During March of this year I was lucky enough to attend a four week internship at Nicolai in the village of Luebbrechtsen, Germany. I am a 24 year old student of mechanical engineering at the Beuth technical college, Berlin. My application, sent per mail, was accepted quickly, which surprised me, knowing this can take months. My luck did not subside, either.
Eager as I was to head out to Nicolai, I was annoyed at the fact of having to carry my luggage, a bike including gear, and camera equipment all day on my 300 kilometre journey. I checked the internet for alternatives to trains, and found a very nice driver offering a ride to Paderborn. The place where I stayed, Brueggen, was on the way, and I thought he could drop me off somewhere nearby. On the day of my departure it turns out I would actually be chauffeured all the way to the front door of my temporary new home. It was a nice place, and as luck would have it, I even met another intern there, who had already been there for two weeks.
The first morning I was eager to get to Nicolai, and my "roommate" showed me the best way to Luebbrechtsen. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have just passed it, at first glance the place they have is just another farmstead. In fact, I was told many other new interns pass through the town of about 40 inhabitants unknowingly, only to notice, at the end of town, that they had missed the place.
On my first day, I had about 25 new names to remember, which I didn't quit manage. The work I got to do during my internship varied greatly: from washing parts, deburring, changing parts in one of the many machining centers, abrasive blasting, to aiding repair work on an older lathe, getting to know SolidWorks (we use Inventor at school), even working on an assembly group with two others. It was definitely rewarding to get to go through pretty much everything an engineer has contact with during an engineering process.
I got to know lots of bright people during my internship, whom I hopefully get to see more than once in my life. It was an experience I wouldn't want to have missed. I would like to thank Kalle Nicolai and his footmen (oops, employees) for the great time, and hopefully there'll be more memorable moments in the future!
Kalle Nicolai gave me permission to film there, so here's a little impression of what I did during my internship:
Again, I want to thank these guys loads! Spread the love for custom engineering and true manufacturing!
I also shot a few photos, sorry I'm no professional photographer..
In case you love raw aluminium, you'll obviously be more than satisfied.
These things are all over the place, literally everywhere!
Milled aluminium *love
Seriously competent welders here!
When working hard windows stay drrty..
Where the magic is at!
Life in Brueggen
Great place to work
Guys, please.. flame me if you will.
Yes Greg has said some silly things, but he's also made a lot of valid points. You're all taking it like a personal attack when it really isn't. It's merely a young mind interpreting things as he will. If it wasn't for minds like this, you wouldn't see any new designs or engineering. Always question. Never accept.
I'll also add, Greg is German, he speaks two languages fluently. So he clearly isn't an idiot. He's also mature enough to know when he's wrong about something and call it. Instead of taking it personally, perhaps try to correct his mistakes and help him on his way. Blatant fanboyism.
1) Price: you have no idea of economics in manufacturing. Try 8 years in manufacturing then get back to me.
2) Design: you clearly have no idea of how suspension systems work, if you’re calling them ‘old’ and outdated (when the same systems are tweaked, and still winning to this day)
3) All Nicolai models feature up to date geometry. 62deg head angle? If you want it.
4) Apperance is subjective
5) They have some very light frames, and most are bang on to what the current market holds.
6) As a engineering professional working in aerospace and defence, I can see the beauty in their builds. Why can’t you? Oh... 19 years old with no experience other than how to work a keyboard. Right.
7) They use horst link on most of their bikes. You're obviously an idiot.
From another post of yours:
“The first thing I saw, was the Nicolai-Sign on the headtube.... I don't actually like these bikes”
So you obviously have an unfounded hate-on for the bikes. That’s fine. We all have opinions. But it doesn’t mean you have a valid point. Because you don’t.
2) As I said, I'm not against Single Pivots, FSR or whatever, just read my upper post
3)Yeah, but it costs even more. If I call..... e.g. Cove and give them enough money they'll probably also do that
4)Yes
5)A friend of mine has an Ion that actually weighs under 17kg. With FR tires, Boxxer WC, no bash and only super light parts. Another friend has a Legend MKII wich also weighs under 17kg. With Boxxer Team, Minions DH tires, bash, normal parts. And the Legend is not a super light frame
6)look at your own #4). I'm studying mechanical engineering.
7)Oh, sorry, I can't remember saying anything opposite. Now you're getting personal. So that makes you an Idiot. Is it possibel that you're taking that way to serious?
Yeah, I don't like them. And I explained to you why. I'm not a Nicolai hater, I have 3 friends that only own Nicolai bikes and I accept that.
I'm out. It's always the same, I don't understand these Nicolai fanatics. If you ever say anything against Nicolai they just freak out.
So you know a guy with a light nicoali but still choose to say they are heavy?
So it's less of a freak out man more of emmm your facts are wrong and you pretty much admitted it in you last post.
save up some money and buy one you know you want to!
Me: "They use Horst link"
You: "I can't remember saying anything opposite."
Steps to being Greg:
1) Open mouth.
2) Insert foot.
Rather than wate my time on you with the details, I'll let your professors start correcting your shoddy, flawed analysis. Hopefully starting with costs of custom roller bearing systems vs off the shelf ball bearings and the dynamic analysis that comes with it. I wish you all the best with that Degree. If you pull it off you'll start thinking more like me, and less like a freshman with no experience.
I'm way too tired to comment the rest of that stuff, you're way to personal and arrogant and I won't ever talk about nicolai, because every nicolai rider I know just freaks out. To some poor people these bikes seem to be more addicting than meth.
@stooky: You don't want to understand my argument, do you? Just because Nicolais can be light if you just leave out half of the parts or use xc-parts, it doesn't mean the frames are light.
The only thing I wanted to say, was that I don't understand the hype they make about Nicolai. But you don't want to understand that, ignore all my points and get insulting. I'm sorry for saying Nicolai does not use a horst-link, but you guys behave really childish and try to impute childishness to me. Good Night.
2009.nicolai.net/manuals/manuals/11-Fig_Horstlink_09.pdf
I haven't gone all mental or childish just debating the point you raised. Which in the most part are wrong.
I do feel your first post was way off the mark which is why some people went a little over the top... nicolai do push their bikes forward G-boxx as you said, just cause it's ugly and mark ones are heavy doesn't mean it isn't a step forward. The Helius AFR is a big change from the FR and it has a lower BB height slacker angles everything you asked for......
thanks for the inspiration though
actually, i was thinking more like just moving to Canada or something. but who knows.. everything is possible,
and would be cool to have here a bike factory owned by me.
... Oh wait, there's one, in my garage!
vimeo.com/whyex/videos/sort:oldest