Bicycle Valentines #6 – By Don Froese
{All photos by Don Froese}
I’m a pretty straightforward guy. I’m happy with Deore-level components, run the cheapest dropper I can find, and would never use the term ‘sport surface’* when I am talking about dirt ;).
Knolly’s engineering-forward approach has always appealed to me. They aren’t afraid to do their own thing, and their design decisions are always performance-driven. Knolly’s Fourby4 suspension design really tracks the ground both uphill and down, and their bikes are built to last a long time.
Then there is the man himself, Noel. He has a lot to say about bike design, and listening to him talk while sipping a glass of whisky is a great way to spend an afternoon. I’ve heard that Knolly riders are a bit of a cult, and I can’t disagree.
*{Drewitors note: Hahahaha, shots fired, Terry Walker!}
The first Knolly I laid eyes on was my buddy’s Delirium-T back in 2008, and I was intrigued. My first ride was at a Knolly demo day down at Different Bikes in 2010. I bought a first-generation Chilcotin in 2012, and I was hooked. I’ve had 8 of them so far, including all 3 iterations of the Fugitive. I also currently have a Chilcotin 170 and a Tyaughton hardtail. I enjoy riding all of my bikes, but the Fugitive is by far the most versatile.
Knolly lists the Fugitive as a trail bike, but it is so much more than that. I have ridden mine in the bike park, on week-long Chilcotin epics, and even in the BC Bike Race (I certainly wasn’t fast, but I did finish the week with a belt buckle). The bike pedals very well with minimal pedal-induced suspension movement, and handles chunky downhills with confidence. The rear wheel tracks the ground and provides an amazing amount of grip for technical climbing.
The frame geometry feels right, and the seat tube angle is just steep enough (~77 degrees) to put you in a good position for seated pedalling without putting too much pressure on your hands. As Noel says, it’s designed for riding “up, across, and down” rather than grinding up a fire road then bombing down.
Similar to most of the Knolly frames, the Fugitive has an adjustable lower shock mount that can be used to slacken the front end, lower the BB, and reduce the reach somewhat. I found that the Fugitive pedals best in the neutral setting without much compromise on the descents.
The latest generation has size-specific chain stays, but they are still relatively short. My size small frame has 430 mm stays, and I wish they were slightly longer for better stability on steep downhills. This does make for a very lively, responsive, and fun bike, though.
The Fugitive is a great bike for North Shore and Squamish riding. You can build it up as a downhill ripper or as a lighter, more pedal-friendly machine.
Tire selection makes a huge difference in how the bike rides. This year, I put a fast-rolling tire on the back (Maxxis Forekaster) for a week of riding in the Chilcotins. It worked great, and I haven’t taken it off yet. The grip is somewhat limited, and I will put on a bigger tire eventually, but the lower rolling resistance is a treat.
I try to min-max my bikes, and am running Shimano 4-pot brakes and a Deore 5100 11-speed drive-train. The HG driver provides a nice upgrade path if I ever want to try out Link Glide.
Knolly bikes are not going to appeal to everyone. Some people think that the linkage is too complicated, the frame is too heavy, or the design doesn’t look good. Personally, I love the function-over-form aesthetic and the way the suspension performs. Also, the bronze anodized frame looks gorgeous!
I’m lucky enough to have several bikes, but the Fugitive is the one I reach for most often. It never fails to put a smile on my face, no matter where I am riding it.
Do you have a bicycle you love? Yours, or, maybe, coveting thy neighbour’s? It’s easy to participate in Bicycle Valentines by dropping in an e-mail submission. A few photos and as many, or as few, words as you need to sum up your pedaling passion.