Following briskly on the all-mountain heels of the Helius AC, German brand Nicolai has now added a sturdier addition to its range, the Helius AFR.

As you can probably surmise from the name, it's designed for “All Freeride,” which means; it says here, that it's the perfect bike for any riding that comes within sniffing distance of bike parks, gaps, steps, jumps and long Alpine descents. Anything basically that's a bit meaty for the AC. There's 7-8in (175-197mm) of travel on tap within the stunningly welded frame.

Geometry has been designed around a 7in fork, and Nicolai adds that they've “made the seat tube offset and slack allowing you to drop the seat forward and out of the way for the descent without sacrificing a good riding position when the saddle is up (seat tube is 30.9 for Joplin compatibility). The Helius AFR takes the best aspects of both the Helius FR and ST to give a thoroughbred fun bike.”

Frame weight is 8lbs (3.5kg) with a Maxle compatible rear end and it'll take SRAM's Hammerschmidt. It's handmade in Germany, there's a five year warranty and a huge palette of colours to choose from.

Available now the Helius AFR will cost £1600.

More at www.nicolai-uk.com