Descending
41
Steeper 67.6° and shorter travel — happiest descending smooth, flowy trail rather than properly rough or steep terrain.
Nicolai
Saturn 11 2023
Discontinued✎Lightweight · Cross-CountryLegacy · 2.2/10iFreshness 2.2/10
How current the bike is — newer chassis, motor and battery score higher. 10 = brand-new, 0 = legacy.
How current the bike is — newer chassis, motor and battery score higher. 10 = brand-new, 0 = legacy.
Hand-built German alloy lightweight with modest travel and low-assist feel
Motor
Bosch Performance Line SX · 55Nm · 600W↗
Battery
Bosch CompactTube 400 · 400Wh
Travel F/R
120/105mm
Wheels
29F / 29R✎
Frame
Aluminium✎
Weight
16.5 kg✎
Price
€14,999✎
EMTB Forums verdict
The Nicolai Saturn 11 SWIFT was the German boutique builder's lightweight, electric take on its long-running Saturn 11 down-country platform. It pairs the hand-welded 7020-T6 aluminium Horst Link frame (120mm Intend fork, 105mm rear) with Bosch's compact Performance Line SX motor and a 400Wh CompactTube battery, aimed squarely at fast singletrack, marathon efforts and long mountain days rather than gravity riding.
This was a flagship, no-compromise build sold as a single configurable complete from 14.999 euro. A claimed 16.5kg for size M (without pedals) came from an exotic parts mix: an Intend Samurai XC upside-down fork, Fox Float DPS Factory shock, full SRAM XX Eagle Transmission, Pi ROPE Two Six NonPlus carbon-spoke wheels, Magura MT8 Oak brakes on 180mm rotors and SQlab carbon contact points. At that price it sat at the very top of the lightweight eMTB market.
The geometry is restrained by modern eMTB standards: a 67.6 degree head angle, 74.5 degree effective seat angle and 445mm chainstays across all five sizes (S to XXL), with reach growing from 435mm to 515mm. That reinforces the XC and down-country brief rather than enduro intentions, true to Nicolai's Geolution Trail thinking.
It was a short-lived model. Listed on Nicolai's September 2023 e-MTB catalogue and absent from the live range by 2024 (the lightweight Bosch SX line later consolidated around the longer-travel Saturn 14 SWIFT), the Saturn 11 SWIFT is discontinued.
Geometry read
What the numbers mean on the trail
Computed from this bike's geometry, spec and build kit — reach, wheelbase, chainstay, head and seat angles, travel, motor, weight and the fork/tyre/brake spec — and worked out per size, because a fixed chainstay can make an S and an XL feel very different.
Size
Playfulness
98
Short 445mm rear and a lighter build — easy to pop, manual and throw around.
Size balance
86
Rear-long with a planted front in L (FC:RC 1.72) — easy to weight the front and quick to turn, though it can feel light at the back at real speed.
Technical climbing
66
Climbs well — a 74.5° seat keeps the front planted. 600W of peak power and 60Nm of torque.
Easy to throw around; happiest when you're active on the bike.
Fine at trail pace; it'll feel out of its depth on properly rough, steep tracks.
How it stacks up vs other Lightweight · Cross-Country bikes (from 70 bikes in the database)
Weight16.5 kg2.2 kg lighter than average
Battery400 Whabout average capacity
Motor torque55 Nmabout average torque
Computed from geometry + spec, not a paid review. Scores are guidance, not gospel.
Geometry · hover a row to highlight the measurement on the bike
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 435 mm | 455 mm | 475 mm | 495 mm | 515 mm |
| Stack | 606 mm | 615 mm | 615 mm | 625 mm | 643 mm |
| Seattube | 405 mm | 470 mm | 490 mm | 515 mm | 545 mm |
| Chainstay | 445 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm |
| Headtube Angle | 67.6° | 67.6° | 67.6° | 67.6° | 67.6° |
| Seattube Angle (eff) | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° |
| Wheelbase | 1170 mm | 1190 mm | 1210 mm | 1235 mm | 1262 mm |
| Headtube | 110 mm | 120 mm | 120 mm | 130 mm | 150 mm |
| Standover | 727 mm | 754 mm | 770 mm | 793 mm | 821 mm |
| Front Centre | 725 mm* | 745 mm* | 765 mm* | 790 mm* | 817 mm* |
| FC:RC | 1.63 | 1.67 | 1.72 | 1.78 | 1.84 |
Trims · 1
Custom €14,999 | |
|---|---|
| Motor | Bosch Performance Line SX · 55 Nm |
| Battery | Bosch CompactTube 400 · 400 Wh |
| Travel F/R | 120/105 mm |
| Frame | 7020-T6 aluminium |
| Fork | Intend Samurai XC 120mm |
| Shock | Fox Float DPS Factory 190x45mm |
| Headset | Acros Blocklock ZS44/28,6 ZS56/40 |
| Stem | Intend Grace Trail 65 x 31,8mm |
| Handlebar | Bike Ahead The Flatbar |
| Grips | SQlab 711 R |
| Saddle | SQlab 612 Ergowave R Carbon 13cm |
| Seatpost | Tune Starkes Stueck 31,6x420mm |
| Brakes | Magura MT8 Oak |
| Rear derailleur | SRAM XX Eagle Transmission |
| Crank | SRAM Eagle Transmission Bosch 160mm (chainring SRAM T-Type 36T) |
| Shifters | SRAM XX Eagle Transmission |
| Cassette | SRAM XX Eagle Transmission XS-1297 |
| Chain | SRAM XX Eagle Transmission |
| Drivetrain | SRAM XX Eagle Transmission; SRAM Eagle Transmission Bosch 160mm (chainring SRAM T-Type 36T); SRAM XX Eagle Transmission; SRAM XX Eagle Transmission XS-1297; SRAM XX Eagle Transmission |
| Wheels | Pi ROPE Two Six - NonPlus SUB ONE 29" (15x110 front / 12x148 rear) |
| Tyres | Wolfpack Race 29"x2,25" (front and rear) |
| Weight | 16.5 kg |
| Price | €14,999 |
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