Tarpon
05-24-2004, 10:57 AM
Yesterday my brother and I met up with Noel and Dave from Knolly Bikes (www.knollybikes.com) at Mt. Seymour (N. Vancouver BC) for a test ride of their new V-Tach freeride frame. In the past, both 006_007 and JimC have posted reviews on this frame, this time it was my turn to be the victim. Having gotten my left hand out of the cast it had been in for the past six weeks only two days prior I was a little reluctant to take the ride because I was not at full strength. Our test ride was the circuit of CBC, Corkscrew, Pingu, and Pangor.
The bike I rode was a medium setup with a Super T and a 24” rear wheel (made it a little slack but was not too noticeable). Having rained the previous two days the trails were a bit slippery, good thing the bikes were set up with sticky tires. The bike rode amazingly well, it is a very confidence inspiring ride. The handling characteristics are very good, you guide the bike where you want to go and it follows along without fuss or fright. Even though Noel says it is not the most plush bike out there I was really impressed at how well it soaked up the rough terrain. The rear linkage was very stiff in the lateral direction (not used to that in a four bar bike) and the front end was easy to get up. This bike put the Bullit that I had been riding to shame. Made it down CBC in good shape, I walked a number of spots, at the bottom my hand had taken enough of a beating and I split off from the group to take the easy way (the road) down.
Some of the features that I really liked about the bike were:
The +/-1 degree adjustment of head angle at the rear shock linkage
The sliding rear dropouts that let you fine tune the wheelbase
The full length seat tube
The absolute top notch build quality (and these were prototype frames)
The attention to detail throughout the design
The one thing that I did not like so much was the weight. At a little over 12lbs for the frame and rear shock it is no lightweight but it was not real noticeable on the trail.
Overall, Noel has put together an amazing bike and I think you will be hearing more about the V-Tach when they start rolling off the production line. I can hardly wait until my frame is ready, this is the victim part because after riding it I need to have one.
Thanks again for the ride guys.
Note: This review is my honest impression of the product written without the urging or participation of anyone connected to Knolly Bikes. The only thing I had to promise to take the test ride was not to hold them responsible if I was injured during the ride (i.e. the legal wavier mumbo-jumbo).
The bike I rode was a medium setup with a Super T and a 24” rear wheel (made it a little slack but was not too noticeable). Having rained the previous two days the trails were a bit slippery, good thing the bikes were set up with sticky tires. The bike rode amazingly well, it is a very confidence inspiring ride. The handling characteristics are very good, you guide the bike where you want to go and it follows along without fuss or fright. Even though Noel says it is not the most plush bike out there I was really impressed at how well it soaked up the rough terrain. The rear linkage was very stiff in the lateral direction (not used to that in a four bar bike) and the front end was easy to get up. This bike put the Bullit that I had been riding to shame. Made it down CBC in good shape, I walked a number of spots, at the bottom my hand had taken enough of a beating and I split off from the group to take the easy way (the road) down.
Some of the features that I really liked about the bike were:
The +/-1 degree adjustment of head angle at the rear shock linkage
The sliding rear dropouts that let you fine tune the wheelbase
The full length seat tube
The absolute top notch build quality (and these were prototype frames)
The attention to detail throughout the design
The one thing that I did not like so much was the weight. At a little over 12lbs for the frame and rear shock it is no lightweight but it was not real noticeable on the trail.
Overall, Noel has put together an amazing bike and I think you will be hearing more about the V-Tach when they start rolling off the production line. I can hardly wait until my frame is ready, this is the victim part because after riding it I need to have one.
Thanks again for the ride guys.
Note: This review is my honest impression of the product written without the urging or participation of anyone connected to Knolly Bikes. The only thing I had to promise to take the test ride was not to hold them responsible if I was injured during the ride (i.e. the legal wavier mumbo-jumbo).