Mountain

Heavy-Duty

• Owner: starship303
• Country: Australia
• Brand: Nicolai
• Model: Helius ST
• Posted: 09 October 2009

About this bike

Finally got my new Nicolai beast going (Aug 2009) so took some pics of it prior to its first ever ride, which happened to suitably be at Oxford Falls in Sydney, Australia (see the video at the bottom of this post). First impressions are this bike is capable of waaay more than the rider is but we shall see where this new big bike takes its armour-clad rider…

Bought second hand, the frame does have some scratches and marks on it as you will see in the pics but I had originally bought it with the impression of rawing it (Nicolai’s look great raw’ed due to their amazing attention to detail during manufacturing) but finding out it was anodised has me thinking I might just keep it as is for now. Regardless, with decals removed this Nicolai definitely looks menacing in ano matt black, very industrial. Scares small puppies within 20m. Seriously.

Anyway this bike feels brilliant. Corners superb (currently running the BB really low, suits my taste & riding style), jumps really well, and climbs better than any other big bike I’ve tried. The shock probably needs some tweaks but being one of the most flexible & most complicated shocks on the market I’m going to make sure i know how to operate it before attempting any experimentation.

Well, enough chit-chat, on to the details -

Frame: German Hand Made 2007 Nicolai Helius ST, adjustable 6.5-8.0” rear travel, ano black, medium
Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel, Ti spring
Fork: 2006 Marzocchi 66RC2X (Totem on the cards)
Headset: Chris King threadless 1 1/8”
Wheelset: Hope Pro2 32 spoke hubs (20mm front, 135x12 rear), Mavic EX721, DT Swiss DB spokes
Tyres: Intense 909 FRO Lite EX/DC dual compound, 2.5” 1-ply front + 2.35” 2-ply rear
Brakes: Shimano Saint with 203mm rotors
Drivetrain: SRAM X9 shifter, SRAM X9 derailleur (X7 in pics)
Cranks: Saint cranks, E13 SRS guide
Pedals: 24Bicycles Butterfly platforms
Stem: Kalloy 50mm oversized (cheap & light stand-in for now, will change eventually)
Bars: Easton EA50 690mm oversized (looking at lower & wider Sunline V1’s ~730mm)
Grips: Element LockOn’s
Post: Aomeba 30.0 (looking at Thomson 30.0)
Saddle: WTB Laser V Ti Team