30 years of Nicolai: Welding bead fetish - Nicolai celebrates with in-house exhibition
Adrian Kaether
· 05.09.2025
Nicolai has always gone his own way. Company boss and founder Kalle (portrait here) was one of the first designers to believe in a new longer and flatter geometry, which has become the standard today. With the Nucleon, he was the first to build a modern geared mountain bike. Before Nicolai, his design shaped Specialized's FSR concept, and the visionary downhiller he penned raced to the world championship title with Leigh Donovan in 1995. But it was only with his own company, Nicolai, that the visionary was able to realise his wildest dreams.
That was 30 years ago and the company from Lower Saxony is celebrating its anniversary in style with an expensive special edition of the S18 Swift and an in-house exhibition. Nicolai still produces in Lower Saxony today, milling, coating and even welding the frames in the tranquil town of Mehle. Welding legends like Alutech boss Jürgen Schlender have learnt the trade from Nicolai's head welder Sascha Kanne. With the in-house exhibition, Nicolai opens its doors to all interested parties and gives an insight into the creation of the exclusive bikes - from the raw aluminium profile to the finished bike. There will also be a factory outlet and a test track, and admission is free.
Nicolai in-house exhibition at a glance
- 6 - 7 September 2025
- Altenbekener Str. 2a, 31008 Elze / Mehle
- Factory tours (Sat 10:30, 12, 13:30, 15:30, Sun 11:15, 12:45, 14:15)
- Test track and catering
- Special discounts on bikes, frames and accessories
- Fan merchandise for the 30th anniversary
- Free entry
Adrian Kaether
Editor
