IN BRIEF
Nicolai is selling the R20 MGU AON Edition, an electric downhill bike listed from €14,999. Nicolai presents this model as a limited series, run jointly with Swiss manufacturer GAMUX, whose GAMUX Sego suspension platform served as the starting point. Its distinctive feature is its drivetrain: a Pinion E1.12 unit, which combines motor and gearbox in the same housing, paired with a Gates belt rather than a chain. The bike claims 200 mm of rear travel and gets a 203 mm Manitou Dorado Pro LTD fork in a silver finish which, according to Bikerumor, is offered only on this model or to AON Racing team riders. The 800 Wh battery can go up to 1,060 Wh for €200 more.
| Price | From €14,999 |
| Rear travel | 200 mm |
| Fork | Manitou Dorado Pro LTD, 203 mm, 47 mm offset, silver and black |
| Shock | 250 × 75 mm Manitou Mara Pro |
| Motor | Pinion E1.12 (motor and gearbox in a single unit), 160 Nm at the rear wheel in gears 1 to 4 |
| Drivetrain | Carbon-reinforced Gates belt |
| Wheels | Mixed: 29 inches at the front, 27.5 inches at the rear |
| Battery | 800 Wh as standard, 1,060 Wh optional (+ €200) |
| Sizes | M, L and XL, reach from 460 to 500 mm |
| Frame | Hand TIG-welded, 5-year warranty against breakage |
The R20 MGU AON Edition that Nicolai is putting on sale is announced as a limited series, in a joint project with Swiss manufacturer GAMUX: an electric downhill bike at €14,999, which replaces the derailleur and the chain with a gearbox and a belt, and which fits a fork whose finish, according to Bikerumor, is not found anywhere else.
The Nicolai R20 MGU combines motor and gearbox in the same housing
At the heart of the bike is a Pinion E1.12, what the German manufacturer calls an MGU — for Motor.Gearbox.Unit. The principle: motor and gearbox sit in the same housing, placed in the centre of the frame, instead of a bottom-bracket motor paired with a rear cassette. The official spec sheet claims 160 Nm of torque at the rear wheel in gears 1 to 4.
The direct consequence is visible at the rear wheel: no more derailleur hanging in mid-air, no more chain. Drive goes through a carbon-reinforced Gates belt. Nicolai argues that removing the cassette and the derailleur clearly reduces unsprung mass at the rear wheel, which allows the suspension to react faster and more finely. The weight, for its part, moves towards the centre and the bottom of the frame.
A silver Manitou Dorado fork, reserved for this bike
The other unusual feature of the R20 MGU AON Edition is its fork. It is a Manitou Dorado Pro LTD with 203 mm of travel, 47 mm offset, in a silver and black finish. It is an inverted fork, an architecture mostly found in downhill.
According to Bikerumor, this silver finish can be obtained in only two ways: belonging to the AON Racing team, or buying this bike. The outlet notes that the fork can be set up with 180, 190 or 203 mm of travel without any extra parts, and speaks of an “extremely limited supply” of R20 MGU AON Edition bikes. In other words, the fork is part of the package; it cannot be ordered separately.
At the rear, a Manitou Mara Pro shock in 250 × 75 mm drives the 200 mm of travel.
What the €14,999 R20 MGU AON Edition includes
The starting price is €14,999 on the brand’s own shop. The standard battery is 800 Wh; a 1,060 Wh version is offered for €200 more — a modest supplement given the price of the bike, and a capacity that makes sense on a bike Nicolai designs to be ridden back up to the start under its own power, without a chairlift, gondola or shuttle.
The bike runs mixed wheels, 29 inches at the front and 27.5 at the rear, and comes in three sizes — M, L and XL — for a reach of between 460 and 500 mm. Nicolai points out that its frames are hand TIG-welded and covered by a five-year warranty against breakage and material defects.
