NS Bikes has reshaped their affordable Nerd full-suspension mountain bike range for 2020, growing its number of family members so there’s a bike for riders of all ages. From the long-travel Nerd HD that’s happy to shred the bike park, to the enduro all-rounder Lite, the teen trail-ready 27.5 Mini, to the 24″-wheeled JR youth singletrack shredder, NS brings modern new school geometry to every mountain biker in your household.
2020 NS Nerds, alloy enduro bikes for the whole family
The full-suspension NS Nerd bikes were developed for simple, straightforward trail fun with alloy frames & quality components chosen to balance strength & light weight. From 24″ to 29″ wheels each gets its own single-pivot, linkage driven 6061 aluminum frame with suspension travel scaled according to wheelsize. Four bikes now fill out the range: the long-travel mullet Nerd HD, the aggressive 29er trail Nerd Lite, the inbetweener 27.5″ Nerd Mini, and the proper kids’ shredder Nerd JR.
NS Nerd HD 29/27.5″ mullet enduro mountain bike
The Nerd HD is the biggest of the bunch, with a unique combination of 160mm of fork travel paired a whopping 180mm of rear wheel travel. That works out since this is a mullet bike, matching shorter travel up front to the big 29″ wheel that rolls over everything and the longer rear travel to a smaller 27.5″ wheel for a playful feel and seemingly bottomless suspension.
Like all the Nerds, the HD gets a beefy single-pivot alloy frame with a forged linkage-driven shock and modern aggressive long, low & slack enduro geometry.
The custom formed 6061-T6 HD features Boost spacing, three oversized Max bearings in the pain pivot, a tapered headtube, internal & external routing options including 31.6mm dropper post routing, a BSA bottom bracket & ISCG tabs, and rear wheel clearance for 27.5 x 2.6″ tires.
The single 2300€ Nerd HD complete gets built up with an affordable component mix, Pairing X-Fusion suspension to a Shimano SLX 1×10 drivetrain & SRAM Level brakes to come in at a weight of 14.9kg.
A separate Nerd HD frameset is also available with a Fox DPX2 Performance air shock for 1700€ (claimed 3.1kg frame weight without shock or rear thru-axle.)
NS Nerd Lite trail bike
Back in the middle of the trail, the Nerd Lite is the aggressive singletrack shredder. The 29er gets 120mm of rear wheel travel with 130mm up front and modern geometry designed to descend as well as it can climb. The 14kg 2370€ Lite gets a Manitou suspension spec, plus a SRAM NX Eagle 1×12 to keep costs down but versatility up.
A 2.9kg frameset is also available for 1600€ with a Fox Float DPS EVOL Performance air shock if you want to spec your own complete trail build.
NS Nerd Mini youth 27.5″
For those younger or smaller riders, not quite tall enough for most modern trail bikes, the NS Nerd Mini is a full-sized 27.5″-wheeled trail bike with the same travel as the Lite, just scaled down to a smaller size. The 120/130mm Nerd Mini is by no means a kids’ bike, getting essentially the same spec & 2370€ pricetag as the larger trail bike, while shaving a half a kilo of the complete for smaller riders stuck in between kids & adult trail bike sizing.
NS Nerd JR 24″ kids all-mountain trail bike
Now let’s talk killer kids’ bike. The Nerd JR is one of the most capable mountain bikes we’ve seen specifically designed for the younger rider. Spec’d out with 120mm of travel front & rear and the same suspension design as the bigger Nerds, the JR is designed to grow with the young mountain biker thanks to a 26″ fork and plenty of room in the chainstays.
Start with the stock 24″ wheels for riders from as early as 6-8 years old (125-135cm/49-55″ tall), then when the young rider grows, the Nerd JR can grow with them. Swap in the included offset shock bushings and throw a set of 26″ wheels in, to update the geometry with a slackened head angle and lower BB relative to the axles.
Not only does the bike get the better rollover of the bigger wheels, but the ride becomes even more trail-ready – perfect for the growing mountain biker who’s probably starting to ride faster & more aggressively at the same time. NS likens it to the same feeling you got when you upgraded from a 26″ to 29er mountain bike. Developed by NS Bikes founder Szymon Kobylinski, tested & proven by his son.
The 1800€ Nerd Jr gets a Manitou & Suntour air suspension with lightweight, kid-specific tunes, plus an affordable Shimano 1×10 speed drivetrain & Shimano hydro disc brakes, coming to a total 13kg bike weight. The complete bike doesn’t include one, but NS built the frame to be ready for a stealth dropper post as an upgrade down the road.
The new 2020 Nerds are already available through NS dealers across Europe. No word if and when they will make it over to the US distribution yet.
