Frame NICOLAI S16

S16

THE ALL-PURPOSE WEAPON

The S16 is the latest all-purpose weapon from the NICOLAI home. A lightweight enduro bike with excellent all-round characteristics, a maximum range of application, tuning and setup potential. The S16 crowns the traditional NICOLAI Saturn series, whose common layout is the classic Horst-Link, four-bar rear triangle, with the vertically mounted shock. The S16 differentiates itself from the manufacturer’s long and slack G-Series, as it’s not designed as a pure enduro racing machine, but can cover a much wider range of uses.

The S16 ranks similar to the G-Series in the 160mm rear suspension class suited to forks from 150 to 160mm. Instead of the radically slack Geolution geometry of the G-Series, the S16 is based on the more moderate, more universally applicable Geolution Trail concept. With a relatively long 519 mm reach and a steering angle of 64.5 ° (27.5” size L), the bike also has competition potential and suitable equipment for the toughest enduro trails. However, the geometry provides a tamer steering angle for more agile handling and greater maneuverability. Due to the 78.5° steep seat angle, you are placed in a central seating position offering good control and optimal load distribution between the front and rear wheel in all riding situations. The Geolution Trail formula can best be described in its application as follows: crisp climbs, high speed trails, technical challenges and hard-hitting downhill. The S16 meets all the requirements for the Enduro spectrum. However, it can just as easily be used as a long travel trail bike with all-day touring potential.

The S16 has so many options for setup and customization, perhaps more than any other NICOLAI model. It can be ridden with 27.5” or 29” wheels, or as a hybrid of the two (a ‘Mullet,’ business at the front and party in the back as the old adage goes!). NICOLAI equips the bike for this with an appropriate compression strut and seatstay Mutators: these form-fitted adapters of different lengths allow adjustment of the geometry of the rear triangle. However, the Mutators can also be used to change the geometry independently of frame and wheel sizes, for example, to fine-tune the bottom bracket height and steering angle.

#GEOLUTION TRAIL

The roots of the Geolution concept lie in enduro racing, and even if trends in frame geometries are slowly approaching a similar concept, Geolution can still be seen as a radical design in which performance is top priority. But not all of our customers also put the emphasis here or strive for the top steps at enduro races. They are more interested in a well-rounded bike that can climb well, master any trail and has strong downhill potential. Our Geolution Trail geometry appeals to exactly this clientele by taking the basic characteristics of the Geolution concept, such as the slack head angle and long reach, and transferring them to a more moderate, less race-oriented geometry. The seating position is more upright, the bike is more agile and responsive, but the Geolution DNA remains.

CHARACTERISTIC

14 MM OR 21 MM

The S16 also offers a lot of freedom in the choice of the damper and the characteristics of the suspension. Only the damper installation length of 230 mm is fixed. Air or steel spring dampers with 60 or 65 mm stroke can be used, with resulting spring travels of 150 or 160 mm. To accommodate the different characteristics of these two types of shocks in terms of progression and characteristic curve, NICOLAI offers two different lower shock mounts for the S16. Their offset to the upper mount is either 21 mm with a moderately progressive linkage for air shocks – or 14 mm with a more progressive linkage for steel spring shocks. However, these are only recommendations. The customers always have the final say in tuning.

6 FRAME SIZES

Most NICOLAI models are offered in 5 or even in 6 frame sizes, from XS to XXL. This provides customers between 1.55m and 2.10m with their perfect fit, a range that few other brands provide. A sizing chart for body and frame sizes can be found in our detailed Tech Sheets for each model. Building a perfectly fitting frame means much more than just extending it for each size. We take various factors into account here with regard to body proportions and rider weights, for example adapting tube cross-sections and thicknesses, modified geometry and particularly low standover heights for smaller sizes, or frame reinforcements that take into account higher weight and greater strength of XXL frame riders. Saddle position, stem height and shape, handlebar width and height serve to fine-tune geometry - albeit within a relatively limited range.

NICOLAI WELDING TECHNOLOGY

CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ENGINEERING IN PERFECTION

We weld all of our frames by hand using the TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) method. Our specially trained welders have many years of experience, our lead welder has worked in-house for over 20 years. For each model and frame size we build a precise welding structure called the frame jig. In this jig, the CNC-cut tube sets are precisely assembled and fixed in place with all turned and milled parts of the frame to be welded. The frame components are first tacked together with individual spot welds at precise points in a defined sequence, and then, to minimize distortion and stresses, welded in several passes.

7020 ALUMINUM

We manufacture all NICOLAI frames from 7020-T6 aircraft aluminum and are convinced that this alloy is the superior material for mountain bike construction. Compared to the 6061-T6 (AlMg1SiCu) alloy normally used in bicycle construction, 7020-T6 (AlZn4.5Mg1) has about 30% higher tensile strength and about 20% higher elastic limit. Where carbon frames can spontaneously fail in the event of an overload, NICOLAI bikes are calculated and designed to deform in a safely defined area of the frame in the event of an overload, significantly reducing the risk of serious crashes and injuries. A NICOLAI aluminum frame is designed to withstand many years even under severe competition conditions.

COLOR SELECTION

EXTRA LOVE

Thanks to our own powder coating facility, local anodisers, and our in-house production line, every NICOLAI frame can be customized to meet your individual needs. We process over 50 powder coat colors applied in high-gloss or semi-gloss finish, as well as fades and our classic ‘camo’ options. Customers can even choose a separate color for each welded frame component. Our frames can also be anodized with a glass-peened and durable black, bronze or titanium finish. For turned or milled components such as rocker linkages, bearing covers, or cable guides, we offer an extended ‘Extra Love’ range of anodized colors that allow color matching with your favorite branded components. We also offer an uncoated aluminum finish as “factory raw”. To finish, add your choice of decal style, location, size and color to guarantee a unique, personalized and truly custom bike.

HORST-LINK

Our suspension systems pursue the goal of combining competitive performance and maximum fun on the trail, as well as high pedaling efficiency by kinematically decoupling the rider's movements from the work of the suspension. For this reason, we design our 4-bar link rear triangles according to the proven and timeless ‘Horst-Link’ principle. The Horst Link describes the pivot point that sits at the end of the chainstay and just in front of the rear axle which counteracts the shortening of the wheelbase during compression. Through years of racing experience and with the help of simulation software, we have succeeded in further optimizing and refining the Horst-Link technology on our bikes. In particular, this has allowed us to significantly improve the anti-squat (pedaling) characteristics of the suspension.

The frames are manufactured based on the customer's personal configurations. It is possible to configure not only the colours of the frame and its parts, but also configurations for the geometry of the frame itself.

Delivery time for frames to order is 10 weeks.

Due to the variability of the configuration of NICOLAI frames, it is necessary to tune the exact specification by phone and email!

S16

BIKE CATEGORY: ENDURO | ALLMOUNTAIN | TRAIL
FRAME SIZE: S-XXL
SUSPENSION: 150 OR 160 mm
WEIGHT: 3.6 Kg (size L, excl Shock)
WHEELS: 29" | 27.5" | Hybrid (29" + 27.5")
WARRANTY: 5 let

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