Warden 2021 160 vs LT

PB Forum :: Knolly
Warden 2021 160 vs LT
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page
Author Message
flag Arty22
Posted: Oct 15, 2021 at 20:49 Quote
Hello,

Wanted to try asking, whether anyone here had a chance to try and compare new warden in 160 and long travel version ? And whether it feels more playful ?


I have ridden 2016 Ali warden, 2018 carbon warden and now riding warden LT for about a year

All above were size large and for the most, really great bikes. Only switched to newer one out of curiosity and to get bit more stability and control on steep runs.

Bike is much longer on paper, but doesn't feel overwhelming when riding at all, apart for front wheel lift control at slow speeds - I can't get the hang of it on this bike.

To the point Iam scared of riding some features I was generally comfortable with before. And now Iam often skipping them, even after almost a year on this frame.

I've made several adjustments in setup to improve this, which helped a bit.

Last thing Iam considering is decreasing travel on the shock to 160 (rs deluxe ultimate with megneg). Maybe slight difference, but theoretically should be more playful.

For anyone who tried both or went other direction, did you notice the difference in this regard ?

They build 3 different setups around the same frame, so Ian hoping it's for a reason.


Thanks
flag Eddie17007
Posted: Nov 3, 2021 at 10:30 Quote
Arty22 wrote:
Hello,

Wanted to try asking, whether anyone here had a chance to try and compare new warden in 160 and long travel version ? And whether it feels more playful ?


I have ridden 2016 Ali warden, 2018 carbon warden and now riding warden LT for about a year

All above were size large and for the most, really great bikes. Only switched to newer one out of curiosity and to get bit more stability and control on steep runs.

Bike is much longer on paper, but doesn't feel overwhelming when riding at all, apart for front wheel lift control at slow speeds - I can't get the hang of it on this bike.

To the point Iam scared of riding some features I was generally comfortable with before. And now Iam often skipping them, even after almost a year on this frame.

I've made several adjustments in setup to improve this, which helped a bit.

Last thing Iam considering is decreasing travel on the shock to 160 (rs deluxe ultimate with megneg). Maybe slight difference, but theoretically should be more playful.

For anyone who tried both or went other direction, did you notice the difference in this regard ?

They build 3 different setups around the same frame, so Ian hoping it's for a reason.


Thanks

I have not ridden the 160 warden, but I just got a 167 (LT) warden off jenson. It is a GREAT bike. suprisingly light, the 27.5 wheels are a lot of fun. Great suspension, and not crazy slack like some of these other bikes out there. But to answer the question, If you are wanting to ride big stuff, definently go with the bigger bike. but if you want a slightly more playful bike, go with the 160. hope this helps.
flag vonroder77
O+
Posted: Jan 9, 2022 at 21:11 Quote
I have ridden the Warden V2 in all three travel lengths and left it at 168mm. The 160 is great, you just run a little higher shock pressure and it ramps up faster. Climbing performance is not really a noticeable difference between 160 and 168mm travel. There is a bigger feel in fork travel and axle to crown height, i.e a fox 36, 160mm vs a fox 38 170mm.

If you go with the 2021 Fox float x2 rear shock you can adjust the stroke internally between 65, 62.5 and 60mm in about 5 minutes. Giving you an option to try all three travel options 160, 168 and 175mm to see what you prefer. If you go with a Dhx2 coil it's just an external spacer you bolt on that takes about 2 minutes. Again, I tried all three travel settings and ended up at 168mm travel. The Mrp progressive spring on the Warden is awesome by the way.

If you go with Fox suspension you can get away with running faster Highspeed rebound than what Fox recommends without getting bucked. The bike really comes alive in high-speed chunk and pops really well this way. Winter wet roots just slow it down a click or two and you are good to go.

The Warden is super progressive and encourages you to hit stuff. 160mm was good but with the bottomless progressive feel I started riding more carefree and having fun and hitting bigger lines, jumping to flat etc. the 168 was the perfect balance for me.

Hope that helps a little
cheers
flag islandforlife
Posted: Jan 17, 2022 at 15:11 Quote
I had the 160 version with a 170 fork and then mulleted it (kept adjustable geo in neutral and put a 160mm 29r fork on the front). That was a really fun bike. I'm 5'11" and bought a medium (coming from a Large Fugitive LT) because the 500mm reach scared me away from the size large. It was too small though... I didn't take into account how short the headtube was as well as how low 27.5 stack heights are compared with 29r bikes. I'm now on a size Large Chilcotin (160mm) and love it.

Couple notes... on my Chilcotin I was having a similar issue... so I swapped my 50mm stem for a 35mm and it was like I lit a fire under that bike... nothing could me back on that sweet sweet machine!! Actually, it's for sale right now and my size large Fugitive 138 arrives very soon! (https://www.pinkbike.com/u/islandforlife/buysell/)

Also, Knolly's have really short head tubes which allow a lot of effective reach customization through use of spacers and stack height. It may seem counter-intuitive but if you add 10mm of spacers under your stem (not knowing how much you have now), it will shrink your effective reach as well as give you a better leverage angle... that in itself may get you to where you need to be... especially on the Warden which has quite a short stack height.

Play with spacers or maybe a shorter stem if you already have quite a few spacers. End of the day, I don't think playing with the rear travel will have much affect on your issue.

But if you really want to try it... depending on your shock, you just need to remove the two 2.5mm spacers or one 5mm spacer to make it a 205x65, vs your current 205x60.
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.008437
Mobile Version of Website