Ezkaton
Eats Squid
I do love a good Nicolai, and the industrial/old-school look they have really does it for me (which is also why I liked Banshee!)... but if I was gonna get a Nicolai I'd want the gearbox version, haha. Just 'cause!Yeah, admittedly, you can choose different colours but if you stray from anything pretty stock the cost hikes pretty quickly as the good colours are ticking in about +100Euro per bike section.
As far as cost goes, the Evolink 150's are about 2000Euro +postage and have those clever modular dropouts for all your wheel standards and a clever workaround for transporting such a long bike (because fitting them in a bag is gonna be tricky!).
The Nicolai G series frames are around 2400Euro +postage, which is a fair wollop more, but also comes stock with a Fox Float X2 and about the sexiest external gusseting outside of what Canfield have done with the Balance.
But I mean...look at them!!! I know that's the gearbox version pictured, but you get the idea. They might not do it for everyone, but holy shit they do it for me!!!! Industrial look done perfectly!!! (I'm pretty much in max froth mode right now).
Seeing as I've got a road trip to Daintree coming up in Sept, I think new frame time will be a touch delayed... otherwise I'd have the frame on its way in August. But I'm quite sold on the Evolink I think.
I just have to decide between the 150, running 27.5 using my existing wheels and the Monarch Plus that comes on the frame until I can afford a Coil CS in the correct size.
OR
The 140, using my existing Coil CS, selling my existing wheels, selling the Monarch Plus, changing my existing wheels out the wheels to a 27.5 Hope 35W set and getting plus tyres as I'm really not that keen on rolling on wagons!
BUT... I may need a new fork for that, and I'm not really sold on any of the current boost forks... or plus tyres for that matter. Then shit starts to get quite pricey!
150 seems like the best bet, really.