Drilling down...
Knolly, Race Face and more
Words by Ed Snyder. Photos by Fergs and Ed.
Was that a whole week in Vegas? Really? Sometimes it feels like you have been there two days and sometimes it feels like two months. By midweek I usually hit the tipping point of grabbing good stuff to post while we are still at the show and start stashing it away for when I return to the relative normalcy of more northern latitudes.
There so much information tossed around that you get a glaze going that only a little cool weather and fresh air can erase. Call it the "Sin City Sheen". I swear if I hear "It's lighter and stiffer..." one more time I won't be responsible for my actions.
Now that I am back home and thinking more clearly, it is time to dig in to the bag of brochures, vendor CD's and posters and pull out some nuggets that might really make difference in what you ride or buy this year. If not, just drool freely.
The new Knolly DH Prototype in a hue Darth Vader could love.
Noel Buckley and his line of Knolly bikes are quickly becoming legend on the shore. Noel makes bikes that take a serious licking and keep on ticking. Oh yeah, they go really fast while doing it. Talk to a Knolly owner about their impressions of the bike and they will mention words like "overbuilt ", "bulletproof", and "perfect". Noel would probably say something like "good enough... for now".
He is part mad scientist, part engineer, and part perfectionist; but he never seems to lose sight of building the best possible machine for riders and it shows in his finished products. He was also nice enough to spend about 20 minutes with me Wednesday morning after the crowd cleared from the unveiling of Knolly's newest baby, the DH Prototype. He walked me from tip to tail and poured out the scoop.
The linkage will look familiar to Knolly enthusiasts as will the attention to detail. This "prototype" looked better than many production frames I have seen.
Noel hatched the idea of the dedicated DH bike about two plus years ago they way many great inventions begin, as a sketch on a napkin. He was thinking about how to overcome the problems of chain growth and changing leverage rates on longer travel machines, but did not have the time or resources to flesh the idea out. So he kept sketching and dreaming and waiting for a day when he could turn his sketch in to metal. When that time came he was ready and the DH Proto sprang to life in 3D.
The focus of the project was having the correct geometry and a reasonable final weight. Noel knew he wanted to use a pulley system to create a non-standard chain line and alter the suspension characteristics, but he could not figure out where to put it. He tried many placements above and behind the cranks but the computer modeling did not show him the results he was looking for. He took a break before being struck by the "A-Hah" moment that led him to move the pulley ahead of the cranks to its current location. Noel says it seems like a simple thing now that it is done, but it made all the difference.
A close-up of the all-important idler pulley from the non-drive side of the frame. This little wheel supposedly makes the Knolly perform like no other DH bike.
The emphasis of the suspension design was to have a mostly rearward axle path and a broader arc for the suspension at the same time. The way the pulley helps accomplish this is by creating what Noel calls a "virtual chainstay" of a greater length. We have all heard about virtual pivot designs or "VPP" suspension but hearing about a virtual chainstay was a first for me. The pulley itself is laterally adjustable to accommodate variations in crank and bottom bracket widths.
The new idler pulley makes it so only the bottom half of the front chain ring contacts the chain; but riders who have spent time on the frame said that it pedals extremely well.
The linkage that acts on this concept is all made in-house at Knolly and workmanship is a sight to behold. Weight right now is in the high 30-pound range, but the final version will be lighter, as all the machining that will be done on the production version has not been finalized for this prototype. Knowing Knolly it will not go out the door until everything is "just so". I for one, am hoping that is sooner rather than later.
Pushing the limit... again. A Race Face specialty.
Earlier I showed you a teaser pic of the Carbon Next cranks from Race Face. Well these puppies take that concept one step further. The Next SL cranks (as they are currently dubbed) weigh in at under 700 grams with the BB. While the regular Carbon Next cranks have seen shore duty and come through smiling, this version will obviously not be marketed that way. But if you are looking for bling in the epic/XC arena, it would be tough to get a sweeter setup than this.
In terms of the heavy group, Diabolus, there was some subtle indication that Race Face thinks its current incarnation is getting a little long in the tooth. Look for some new developments in the heavy hitter category from RF in the near future.
The new Dig knee pad from Race Face. Lightweight protection for some of your most important joints.
Race Face has gone through their whole line of protection and revamped it. Materials, strap configurations and colors have all had the once over. The pads look is similar but updated. There are now six different lines in their armor arsenal: Rally DH, Rally FR, Zero (lightweight pads with design input from rider Wayne Goss), The Dig (shown above), D.I.Y (women's specific pads on the level of the Rally FR series) and the Protekt line made for the groms. New color options on some lines include brown/black, black/green (like the Dig), and black/blue. While not all the colors are available in all the pad types it is nice to know you might have a choice other than the prevalent black/grey of years gone by.
Just to confuse all those hockey-loving parents out there, Race Face is calling this their "Canuck Jersey". Cue disappointment at Billy's next birthday party... "I meant the other Canuck jersey".
Race Face has worked through their soft goods line as well and the new bits are impressive. One of the coolest new things on display was their FR Denim products. While the shorts and pants made of this material look like jeans they are really a durable lightweight nylon. Very sweet stuff. A wide array of other shorts, jerseys, hoodies, jackets, shopwear, belts and even hats fill out the rest of the line. The updated softshell "Hoodlum" jacket is already on my Christmas list right along side a pair of those FR Denim Shorts. Check out all the new goods this fall at your local shop.
The Wolf Ridge from Marin, sporting a paint job in 2008's version of the new black... screaming bright green. I am beginning to think the manufacturer of this color had a "going out of business" sale and all the product managers bought gobs of it.
A swing by the Marin booth revealed a curvy new 100mm XC/Light AM model labeled the Alchemist, but we know you like the bikes that can take it so we snapped pics of the Wolf Ridge. Last year it came in only one configuration and this year that has grown to three. All share the same Quad Trail 140mm travel frame with the burly headtube gusset pictured above. Another notable addition for this year is SRAM's Maxle 360 Thu-axle quick release dropout system, creating a much (I hate to even say it) stiffer rear end. Component spec makes up the differences between the three bikes from there.
Recognize this? You probably do. It has been the same for about four or five years. Hmmmm...
Sometimes it is really hard to understand what a company is planning or plotting to do next and sometimes it is really pretty easy. With Marin all you have to do is look at a catalog from four years ago. The only bike in the whole MTB line that is the same in that catalog as it is now is the Quad XLT. I am betting it is time for a serious revision, and I am not a betting man. Shaums March has been riding a prototype for the last year and I would be shocked if Marin rolled in to Vegas next without a very different big bike at the top of their lineup.
I missed a shot of the Commencal Furious during the demo days and promised I get you one from the show. I'm glad I did too, because...
...we walked in on this little meeting of the minds. Two members of the first family of going fast on big bikes (newly-crowned DH champs Rachel and Gee Atherton) chatting it up one of the men most responsible for their success; Max Commencal.
Meanwhile Gee's bike was in residence at the Fox booth, showing off its new rainbow paint stripes.
Did someone say gearbox? I seem to remember a request on the forums for tranny's-sans-derailleurs. Ask and you shall receive; the latest from Rotec.
I ended one post with a picture of the man (MTB Hall-of-Famer Johnny T.) and I'll end this one with his bike. This is the full-on 203mm travel DH bike and it looks fast just sitting still.
Still hungry for more? Can't get enough Vegas in your diet? If not, stop me before I post again! Shout it out loud...
