Bike check – Slawomir Lukasik's NS Bikes Define 150

Slawomir Lukasik was the surprise of the 2021 Enduro World Series. Aboard his NS Bikes Define 150, the shooting star was the fastest privateer of the season. We met with him in Finale Ligure and took a closer look at his bike.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 002 1140x760 — Slawomir Lukasik’s enduro race bike: NS Bikes Define 150 in size L with a 160 mm fork and 29″ wheels.

Slawomir Lukasik, aka Łukson, has had a damn good season. In the 2021 Enduro World Series, the privateer finished in a very respectable 11th place overall, leaving many pro riders behind, even though a new route marking saw him get disqualified at the last race in Scotland. The fourth place in Crans Montana was his best EWS result so far. All-rounder Łukson is a 12-time Polish downhill champion and this year’s Polish enduro and pump track champion. He is also a former European downhill champion, and his best result at the Downhill World Cup was 16th place in Lenzerheide in 2017. His goal is to achieve a consistent top 10 placement at the EWS.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 004 1140x760 — Slawomir Lukasik aka Łukson | Born in 1993 | Nationality: Polish | Height: 1.85 m | Weight: 85 kg

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 001 1140x760 — Slawomir, aka Łukson, being interviewed by the “Pope of Enduro”, Enrico Guala, at the start in Finale Ligure. Łukson finished the race in 8th place, making him the fastest privateer.

Sponsoring:

For a privateer, the time and money required for an entire EWS season shouldn’t be underestimated. They must get to the individual events all by themselves, without a racing team or a well-known bike sponsor supporting them. Due to the pandemic, Łukson benefited from the fact that the 2021 EWS venues were all in Europe. He receives a small amount of financial support from NS Bikes, helping him cover a part of his travel expenses. The Polish distributors of Öhlins, GALFER Brakes and MAXXIS support him with products, though Łukson has to buy the rest of the components himself. He gets the bulk of his financial support from his girlfriend, and his parents let him live under their roof for free.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 023 1140x760 — Łukson runs a 180 mm OneUp Components dropper post, giving him plenty of freedom of movement on the bike.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 017 600x400 — For the handlebar, Łukson has a 760 mm wide aluminium Renthal FatBar mounted to his NS Bikes.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 021 600x400 — Combined with the handlebar is a 33 mm Renthal Apex35 stem.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 014 1140x760 — For the demands of EWS racing, Łukson relies on Öhlins suspension and DT Swiss wheels. Up front, he’s got a 160 mm travel Öhlins RXF 36 M2 Air fork. His bike rolls on DT Swiss EX 511 wheels with MAXXIS Minion DHR II tires both front and rear.

Łukson doesn’t use volume spacers in his fork. The Öhlins RXF36 M.2 fork uses three chambers: one conventional positive and one negative chamber, connected via a transfer port to balance the pressures, and a third ramp chamber, with which you can adjust the fork’s progression. In the main chamber (positive and negative), Łukson runs a pressure of 125 psi, with a pressure of 220 psi in the ramp chamber.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 012 1140x760 — Łukson relies on an Öhlins TTX22 coil shock with a 434 coil.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 007 600x400 — A Mozartt Presto chain guide keeps the KMC chain securely on the 34 tooth SRAM chainring.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 006 600x400 — Łukson has a pair of Crankbrothers Mallet E clipless pedals mounted to the SRAM X01 Eagle DUB crankset with a crank length of 170 mm.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 009 600x400 — The SRAM GX derailleur on Łukson’s NS Bikes is paired with a 10–52 tooth SRAM XX1 cassette. You will find everything you need to know about the 2021 SRAM GX Eagle and its 520 % range in our review here.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 018 600x400 — Spanish-German cooperation: Łukson relies on Spanish brand GALFER for his brake pads and 203 mm rotors on the front and rear, combined with Magura’s four-piston MT 7 brakes.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 015 1140x760 — For the cockpit, Łukson chooses DMR Deathgrip grips and MAGURA MT7 Pro brake levers.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 011 600x400 — Providing grip at the rear is a MAXXIS DHR II tire with a pressure of 1.5 bar (22 psi). The same tire maintains contact with the ground up front with a pressure of 1.3 bar (19 psi). For more information about MAXXIS tires and our recommendations regarding them, you will find everything you need to know in our MAXXIS mountain bike tire review.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 010 600x400 — The green tubeless valve indicates that Łukson relies on CushCore tire inserts.

ENDURO Slawomir Lukasik Bike check 2021 013 1140x760 — The way the CO2 cartridges and Lezyne adapter are attached to the bike is a bit unorthodox, though no less effective.

Slawomir Lukasik had an excellent 2021 EWS season. As such, we strongly doubt that he will still be riding as a privateer at the opening leg of the EWS in the Tweed Valley come spring next year. We wish him all the best for next season. You can follow Slawomir on Instagram @s_lukasick.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.

Words & Photos: Manne Schmitt