Two Brands. One Project.
Since 2024, NICOLAI and Swiss manufacturer GAMUX have jointly supported the AON Racing Team. GAMUX supplies the team’s Sego downhill bike, while NICOLAI provides the G1 GPI enduro race bike and the S16 MGU training bike. This shared commitment led to closer collaboration between the two brands – and ultimately to the idea for a joint project: the NICOLAI R20 MGU AON Edition.
Technically, the project brings together two distinct development paths. With the Sego, GAMUX contributes a current World Cup downhill bike – the same platform on which Reece Wilson recently took second place at the 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup in Pal Arinsal. CNC-machined entirely from 7075 aluminium, the Sego combines a high-pivot suspension layout with a Pinion gearbox and Gates Carbon Drive. NICOLAI, meanwhile, brings many years of experience with gearbox and belt-drive systems in mountain
bikes NICOLAI, meanwhile, brings many years of experience with gearbox and belt-drive systems in mountain
bikes.
NICOLAI, meanwhile, brings many years of experience with gearbox and belt-drive systems in mountain bikes. Back in 2007, NICOLAI introduced the Gates Carbon Drive as Gates’ exclusive development partner for mountain-bike applications and later became one of the first manufacturers to integrate the Pinion Motor.Gearbox.Unit into a performance-focused e-enduro platform with the S16 MGU.
NICOLAI and GAMUX also share a similar philosophy: both companies develop and manufacture with a high degree of technical independence, allowing decisions to be translated quickly and directly into real components and technologies. That freedom creates room for projects that do not originate from a conventional product brief or market requirement, but from a technical challenge and the opportunity to solve it without compromise.
Downhill. No Lift. No Shuttle.
The R20 MGU AON Edition is not meant to be rational, nor does it aim to compromise or define a new category. It is the focused execution of a very specific idea: What happens when you equip a proper downhill bike with an e-drive system so it can get back to the start of the next descent under its own power?
For the R20 MGU AON Edition, the CNC-machined 7075 aluminium rear end, geometry and kinematics of the GAMUX Sego were carried over. NICOLAI developed a dedicated main-frame construction around it, integrating the Pinion Motor.Gearbox.Unit and Gates Carbon Drive. The result combines the Sego’s downhill specific suspension and geometry platform with a frame architecture developed specifically around the MGU.
The R20 MGU AON Edition also closely follows the spec of the official AON Racing bikes. Suspension, brakes, wheels, tyres and numerous other components come from the same partners the team relies on in the UCI Downhill World Cup. This includes the Manitou Dorado Pro LTD USD fork, supplied for the R20 in an exclusive silver-anodized finish.
The R20’s high-pivot suspension uses a single-pivot layout with a linkage-driven shock and delivers 200 mm of rear-wheel travel. As the suspension compresses, the rear wheel initially moves rearward and upward, allowing it to react more easily to impacts. Particularly on technical descents and through repeated high speed hits, this layout helps keep the bike controlled and predictable.