NS Bikes Define 150, Define 130 and Nerd Lite at Eurobike

NS bikes has a brand new trail and enduro platform called the Define. Available with either 130mm or 150mm of travel in the rear. This full carbon bike is built on the 29-inch wheel size exclusively. The Snabb remains in the lineup for those who still want the 27.5-inch wheel, but NS feels like the 29-inch platform is really the way forward in this segment.

A few interesting features stand out on the new bike. The geometry is based around a longer reach and short offset fork, in keeping with current trends. The frame is only offered in two sizes, medium and large, but with an adjustable-reach headset (included as standard on both bikes) allowing for an adjustment of 10mm to the reach. The head angle is an aggressive 64.5-degrees on the 150 bike and 65.5-degrees on the 130 bike. The longest size in the long setting gets you a reach of 500mm.

The high-end builds we are looking at here feature FOX Factory suspension: 160mm Float 36 on the 150 bike and a 140mm 34 Factory on the 130 bike. We also have carbon cranks, X01 Eagle drivetrains, and FOX Transfer droppers.

Another interesting aspect of the frame construction is that NS is using the same front triangle for both the 130 and 150mm bike. You get a different shock mount and then have to change the shock, but that is the only difference between the two. So you could go from a 130 to a 150mm bike by getting the shock mount replaced and buying a new shock.

The rear end is now full carbon, moving away from the alloy that was found on the Snabb. And the cable routing is kind of a hybrid between internal and external. They’ve created a channel on the bottom of the downtube which houses the cables under a series of clamps. A production version of the bike will feature a lower protective shield around the bend of the downtube. This is a pretty neat solution which gives an internally routed look but without the inconvenience of having to build guides into the frame, going fishing for cables, or the usual headaches associated with internal routing.

To finish off the bikes, NS relies on their in-brand components for things like wheels and cockpit. They say it is sometimes a little more expensive for them, sometimes less, but more importantly gives them control over the look, feel, and total integration aspects of the finished product. And true-to-NS form, they still have that little rubber band BMX carrier that hangs in the hubs.

There is another new platform called the Nerd Light. This is a single pivot, low-standover height, trail bike, based around the 29-inch wheel again. This is intended to be more of a trail bike than the Snabb ever was. Simpler suspension layout, low standover, and about 500 Euros cheaper than the Snabb.

www.nsbikes.com