POLE STAMINA 140 vs. NICOLAI SATURN 14 – Let’s get radical!
‘Long low, slack’ is the new black and the mountain biking industry’s favourite new marketing slogan. While pretty much every modern trail bike at least somewhat follows this trend, NICOLAI and Pole take it a step further, implementing the most radical geometries currently available on the market. Does it make any sense to take this approach with trail bikes, or does it kill all the fun? We took these two extreme geometry trail bikes out on to the trail to find out how they handle and see which one would come out on top in our head-to-head test!
Both Kalle Nicolai and Leo Kokkonen, the masterminds behind our two test bikes, are deeply fond of aluminium and completely eschew carbon as a frame material. German manufacturer NICOLAI manufacture their frames more traditionally with top-quality welded, straight aluminum tubes and machined parts. Pole might use aluminium too, but construct their frames in a slightly more space-age way: the two halves of the main frame are machined from a solid block of aluminium and then glued together, without any welding seams or bolts.
As the name suggests, the Pole Stamina 140 offers 140 mm rear travel, which can be combined with a 140or 150 mm fork. With its big 29″ wheels, the NICOLAI SATURN 14 frame only has 130 mm of travel, which can be matched with a maximum 140 mm travel fork.
While the frames are built using different construction methods, both the Stamina and the SATURN feature similarly radical geometry. Indeed, it would probably have been considered bonkers and unrideable up until a few years ago. Even by today’s standards, the massive reach of 500 mm (size L) and the longer than 1,200 mm wheelbase extreme. The Pole seems to push some of the numbers just a little further. With its 64° head angle, the Pole is a whole 1.5° slacker than the NICOLAI. LIkewise, while the 76.5° seat angle of the SATURN14 is already pretty steep, it’s nothing compared to the vertical-feeling 78.5° seat angle of the Stamina 140. On the other hand, with its 30 mm bottom bracket drop, the NICOLAI sits a whole centimeter deeper than the Pole Stamina 140 (20 mm bottom bracket drop).
The POLE STAMINA 140 in detail
At the time of our test, the Pole Stamina 140 we were riding wasn’t yet the final production model. That’s why the spec on this bike consisted of a blend of different build kits, with the SRAM CODE RSC brakes, Mavic Deemax wheels and MAXXIS-Minion tires from the “EN” kit and a 140 mm RockShox PIKE and Super Deluxe shock from Pole’s “LE” build-kit. You can also order your Stamina 140 with either a Cane Creek DB Air Inline or EXT STORIA LOK coil shock. The electronic SRAM AXS groupset of our test bike is offered in the LE-Version but Pole let you customize the specs of the different models. Just give them a call and they find a solution.
Fork RockShox PIKE Ultimate 140 mm
Shock RockShox Super Deluxe 140 mm
Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle AXS 12-speed
Brakes SRAM CODE RSC 200/200mm
Wheels Mavic Deemax 29″
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHR II 2.5″/2.4″
Stem TRUVATIV DESCENDANT 45mm
Handlebar Race Face Next R 780mm
Seatpost BikeYoke REVIVE 185mm
Weight 14.58 kg
Price € 9,600
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 400 mm | 400 mm | 420 mm | 440 mm |
| Top tube | 570 mm | 600 mm | 630 mm | 650 mm |
| Head tube | 110 mm | 120 mm | 120 mm | 135 mm |
| Head angle | 64° | 64° | 64° | 64° |
| Seat angle | 77.5° | 77.5° | 77.5° | 77.5° |
| Chainstays | 450 mm | 450 mm | 450 mm | 450 mm |
| BB Drop | 20 mm | 20 mm | 20 mm | 20 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,230 mm | 1,260 mm | 1,290 mm | 1,310 mm |
| Reach | 440 mm | 470 mm | 500 mm | 520 mm |
| Stack | 598 mm | 608 mm | 608 mm | 618 mm |
Das NICOLAI SATURN 14 im Detail
At NICOLAI the customer is (still) king. Pretty much every bike that leaves the small German factory is individually adapted to the customer’s specifications. Alongside the colour scheme, decals and finish, customers can choose from a vast selection of components. Our € 6,749 test bike featured a top-end FOX Factory 34 fork and FLOAT DPX2 shock, a SRAM GX Eagle groupset and MAGURA MT Trail Sport brakes, which use a smaller two piston calliper at the rear. In typical NICOLAI fashion, the SATURN 14 rolls out of the factory on Continental rubber, with a fast-rolling Mountain King tire at the rear and a Baron Projekt 2.4 up front. The latter is not yet available on NICOLAI’s configurator, which unfortunately currently lacks any sort of grippy tire!
Fork FOX 34 Factory 140 mm
Shock FOX FLOAT DPX2 Factory 140 mm
Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed
Brakes MAGURA MT Trail Sport 200/180 mm
Wheels Tune 29er Race
Tires Continental Der Baron Projekt/Mountain King 2.4″/2.3″
Stem Intend 55 mm
Handlebar Renthal Fatbar Carbon 780 mm
Seatpost BikeYoke REVIVE 185 mm
Weight 13.76 kg
Price € 6,749
| Size | S | M | L | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 405 mm | 440 mm | 455 mm | 475 mm | 520 mm |
| Top tube | 595 mm | 626 mm | 648 mm | 668 mm | 693 mm |
| Head tube | 110 mm | 120 mm | 130 mm | 140 mm | 150 mm |
| Head angle | 65.2° | 65.5° | 65.5° | 65.5° | 65.5° |
| Seat angle | 74.9° | 75.2° | 75.2° | 75.2° | 75.2° |
| Chainstays | 446 mm | 446 mm | 446 mm | 446 mm | 446 mm |
| BB Drop | 27 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,206 mm | 1,241 mm | 1,264 mm | 1,291 mm | 1,313 mm |
| Reach | 450 mm | 480 mm | 500 mm | 520 mm | 540 mm |
| Stack | 600 mm | 610 mm | 618 mm | 627 mm | 637 mm |
First business, then pleasure
The Stamina 140 and SATURN 14 were both given the chance to prove their trail capabilities on a number of long, torturous fire roads and technical climbs. The riding position of the NICOLAI is very sporty. The long frame and the relatively low front end generate lots of pressure on the front wheel but also shift your weight to your hands and arms. While this is uncomfortable and tiring on long sections between trails, it’s a true godsend on steep climbs, where the front wheel literally sticks to the ground. In direct comparison, the riding position on the Stamina 140 is less stretched. While the steep seat angle initially feels a little odd, it integrates you into the bike on steep sections. Like the NICOLAI, the Stamina 140 allows for a relaxed seated position even when pedalling up rough and technical sections. The geometry generates sufficient pressure on the front wheel and the suspension provides good traction on the rear wheel. In direct comparison, the Pole requires a little more effort and stronger calves due to it’s slightly heavier downhill oriented tires and wheels. However, the suspension platform on both bikes works efficiently when pedalling.
Trail bike or mini enduro?
Even though the geometries of the Stamina 140 and the SATURN 14 are similar on paper, the handling and downhill performance of the bikes is quite different. First, let’s see what they have in common. On both bikes, the riding position is nicely integrated between the big wheels with good freedom of movement due to the low-slung top tube and long frame. Both bikes feel well balanced, ensuring good cornering traction front and rear. The main difference is that the low front end of the NICOLAI offers easier handling on flat trails while the higher front end and slacker head angle of the Pole makes for easier cornering on steep trails. Unfortunately both bikes suffer from irritatingly loud chain slap on hard impacts and rough terrain – the chainstay protector and the Slapper Tape I used on my Pole didn’t seem to make any difference at all.
When the trail gets steep, rough and fast, the Pole Stamina 140 comes to life and can even keep up with most enduro bikes.
If you don’t drop directly down into the valley in a straight line, the NICOLAI comes out on top for riding more moderate trail sections. When carving corners and pumping through rollers, an active riding style will help you generate speed quickly. When pulling off ledges, the SATURN 14 provides more pop and support, which also makes it easier to lift off the ground. hort, nasty rock gardens and root carpets also feel a lot tamer on the nimble NICOLAI. The rear end of the SATURN 14 is very defined and gives good feedback, without feeling harsh. Unfortunately the FOX 34 fork can’t quite keep up with the rear and feels either too stiff or too sluggish, depending on the setting. The FIT4 damper lacks adjustment options and even after an intensive tuning session it couldn’t match the more efficient RockShox PIKE of the Pole.
On flowy trails the Pole Stamina 140 requires more Input to generate speed through compressions and landings. With its heavy Mavic Deemax downhill wheels, the Finnish aluminium beauty struggles to build up speed when accelerating out of berms and sprinting on flat transitions. Maintaining your speed on flat trails takes some serious skills and effort! However, when the trail gets rough, the suspension of the Stamina 140 comes to life and is unperturbed even by bigger rock gardens, root carpets and braking bumps – we ascribe this to the superb suspension tuning rather than the extra centimetre of travel. Whilst the Stamina 140 reacts more sensitively to small bumps and is marginally plusher, it nonetheless feels almost as defined and supportive as the stiffer SATURN 14.
Spontaneously changing your line or gapping obstacles? Despite its length, the NICOLAI SATURN 14 feels agile and nimble.
Once the trail gets steep and technical, the Pole feels in its element. It soon becomes evident that the Stamina 140 is the little brother of the Stamina 180 through and through, which means that it requires a lot of speed to fully reveal its strengths. The ‘little’ Stamina 140 deals with big drops, steep gullies and nasty rock gardens better than many longer travel enduro bikes. But even the NICOLAI SATURN 14 delivers an impressive performance on rough terrain. With its long frame, the SATURN runs smooth and inspires tons of confidence but also provides considerably more feedback than its Finnish counterpart. Additionally, while the NICOLAI inspires confidence on very rough terrain, it feels slower than the Pole Stamina 140, likely because of its somewhat more all purpose (rather than downhill focussed) build.
Totally rideable! Once you get used to the huge amounts of confidence both the Pole and the NICOLAI inspire, you won’t want to go back to short bikes again!
What should a trail bike be capable of?
A trail bike should be the perfect all-rounder. A bike you can ride on epic Alpine tours as well as fast after work laps on your home trails, as well as the odd bike park session on flowy trails. The Pole Stamina 140 can take a lot more than you might think and would survive most enduro races with dignity. Unfortunately, the downhill-oriented spec we tested and aggressive overall concept restrict its all-round capabilities. Despite its stiff chassis, the NICOLAI SATURN 14 punches well above its travel and inspires tons of confidence with its downhill-oriented geometry. However, it still retains the nimbleness and lively character typical of 130/140 mm trail bikes and delivers an impressive performance both on rough and flowy tracks.
Both the NICOLAI SATURN 14 and the Pole Stamina 140 are damn long and extremely fast trail bikes. On steep and technical terrain, the Stamina 140 keeps up with most dedicated enduro rigs but feels noticeably slower than the NICOLAI SATURN 14 on flowy trails, where it requires a lot more effort for sprints and jumps. Despite the long frame, both bikes cope well on technical and winding trails. As soon as the trail gets faster, both bikes feel in their element and deliver tons of fun! If this comparison were solely about speed, the Stamina 140 would come out on top. But since we’re talking about trail bikes, we’re looking for more than just all-round characteristics. What we’re really looking for is that, fun-factor! The SATURN 14 has tons of it and knows how to deliver it even on flat trails and with a conservative riding style without riding right on the limit at all times.
