[ChrisRobin]

Browsing through ebay and noticed this. Wow...all black with chrome decals.

Here's the link since some of the pics are too big to post: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22679&item=7132408124&rd=1

 

[dw]

yeah, theres a couple pics of my old rig!!!

 

[jon-boy]

Damn! Sweet bike.

 

[me89]

so then what are you riding now.

 

[binary visions]

so then what are you riding now.

Look verrrry carefully at his signature. I know, I know, it's pretty tough, but with a little thinking and some careful reasoning, I bet you can figure it out

 

[CBJ]

I think DW sold it to Springfish who have just sold again and it was gray not black.

 

[RiDurbin]

Hey guys, I'm the one selling it. It is DW's old bike. Springfish did buy it from DW and I traded my Turner DHR to Springfish for it. Loved my DHR but I always wanted to try one of these.

It used to be a bronze front triangle with a black rear triangle. I didn't like the bronze at all. Got it reanodized at Ano-tech Metal finishers. They did an awesome job. Believe me, it looks way better in person. My camera kinda washed out the black a little. Much darker in person.

Somebody needs to buy this. I'm pretty sure god will punish me if it sells for less then a $1000. We are moving to Colorado in the spring and I will be building a new house so I probably won't be able to ride much for the next year, maybe even 2. Decided to sell it now, no point in letting it sit around and get older. I have a Chumba F4 also that I can ride. Decided to sell the Nicolai cause I figured it would hopefully go for more.

Stay tuned for pic's on my Chumba. It's down being siceled and then ball burnished. Then it's going to Ano-Tech to be clear anodized. I may get the linkage anodized in cobalt blue or gold. I'll post pic's when it's rebuilt.

If anyone is thinking about re-anodizing there frame, you can shoot me any questions. I'd be happy to help.

 

[xy9ine]

nice job on the nucleon - the plans for the f4 sound sweet as well. speaking of which, how's your experience with the chumba been? its been lurking at the top of my list of potential next bikes...

 

[ChrisRobin]

Hey guys, I'm the one selling it. It is DW's old bike. Springfish did buy it from DW and I traded my Turner DHR to Springfish for it. Loved my DHR but I always wanted to try one of these.

It used to be a bronze front triangle with a black rear triangle. I didn't like the bronze at all. Got it reanodized at Ano-tech Metal finishers. They did an awesome job. Believe me, it looks way better in person. My camera kinda washed out the black a little. Much darker in person.

Somebody needs to buy this. I'm pretty sure god will punish me if it sells for less then a $1000. We are moving to Colorado in the spring and I will be building a new house so I probably won't be able to ride much for the next year, maybe even 2. Decided to sell it now, no point in letting it sit around and get older. I have a Chumba F4 also that I can ride. Decided to sell the Nicolai cause I figured it would hopefully go for more.

Stay tuned for pic's on my Chumba. It's down being siceled and then ball burnished. Then it's going to Ano-Tech to be clear anodized. I may get the linkage anodized in cobalt blue or gold. I'll post pic's when it's rebuilt.

If anyone is thinking about re-anodizing there frame, you can shoot me any questions. I'd be happy to help.

On ebay, you mentioned you had the Nicolai fonts on file...would you be able to send that to me by email? chris9505@hotmail.com

 

[punkassean]

even for $1000 that would be a bangin' deal

I'm sure you'll get at least that much...

 

[dG video]

No buy it now price?

Even for a monkey?

Dan

 

[RiDurbin]

Sorry Dan, couldn't think of one. Normally I can come up with something based on what othes have sold for, but how many Nucleon's are out there? Not to mention this one is extra pimp. Obviously I want as much as possible. Couldn't decide what to ask, so I'm taking the gamble and letting the market set the price. Of course the risky part is that the 2 guys who would fight to the death for it may be out of town this week.

No buy it now price?

Even for a monkey?

Dan

 

[RiDurbin]

nice job on the nucleon - the plans for the f4 sound sweet as well. speaking of which, how's your experience with the chumba been? its been lurking at the top of my list of potential next bikes...

Well in a nutshell the F4 is very similar in ride qualities to the 03/04 DHR. Both are 8.5 suspension. Both have low leverage ratio's with a progressive rate. Both are a moto-link type suspension. Both corner fantastic (I'd give a slight edge to the F4 on cornering, probably cause of the lower BB, more on that later). Both pedal great.

Geometry wise they are similar when it comes to ride characteristics. But fit wise they are very differant. The Chumba comes in 3 sizes but there really isn't much differance between them and the large is a special made to order bike. Plus I got the impression that Ted doesn't like to make the large cause he feels the don't handle as well. Basically your pretty much looking a the same basic size as a medium Turner DHR. The downtubes are pretty much identical, so when standing they feel the same. However when seated the Chumba is gonna feel smaller. Technically it has a 23 effective toptube, it gets that from the slack seat angle. The actually toptube measurement is 19", which is pretty short. You're supposed to be able to get the 23" measurement by raising the saddle, but if you like to run your seat low, you'll never get close to that.

That being said, I am 6'3" and somewhat of a mutant, with a long torso and short legs. In theory the Chumba is a horrible fit for me. I should have a long toptube. But I love it (so much for theory). My personal opinion is that sizing a downhill bike for comfort fit is silly. You should size it for riding style first and fit second. Now on a road bike or xc bike that would not apply, but Downhill bikes are a differant animal. I mean I wouldn't ride a BMX bike with a 24" toptube. My BMX crusier only has a 21" toptube, as it should. But a lot of people sit on a Chumba and think its to small, so you gotta go with what feels right to you.

In regards to build quality, the Chumba is beefy and meant to take a beating. If your the type who gets all hot and sweaty lookin at perfectly laid weld beads, then the Chumba will be a little disappointing. They aren't sloppy, but they aren't as precise and neat as the Turner. But compare any bikes weld to a Nicolai and they all come up short. Those guy's weld like no one else. In Chumba's defense. They do all their own welding, CNC and build in house. Very few makers out there doing that. And although there weld aren't as pretty, they are killer strong (go get a look a Lars Tribus jumping the Sponserhouse Bus if you doubt). Also for some reason their swingarm welds are VERY nice. They just seem to get a little more reckless on the front triangle.

Now, one plus for the Chumba over the DHR. Althought it "technically" is not adjustible, you can get differant length dogbones for the moto link. By changing the length of the dogbone you can alter both headangle and BB height. The most common complaint of the 03 F4 was that the BB was to low. They raised it in 04 and it is basically the same as the DHR. But if you are racing a course with lots of turns and not much in the way of rocks, you can install a longer dogbone and it will lower your BB for unreal cornering. (I am considering taking the Sherman Flick Plus off my trail bike and putting it on the Chumba with the longer dogbone for Sea Otter this year. Running the Flick will keep the headangle from getting to slack when I lower the BB and should put me around 36-38lbs if I run light tires. Should be wicked fast. YEAH BABY!!)

Only other downer with the Chumba is it can go through linkage bushings kind of fast. Sometimes twice a year. Fortunately they are cheap and easy to replace. Plus they are standard DU bushings. So if for some reason Chumba goes out of business, you should be able to get them from any good bearing supply house. When they do get loose it doesn't seem to cause any handling problems.

Customer service wise Chumba has always been good to me. Plus I'm pretty close to them so I can just run down to their shop when I need something. They are alway very helpful and don't mind you coming in. Unlike some other manufacturers who will remain nameless here.

Turner also has incredible customer service. Nothing but good stuff to say about them.

I would recommend you try to ride a F4 before dropping the coin. Just in case you don't like the fit. I usually try to find someone on a bike I am interested in when I'm at a race and see if they will let me check it out. That won't always let you take it for a ride down the mountain. But most people will let you at least sit on it and pedal it around some.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Rick

 

[xy9ine]

On ebay, you mentioned you had the Nicolai fonts on file...would you be able to send that to me by email? chris9505@hotmail.com

the nicolai logos are on their website in high resolution formats (check the pictures / logos section)

 

[xy9ine]

awesome review on the f4, RiDurbin. thanks. i'll have to swing a leg over one some day.

 

[RiDurbin]

On ebay, you mentioned you had the Nicolai fonts on file...would you be able to send that to me by email? chris9505@hotmail.com

Chris, I emailed you the direct link to the Nicolai website with the logo files. Let me know if you did not get it.
Rick

 

[springfish]

Rick…the black looks sooooooooo pimp! Awesome job. I miss the hell out of that bike. However, I must admit, the DHR is coming together nicely. I just got clearance to ride again after a VERY harsh concussion in an October DH race. Ouch!

I just ordered the Fox DH 40RC2 and a set of Hope Mono4s for her. Now if only Mavic would make a usable rear hub for the DeeMax's, I'd be set.

I'll post pictures next week when she's totally built.

 

[wisc fr-rider]

Pimp bike, i tried to buy it when DW was selling it, but springfish go it like a day before i emailed him, unfortunetly i am no longer in the market. Hopefully you will get a good price, the market is so slow....

 

[xy9ine]

it sold for $1430 on ebay

 

[binary visions]

Someone got a heck of a deal...

 

[nsfreeriders]

you got any photos of you chumba yet..

j
northshorefreeriders.com

 

[ChrisRobin]

$1400 for that is a joke...I wish he would of goten more for it.

 

[BMXman]

yeah well with some of the bad gossip going around about Nicolai I didn't think it would get past 1750....D

 

[RiDurbin]

Hey Tom, been meaning to send you some pic's of the Nuke. I switched from my PC to a Mac and lost your email. Been to lazy to go look for it. Glad you found the post. I know what you mean about missing your old bike. I definately miss the Turner. Sorry you haven't been able to get much time in on it. I'm sure your gonna love it.
I really like the Nic. I've was able to get quite a bit of time on it, since I have a nice shuttle run close to my home in Corona. It's hard to believe, but it corners at least as well as the Turner. Maybe even a little better . Not to mention it's got to have the stiffest rear end I've ever seen. Probably a combination of that, the 165mm hub and the excellent way it carries it's weight that make it corner the way it does.
Only real fault I can find with the bike is of course the weight. And it would be nice if they could come up with system that uses fewer gears. For downhill there are really more speeds then you need, space a little to close together. Great for pedaling uphill though.
My biggest problem with it and part of the reason I decided to sell it instead of my Chumba (you should notice this when you get on the Turner). Is the downtube measurement is pretty short. More like a small. I'm 6'3" but generally ride mediums, because I prefer smaller bikes. The Nic feels perfect when I'm seated because the toptube is basically identical to the Turner but when standing the downtube is what determines you coqpit size and the Nic is pretty short. As a matter of fact it is identical to my son's small DHR. I was able to adapt to it after one ride but it kind of worries me. When you ride bikes that are technically to small for you its easy to get to much weight on the front at the wrong time and makes for some nasty crashes. I had a bad one on the Turner last year on what was a very easy slightly technical section of Summit run at BB. But man that crash really rung my bell.
So coupled with that and the fact that we decided to move, I decided to let her go. I already had her in pieces when we made the decision to move, but hadn't done the anodize yet. Decide to go ahead with the re-ano if for no other reason then I wanted to see how see looked in all black. I knew she would be very fine. Not to mention I figured it would sell better. Gotta see her is person. Waaaay better then the pic's. I wanna keep her just cause she looks so good. But I need money to fix some long overdue things on my house. It's going on the market in March.
Now in regards to eBay. Turns out the top 2 bidders were both flaking dreamers (both Europeans) and the 3rd guy already bought something else. So she's gonna go back on the block again, soon. Might try to sell complete. I know they normally sell better parted out, but because of all the parts specific to the frame it doesn't take much to make it complete.
Anyhow, look forward to the pic's on my old girl. Be nice to see how she looks with the Fox. Take care and get well.
Rick

Rick…the black looks sooooooooo pimp! Awesome job. I miss the hell out of that bike. However, I must admit, the DHR is coming together nicely. I just got clearance to ride again after a VERY harsh concussion in an October DH race. Ouch!

I just ordered the Fox DH 40RC2 and a set of Hope Mono4s for her. Now if only Mavic would make a usable rear hub for the DeeMax's, I'd be set.

I'll post pictures next week when she's totally built.

 

[RiDurbin]

Oh man, bad subject. Been at the polishers for almost 3 weeks. Promised me I would have it tomorrow for sure. Was originally only supposed to take a week.
It still has to go to Ano-Tech. Gonna get it clear anodized. Way less maintenance and doesn't show every finger print like polished normally does.
Ano-Tech has been great. With the Nic, they stripped the old ano, re-shot peened, anodized and gave it an extra long dye time and still got it back to me in a week including shipping time. Hopefully they'll do a repeat on the Chumba. Especially since it will be less work.
Don't worry, I'll post pic's when it's done. Patience, young Jedi.

you got any photos of you chumba yet..

j
northshorefreeriders.com

:nuts:

 

[BMXman]

I hate it when buyers back out....without a responsible reason

 

[RiDurbin]

Yeah, seems like lately there has been more flaky buyers on Ebay then normal. Especially, when you have stuff like this that people dream of owning. I guess they bid on the hopes that their lottery ticket is gonna be a winner or their rich Aunt Mable is gonna kick the bucket and leave them a ton of cash.

Actually the first bidder was from Korea. I had a 48 hour payment deadline, so I can offer to the second highest bidder if the first one doesn't pay. The #2 guy from Poland begged me to tell the high bidder that bike got damaged while I was taking it apart and sell it to him instead for $1600. I told him if the #1 bidder didn't pay within the next day he could have it, but I wouldn't sell until the deadline passed.

Well 48 hours passed. No contact. Told the guy in Poland he could have it. For his high bid. He didnt' have to give me $1600. My auctions are all Paypal only. Big letters, very clear. Don't bid unless you have Paypal. First thing he say's is he can't pay with Paypal. It's Saturday, Will send Western Union on Monday. I don't like it but say OK.

Now, #1 bidder contacts me. Says it was Lunar New Year. Big holiday for them, he cannot use internet during that time. Maybe good excuse, but he could have contacted me ahead of time to let me know. I would have been happy to work around his holiday. Still want's bike. I tell him sorry, I already offered it to #2 guy. If he doesn't pay by Monday, I'll let him know and he can still have it. On Sunday, Poland guy emails me and says "oh, I was buying bike for a friend and now he bought V10, now I don't want bike, Bye"

RIIIIIGHT.

So now I go back to bidder # 1 let him now it's availible. No response.

So the saga continues.

Soon to be a future episode of "The OC".

Gotta, love Ebay.




(

I hate it when buyers back out....without a responsible reason

 

[RiDurbin]

it sold for $1430 on ebay

High bidders flaked out. Soon to be back up sale. Maybe as a complete. Probably should wait until closer to spring time.

 

[ChrisRobin]

Crazy, I thought peope on ebay were more straight forward than that. What bothered me was how much I paid for mine compared to what you almost got rid of yours for!

...and yours is a lot sexier than mine. Good luck with selling it and I hope you find someone that doesn't screw around.