Kalle Nicolai is a veteran mountain bike designer with a legendary reputation. And his bikes are deliberately a little off the beaten track, but always exquisitely equipped and made by master craftsmen in Germany. And so it is with the latest product from the e-mobility house HNF-Nicolai.
The facts about the HNF-Nicolai XF3 Adventure (manufacturer's specifications)
- MTB frame Made in Germany by Nicolai
- Bosch Performance CX 25 Gen4
- Bosch Dual Battery System with 1125 Wh (Bosch Powertube 625 Wh down tube, Bosch Powertube 500 Wh top tube)
- Wheel size: 27.5 inch
- Suspension travel (front/rear): 160/140 mm
- Gates Carbon Drive drive belt
- Rohloff Speedhub 500 E14 electronic drivetrain
- Supernova lighting system and SKS mudguards
- Weight: approx. 32 kg
- Permissible total weight: 150 kg
- Price: from 9743.03 euros
Frame, drive and equipment of the XF3 Adventure
The weld seams are Kalle Nicolai's trademark. And so thick, masterfully drawn aluminium caterpillars flicker around the voluminous frame tubes. The milled raw-look rocker link is fitted with several adjustable inserts, which the mainstream calls flip chips and Nicolai calls mutators. Together with the length-adjustable seat stays, they allow extensive, customised configuration of the bike geometry.
The latter is as modern as it is sporty. At its core, the XF3 Adventure is a touring full-suspension bike with 160/140 millimetres of travel. Anyone familiar with Nicolai bikes will already know that the high-quality suspension with Rockshox fork and Cane Creek shock absorber almost longs for bumps to be ironed away. For bumpy rides on rough terrain, the Bikeyoke seatpost moves the saddle up to 160 millimetres out of the danger zone.
The powerful Bosch drive of the latest generation is fuelled by what is probably the largest battery pack currently available on production bikes. A Powertube battery with 625 watt hours is located in the down tube and a second one with 500 watt hours in the top tube. This means you can put your worries about the next power socket to one side a few times.
SUV with carefree technology
The other features also fall under the heading of carefree. An electronically shifted Rohloff gear hub changes from one gear to the next in the blink of an eye. A durable and virtually maintenance-free Gates carbon belt transmits the combination of muscle and motor power to the rear wheel.
The four-piston Magura MT5 brakes, even with 203/180 millimetre brake discs, provide enough braking power for such a powerful bike. And with the 27.5 x 2.6-inch Conti Baron Projekt, a high-quality all-round tyre keeps contact with the ground. The well thought-out SUV package is rounded off by the permanently mounted SKS mudguards and the bright Supernova lighting system.
Availability and prices
The HNF-Nicolai XF3 Adventure is now available to order in the company's own online shop, with deliveries scheduled to start in December 2020. Anyone who is not 100 per cent happy with the series model can of course talk to HNF-Nicolai. However, the delivery date in December will not be the same. And the current price of 9743.03 euros (with 16 per cent VAT) probably won't either.
Sebastian Brust
Editor
