NS Snabb E1 - Review

The Snabb's full alloy chassis rolls on 27.5" wheels and a simple suspension design with a Horst-style link. There's 163mm of travel at the rear, via a RockShox Monarch DebonAir, matched to a 160mm RockShox Pike RC at the front. Gearing is via SRAM X7 and X9 components, while the rest of the bike is built with NS own-brand and Octane One pieces. Finishing touches include Schwalbe Hans Dampf and Rock Razor rubber, a Mozarrt top chain guide and a stealth routed 150mm drop X-Fusion Hi/Lo seatpost to perch upon. Our E1 test bike retails at $4500 USD, and the cheaper E2 model comes in at $3500. Snabb's are currently available in 41 countries and there are limited edition versions to look out for in the future, so keep your ear to the ground if you want something a little more exclusive.

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Frame Details and Geometry

I'm a big fan of the Snabb's look - it's not racey, there's little marketing propaganda or hype on the frame and a has a winter season vibe. Fluro yellow is always going to stand out, but I think the green and black of the Snabb T1 bike works better than green on white. The frame is full alloy, using AL6061-T6+AL6066-T6 custom formed and butted tubes, and has 'double pass' welding in all critical areas. Cable routing options are fully internal or external.

All the bases are covered with a 15mm front axle, 142mm x 12mm rear, a front derailleur mount and internal dropper post routing. There's a vast amount of room for a full size bottle, you could probably squeeze in a two liter bottle of San Pelligrino if you're riding in Italy. A tapered head tube with an internal FSA sealed bearing headset, and the 73mm threaded bottom bracket is surrounded by ISCG 05 chain guide tabs which are handy if you want to run a full guide or bashguard. The maximum recommend tire size is 2.4", but I'm sure there's space for a 2.5" tire in there.


NS have pushed the boat out sizing wise - my large sized test bike had a 470mm reach matched with a 50mm stem, which is comparable to many other brands' XL sizes. An XL version of the Snabb would be a monster. The 66 degree head angle is comparable with other enduro machines, along with the fairly short 430mm chainstays and -6mm bottom bracket drop. The steep, 75 degree seat tube angle provides a decent position over the pedals, even with my tall seat height, and this is helped further by the in-line saddle position of the X-Fusion dropper post.



The Snabb's Suspension Explained


The bike's 163mm of rear wheel travel is controlled by a four-bar suspension design using a Horst-style link. The main pivot sits well below the chain line of the 34t ring, and all other pivots are clevis-style affairs. There is quite a lot of rotation at the top shock mount on the alloy rocker link, where NS have used a needle roller bearing instead of a standard DU shock bushing to alleviate any extra friction caused by the rotation. The Snabb is built with a Debonair shock, and a Monarch/Debonair Plus will fit, but there is not enough space on the rocker link and lower shock mount to fit FOX dampers with piggy backs.

I asked NS founder, and ex-Polish rockstar Szymon 'Cowboylinksi' Kobylinksi to explain the design:

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Climbing

As many of these reviews go, a 163mm travel slacked out bike isn't going to be an XC whippet on the climbs. It's an average climber and the power transfer through the alloy structure isn't as direct as some carbon counterparts, but the Snabb did make it to the top of any climb comfortably. Thanks to the steep seat angle you can still drive power directly down into the pedals as incline increases, but the long frame keeps the riding position spacious and helps to keep weight on the front end despite the short stem, this centralised body position also helped when climbing tight switchbacks by keeping the front end within reach.

The compression adjustment on the Monarch shock offers a solid, almost locked out feel in 'Firm' mode, and 'Mid' compression falls more on the side of Firm than fully open in the 'Min' setting. In 'Min' compression mode the bike still climbed amicably, but with the compression lever within easy reach I was often flicking between modes to help the bike sit higher for climbing. The 34t ring up front was spot on for most of my rides combined with the Octane One 42t extender sprocket which comes as standard. Although this helped for grinding up steep inclines it did come with a slight disadvantage over a 1x11 setup - the fourth sprocket has been removed to make space for the extender sprocket, which means a big jump when shifting. On mellow climbs I often found myself stuck on either side of the jump. Most extended range sprockets lose the 15t and 17t sprockets from lower down the cassette, replacing them with a 16t to prevent this odd gap and create smoother shifts - it would be nice to see this in place on the Snabb.



Descending and Suspension

Once it's time to go downhill, the long frame is stable, and all the angles complement each other. The Snabb held its poise and balance well at all times, and excelled when charging in to rough sections as the suspension responded quickly to fast, repetitive impacts. Big hits were without issue, and there's plenty of support available when landing off drops and and jumps. The same progression that gives these characteristics also helps to generate speed when pumping compressions and features, driving the rear wheel back in to the ground as the suspension extends. The Snabb is bike that loves popping, jumping and general hooning.


On smooth and undulating terrain like the classic trail-centre crests and dips, or on flowing singletrack was where the bike felt foreign. The Debonair shock conveyed a vague feeling where it seemed to float around in the mid-stroke of the shock rather than sitting at its sag point. I played around with volume spacers, and adding more did help the situation, but even with five spacers it still seemed to continuously float up and down when it should have just been sitting there. A progressive linkage and more linear shock combined with my light weight but heavy riding style might have had something to do with this - I often struggle to get the suspension supple enough for small bumps and grip, but with enough progression for pumping and pushing in to turns.


Technical Report



• NS Snabb stem: This stem nearly drove me to insanity. Even with the instruction book, fitting is nearly impossible for the average human. If you do possess more than C-grade intelligence, you will quickly realize that you can't change the stem height without cutting the steerer accordingly. If you make it past that, the minute, incremental laser etchings have no buddies to match up with on the bar! I survived past this point, just, only to find my handlebar had zero indication of where the center was. Production bars now have a small 'Evidence Light' logo.

• NS Wheelset: The wheelset performed sufficiently, this wasn't my issue. The problem came from the schrader sized drilling in the rim. I had nearly recovered from the stem situation when I saw this and had to go and have a little moment to myself. I know you can get tubeless schrader valves, but nobody should have this misfortune thrust upon them.


• X-Fusion Hi-Lo Dropper post: The 150mm X-Fusion post was a nice touch on the Large sized frame, and I like the fact it has no layback. Another feature I liked was the multi-directional lever which is intuitive to use and has a light action.

• Octane One step-up sprocket: The added range of the 42t step-up sprocket on the 10 speed drivetrain is a solid upgrade, especially when combined with a single ring up front. Although this came at the expense of consistency between 3rd and 4th gears. These extender sprockets work better when replacing the 15t and 17t sprockets with a 16t lower down the cassette, this avoids big jumps between gears when shifting up or down.





Pinkbike's Take:

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Trail Bikes NS Bikes Ns Bikes Snabb