Video: Knolly Announces 2020 Warden
PRESS RELEASE: Knolly Bikes
The next generation of the Wardens have arrived and we’re stoked to get them on the trails. Here’s a hit list of what’s new with the 27.5 Warden and why we hope it will be your next ride.
The Next Gen of Innovation
Our new Warden features updated suspension kinematics, geometry, tubes and boasts new custom parts. It’s a 27.5 model that will become your all mountain enduro machine.
Patented Fourby4 Suspension - total confidence
We fine-tuned the Warden’s Fourby4 technology so that you could pedal even better, while offering increased rear traction. Plus, we added more suspension for an even bigger ride.
157Trail- trail precision
Building off the success of the Fugitive, we incorporated 157 hubs with 73mm BB shells on the new Warden. This wide rear end allows for DH stiffness for precise tracking while keeping a narrow Q-factor common with 73mm BB shells. Clever design keeps rider heel clearance only 1mm wider than our 142mm bikes and narrower than many boost 148mm options. Tire width and rim choices are endless, with clearance to run 2.8 tires on a super wide rim.
Progressive Geo
Our patented offset seat-tube design was a first in the industry in 2004 and continues to be a hallmark of our brand. The design can accommodate a 180mm dropper post on a size small frame and a 210mm dropper on medium through XL frames.
A 77 degree seat tube angle optimizes pedaling efficiency and climbing position to attack any hill with ease, while the slack 64.5 degree head tube provides stability when descending. Knolly strikes a balance between climbing performance, fit, and ride handling with little to no sacrifice in any of them.
Increasing the reach to 500mm on a large while keeping the chainstays at a manageable 432mm provides a long wheelbase with a tight back end for a balanced, stable and agile ride. Additionally, our shorter head tube lengths allow riders more set up options when building their new dream bike. With a low stack height, the Warden is at home carving corners and climbing technical trails. Or add a few extra spacers under the stem if you prefer charging through steep chutes.
The Warden can be set up in neutral or slack. Slack mode doesn't just provide a slacker head angle, it also lowers the bottom bracket, increases the chainstay length, and creates a more progressive leverage curve. Changing your geometry is as simple as removing the lower shock bolt, sliding it forward or back, and re-installing it. Trail side adjustments made easy.
Knolly Materials/Parts- Uncompromised performance
The Warden features 6066 hydroformed tubing to provide a greater strength to weight resistance over other commonly used alloys such as 6061. We also continue to include our CNC machined 6Al-4V titanium fasteners, threaded bottom bracket, easy to set up internal cable routing, and next generation Igus pivot bushing technology to increase service intervals. Our engineering first mentality provides total reliability and ultimate precision.
In addition, it comes ready for any chain guide, bash guard, or even front derailleur setup with removeable e-type and ISCG-05 mounts. The removable downtube protector allows for easily routed internal cables and provides a hidden mounting bracket inside the downtube for a Di2 drivetrain or spare derailleur hanger. Every size now comes with the ability to fit a full size water bottle with your favourite piggyback shock. The Warden is purpose built and spec’d with practical features so that you can maximize your every adventure.
The Warden- two great options
The Warden replaces one of the most legendary bikes in our lineup with more travel, an improved pedaling platform, and streamlined aesthetics which ultimately delivers more fun on the trails. This version features a 160mm fork and 160mm shock, and begs you to get in a quick 5000 foot alpine climb before descending back down the hardest double black you can find.
The Warden LT is designed for all those riders who took our first gen Warden to the very edge of its ability and are questing for more. With a super-enduro type stance, the Warden LT is decked out with a 170mm fork and 168mm shock.
It took a while to get here but with the addition of the new Warden to our already successful Fugitive models, Knolly has sealed its position as the brand delivering the most fun and capable bikes to rowdy riders all over the globe.
Pricing and Give Back Program
We recognize that things are changing right now and we want to do our part. With each new Warden frame or full bike that we sell online this spring, we’ll give $100 to the Vancouver Coastal Health hospital foundations.
The 2020 Warden ranges in price from $2270 to $2673 USD, complete bikes with the Dawn Patrol kit ranging from $4720 to $5350 US. It’s available NOW at your Knolly Bikes Dealer and online: www.knollybikes.com
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Seriously though, this bike looks sick. I've got a few buddies who were waiting on the 2020 model to buy one. Hope it sells well!
Ohhhhh you mean a stinky looks like a session? So you’re saying a Warden looks like a Stinky which in turn looks like a Session so basically you’re saying it looks like a Session?
What you did there. . . I see it.
Boost is the dumbest thing around. Best to just tear that bandaid off and get rid of it.
The 2020 Warden I have been riding for the last year is absolutely the ultimate bike I have ever ridden.
With the confidence it inspires I have plunged into some new trails (Squamish / whistler / Pemberton) blind that I will likely think very seriously about before ever riding again. Damn awesome.
Were you able to get the “Warden” sticker out on the top tube? Or will it still say Delirium?
Mmmm didn't ask them and don't think they would do it? lol The new warden is already a big bike for me so I'll look pretty dumb on a Delirium for a lot of bikers but then they'll think I am a f*cking beast climbing like this with a Delirium!! hahaha
So this is a message: "we know we have f*ed up previous designs, but look, now it is perfectly ok!".
If you think I am just a stupid troll - I actually owned a Chilco, sold it and yesterday the new owner have broken the very link. Bending a few of those 6mm bolts before. I mean, I am still a stupid troll, but actually have something true to say about Knolly
But otherwise Chilco was a fantastic bike, so this Warden is probably awesome.
157mm hubs? Would never even consider it, just stupid.
Beef up the frame and pivots instead of making the rear end wider and giving you less clearance. If a Specialized Demo can win a DH World Championship on a135mm hub a Knolly trail bike will be just fine with 148.
trail bikes needs a full cassette. 148 limits flange width to about 63mm or so with ftc 39 24 imbalanced and less than ideal but better than 142 spacing.
150/157 conventional hubs with full cassette body often enoough have 70mm flange width like ftc 39/31, which is laterally stiffer more balanced tension more durable.
Numerous bikes over years have had 150/157 hub with 73bb it works great. Chainline is good, you can change chainline at ring or bb to tend towards inside or middle depending where u pedal most (most ppl pedal bottom few gears most so inboard chainline makes most sense)
You seem to be one of those people who talks out their ass. Good luck.
Anybody who thinks a trail bike needs a 157mm hub is the person talking out of their sales marketing ass and blowing smoke up everybody else's.
148 is a good width for e bikes since you need a little more width for the motor. Most e bike manufacturers are using 148 as their standard so expect it to become the standard as e bikes continue to take over snail bikes in sales.
You can see it here if you scroll down - www.knollybikes.com/engineering
157Trail on a 29'er also means you could run a 2.6 or meatier tire with manageable chain stay length.
Engineering first. And whiskey, a close second.
I also don't care of its only 1 mm wider, I don't want it any wider and I don't want to increase the chances of hitting the rear derailleur on something.
A narrow rear hub equals a faster bike. You have more room to maneuver your feet around, especially if you are using flat pedals. Your feet won't be hitting the stays as much, which only slows down your pedaling efforts. Also slightly more aerodynamic, which anybody who has ever lost a downhill race by less than a second might appreciate.
I haven't tried a Knolly and have no intention of trying one since they don't make e bikes. But if I was a pigeon toed snail bike rider I might give them a look, I do appreciate their support for trail builders.
Again, it’s only 1mm wider than their 142 design,
I rode and raced and full 8 race enduro season on a Fugivtive LT last season with the same 157 rear end. Never hit my heels or legs on anything, never felt limited in my body movements.
I was much faster on this bike simply because the rear end is so still it tracked so much better through the really rough chunk it gave me the confidence to haul ass through everything.
I sold that bike in the fall and began demoing bike to figure what I wanted to be on next... what would I be the fastest on. Tried a SC Hightower, Norco Range, Rocky Instinct BC Edition, and had a SC Megatower for 3 days. All bikes were great, especially the Megatower but none could match the stiffness and confidence inspiring ride of the 157 rear end. Even on the Megatower I feel the rear end moving in comparison to the Knolly... this caused the bike the move around more under me through really high speed chunk forcing me to slow down to stay in control. Simply it was easier to ride faster on the Knolly.
After those demos, my mind was made up, I needed to be on a 157 rear end again. I’ll be this Warden.
For me, after actually testing multiple bikes on my home trails that I know well, and putting them all including a Knolly to test, the Knolly cane out on top.
It also wasn’t just the stiff 157 rear end, the 4x4 suspension system was on another level compared to the other bikes I tested. Where most suspension systems have to compromise some aspect I order to work well in another, the Knolly system seems to do it all well. The Bik mag review puts in words really well and I encourage you to read that review and watch the review video as it captures much of what I felt in comparison to other bikes.
Anyway, that’s my two cents, take care and what ever you ride, enjoy it!!
(in metaphorical use) any person or thing that moves exceedingly slowly.
"a tedious and complicated process enough to exasperate a snail"
Enjoy pedaling your snail bike and I will enjoy pedaling faster on my e bike. Have a nice slooow ride up, peace.
It may not be neccisary for a feckless wimp or lightwieght gentle rider, but for someone going big or hard wheels with little spoke bracing most cerainly can be a weak link in the structural integry of the bike.
I have broken lots of derraileurs, and when im not careful do hit them charging tight rough lines. But were only talking about moving the dereailleur outboard 7.5mm from 135/142 hubs to 150mm and only 4.5mm further out than 148mm to 150/157mm. my pedal peotrudes much more than my derreiluer and it is uncommon to me to turn so tightly to trail my derrailuer into something my fork bottom pedal or crank wouldnt have hit anyway. On the other hand there is a substabcial and constantly noticable increase in wheel stiffness by increasing the drive side flange width 14%
Even if you are hitting things with your dereailuer i think it is more the fault of an antique vunerable gear shifting system rather than that of the performance and durability improving increased hub width.
I ride with my feet straighg for-aft. I am not a knolly fan but i have ridden them and other 150/157 spaced bikes without clipping my feet and i wear size 46 shoes. It sounds like you are duck toed!
Are you participating in the liberate protests? Was that you calling the nurses who were counter protesting abortion doctors?
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-protests-lockdown-operation-gridlock-nurses-masks-arizona-a9483466.html
A really savvy designer can create the ~same riding experience without changing chainstay length. Or at least scaling up/down chainstay length isn't that important compared to other design factors.
I don't care how long you like your rear-center, just realize what you feel is a consequence of the whole bike's set up.
If 157 is better for 29, it's better for 27. 157 uses the available space better. That's the whole story.
Good observation on the spec. We love the Industry Nine wheels and believe that their 28h wheels are fantastic for most people but also recognize that this is not for you if you are 260LBS and riding in the bike park all day. The 32h Spank Oozy 345's have been available on our Fugitive LT builds since releasing the bike but we weren't able to get the new Hex hubs from Spank in time to offer these wheels on the first shipment of Wardens. We are excited to offer them mid-summer when we get them in stock.
We can give kittenjuice some credit here for answering your question about why and how stability happens.
Not really. I alternate between the climb switch on / off. I use it only on super smooth roads but honestly if the road or trail is remotely loose / rough I take the climb switch off and allow try suspension to get me through.
I have worked on my pedaling technique - using my core and pedaling in circles and am continually amazed at what I have cleaned on this bike. Take the time to dial the suspensions settings in and it pedals super well. It's been my only bike for 12+ months and I do big 3-4k days from home.
Saying that it's not an xc bike. I have also been riding a steel hard tail recently and appreciate the dramatic differences between each bike.
I would have zero doubt choosing the Warden V2 as my only bike on a road trip. I ride the steepest double black / red trails I can find and I pedal / push to get there.
Can’t afford one anymore, but would buy one if I could.
I cleaned climbs last summer that I have never nailed before - and I can only think it was because the extra reach allowed more leverage but also more subtle transfers of weight / balance. I picture the same effect on the DH
Hell. I don't know. It works.
I've got the Still Creek Murder but with a Warden shock! It's nice to know that you'll probably never see the same bike that you have!
Sweet looking bike.
Super nerd answer here (as concisely as I can make it
A lot of people think that because the number "7xxx" is higher than "6xxx" it must be better. The difference is the primary alloying ingredient in the material. 7xxx alloys have a way less complicated heat treating process than 6xxx alloys including only a very simple artificial aging process. 6xxx alloys require a much more difficult solution quench process before their artificial aging process.
Now, some 7xxx alloys like 7050 and 7075 are incredibly strong and ideal for parts like cranks, stems, bars, linkage bits, high end fork parts, etc... But they are NOT weldable and their formability is somewhat restricted (yes, I know that there are developments in welding 7075 but its formability is still not great meaning very simple round tube shapes due to retaining significantly high strength in its annealed state). There is one alloy: 7005 that IS weldable and it was designed for bike frame tubing not because it's strong / better, but because it was EASIER than welding 6xxx alloys due to the lack of requirement of a solution quench process. It was popular in the late 1999s and early 2000s.
But 7005 has generally fallen out of favour for high end bikes over the past decade. It has stress corrosion cracking issues and modern 6xxx alloys such as 6066 are just better in every way. Not only are they significantly stronger than "aircraft grade" 6061, they are far more tough as well. You can kind of think that "strength = weight" and that "tough = reliability". It's not quite that direct but it's close.
So, for now and most likely the foreseeable future, 6066 is pretty much king for high end alloy frames. And not only is it strong and tough, it has excellent formability, corrosion resistance, machinability, and weldability. We're even seeing it being used in non-welded forged parts now which was previously the domain of 7075.
Hope that helps!
I will never go back. So natural and such a bigger cockpit to move around in.
I am researching hard tails right now and looking at even longer reach.
I am no engineer but love the new geo. Our riding here in the pnw involves a lot of tech climbing. I have been able to clean climbs on this bike that I have never done before. I use my dropper post a lot and out the saddle for most tech moves. The greater reach / top tube seems to allow me to swing / pull the front end around super easy (tight switch backs) or allows bigger margin of error when transferring weight for / aft.
I have built two steep techy climbing trails (whistler xc style) and relish riding them on the v2. I can literally preload my suspension and pedal through the gnarliest sections of roots with subtle hip movement's. Traction is unlike anything I have experienced.
Each person had their preferences based on body type and riding style.
????????
I am a Safrican in the USA. Come visit.
The point is not about how good or bad standard or how long it is on the market, it is about adoption and unification front and rear
We are still a Canadian company and proud of it. Anybody in Canada who gives us a shout about a bike from within Canada, gets a Canadian dollar price. You actually end up about $0.04 per dollar ahead as of today's exchange rate, 2020-04-26. I'm sorry you think we are a bunch of goons here but the customer, is making out better than us.
@thegoodflow yeah ive ridden a bike with similar hta reach and cs, it sucked. Also after over 20 yrs riding pretty sure i can assess charcteristics on #'s.
Knolly - this thing looks hot!