Knolly Warden Bike Check

I am always stoked on riding new bikes, and riding in new places. What I love most about mountain biking is that little-kid-level of stoke never seems to go away. 2016 marks a rather big milestone in my riding for a couple reasons. First and foremost, I just finished building a brand new steed, which I am in love with more than ever, as usual. I put a lot of thought into each component I chose for the build and I've gotta say, having just completed the final finishing touches, I am pretty happy. My Knolly Warden frame is outfitted with the oh-so-beautiful Industry Nine Enduro wheelset, a Fox 36 RC2 fork, and of course a kickass Deity cockpit. The second reason for my 2016 enthusiasm is that I have just moved to ColoRADo. While spring is still a bit cold and the big alpine trails are still covered in snow, that little kid stoke for riding new trails is keeping me up at night, impatiently waiting for the summer months. It's gonna be a pretty rad year. So here is a little glimpse into what I've been up to in my garage for the past couple weekends...


2016 Knolly Warden


The typical trail bike features are all present: I'll be running the new 11-42 Shimano XT 1X11 drivetrain. Raceface Turbine cranks with a 32T NW ring (although that might get bumbed up to 34 or 36 for some races). A RockShox Reverb post. For the brakes I chose XT levers in order to get the I-Spec II compatibility I wanted to match the brake/shifter on the bars. I paired these with 4-piston Shimano Saint calipers and hoses to maintain good braking temperatures on sustained descents.



Deity cockpit: Blacklabel 25 bars, Cavity 35 stem, Classic grips


MRP AMg (V1) chainguide and bashgaurd combo


RockShox Reverb right-hand remote mounted as a left-hand under-bar setup


Deity Pinner saddle


Suspension setup is a huge part of any ride, and just like everyone else, I've got my opinions about what's best for the trail. For starters, I like steep trails so I don't like steep head tube angles. I chose the slack setting on the Warden which leaves the front end at a 65.5 degree angle.

Also, I like a very progressive spring rate both up front and in back, so I reduce the hell out of any air volume that I can. 'Graceful' and 'smooth' are not words that anyone has ever used to describe my riding style, so when I'm charging in the rough stuff, I like to know that I've always got a little travel left when I need it. I cram all of the spacers I can into my Fox 36. For the Cane Creek Double Barrel, I made my own spacer out of some leftover tool drawer lining material. Simply remove the shock from the frame, slide the air can off, and cut a piece of the black rubbery stuff to fit just right in the air chamber.



Homemade volume reducer, from some tool drawer liner material





Volume spacers headed into my Fox 36


Industry Nine Enduro wheels, Saint calipers, XT 11-42 Cassette


3M Paint Protection Film on the downtube to protect from rock strikes


3M Paint Protection Film on the chain and seat stays to protect from shoe rub


Cane Creek Double Barrel in the slack setting (for a 65.5 head angle)



3M Paint Protection Film on the seat stay to protect from shoe rub


Industry Nine Enduro wheels and Saint calipers


Left: Original cable guides. Right: Filed down to fit over-sized Saint hoses.


Left: Original cable guides. Right: Filed down to fit over-sized Saint hoses.


Left: Original cable guides. Right: Filed down to fit over-sized Saint hoses.


Prior to the cable guides being filed down to fit the over-sized Saint hoses.


Cable guides filed down to fit the over-sized Saint hoses.



Cable organization


Ready to shred


2016 races I'll be heading to include the Yeti Big Mountain Enduro Series, the Scott Enduro Cup, and hopefully I'll make it back east for one or two of the West Virginia Enduro Series.

A huge thanks to all of my 2016 support: Knolly Bikes, Industry Nine Componentry, Deity Components, and Fox Racing!


Cheers,

Isaac Miller