Took my eldest out for a quick ride before the downpour begins tomorrow.
Hit Manly Dam on the Nicolai, which was a bit like taking a jack hammer to crack a nut. But it was nice to get out with my son and keep fiddling with the bike.
The Nicolai frame definitely has a nice ride quality to it. Frame alignment is perfect and there aren't any creaks or rattles.
The Fox 49 is certainly more compliant then I expected. I'll be fitting a MRP Ramp Control and winding it up in order to minimise the volume as much as possible. I've got an Avalanche Cartridge to fit at the next fork service which I expect to have a much firmer platform.
The brakes are awesome, but very muted in their feedback. No histrionics as they pull me up like a freight train.
The ZTTO 11-50 SLR cassette is working out surprisingly well. It maxes out the Deore m5120 RD even with the hanger extender but once I got the b screw adjusted properly it shifts well. Back pedalling is problematic but that seems to be the case with all the 50 tooth 1x systems.
I seem to have got the controls right first time. The 50mm rise bars are good, not clipping every rock with the pedals, climbing position is comfy. The single ply Lizard Skin North Shore grips are awesome. Super comfy on the hands and I pretty much forget they are there. I'd be interested to compare to Revgrips but I suspect it would be a marginal difference. The 780mm bars are also handy for grabbing a spot of shopping on the way home.
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