Saturn 16 2024

The Nicolai Saturn 16 2024 is the German custom-frame builder's full-power all-mountain eMTB, an aluminium Horst-Link chassis built around the Pinion MGU motor-gearbox unit. Headline numbers: 160 mm of travel front and rear, Pinion MGU (E1.12) at 85 Nm and 600 W peak (a hefty 4.1 kg motor weight because it integrates a 12-speed gearbox), 720 Wh Nicolai Ultracore battery, a 64.5 degree head angle, reach 468 to 550 mm across an unusually generous five sizes (S to XXL), and £7,299 base price. The community verdict, summed up by @rastablondi after a 50 km/600 m first ride, is "unbelievable" stability on descents and powerful climbing, in "a new world of biking" courtesy of the integrated gearbox approach.

Drive system and range. The Pinion MGU is a fundamentally different proposition to all other eMTB drives. It is a motor-gearbox unit that combines the assist motor and a 12-speed sealed gearbox into a single 4.1 kg lump at the bottom bracket, driven by a Gates Carbon Drive belt. Output is 85 Nm and 600 W peak, controlled via the Pinion FIT app and display. The 720 Wh Ultracore pack is removable, with a 960 Wh option @madre documents on his XL build, and a 1060 Wh FIT battery in the same case coming. @shib achieved 1,020 m vertical at 0 degrees C from 50% battery on 36 km in Eco (40% support, 50 Nm), which is exceptional efficiency. @madre reports the bike "rides very similar to Bosch above 25 km/h" with the gearbox shifting under load and stationary.

Geometry and handling. The 64.5 degree head angle is on the slack side of all-mountain norm. The reach numbers are properly long: 468, 490, 510, 530 and 550 mm across S to XXL with a fixed 451 mm chainstay and wheelbase scaling 1290 to 1370 mm. The XXL at 550 mm reach is genuinely huge and a real differentiator for taller riders that no big-volume brand caters for. @madre, a Nicolai owner since 2014, notes "the Saturn 16 MGU is very long, just like other Nicolai bikes". The bike sits properly aggressive in front because of the long reach combined with the slack head angle.

Build and value. Custom Nicolai builds are essentially configurator-driven. £7,299 base buys the frame and Pinion MGU plus battery; specs from there are rider-specced. @madre's XL example includes Reverb AXS, the 960 Wh battery and Oak Components levers on Magura MT7 brakes, all from a configurator. Standout is the Pinion MGU itself: belt drive, sealed gearbox, no derailleur to bash, shifting under any load. Questionable is the weight: @Astro66 notes Steve Jones measured the Saturn 16 MGU at 28 kg, and @Astro66 flags this is "starting to get into the territory of something you are going to struggle lifting over obstacles".

Community-verified strengths. First, descent quietness and behaviour: @Gandalf reports the bike is "super quiet downhill, no rattling, no chain slap, not audible", and gear changes are "very smooth and very fast, shifting under load". Second, the long, slack and tall geometry plus belt drive makes it exceptional on technical descents per @rastablondi's "so stable in downhill, and powerful in uphill" first impressions. Third, the bike scales to genuinely huge size XXL (550 mm reach), which the rest of the eMTB industry largely fails at.

Caveats and known gripes. Weight is the headline trade-off. The 26.9 kg claim is at the heavy end of full-power, and real-world weights with batteries and accessories push to 28 kg. @DirkWisely notes that as of October 2024, the Saturn 16 was not available in the United States. @madre notes the belt drive uses a snubber with less than 1 mm gap that gets scratched and may need service. Pinion MGU dealer support outside German-speaking Europe is limited. The platform is expensive once specced up: custom builds quickly reach £10,000-plus.

Verdict. The Saturn 16 is in current production as a custom-build platform from Nicolai. Buy it if you want a no-derailleur, gearbox-integrated, configurator-built German aluminium eMTB with long-and-slack geometry, real five-size coverage including XXL at 550 mm reach, and you prioritise descent quietness and shifting under load over absolute light weight. Look elsewhere if you want sub-23 kg full-power, a sub-£8k complete build, US availability or a deep dealer network.