Ever since we rode our first G-Boxx equipped Nicolai, we have always loved the fact that it was possible that we did not have to worry about our derailluers getting clipped on rocks during a ride, or getting the derailluer hanger bent just because of a little crash. There are so many ways that a conventional derailluer just isn’t the ideal option for mountain biking as it is relatively fragile and susceptible to a lot of problems when exposed to harsh elements.

There’s no doubt that Nicolai’s G-Boxx and Pinion equipped bikes work GREAT, but the disadvantage is that the frame has to be specifically designed to fit them, and it doesn’t come cheap. That led us to mounting a Rohloff Speedhub on a couple of bikes over the past few years. However, they required special mounts and in the case of the Nicolais that we have converted, new seatstays had to be ordered in order to accommodate them.

We were fortunate to discover about Fallbrook Technologies Inc’s NuVinci N360 continuously variable planetary (CVP) hub, and we were glad to learn that it could be mounted on any bike with a 135mm dropout width. To be honest we only intended to use it on a commuting bike, but since the N360 hub was designed for all types of bikes including MTB’s, we immediately jumped on the chance to mount one on our very own 2013 race bike, a Nicolai Helius AM (that was once equipped with the Rohloff Speedhub).

For those who are unfamiliar with how the N360 CVP hub works, it “uses a set of rotating and tilting balls positioned between the input component (coming from the chain) and the output component (going to the wheel) of the transmission. Tilting the balls by twisting the shifter on the handlebar changes their contact diameters and varies the speed ratio of the drivetrain resulting in a seamless and continuous transition to any ratio within its range.“. It may seem a little confusing at first (even for us), but NuVinci has got a really informative site where you can learn more about the N360 hub.

We immediately fell in love with how great the NuVinci N360 works! Even if we were riding on pavement or in the trails, we could always find that perfect gear ratio thanks to the CVP technology. Gone were the days of being ‘stuck in limbo’ with a gear that was too light because the next highest gear was just too heavy for that current situation (something that we have experienced many times).

Over the past few months, we heavily tested the NuVinci driven Nicolai Helius AM on our local trails and even brought it over to Batam, Indonesia to compete in what was one of the muddiest downhill races we have ever been to, and we’re proud to say that the N360 worked flawlessly over the entire race weekend despite the conditions. Honestly, the only problem that we had during this testing period was the chain tensioner that kept causing the gears to skip under heavy load. But it was soon sorted out when we replaced the tensioner, and it was smooth sailing afterwards.

We can’t deny that we’re fans of unconventionally driven bikes such as our very own NuVinci driven Nicolai Helius AM. Sure, running a NuVinci N360 does have disadvantages in terms of weight distribution, but knowing that your drivetrain is protected from the elements and being able to find that ‘perfect gear’ with it’s CVP technology, we can’t see why it is a great investment.

Feel free to drop us a ring at: 63444579 to arrange for a ride on our NuVinci driven Helius AM!

Although the design of Nicolai’s Helius platform of bikes might share the same ‘DNA’ as it’s older brother, (the legendary Trombone from 1997), it is still one of the perfect examples of ‘not fixing it if it isn’t broken’. Through the years it has retained it’s signature four bar linkage design, and Nicolai has been making subtle improvements to it, eventually evolving to what it is today.

And while Nicolai recently started the production of the all new ION 16, that has identical travel with the Helius AM, there is no other 160mm travel bike in the Nicolai range that rides like a Helius AM does. Thanks to it’s linkage characteristics, it basically soaks up everything in it’s path, which is something that some riders prefer over the stiffer and more responsive ride that the ION gives.

We had no worries about building the Helius AM’s wheels with Atomlab Suprelite rims laced with Pillar titanium spokes, as the owner is one of the smoothest riders we know.

To have the drivetrain running quietly and seamlessly, the owner opted to have his bike spec’ed with a Rohloff Speedub.

This allowed him to run a single chainring in the front, protected by a locally produced bash ring…

…while all 14 gears are protected inside the hub, away from the elements.

Cable routing from the shifter…

…all the way down to the Speedhub was a breeze thanks to the Rohloff specific guides.

Suspension set up on a bike like this is imperative, and it’s potential can definitely be maximised thanks to the BOS Deville fork, and a custom tuned RockShox Vivid Air shock in the rear.

We’re amazed at how brilliant the Helius platform rides 16 years on. It’s truly a timeless classic and we’re excited to see how Nicolai will continue to evolve it.

All photos courtesy of Benjamin Teo/Oh Cheese Visuals for AttitudeBikes.

Sure, it may not descend as well, or be as fun as most modern trail bikes; but in the hands of an experienced rider, the Nicolai Helius RC is one hell of a fast bike in our local trails, thanks to its low weight and efficient cross country geometry.

This build was conceptualised when the owner was upgrading from his trusty titanium XC hardtail, and requested for a quick/lightweight short travel full suspension bike for local terrain. It couldn’t have too much rear travel like a regular trail bike, and it had to be reliable.

We’re big fans of internal drivetrains at AttitudeBikes, and we know that there’s nothing more reliable than keeping them sealed, away from the elements.

Hence we spec’ed the Helius RC with the 14-speed Rohloff Speedhub. Installation was a breeze thanks to the Rohloff cable guides on the frame.

The Rohloff chain tensioner and the bottom bracket mounted Carbocage XC guide keeps the chain nicely secured.

With just around four inches of rear wheel travel from the DT Swiss rear shock, pedalling efficiency is not compromised, but it is still forgiving when things start to get rough in the trail. Not like it really mattered to the owner though, cause he already had blistering pace on his hardtail!

The entire raw finish on the frame (except for the bronze anodised chainstay) wasn’t meant for weight savings, it was for aesthetics, and we LOVE it.

Check out the beautifully CNC’d headtube! The raw finish simply brings out the details to another level.

With the new longer travel/trail focused Helius TB replacing the Helius RC in 2013′s Nicolai line up, we’re excited to see how it performs against the RC. But one thing is for sure though, we’ll definitely miss having a super fast XC race fully in the Nicolai line-up!

All photos courtesy of Benjamin Teo/Oh Cheese Visuals for AttitudeBikes.

Nicolai’s Argon hardtail frames have been in their lineup for as long as we could remember. Over the years, it has evolved to meet the needs of riders from various cycling disciplines; from XC riders, to roadies, and even down to average commuter.

In 2011, Nicolai team riders Daniel Jahn and Frank ‘Schneidi’ Schneider helped with the development of the Argon FR. Thanks to their input, the Nicolai Argon AM was born, and Schneidi took the Masters Challenge win at the Megavalanche the following year, on a SINGLESPEED Gates Carbon Drive equipped Argon AM.

Well, only the bravest like Frank Schneider would bother riding a singlespeed hardtail in the Mega (we wouldn’t even want to ride one to commute for that matter); that is why for us normal folk, we spec ours with gears.

This anodised black Argon AM Pinion 650B with anodised green extra love bits was one of our most eagerly anticipated frames that arrived during the recent Nicolai shipment.

You might even find the colour scheme a little familiar as it belongs to the same owner as this Nucleon AM.

It also happens to be the first 650B bike that we built, so it really does have a special place in our hearts.

The Argon also features this newly designed headtube gusset, keeping the front end nice and stiff for those long travel forks…

… Like the all-new murdered-out 160mm RockShox Pike RCT3, one of the plushest forks out of the box!

These were the first pair of Atomlab Suprelite SL 650B’s that we built, lacing them to Chris King hubs (142 x 12mm in the rear) with Phil Wood spokes and Atomlab’s Torque nipples. Rubber side down were Schwalbe Racing Ralph’s.

The drivetrain is by far our favourite part of the Argon. The Gates Carbon belt driven Pinion gearbox makes maintenance a breeze as there are no chains to lube, and all 18 gears are protected in it’s sealed housing.

Besides having a longer lifespan than a regular chained setup, you can instantly feel power being transferred to the rear wheel during each stroke of the pedal. It’s simply lovely, and we wish all bikes could be belt driven!

The weight of the Pinion gearbox was also barely noticeable when we test rode the bike, it still felt really quick and agile!

Gear shifts were also lightning quick via Pinion’s own shifter.

With all that said, it only leaves us with one problem, saving up more money to get one for ourselves.

Oh wait, but In addition to that, Nicolai just released the Argon FAT (For All Terrain) at the recent Nicolai Hausmesse 2013. I guess that now makes it two Argon’s on our ‘to buy’ list.

Argon AM Pinion 650B photos courtesy of Benjamin Teo/Oh Cheese Visuals for AttitudeBikes.

Argon FAT photo courtesy of Nicolai Bikes.

Whether you hate them or love them, there’s no denying that Fat Bikes have gained quite a lot of popularity in the recent years. Originally invented for efficient riding in the snow covered trails in Alaska, you can now find them being ridden all over the world in various terrains; both off, and on-road. That includes us here in Singapore, where there has been a steady increase in the numbers joining the Fat Bike community. And when industry giants like Trek and Specialized start to produce their own versions, you’ll realise it isn’t just a fad.

This featured bike stands out in the sea of the more common cro-mo Fat Bike. Moots as we know are legends in building the finest Titanium frames, which just makes this FrosTi build that much sicker.

Just look at that…

Now, on to the build. This owner of this FrosTi came to us to have his bike rebuilt to make it more ‘trail friendly’ as he takes it off-road very often. Starting from the cockpit, we ran a tradition MTB stem/bar setup.

We also relaced his Surly Marge Lite wheels with the 11nine 15mm thru-axle hubs.

They are designed to be run with with 11nine’s LuLu suspension fork for a nice and stiff front end!

The old Surly crankset was replaced by e.13′s XCX Fat Bike Double Crank that drives the SRAM X0 groupset.

The rear wheels were also relaced with Hope’s Pro 2 Evo Fatsno hubs!

These bikes may look odd at first glance to most of us riders due to their super wide (almost) 4″ tyres, but put away all that you remember about riding a bike, and you’ll realise it’s actually heaps of fun to be able to roll over everything with ease, on a bike that has no fancy suspension designs and linkages.

Photos courtesy of Benjamin Teo/OC Visuals for AttitudeBikes.

Despite having gone through a minor revision recently, Nicolai’s Helius platform still retains it’s signature four bar linkage design that soaks up everything in it’s path, a characteristic that some riders prefer over the stiffer and more progressive ride that the ION platform gives.

The owner of this bike is a fine example of one of those riders. Having already owned two Nicolai’s from the Helius platform, his love for them did not stop when it came to his next project, a tailor made Nicolai Helius AC Pinion 29er; sporting the same blue paint job as the older Gates Nicolai Team bikes, titanium anodised seatstays and extra love parts.

And when we said ‘long travel’ we weren’t kidding, a 160mm RockShox Pike up front is still pretty long even in current 29er standards.

The Pike is matched up to Cane Creek’s Double Barrel Air CS (Climb Switch) for better efficiency during climbs.

Wheels consisted of a good balance of weight savings and reliability, with Chris King’s ever so popular ISO hubs front and rear, laced with Sapim CX-Ray spokes…

…to ENVE Components AM rims with custom declas, complimenting the Helius AC’s blue paintjob.

The centrally mounted Pinion P1.18 kept the weight distribution nice and even, despite it not being a very heavy gearbox to begin with!

We’re pretty certain its full range of gears were definitely utilised when the owner took this very bike on a couple of overseas rides, including an epic one in the Himalayas!

Hope Tech’s X4 brakes definitely provided plenty of stopping power on tap.

Having already ridden his Specialized Stumpjumper 29er for quite a fair bit and enjoying the benefits of going wagon-wheeled, it’s geometry served as the base for this frame. After which, tweaks were made in order to create the ultimate long travel 29er all-mountain bike that he desired.

The sheer brilliance and evolution of the Helius platform continues to amaze us, even after all these years. The ride has never been bad, but it just keeps getting better and better. Nicolai has also continued to make little tweaks and improvements, with the up and coming 2015 Helius AC featuring one piece rockers that will be utilising a bearing system similar to the ones being used in the current ION range.

Photos via: Benjamin Teo/AttitudeBikes

The Helius TB is Nicolai’s latest answer to the ultimate lightweight XC/Trail frame that does not only climb well, but doesn’t lack on the descents either. Despite having 130mm of rear wheel travel and a fairly slack 67.5 degree headtube angle, Nicolai claims that it is still one hell of a capable machine, thanks to its geometry and suspension kinematics.

We had no doubts about their claims but we were really hoping to try it out for ourselves. Thankfully, a customer of ours placed an order for this tailor-made anodised gold/blue Helius TB 650B specially built for both local/regional trails and races (most of which are the long distance XC types). The build had to be as light as it possibly could without sacrificing reliability and the need for  ‘carbon everything’.

One of the only few carbon parts on the bike were the ENVE RSR bars that were bolted onto a 50mm Thomson Elite X4 stem. Shimano’s XTR brakes provided more than enough stopping power with the help of Braking’s laser-cut 180mm (front)/160mm (rear) rotors.

We simply had to give this build our own unique touches to do the tailor-made frame some justice. Starting with a set of custom chrome blue and gold die-cut vinyl for the RockShox Revelation.

The 140mm of travel up front was great during descents and high speed corners. But it never felt excessive to us, even when it came to steep climbs.

The light/linear tune of the RockShox Monarch shock was a perfect compliment to the Revelation up front. It did not require any high end suspension to keep the bike planted on the trails thanks to the low weight of the bike.

Once again, aesthetic details were a top priority, and a set of custom chrome blue Nicolai decals were produced for the frame.

It didn’t just stop at the frame and fork though, the SRAM XX1 cranks were given that special touch of chrome blue too.

We also stepped it up in the details game, and gave the DMR Vault’s a set of alternate blue/gold pins to match the rest of the bike.

SRAM’s awesome XX1 drivetrain provided an adequate range of gears and shifting was as crisp as can be.

The tubeless converted Atomlab Suprelite SL 650B rims were laced to their Pimplite hubs (Pimplite 102 rear), with Phil Wood spokes and Atomlab Torque nipples; and wrapped in Maxxis’ Ardent rubber.

Weighing in at 12.03kg, with a 1122mm wheelbase, the Helius TB felt very well balanced despite it’s relatively low weight. Nicolai got it spot-on, it had a perfect combination of being able to climb like a Helius RC (Nicolai’s discontinued XC race frame) and descend like a Helius AC (Nicolai’s’ current all-mountain frame in the Helius range). You could say we had so much fun on it in our local trails that we were hesitant to return the bike after a few test rides.

Incidentally, the 2015 Nicolai Helius AC (pictured here) has gone through some slight revisions making it even more similar to the TB with a drop in rear wheel travel, turning it into a dedicated trail machine, while the ION16 takes on the All-Mountain duties in the Nicolai range for 2015. With Eurobike 2014 just around the corner, we’re excited to see what else Nicolai has in store for 2015.

Photos via: Benjamin Teo and Nicolai