Demo9 / M-Pire / DH9
- Thread starter JK:UK
- Start date
usually nicolai is very fast regarding spareparts, if they come directly from germany the costs for shipping aren't that cheap though.
and btw from some amall companies (avalanche and canfield), i got better customer service (direct over the atlantic) then from the distributors of the "big players".
well if it was on company alone, i'd go for nicolai everytime over the big specialized. however it is the frame here. i can imagine nicolai would give much better service than specialized.
should i consider a new v-10 when it comes out or any other suggestions that aren't 'very' race orientated like the dh9?
should i consider a new v-10 when it comes out or any other suggestions that aren't 'very' race orientated like the dh9?
right, like ride a 24h cross country race, use it for dual-slalom, huck of K2, etc... I totally see your point, how silly of me...
I would suggest asking this question in another MTB forum. I don't really think that you will get the best answer here because there are Nicolai sponsored riders and a little bit of a Nicolai "clique". I'm sure as hell that they are great bikes, but when there are two other bikes that Nicolai makes, the Lambda ST and Helius ST, that better fit your description and none of the Nicolai folks have suggested either, make of it whatever you want.
IMHO, looking solely between the Demo and M-Pire, the Demo appears to be much more versatile.
This is the very reason that I want to keep my opinion to myself. Plus the fact that he only asked about the M-pire could be the reason he's only getting input about the M-pire.
I will however offer to let people ride my bike so they can form their own opinion, and answer questions about it honestly
You'll get that anywhere, who cares! There's a Dainese clique, shimano clique, mavic clique, hope clique, hayes clique, and the list goes on.
He specifically asked about the M-Pire... I think everyone's just trying to answer his question, rather the derail it, which unfortunately happens a lot more often around here recently. If someone asks about a Monster T everyone tells them what about a 888, or a shiver, boxxer or a dorado.
M-Pire appears to be a nice bike but so do the Demo 9 and DH 9, and i have no time on any of them so I can't really comment.
I understand that you and a bunch of others ride for Nicolai, and there's a touchy topic on what's spam and what isn't, but after reading what JK:UK is looking for and knowing that he is interested in Nicolai I just don't see why some of the Nicolai peeps can't just say, "well if you're looking at bike X for the following application, you may want consider bike B instead since it may work a little better for your description."Originally posted by Freak
This is the very reason that I want to keep my opinion to myself. Plus the fact that he only asked about the M-pire could be the reason he's only getting input about the M-pire.
(Wow, now that's a grerat run-on sentence
)In anycase, the whole spam issue sucks. Moreso because there are alot of cool people and companies that are represented in this forum that have to tiptoe around comparison and some technical topics.
I do see your point which is why I asked him to narrow his choices down to get a better idea of what exactly he's looking for...it's kind of tough because I really think Nicolai makes some of the best bikes out there...but most people disregard what one of us may say because we ride for Nicolai...and then there's the whole "recommending something else" attitude...which I personally hate.Originally posted by Inclag
I understand that you and a bunch of others ride for Nicolai, and there's a touchy topic on what's spam and what isn't, but after reading what JK:UK is looking for and knowing that he is interested in Nicolai I just don't see why some of the Nicolai peeps can't just say, "well if you're looking at bike X for the following application, you may want consider bike B instead since it may work a little better for your description."
(Wow, now that's a grerat run-on sentence
In anycase, the whole spam issue sucks. Moreso because there are alot of cool people and companies that are represented in this forum that have to tiptoe around comparison and some technical topics.
I have personally ridden the Lambda, TFR, M-pire, BMXTB, Nucleon FR and owned the Nucleon ST, Helius DH, 2MX, and UFO...so if anyone has questions please fire away and I will give you my honest opinion....D
Have you read the review of the Demo-9 in Dirt. They seem to love it. Accordign to them It pedals very well, corners very well. tracks very well. Can take triple chain ring/ 24/26 inch wheels, appears very strong. low cog etc. In fact it was an excellent review for what seemed a very versatile bike i.e. seems an excellent freeride bike and an excellent race bike.
weighs in at 10.5lbs (without shock). The only bad thing they said is that its ugly......which I think it is unfortunately....and thats always the most important thing
weighs in at 10.5lbs (without shock). The only bad thing they said is that its ugly......which I think it is unfortunately....and thats always the most important thing
allright well ive been riding my m-pire now since march or so and i can honestly say its a rad bike. ive had it up at whistler and a bunch of trails and races around here and it has been a blast to ride. It corners like a madman and can jump like no other. The front end of the bike comes up easily and can manuel forever even with the wheelbase at the longest point. With the rear chainstays being wide and what not, i haven't noticed it at all, even when i hoped onto it for the first time, clipped in or not i dont hit the stays. Outta the 3/4 bikes(giant ac1, super 8, big hit expert, m-pire) ive owned/ridden extensivly this has been the funnest. if u cant tell i love the m-pire but weather u get the m-pire or demo 9 ull be a happy person as the demo 9 is also a fun bike.
funny you should say that, from the original message i had interpreted that the guy meant the demo9 was more versatile in terms of foot positioning.
then i read it again, sorted through the typos and your probably right about that he means versatile as in "do many things" but certainly not about that its the only way to use the term "versatile".
Originally posted by Lumpy_Gravy
Have you read the review of the Demo-9 in Dirt. They seem to love it. Accordign to them It pedals very well, corners very well. tracks very well. Can take triple chain ring/ 24/26 inch wheels, appears very strong. low cog etc. In fact it was an excellent review for what seemed a very versatile bike i.e. seems an excellent freeride bike and an excellent race bike.
weighs in at 10.5lbs (without shock). The only bad thing they said is that its ugly......which I think it is unfortunately....and thats always the most important thing
the reviews in dirt are really really lame, its a shame they even print them. so if youre actually considering any of the "info" in those reviews then i think any of these discussions regarding the supposed "spamming" or biased opinions on RM or "cliques" are pointless.
with that said, in this particular case i dont really see anyone beng less than factual in their posts, just taking the posts for what they are is a great step towards making the info here useful.
people that ride nicolais like them, thats information in its own right, of course ideally you would have gotten 10 replies by people that have ridden both the demo9 and the dh9 and the mpire extensively but you know that is just not going to happen.
lets just say that the M-pire is not versatile. i had one for about 2 months, rode it about 5 times and shattered the bearings and ovalized the bearing locations on the rear triangle and linkages along with shearing off the struts that activate the shock. they say the design works but if you freeride and do the occasional DH race your're screwed. the bike doesnt freeride at all. honestly, go with the demo 9. i sent the P.O.S. m-pire back and am getting a demo 9 now.
Post pics!
here are some broken m-pire pics
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another pic of m-pire
another
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dont get me wrong, the m-pire was the best bike i have ever ridden. it jumps extremely well, its well balanced, fast, corners great. its really only a race bike. you really cant do anything more than race on this bike. its not meant for anything more than strictly racing which i was going to use it for. unfortunatley i made the mistake of doing some freeriding on it before i could race it. i sent it back and got a refund. nicolai is a great company for how they dealt with the problems. i wanted to get it replaced by them witha new frame but the more i thought about it i was afraid it would happpen again. we decided on a refund. its a shame. it was a great bike.
what were you dropping off to bust those bearings like that? My lambda has taken more drop to flat hits off of big stuff and the bearings are doing great
like i said i rode it about 5 times. the biggest drop was about 14 feet to a nice transition. biggest drop to flat was about 6 feet. the rest of the riding was northshore style stuff and moderate sized gaps with a few DH shuttle runs on the reading DH race course and their network of DH/freeride trails in eastern Pa. this bike should of been able to handle it. Nicolai says that i am the only one to have this happen. oh well. Demo 9 frame is on the way!!
ouch, i for one cant believe that happened. My bearings are doing great, ive done a 9ft to flat a few times and a whole bunch of other drops to flat, landed flat doing doubles (by accident), and done big drops to transition, without one single problem. I for one think you should have given the m-pire another try.
you might be right but i was using it as my only bike. i dont want to keep waiting a month and a half to get it back from germany every time something goes wrong. if i could afford a back-up bike i would have no problem giving it another try. after all, you cant go without riding for a month or two without a bike while yours is getting fixed in another country. if i have any probs. with the demo 9 i can get it taken care of right here. i will say it again though... the m-pire was the best bike i have ever owned. i hated to have to ask for a refund. i just couldnt force myself to take another chance that something would break again.
I think its safe to say that your bike was an extraordinary circumstance for what happend to it - drawing a conclusion as to the versatility and dependability of a bike based on that one experience seems a bit harsh in my opinion, but alas, you will at least endup with your new Demo 9, which is what counts.
Best of luck to you!
Danny
Best of luck to you!
Danny
thanks danny.
i appreciate all the help throughout all the problems. i understand your point about versatility and how i cant purely judge it on that bad experience. i loved the bike and i'm sure that someday soon i will regret not waiting for a replacement frame. but the bottom line is that the bike failed for me. isolated occurance or not, i had to move on. i hope no else has the problems i did.
best regards,
michael
i appreciate all the help throughout all the problems. i understand your point about versatility and how i cant purely judge it on that bad experience. i loved the bike and i'm sure that someday soon i will regret not waiting for a replacement frame. but the bottom line is that the bike failed for me. isolated occurance or not, i had to move on. i hope no else has the problems i did.
best regards,
michael