So, finally got to ride the Helius FR on a trail on Boxing Day

Having just arrived back to New Zealand from Spain more or less Christmas eve, was amping to ride the new steed, considering it was finished being built the day I left for NZ..

Momentus, one of my riding buddies pre going to live in Spain picked me up, 6AM bright and early. Hadnt seen Momentus for 2 years, seemed like only a week... Was only the 2 of us, as the other troops were away etc...

Was a showery rainy day, somehting I hadnt seen for some years really... Knew this would be magic for the predomiantly sandy base at Woodhill...

So had not at all played with the CCDB shock settings at all, left them as Malcolm set them...

Set the sag on the Talas fork... The fork feels very different to any other shocks I have experienced, the fork is uber plush but doesnt seem to bottom out... I cant remember the settings etc, I only played with the main air chamber, added some 10 psi up to 60psi during the ride... This is the closest fork to a coil fork feel I have ridden

To be honest I was too excited riding and enjoying being out on my old trails, of which a load of work and features have been added..

The bike, taking into account it is some 5 pounds heavier than my MotoLite, the Helius pedalled really well indeed.

I have struck a winner for sure with this bike. I have built a tool for a specific purpose so to speak.. Wanted a bike that could take most stuff you can throw at a bike on AM rides etc, I have this for sure.

Tthe bike pedals awesome, Momentus while riding behind, commented on the lack of pedal bob, of which I could only feel a slight amount at times. The front pops up real easy, really felt the chainstays were a perfect length, was able to manual quite easy, not saying the ability to manual great distances, but sure you get the drift.. With the HA, still was able to turn on a dime in the tight stuff.... It for sure took a bit to get used to the short HS which is 65mm, and it will take more time to get used to it fully... But really liked the setup...

Those that no me, I am not great at articulating in writing about the ride etc..

To sum up, the bike blew me away, in a different way to any bike I have built up before... This bike to me is a winner as I mentioned above... Please if you get the chance to throw a leg over a Helius FR, am sure you will not be dissappointed....

I will play more with the shock and fork settings when I have a chance on my own, dont like holding a ride up...

A few shots from the ride...

Pic 1 & 2 - The Helius and Moment and Momentus
Pic 3 & 4 - Whafe and Momentus on a sweet little jump...
Pic 5 - Fence Jump, this will be more fun once get more used to the bike in the air

Momentus on the fence jump...

Excellant pics ... great ride ... have a good NY ... :thumbsup:

Right-on Whafer! Lookin KILERRRRR.
Happy holidays and New Year :)

Hope you get lots of ride time in. How does the size feel for ya?
How about the new axle system on that fork?

B

Sweet stuff Whafe! Congrats!

Hi ya BZ, steed is rockin it, lovin it...

Booneee. Am really liking the size, I could have gone larger, but the size is perfect for the bulk of the riding I wish to do on this bike. It is nice to throw around a little. Am liking the new axle system on the Fox fork... For sure it is not has fast as a RS Maxel. But it is not too to slow either...

I have to say, I have never had a Fox fork before, have had Manitou, Marz and RS, the build quality and attention to detail is hands down the best I have seen in a fork....

Looking forward to getting the fork fully dialed....

Hope the festive season is treating you all well....

Look's like they rolled out the red carpet for your inaugural ride!


You look fizzy at the bung flying that beast.


Work it!

So they should for my home coming...........LOL

Nah, sandy base at Woodhill, works well for the wet weather really, trails are great after some rain...

I will be fizzing at the bung more so on January 6th & 7th

Great pics! :thumbsup:

Looks great Whafe, I see you're wasting no time riding that thing the way it was meant to be ridden, nice air! I'm real curious to hear your long-term thoughts on the cockpit length and if it's still roomy enough to be comfy on the climbs.

Sweet looking rig...Another ? for ya.. whats the final build weight amigo!

Great, Whafe!!

I see you're enjoying it (both the bike and move) like a kid enjoys a candy!

:thumbsup:

Great, Whafe!!

I see you're enjoying it (both the bike and move) like a kid enjoys a candy!

:thumbsup:

Yep, enjoying it big time, have not been out enough though... Should get out a few more times before heading to the US of A on Sunday..... Then Monday will be Jonesing it with Jeff Jones and Aqua.. .Yeah ha....

Hahaha nice!
Tell that monkey butt Aqua I say hello :)

Booner

Wow! Ya'll have some kickass stuff down there in NZ! Looks way more fun than the pics you've posted from Spain.

Frankly I'm offended your going to have ridden with everybody on MTBR except me! I can't imagen what Whistler, and SoCal have that we don't have right here in good ole AL? ;)

Wow! Ya'll have some kickass stuff down there in NZ! Looks way more fun than the pics you've posted from Spain.

Frankly I'm offended your going to have ridden with everybody on MTBR except me! I can't imagen what Whistler, and SoCal have that we don't have right here in good ole AL? ;)

Yep, there is some great riding here in New Zealand, am not saying that from a biased view point, I have ridden in many different areas now, the riding here rates highly...

Well Blacky, best you get yourself and some of your riding buddies to make the trip to Whistler at the end of Crankworx !!!! There will be a great crew there.... Set it as a priority and do it.... It will be well worth the effort....

Great Kiwi photos Whafe :cool:

Here's to '08 and all the best to you and your fam !~!

those trails look flush man damn, NICE

Hey Whafe.. did u go for the Nokon cables in the end.. Was thinking of putting them on mine... worth it?

Alright guys,

I'm at present looking to buy my first full susser (after a long and happy apprenticeship on my Identiti Mrhyde hardtail - due to financial constraints),

currently under consideration are:

Heluis FR
Canfield Can Can
Yeti ASX

After reading lots of peoples helpful posts on mtbr I have decided to go for the 2008 Nicolai Heluis FR.

Any recommendations / helpful hints on sizing (can't afford custom build) and frame spec before I order one?

I'm 5'11, 68kgs. I would say i'm pretty light on my bike and enjoy fast, tech steep riding.

I am going to build it up to favour the downs rather than a full on AM set up.

Any info would be greatfully recieved.

Sorry I'm new to these forums and was not sure exactly where to post this..

cheers, Mark

Hi MrHyde101, good decision, Nicolai bikes are amongst the best. I would think you fit a medium, but try first if you can. If you can't find an FR, then a CC would approximate for size purposes. Nicolai are about to announce the Helius AM which is for forks like Wotan, RS Lyrics etc. The FR is now being made a little heavier to take forks like RS Totem and Marz. 66's. If you go for the FR, consider the options of 1.5 in headtube and Maxle 12mm rear axle. Why not post your likely build for people to comment on?

Cheers for that ryates,

Good idea to post build.

I want to keep the head angle as slack as possible so I'll probably go with Marz. 66's
I'm on a bit of a budget ( I know funny thing to say when buying a Nicolai) so I am not convinced the 1.5HT is worth the extra buck..

thanks

Cheers for that ryates,

Good idea to post build.

I want to keep the head angle as slack as possible so I'll probably go with Marz. 66's
I'm on a bit of a budget ( I know funny thing to say when buying a Nicolai) so I am not convinced the 1.5HT is worth the extra buck..

thanks

Hi there, welcome to the boards.

As ryates mentions, post up a new thread with your build and we can discuss and disect it and help you out if we can.

If indeed you are going to a 66, I would look at a 1.5HS if you can swing it...

A hard time to know what to do, as a new model as was mentioned is out now, well orders can be placed..... What sort of riding to you anticipate doing? this will help us loads in hopefully helping you with some thoughts etc...

cheers Whafe,

build posted on new thread