VCS | VCS LITE _Various Cross Section _Various Cross Section Light   These tubes have been used for the chain stays on NICOLAI bikes since 1998. The advantage of these square tubes resides in the varying wall thickness of their cross-section. More material is present in the sections where the tube is submitted to higher stress and loads. We can therefore use less material on some other sections, thus making the frame light and stiff, yet long term durable.   TAILOR _Tailor Made Frames   It is possible to order a frame that is personally tailored to your personal needs and requirements. Most things are possible within the constraints of sense and technical feasibility. You should already be skilled with frame geometry and have given serious consideration to the subject before you order a tailored frame. Satisfaction or money back is not possible a with a tailored frame.   TRUAX _Thru Axle Option   Dropouts for 12 mm thru axles allow for an even greater increase in rear end stiffness and prevent the deformation of the dropouts inner side, caused by the imprecise fit and high loading pressure of quick release hubs. Due to this the TRUAX dropouts are recommended for freeride and downhill use. All rear ends with the TRUAX option for 135 mm axle width, are 2006 MAXLE® compatible.   TI-MAG _Titanium-Magnesium Kit   Stands for Titanium-Magnesium. For Nicolai frames with this option we offer an ultra-light upgrade kit. Mounted frame parts made out of aluminium and steel are replaced by parts made of Titanium and a high-strength Magnesium alloy. These materials exhibit a similar rigidity combined with an significant weight reduction. In addition the higher material costs, the machining costs of Titanium and the anodic oxidation process of Magnesium is more costly compared to the regular frame materials. You can find all weight tables and prices at www.nicolai.net. SSP _Single Speed Dropouts   These dropouts are double-sided re-locatable in flutes. A hardtail frame with this option can be run with a single speed or ROHLOFF® Hub without mounting an additional chain tensioner.   SSC _Steel Set Compatible   Due to the increased stress around the head tube area resulting from hardcore Downhill, Street and Dual riding, a headset with at least 22 mm deep cups is required. NICOLAI Fett Set or RESET 118HD are examples of headsets to be mounted on NICOLAI frames designed for extreme purposes and for which we recommend the use of such headsets. Of course, any other headset is compatible with these frames as well, however, the warranty regarding ovalized head tubes will be void. SHOXX _Rear Shocks   Depending on a particular frame model there are different shock optionally available: [ X-FUSION® Glyde RL ] coil spring, rebound adjustment, lockout [ X-FUSION® O2 RL ] air, rebound adjustment, lockout [ X-FUSION® Vector RPV ] coil spring, rebound adjustment, platform damping [ DT SWISS® SSD 190L ] air, rebound adjustment, lockout [ FOX® DHX 4.0 ] coil spring, rebound adjustment, lockout, platform damping adjustment [ FOX® DHX 5.0 ] coil spring, rebound adjustment, lockout, platform damping adjustment, and adjustable bottom out. [ ROCK SHOX® Pearl ] air, rebound adjustment, platform damping adjustment. Other shocks may be possible – please speak to your local dealer . ROCOMP _Rohloff Compatible   The optimal integration of a ROHLOFF® "Speedhub" is guaranteed by the use of a special rear dropout. All NICOLAI frames are compatible with ROHLOFF® hubs, due to their special left dropout section, which eliminates the use of the special ROHLOFF® torque adaptor. A quick wheel change is therefore possible, even with a ROHLOFF® hub. Important: When ordering a frame you must select the type of cable routings you need: a) for ROHLOFF® only, b) for SHIMANO® only, or c) for both ROHLOFF® and SHIMANO®. RADO _Right Aligning Dropout   In general, the quality of a frame can be judged by its "true-ness" along the vertical and horizontal axis. Similar to your car, you now have the option to adjust camber and toe-in through our RADO dropouts (as an added bonus, all models feature replaceable derailleur hangers). Exchanging the right dropout allows for a change of camber and toe-in, thus allowing you to perfectly align your rear wheel. By being available in three different sizes, identified by the milling numbers 0, 1, 2, and –1, -2 referring to the camber adjustment, the right dropout allows us also to align the rear end of the frame using less force, thus inflicting a lower stress on the frame. All NICOLAI frames leave the factory with a correctly adjusted dropout. MXG _Moto-X Gusset   Copied many times, you will find these gussets on Nicolai models since 1995. These head tube gussets help increase the torsional stiffness of the frame. On several NICOLAI models the cable routing is integrated into these gussets. ISCG | ICMS _International Standard Chain Guide Mount   This simple 3 bolt mounting system will ensure that your chain guide won't rotate up or down in case of impact or contact with it. Another advantage is that an ICMS has no influence on the chain line in comparison with the BB-mount standard where the chain guide device is mounted between the bottom bracket housing and the bottom bracket itself. HWT _Hollow Weld Technology   All Nicolai frames with a frame weight of less than 4 pounds utilize this technology. All large parts are CNC'd to a specific wall thickness and welded together along their neutral sides - the resulting hollow body exhibits fantastic stress and light weight characteristics, which together with VCS-Lite Technologie and EASTON® tubesets lead to light weight, yet durable frames. G-BOXX _Gear Box   One of the latest innovation on the bike market is the G-Boxx, a 14 speed transmission integrated in the main bicycle frame. Thanks to new materials, improved technology and more modern production methods, this almost forgotten technology is now about to outplay the conventional derailleur based transmission in most areas. The NICOLAI models Nucleon EVO, Nucleon TFR and Nucleon AMX come standard with the G-Boxx technology. The most significant development step of the G-Boxx is the absence of exposed transmission parts prone to heavy maintenance. The gear shifting takes place directly at the bottom bracket. The gearbox shafts are enclosed in a housing and so are all the other shifting and transmission parts- thus being protected from harmful outside elements. (water, dirt, damages caused by branches and stones, etc.) This system is virtually maintenance free. By positioning the pivot point of the swing arm at the centre of the rear wheel path you obtain a completely neutral system without any pedal induced movement. (bobbing) Additionally, by relocating the shifting device into the main frame, the unsprung weight of the rear wheel is reduced. That makes the suspension considerably more sensitive and responsive to the terrain. The G-Boxx is a maintenance free transmission that may be used as the heart of a platform concept around which all different kinds of bicycle can be build. Another significant advantage over the derailleur system it the possibility to change gear without any movement of the cranks- for example when braking in a curve at high speed. For more information, check www.g-boxx.org EASTON _Easton Tubing   EASTON® tubing has been at the forefront of tubing technology worldwide. Light weight, stiffness and structural integrity are all attributes of these tubes, which is why NICOLAI has been using EASTON® Ultralight, Elite and FS tubes on select models. The wall thickness varies along the length of the tube - lets look at the Ultralight tube on the down tube: 2.3 mm thick at the head section, it varies down to 0.9 mm in the middle, and gets back up to 1.9 mm around the bottom bracket. COR _Compound Rearhub   Three-part rear hub. This patented NICOLAI hub facilitates a quick, easy and clean rear wheel release, as the chain, the disc, and the calliper all remain mounted to the frame. The rear wheel is attached to the drivetrain and the brake using a splined interface and fixed with a 12 mm thru axle. The Nucleon TFR and TST are both equipped with the COR. BOOST _Head Booster   Welded head tube reinforcement at the lower bearing cup area. For extreme riding and long forks in combination with a Steel-Set a-head-set it provides an additional level of protection against ovalising the head tube. A-PLAY-A _Axial Play Adjustment   All radial loads are handled by special needle bearings which run on hardened and ground steel shafts. Their advantage over ball bearings is their much higher dynamic load rating, according to their weight. In addition, all axial loads are handled by custom IGUS® (www.igus.de) bushings. The axial play is adjusted to “zero” with the help of a tension screw. ACD _Anti Chain-suck Device   Frames with this Option feature a special plate beneath the swing-arm yoke that helps to avoid frame damage from the chain from getting lifted by the chainring teeth and getting stuck between the chain-ring and the yoke (chain-suck). 4LINX _4 Bar Linkage System   Neutral 4 bar linkage suspension design. The idea behind this design is simple: minimize the influence the chain has on activating the shock under pedalling loads - the result is a full suspension design which has fantastic pedalling characteristics even with long travel frames. It means also that so-called “stable-platform-shocks” are not necessary with this type of suspension design. As the SPECIALIZED® company is the sole owner of the patent rights regarding this suspension system, we produce our 4LINX under license and therefore pay royalties to SPECIALIZED®. 1.5 _One-Point-Five Headtube   On some NICOLAI frames we offer the 1.5” head tube as an option against a price surcharge. You therefore have the possibility to mount forks and headsets designed around this standard. Note that for 2006, the 2MXTB and UFO ST models come with the 1.5” head tube as standard. G-CON _Gearbox Connection Standard   Frames with this feature have the G-Boxx mounted using the G-Con standard. G-Con is the standardised mounting-interface for bicycle frame with a gearbox (www.g-boxx.org).