Knolly Warden - Review

Knolly's 150mm travel Warden rolls on 650B wheels and, to be completely honest, I was a little apprehensive about that fact. You might expect us to say that bigger wheels are better, but their 26" Endorphin impressed me so much when I reviewed it last year that I did my best to hold onto the day-glo bike for as long as possible. The Warden that's reviewed here sports an extra 10mm of travel and larger hoops, but its geometry is somewhat similar to the Endorphin. There is also the fact that the bike is also unmistakably a Knolly: aluminum tubing, mostly external cable routing, that now familiar 'Four by 4' linkage, and sensible construction that includes replaceable ISCG 05 tabs, a threaded bottom bracket shell, and a pinch bolt 12 x 142mm axle. As always, Knolly's bikes are more about long term durability and function rather than whatever the latest trend may be telling you what you need to have fun. Knolly through and through. Our high-end SRAM build kit is combo'd with a RockShox Pike up front and Cane Creek's DBair CS shock, adding up to a $6,841 USD price tag, but the frame and same shock can be had for $2,795 USD should you want to assemble it how you see fit.







While I might not call the Warden sleek looking, it does have a unique appearance that has grown on me over the many months that I've had it in my stable, and I'd say that it's more bruiser than streamlined. Cables are all strung externally, save for the option of routing the seat post's line within the frame, and Knolly has built-in a couple of clever options that allow for some flexibility should you find yourself making wholesale changes in the drivetrain department: not only is the multi-position front derailleur mount removable, the bike's ISCG 05 chain guide tabs can also be replaced or taken off entirely if they're not needed. Just as with Knolly's other machines, tire clearance on the back of the Warden is exceptional. Want to install some big 2.5" rubber for your upcoming day in the bike park? Go right ahead. There is also a standard pinch bolt arrangement keeping the bike's 12 x 142mm axle in place that, although requiring both 4mm and 6mm hex keys, looks burly enough to never have me worrying about it coming loose.

Specifications Release Date 2014 Price $6841 Travel 150 Rear Shock Cane Creek DBair CS Fork Rock Shox PIKE RCT3 160mm Headset Cane Creek "40" series - ZS44 upper / ZS56 lower Cassette SRAM X01 11 speed Crankarms Race Face NEXT SL w/ 30t ring Rear Derailleur SRAM X01, 11 speed Chain SRAM X01 Shifter Pods SRAM X01, 11 speed Handlebar Race Face NEXT '35' - 760mm Stem Race Face Atlas '35' - 65mm Grips Lizard Skins Knolly Charger Brakes Shimano XT - 180/180 rotor Hubs Stan's 3.30HD Rim Stan's Flow EX Tires Maxxis Minion 27.5x2.3 DHF / DHR II Seat Chromag Lynx DT Seatpost KS LEV Integra Compare to other All Mountain/Enduro/XC

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Climbing

There seems to be a bit of a competition to see who can make the longest and slackest mid-travel bike these days, which is all well and good if you believe that your sole mission come the weekend is to crush the downs, but there are still a few hardy few out there who take an equal amount of pride from scaling the impossible. Images of Knolly sender James Doerfling launching over chasms come to mind when one thinks of the Canadian company, but the 150mm travel Warden seems to have been penned for those riders mentioned previously, with it managing to claw its way up vertical tests like purpose-built rock crawler. That's not to say that the bike can't be ridden down the gnar or over said chasms - more on that below - just that I was surprised by what I managed to get up when aboard the black Knolly. I shouldn't have been, though, because the 26" wheeled Endorphin behaved in the same manner. ''In fact, the trickier the climb, the better it performs, with great traction on hand that seems to search out any available bite,'' were my words when I reviewed the Endo last August. ''Rear wheel spin was near nonexistent so long as I had the slightest bit of form, even when I was flailing up a stepped pitch that did its best to make my life difficult, and that fact always seemed to keep the bike moving forwards rather than stalling out.'' The Warden's chain stays are just 4mm longer than what the Endo sports, and the bike's larger diameter wheels give it a slightly better roll-over abilities on rough, stepped climbs, putting any failed attempts squarely on a lack of fitness or handling skills.
The Warden's ability to channel Spider-Man has a lot to do with how compact it feels when the switchbacks begin to seem like another is starting before you're out of the last one, and the lack of a travel-adjust fork never held the bike back - get used to how it handles and get on with it. And even though the bike grew in length by just a hair under an inch compared to the Endo, I still had the distinct impression of knowing precisely where its rear wheel was in such terrain. That's not something that can be said about a lot of the current crop of mid-travel bikes, so it was a nice change to literally be able to breeze up things that troubled machines who think it's only about the downs. Newsflash: there's mountain biking to be done, and that very often means climbs that are even more challenging than the downs that follow. With the Cane Creek DBair CS shock, meaty tires that can be aired down low enough to barely register on a gauge, and a stubby rear end that delivers traction to you on a platter, the Warden seems to be tailor made for just that sort of riding. I'm not going to go lightly here: the Warden is probably the best 150mm travel bike that I've been on when talking about technical climbing.


I believe that it makes a hell of a lot of sense to tailor your equipment to your weakness, which is actually the exact opposite of how so many people think when considering their next bike. Do you climb like the space shuttle but descend like a European in white bib shorts? Then consider getting yourself something big, slack, and more forgiving because you'll still be able to get it up pitches that your buddies struggle with on their cross-country bikes. Conversely, if you stumble on technical climbs you should seriously consider a bike that will make the most of what skills you do have. The Warden can do precisely that, taking you from zero to hero so long as you can turn the cranks over and keep it pointed in the right direction - it's that good.




Downhill / Technical Riding

All that rambling about the Warden's technical climbing prowess shouldn't out-shadow how much fun it is when you point it in the opposite direction. Remember what I said about the pendulum swinging towards bigger and badder mid-travel bikes? Add a few inches to the wheelbase, subtract a few degrees from the head angle, and viola, you have a bike that only works when you unleash the beast on truly beastly terrain. Those same bikes often leave me a bit deflated when I'm looking for fun rather than fear, but the Warden has an entirely different sort of character. Rigs likes this are purpose built to make you forget about your shitty day at work, your loud kids, and your spouse yelling at you for buying this exact bike. (edited: a previous version of this story contained an inappropriate comment) It's nice how things can balance out like that when you make the having fun a priority, which is exactly what Knolly have done with the Warden, and they've done such a good job that it's going to take a four foot diameter cedar tree to wipe the smile off of your face. I found myself with the front wheel off the deck for long periods of time, first just to manual out of necessity, but then because it just felt like the right thing to. It feels good, very much like when you put your spare change in that little plastic box beside the cash register at the grocery store that supposedly goes towards summer camp for blind children. Yes, like that but actually a bit more rewarding.

The Warden is impressively capable when the trail gets slow and techy, and its lively personality lets you pop around for more than just shits and giggles, but also to get you through tricky sections when it's time to do work. It feels like quite a sharp handling bike when the speeds drop, and while that sort of attribute doesn't add up to bucket loads of confidence when it gets fast enough to make you take note of your exposed knees and half-shell helmet, it does mean that you can thread your way through some seriously tangled bits of singletrack. Handling certainly feels like it airs on the quicker side of things for 150mm travel bikes, but that's what makes the Warden what it is.



Drawbacks? No bike is perfect, of course, and the Warden isn't the exception to that rule. Relative to other bikes with 150mm of travel and similar angles, the black Knolly felt a bit less confidence inspiring when the speeds picked up and momentum means that you you're going to stop a good twenty feet later than where you might want to. It's not as if I was being held back, however, but just that I've certainly felt more stable on other bikes of similar travel. Truth be told, this likely isn't going to be notable to most unless you've ridden a good cross section of 150mm bikes - get off your spindly trail bike and the Warden is going to feel like a rock and root eating monster that can't be fulfilled, regardless of my hesitations stated above. Knolly was also smart enough to spec the go-to combo of a Pike and a Cane Creek DBair CS, a one-two punch that's pretty hard to beat when it comes to suspension to bolt onto your all-mountain machine. I know there's politics, pricing, and promises involved when it comes to spec'ing a stock bike, but, at least at this point in time, there's no beating this fusion of ground levelling awesomeness. So, take what feels like factory-level suspension, add a dash of sharp-ish handling, then let a skilled rider hold the cake mixer and you'll end up with quite the sweet package. That said, there are more capable machines if you're looking for an all-out enduro race rig and elapsed time is more important to you than smiles, but those same bikes lack that special bit of friskiness that makes the Warden so much fun.



Technical Report

• Oh man, another bike with KS' LEV Integra and another bike with a dropper seat post that quit working for us. There's a lot to like about the Integra: travel that can be positioned anywhere in its 150mm of stroke, the best remote in the biz, and internal routing that makes for an ultra-clean look. All that is for nothing if KS can't make it reliable enough to last a weekend, though, which sums up the Integra on the Warden, with it not being able to be locked into the height that I wanted. The post depends on housing tension - not cable tension like other designs - to function, and I had nothing but trouble when trying to get it spot-on. I ended up swapping it out for an externally routed LEV from KS (pictured on our test bike) and had zero issues with the replacement.

• Knolly made a smart choice by spec'ing Shimano's XT stoppers - they're powerful, firm at the lever, and very reliable. If I had to ding them for anything it would have to be their on/off modulation that can make them feel a bit touchy in low-traction conditions. Regardless, the XTs are a no-brainer if you're looking for buckets of power and durability.



• SRAM's 11spd cassette, chain, and derailleur have been mixed with Race Face's NEXT SL carbon cranks and direct mount N/W chain ring to create a setup that is actually lighter than a full SRAM drivetrain, but does it function as well? You bet. Zero issues to report, and I am a big fan of the bike's hybrid drivetrain.

• So many bikes come spec'd with tires that seem to be geared more towards rolling speed than out and out traction, which is completely silly if you ask me. Knolly must think so as well because they've installed some burly Maxxis Minions on the front and back of the Warden that are all about grabbing ahold of dirt, roots, and rocks. This is a very good thing.




Pinkbike's Take:

www.knollybikes.com