First Ride / Test / MTB: With the Nicolai Saturn 14, the traditional forge from Lower Saxony presents a brand new trail bike that is based on the well-known and proven platform of the Saturn marathon and XC full suspension bikes. At the Bike Festival in Riva on Lake Garda, we were able to kidnap the bike from the stand for a short test ride.
It's been almost two years since Nicolai introduced the current Saturn - with 110mm of travel, a lively fully for marathon and XC. For the 2019 season, the Saturn is now getting a "bigger" brother - the Saturn 14. Visually, it is reminiscent of its sister bike in many ways, but with 130 or 138 mm of rear suspension travel and 140 mm at the front, it clearly falls into the trail bike category and is therefore also suitable for demanding bikes Terrain well prepared.
The beautifully finished aluminum frame is not stingy with clever detailed solutions that make the biker's heart beat faster. These include the almost befitting milled parts and the bold weld beads as well as screwed cable holders made of metal or the so-called strut mutators. The latter is already known from the Enduro Bike G1 and allows the geometry and dimensions of the frame to be changed - above all, on the Saturn 14 they serve the purpose that the frame can be set up with both 29 inch and 650b wheels. With the 27,5-inch variant, there is also the option of using a damper with more stroke to get 130mm of spring travel from the rear instead of 138mm.
Like all bikes from Nicolai, the Saturn 14 also follows the proven Geometron approach. What is meant by this is the extraordinarily progressive geometry with overall very long dimensions, a flat steering angle and a steep seat angle. For example, for our test bike in size L, this means: Reach 500mm, top tube 648mm, steering angle of 65.5° and a mighty wheelbase of 1264mm. For comparison: The current Specialized Stumpjumper is over 5cm shorter in reach, over 6 in wheelbase and the steering angle is also a good bit steeper. But as is always the case with bicycle geometry: There is no right or wrong here, a lot depends on personal preferences and riding style.
At the Bike Festival in Riva we got the opportunity to really get to know the new trail bike from Nicolai in the 29″ version. In terms of equipment, the variant we rode is probably one of the top variants - although you can never say that exactly with Nicolai, since each complete bike can be configured individually. With Fox Factory suspension, Sram GX Eagle, Tune wheels and Magura MT Trail brakes, there's really nothing to complain about here. The choice of tires with the Continental Mountain King 2,3″ front and rear and the rather narrow (740mm) Renthal carbon handlebars seemed a little less suitable for a modern trail bike.
As if the trails in the mountains around Lake Garda weren't already challenging enough for a trail bike like the Nicolai Saturn 14, slippery stones and deep, greasy forest floor awaited us at the trailhead after a few hours of continuous rain. Conditions in which you really get to know a bike. However, before it went down into the valley, the corresponding vertical meters had to be destroyed first - here the new Nicolai offspring could already show off: Despite the open shock absorber, the rear end remained absolutely quiet and not even the slightest seesaw was visible or perceptible. The XC genes of the original Saturn clearly come into play here. Also noticeable: The dimensions of the bike, which are extreme on paper, don't feel nearly as extreme in the saddle.
On the way down, the Saturn 14 can then further underpin the extremely positive impression and burns off a real trail firework: smooth running and yet playful, the chassis with the right amount of pop and equipment in which every cogwheel meshes perfectly with the other - with two Small exceptions: The Mountain King tire at the front is not only undersized in the wet conditions these days, but also unnecessarily cuts a trail bike like the Saturn 14 from its great potential. The same applies to the rather narrow handlebars - we would have wished for at least 760mm here - but thanks to the individual configuration, this is left to the customer anyway and is therefore more to be understood as an indication than as a criticism of the bike.
As these first impressions suggest, we were really excited about the new Nicolai trail bike. Despite the reduced spring travel, it mastered even really demanding passages reliably and as soon as it became a bit more flowy again, the lively character came to the fore, which awakens the play instinct, especially in experienced drivers.
