05/11/2008

Mountain bikers are a crafty, resourceful lot.  These traits are exemplified by the likes of Noel Buckley, founder and name-sake of Knolly Bikes.  When Noel found that there were no bikes available that did the things that he wanted from a big Shore rig, he went out, designed and built his own.  The V-Tach was born….

The build by the numbers
Though Knolly Bikes will provide this frame for the proud new owner to build as they see fit, they also put some thought into spec’ing a build package that suits the design and the intended usage.  Noel gave me a choice of componentry, but was at the ready with suggestions. 

The V-Tach - Brand spankin' new but soon to be abused || Photo: Mark Steinebach

The frame was a medium decked out in red metallic powdercoat brandishing new-school minimalist Knolly graphics.  Geometry provides for a standover of 29.5", which is a little tall but low enough to be nard-friendly.  At a relatively tall 14.75", the bottom bracket height will minimize pedal smash.  Head tube angle is adjustable between 66° and 68°.  A wheel base of 44.6" adjustable up to 21mm at the chainstays allows this rig to straddle the fence between freeride and full-on DH. The slack seat tube angle of 62° and the relatively short effective top tube length ensures that when the seat is down, it will be out of the way and while fully extended you will get a more XC-type pedalling experience. 

Rear suspension travel comes in at 7.6-7.9" depending upon how the chainstay and bottom bracket height adjustments are setup.  At 12.7 lbs., the frame is solidly in the big-bike camp.  A 1.5" head tube ensures that those wanting to boost big and lay down phat x-ups will be able be set up with a long-travel single-crown fork.  A replaceable derailleur hanger is a must that I put to the test on my first ride.

Suspension duties on my ride were provided by a Manitou Travis single crown with Intrinsic damping and a Fox DHX 5.0 keeping the rear wheel planted.  Power train was a mix of Shimano XT front and SRAM X-9 rear derailleurs.  Race Face Diabolus components filled the needs at the bottom bracket, cranks, seat post, bars and stem.  An FSA headset was mounted to keep the 1.5 steerer doing its thing.  An E.13 guide was to keep the chain behaving.  Initial set-up saw a set of DT Swiss 6.1D wheels with DT Swiss hubs mounted with Big Earl 2.5 tires in place.  The nod was given to Magura Louise FR stoppers for braking duties.  Axiom Road Gap flatties and a WTB saddle rounded out the build.  The only changes to the initial build was a conversion to tubeless from regular tubed tires (I do hate those tubes) and a cut down of the bars from a wide 28.5" inches to a more trail-friendly 26.5".

First impressions
This bike is like nothing that you will have seen before.  The initial impression is that you are looking at a 4-bar link suspension; you will soon do a double take.  The uninterrupted seat post and the uber-tech build of the adjustable 4x4 linkage draws you in for a closer look.  Solid, bombproof and overbuilt are words that come to mind when you look at the linkage construct.  A beefy build will ensure that the V-Tach will not go south when you need it most and makes any hint of lateral flex a mere figment of your imagination.  Sealed bearings everywhere keeps things moving smoothly. Crafty engineering conjured by Noel Buckley has produced a suspension design that guarantees completely neutral braking and no suspension-based pedal feedback while maintaining impressive lateral rigidity.  The next four months of abuse that I dealt out was never paid back by even a glimmer of failure for Buckley’s version of freeride suspension.

Straddling this rig for the first time is a surprise.  Make no mistake; this is a big, big bike. However, once on board I got the distinct impression that I was sitting on a much smaller trail bike.  The suspension is typical big squish but the feel is oddly XC despite the reality of the geometry numbers.  Pedalling is equally surprising:  snappy and responsive are apt descriptors despite the long travel. 

First runs were A-line and Dirt Merchant at Whistler Bike Park.  Again, the snappy, responsive feel translates well when in the air.  This big bike flies effortlessly and when in the air a little body English goes a long way.  It is easy to style your airtime.  I was eager to log more air miles and put this rig fully through her paces.

Floats like a butterfly, but tough like a tractor || Photo: Jesse Wildeman

Suspension
The hype surrounding the Travis line of forks is that these are the heir-apparent to the Dorado.  While the single crown ride on a big bike always takes a little getting used to, this fork affords a big ride and does not disappoint.  The Dorado would be proud of its little brother.  The fork is plush and supple and definitely more on the linear side of travel behaviour.  This afforded a luxurious ride while at the bike park but the lack of progressiveness was a bit disappointing back on the trails when hitting bigger drops without the benefit of reasonable trannies. 

For riders like myself that ride like a dump truck falling from the sky, thus pushing a fork to its limit, blowing through very linear travel leaves something to be desired.  Of course, a change out to a heavier spring will rectify the bottoming during extreme load. That comes at the cost of some of the subtle small bump sensitivity that is so very nice when maching down A-line when it has been well chewed by thousands of riders.

On one of the last rides at WBP for this season, the Travis started to complain bitterly.  An evil top-out clank developed after a particularly enthusiastic trip down Clown Shoes.  The next and last run of the day ended at the big GLC with an ungodly crunching sound followed by a complete absence of anything resembling suspension performance.  James Downing at OGC arranged to reverse the effects of the abuse I had imparted by installing a new fork.  The new incarnation of the Travis, while indistinguishable in looks, works better than the original.  Damping adjustments are much improved and the compression adjustments can now impart a much more progressive setting that is more to my liking.  The fork now has even more of a big fork feel to it without the loss of any of its initial travel suppleness. 

The Fox DHX 5.0 shock has made a name for itself as a great all-round free-ride shock.  I have ridden this shock before and am well aware of its capabilities.  The feel of the shock at the beginning of the test was particularly progressive; soft in the initial part of the stroke and firming up big time at the stroke end.  While the progressiveness of the Fox 5.0 is certainly more to my liking and more freeride oriented, there was certainly an imbalance between the linear front suspension and the progressive rear. The more I rode it, the worse this dramatically progressive feel became.  I knew this harshness could not be right.  A call to Noel and he made the trip out to my place with a box full of shocks and springs.  A swap out with another new DHX 5.0 transformed the feel. 

With the faulty 5.0 replaced, and a quick blast down some local trails it was clear that the imbalance between front and rear suspension was rectified.  The feel was now deep.  Big drops and flat landings were handled with ease, and there was no sense that there was a finite limit to the travel at all.  The initial travel was now wicked smooth, which was particularly evident through small, high-speed stutter.  The innate characteristics of the 4x4 suspension design is such that the initial travel is very linear and provides for very active and plush suspension with a natural increase in progressiveness as you move through the travel. 

This provides near perfect characteristics for bike park speed and stutter while providing for the big slam that can come with some Shore riding. The dramatic adjustability of the DHX 5.0 allows the characteristics that the rear suspension is designed to exemplify to be tweaked.  A little twiddling of the Pro-Pedal knob and that distinct platform feel that allows suspension snap and quick, efficient peddling response is more than a little evident.  The range of adjustability makes this shock a nearly perfect all-round choice.

The do-everything 5.0 attached to the 4x4 linkage || Photo: Jesse Wildeman

Part of my riding time saw the Roco shock mounted up and being put through its paces.  This shock is distinctly non-platform.  The feel of this shock on the V-Tach is pure moto.  The faster you go, the better it feels.  It is all deep, deep, deep and certainly worthy of the descriptor “big squish”. The V-Tach was definitely in its element riding flaming fast runs at Whistler Bike Park with the Roco, flattening the terrain that lay before us.  Despite this, a day of big demands at the Park, including 17 runs over the entire gamut of trails available to be ridden, left the Roco puking oil badly by the end of the day.  After a little vacation at Marzocchi in North Vancouver, the Roco was back in duty sporting a new main-shaft seal.  It has performed flawlessly since. 

Drivetrain
The SRAM X-9 triggers took a little getting used to but worked flawlessly.  Linked to the snappy and precise shifting X-9 derailleur ensured perfect shifting all of the time.  The E13 guide is not only a work of art but also functions impeccably.  Unlike so many other guides, this one is virtually silent and adds no drag to the chain.  It silently and elegantly does its job without fail and like the perfect waiter, it delivers without making its presence known.  The Diabolus cranks and bottom bracket worked superbly; there was virtually no flex even when piloted by a rider with the grace and litheness of a tractor.

The DT Swiss wheel set that came with this bike is certainly top-shelf goods.  I have used the famous DT Swiss hubs for years on other bikes and would have a hard time going back to other inferior hubs.  They are definitely a pack leader.  At 620 grams, the hoops are certainly light. Though DT Swiss touts them to be bomb-proof, I can attest that while they may not fall apart, it takes little to put a serious hurt on these rims.  After one day of riding, the flat spots and dents were not worth counting any longer.   The industry is going to continue to struggle with rotational weight issues but will have to resolve how the Average Joe will feel about mangling his expensive rims after what should be considered run-of-the-mill use.  Sponsored racer-types can get outfitted with new gear when this happens.  Someone making $8.50 an hour and saving to get these babies is going to be less than impressed.  

I was a Magura virgin prior to this test but certainly heard a lot of chatter about these stoppers.  A few folks at nsmb have time aboard Magura-equipped bikes but I have never had more than a parking lot test prior to the V-Tach test.  Suffice to say, I will not be going back to my previously well-loved Hayes Mags.  The Louise FR brakes epitomize power, modulation, dependability, and all-round toughness.  I had several hard lay-downs and a couple of handlebar encounters with trees (including one on Crack Addict at WBP on my first run on the V-Tach that twisted the bars badly with a direct impact to the master cylinder) all without any appreciable damage to the Magura hardware.

Two or three bikes in one I have always been of the mindset that adjustable frame geometry is a bit of a marketing ploy.  Instead of establishing a geometry that works well for a defined application, the manufacturer will try to appeal to a broader segment of the market by making the potential applications for a single frame much broader.  The V-Tach has changed my mind. With the turn of a couple of Allen keys, the geometry can be shifted from a staggeringly steep (for a big bike that is….) 68° to a slack and lanky 66°.  The 68° setting is definitely twitchy-responsive, while 66° slackens it out enough to make you pine for the race-course.  With another easy Allen key manipulation, the wheelbase can go from a very short, very Shore-friendly 44.6" to a much more stable, racy feeling 45.5".  It is not about how long the wheelbase happens to be; it is how it is used that counts.  One inch goes a long way in this game.

The V-Tach rails and lets you mach with confidence…..you will only be limited by your own fear || Photo: Jesse Wildeman

While most riders will likely select their favourite combination of wheelbase length and head tube angle and just keep things set this way, I appreciated the ability to fine-tune this rig for the riding I was planning on doing on any given day; long wheelbase for the high-speed stuff at Whistler, shorter wheelbase and a steeper head tube for Fromme or Seymour, while more slack for the steeper terrain of Cypress.  The tunability also allows geometry adjustment to maximize performance while compensating for forks that might be very short or very tall.  At the very least, the adjustability affords each rider the ability to fine-tune this rig for what feels best to them in general, even if they have no intention of ever touching the adjustments again. 

Fun and Games at Whistler Bike Park
A short list of bike park concerns for riders: Broken bikes, broken parts, broken bones, broken spirit.  Spend a little time on a hot July day on Freight Train at Whistler Bike Park and you will soon learn the toll this terrain can take on equipment and your spirit.  As I spent an hour fixing a flat, I encountered the sad procession of souls with damaged equipment trudging the walk of shame down the access road.  Broken derailleurs, bent rims, broken spokes, forks and shocks spewing forth their contents, loss of critical nuts and bolts, and of course the flats.  A combination of speed and access to tons of vertical feet of elevation wreak havoc on our bikes because most were not designed to withstand this kind of abuse.  Many were not designed to perform well in this arena either. 

Spend some serious riding time at WBP and you will most certainly know the joy that is forearm and quad burn.  The only thing worse than having your equipment let you down is having your body do the same.  Ride 12+ runs in a day even on a well-equipped ride and you will be fighting your friends for the Advil at the end of the day.  Endure these rides on a rig that is not designed for this terrain and you might be wishing for some pharmaceutical joy with a little more heft than Advil.  Make the wrong choices while aboard the wrong rig and you might win yourself a heli-trip to Vancouver for some much-needed repairs.

The V-Tach has been touted to be the ultimate in freeride and bike park frames.  I had plenty of days on board at WBP to put that claim to the test.  In order to truly judge these claims, I made a point of riding the entire mountain on each day.  No one could accuse me of A-line whoredom.  Original Sin and Joyride high-speed suffer fests were intermingled with vapour-trail inducing Freight Train to Dirt Merchant burns that left my arms numb. 

The geometry settings in this arena were decidedly slack and the wheelbase long.  Equal numbers of days were spent riding the V-tach equipped with the DHX 5.0 and with the Roco.  The nod has to go to Marzocchi for this kind of riding.  While both performed terrifically, the Roco-equipped V-Tach ate up everything in sight from small stutter to the big suspension eating gnar found on Original Sin and Joyride. The faster I pushed it, the better the bike performed.  At a point, my courage was certainly the rate-limiting factor.  This bike can do far more than I require of it.  And when my decision making capacity erred and my line choice sucked it, the V-Tach paid the bail and got me out of a big potential mess and made me look good in the process.

Where No Joke eats bikes alive and slows most riders to a crawl, the V-Tach hardly noticed.  Where Freight Train enticed me on with speed and the promise of mucho air, the V-Tach positively glowed.  Where Clown Shoes and the GLC beckoned the V-Tach to stretch her wings, she floated to the ground without ceremony, leaving me to simply focus on what lay ahead.  At the end of a day where the amount of vertical feet ridden and the mileage covered was simply staggering, the exquisite V-Tach ride left me with enough capacity to drive home and enough grip strength to hold my Starbucks treat.   

The V-Tach is all about fun and inspires with a sturdy confidence || Photo: Jesse Wildeman

Trail riding the V-Tach There is certainly no mistaking that you are aboard one of the big boys in the bike rack when you pilot the V-Tach uphill.  No 40+ pounder is going to be a walk in the park.  I am undaunted by the heft of a big rig as I regularly peddle a similarly sized big boy up Vedder Mountain on my regular rides.  Noel assured me that although this bike appears portly on paper and on the scale, it is easier to pedal than its heft would suggest.  So I put the Knolly to the test on the climb I know best: Vedder Mountain’s infamous Parmenter Road.  Affectionately known as hell grind to many of us that suffer this to pay-for-play, the climb is 45 minutes of cross-ditch filled, 13% grade, gravel road fun with little relief along the way.  The knots in my stomach prior to departure were in anticipation of the pain I expected would be visited upon me during the ordeal.  To my pleasant surprise, the Knolly proved to be easy pedaling, bob-free and efficient with only five turns on the Pro-Pedal setting on the DHX 5.0 shock.

Turning the wheels downward onto singletrack and letting the V-Tach go awakens this beast.  The V-Tach eats everything in its path.  Pinners on singletrack will find themselves maching along comfortably at speed.  You very quickly get a sense that this bike has the versatility to be raced. The faster you go, the better it seems to perform and the hungrier you will get to cover terrain at speed. 

When terrain is littered with skinnies, tightly-placed stunts and natural obstacles, the Knolly shines like a new diamond.  The geometry was set for a steeper head tube angle and a short wheelbase in anticipation of rides in tight quarters.  The distinct XC-like snappy feel that these settings impart to the bike lends a sense of confidence when up-high on the pencil-wide stuff, particularly when you have to change direction in close quarters or need to make correction in your line.  The DHX 5.0 allowed power to be laid down when it was needed in an efficient manner.  And when it came time to plop down off something high, the 5.0 seemed to go on forever. There was deep, bottomless, butter with a platform that allowed you to power on efficiently as need dictated. 

A combination of energy-efficient pedaling and body-sparing suspension that chews through the ugliest of gnar left me with energy to ride more than one lap on several occasions.  This is not a bike that will leave you contemplating the afterlife following a short jaunt uphill. 

After 5 months of wicked freeride abuse the V-Tach leaves the author smiling || Photo: Jesse Wildeman

So what do ya think, doc?
I have ridden a broad range of bikes and numerous different big, long-travel rigs.  There are lots out there that perform commendably and there are some whose performance ranks as stellar.  The Knolly V-Tach has to be slotted in amongst the best in this class, and it is priced similarly.  Buying frames and bikes in this rarefied air is not for the weak of heart or the light of wallet, but in life you will get exactly what you pay for.  If your budget is lean, you will need to look elsewhere and accept the limitations that a light-weight bank account or a shortage of plastic will afford.

With nearly unmatched performance in this category, there is not a lot left to criticize with the Knolly V-Tach.  The only real gripes are more an issue of how this bike is spec’d as a complete bike than a real frame performance issue.  Swapping out the butter-soft but caviar priced DT Swiss wheel set for something light, dependable and strong (perhaps a set of WTB Laserdiscs, any of the superbly built Mavic wheelsets in the freeride/downhill category or the new, improved 2007 DT Swiss offerings) would be a huge improvement right out of the box.  A more versatile set of rubber would be nice.  While the Big Earl meats were okay on hard pack, the limited scope was abundantly evident in both deep/dry and the wet stuff.  Wet woodwork is a treat on any tire but was full of fun-filled surprises on these tires.  I have been impressed with the Kenda Nevegals and Blue Grooves and while a bit heavy, they do perform admirably.  Maxxis has rubber that will perform well and also allow some rotational weight to be shed.

The attention to detail, the ultra-tech frame design and build, the beauty inherent in the CNC and laser-etched detail, and ultimately uncompromising performance of the Knolly V-Tach leaves every void filled.  Even after several months of brutality at my hand, the frame is solid and tight.  Other than a quick trip around with an Allen key to make sure everything was tight (which I would do anyway), the bomb-proof, overbuilt nature of this frame shines through.  Despite the finish being a bit worse for wear due to typical riding mishaps and the effects that shuttling renders even to a durable powdercoat finish, this bike is as tight as the first day I threw a leg over it.  I can basically hop aboard and ride it today and it will shift crisply, stop powerfully and predictably, and the suspension will work flawlessly despite a serious long-term thrashing delivered up by yours truly. And after all, isn’t what we ultimately want from our ride is to just jump aboard and have a blast.  The Knolly V-Tach will leave you smiling and heading back uphill for more of the same.

While the V-Tach can be purchased as a frame only, Knolly provides build-kits that compliment their frame.  The frame comes in x-small (are your 5' 1" tall??), small, medium, and large.  The frame is available in a myriad of colours and sells for CDN$3395 or US$2995.  You can have it optionally equipped with the new Marzocchi Roco shock or even offerings from Cane Creek and Manitou.   Look for the Knolly V-Tach at select bike shops or contact Knolly Bikes directly.

At the time of writing, Noel Buckley was preparing to re-fit the incomparable V-Tach with the 2007 DT Swiss wheelset, Marzocchi 888, Kenda rubber, and the new 2007 Magura Louise stoppers.  A long-long-term follow-up with the new parts spec will follow...stay tuned!

Spec: 4  Ride: 5 Price: 4  Overall: 4.5

Pros: Cons: - Built for abuse - Adjustable geometry can be   fine tuned for every rider - Rides like a much smaller   bike but with the durability of a   massive rig - Attention to detail makes the   frame a work of art - Personal product support from   an “in touch” small   manufacturer - Wheels have a disappointing   lack of durability - Though it rides “light” some   will be offended by its 40+ lb.   weight

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