Yeah and let's not forget the cost (in "money") of buying off the government to allow you to break the law and continue doing business/making money... Monsanto anyone???
to deserve money you should work. and no one deserves to much money... there are people working 18 hours a day for a dollar. people think they deserve respect because they have loads of money. but they r wrong.
These are beautiful! I have a new Knolly Podium, and these chilcotins are just beasts... If u are unsure what AM bike to buy, dont think twice, the chicotin is far nicer, far less mainstream bike than any other bike u can find..
Look a little closer. He rides for Hope now, not Hayes. After riding his bike today, I would consider riding SR Suntour, considering how shitty my 2013 Fox 34 CTD dampening feels. Sure his forks may not have kashima, but at least you can tune them and not be stuck with what Fox thinks feels good. Just my 2 cents...
Are the chilcotin really that great? I live in switzerland and that's not the kind of bike you often see here... or have the possibility to test... (sic) They are probably expensive too.
i just sold my 2012 knolly Chilcotin. I was a Great bike going downhill. It wasnt a great climber. Shuttle runs that you will have to pedal a little on it is great for. I had some issues with the bike and it wasnt very refined(check mtbr knolly forum). If you want a esoteric bike like a Chilcotin buy a 5 spot or a pivot(firebird or 5.7). Otherwise leave aluminum behind a buy a carbon enduro or nomad for the price you will pay for an aluminum Chilcotin. Noel has a great vision for Knolly and they are making the new rear linkage for the 2013 Knolly Chilcotin available to customers who bought one in 2012. The endorphin is a sick bike and once they make the jump to carbon i feel they will have a real competitive bike.
I find it a really really good climber. I've had a pivot mach 5 and the chilcotin climbs better.
Not sure what norcal77 means by not refined. I bash the crap out of it and it's held up bloody well.
Really well made fun bike!
I'm also a Chilcotin owner and it is one of the most capable AM bikes I've ever ridden, going up or down. Sure there is a bit of a weight and efficiency penalty on the climbs, but this is not an XC race bike. It climbs extremely well for what it is, especially in technical terrain. Not sure how anyone could tag this bike as "unrefined" - Knolly's frames are works of art.
vonKernen - For the types of riding you have in the Alps, it would be a rad bike for sure. I've had mine a year and a half and I'm still blown away at the steeps and jumps I can ride on this bike (and pedal for hours as well). Mine is built at 32-33 lbs., so it's not a featherweight, but it's damn versatile. There's tons of good bikes these days, but the Chilcotin is definitely a solid choice.
I ride with a bloke who had a crack appear in his chicotin's chainstay after 2 months... but fair play to Knolly, they shipped a new one over to the UK off there own back and offered to pay any fitment costs