The Nicolai is different. You notice this even before you sit on it for the first time. When handling it in the cramped workshop, it constantly bumps into things, and transporting it in the car is also a challenge. The Nicolai is long - extremely long! The wheelbase is 84 millimetres longer than the longest E-MTB full suspension bike we've ever tested, which is a world of difference. In addition, the head angle is slack at 63.4 degrees - extremely slack!
This bike was not built for relaxed cruising, but rather for chasing records. If you want to master the Ion, you need a well-trained upper body. This is because the centre of gravity moves a long way to the front wheel and needs to be held in position there: The bike then follows every steering angle precisely, and obstacles disappear almost unnoticed in the 160 millimetre stroke of the Rockshox Lyric RCT3. Kalle Nicolai, a veteran mountain bike designer, calls this frame geometry "Geolution". The rear suspension is firm but sensitive and offers a lot of end progression - bottoming out is impossible. The Ion really craves speed. With unerring confidence, the bike finds its line, for which the rider only sets a rough direction. This allows you to shoot around the track at speeds that previously seemed unrealistic. At least as long as the tyres can maintain grip. The tyres are the Achilles heel of the Nicolai. Despite the fat 3.0-inch cross-section, the under-profiled WTB tyres reach their limits early on despite the low pressure.
After all, the challenges with the Nicolai await in angled sections. Tight cornering radii are not on the wish list for this bike. The ability to offset the rear wheel is part of every rider's basic riding technique. This applies both downhill and uphill. In return, the bike climbs like a chamois.
CONCLUSIONS: With the Ion, Kalle Nicolai moves off the beaten track and provides sporty bikers with a long and lightning-fast enduro bike on the unfortunately weakly profiled lugs. And for those who find this geometry too extreme, Nicolai offers a version with a more moderate geometry in the form of the Ion 16 Eboxx model.
Drive
Motor / Position Bosch Performance CX / mid-engine
Max. Torque 75 Nm
Battery Lithium-ion 500 Wh
Gearstick / transmission 11-speed Sram GX1 (14 x 10-42)
Bosch display Bosch Purion, 1.6 inch
Equipment
Frame material / sizes Aluminium / S / M / L /XL
Fork / damper Rockshox Lyric RCT3, 160 mm / Rockshox Monarch RCT3 Debonair
Brake / Disc vo. / hi. Sram Guide R / 200 / 180 mm
Impellers Pro4 hubs, Hope Tech 35W rims
Tyres WTB Trail Boss 3.0 TCS 27.5 x 3.0
Weight 25.4 kilos
Price 6099 Euro
Info www.nicolai-bicycles.com
