This one change transformed my Knolly! Long term review

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks to LMNT for sponsoring this video! Head to www.DrinkLMNT.com/Jeff to get your free sample pack with any purchase.

[@alexorcas1]

I tried them and it turns out I like them quite a bit. The Lemon Habanero is my favorite by complete surprise. haha I have bought several more after the sample pack as well.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Right on Alex, thanks for supporting them! I like the spicier flavors in the colder weather.

[@XyukonR]

I picked up a size L Chilcotin in the fall and couldn't be happier with it. It is definitely heavier then my CC frame M size Bronson I previously rode. I was concerned about going with the heavier bike because I climb a lot. I live in Whistler but never ride the bike park, just riding the trails throughout the valley. It actually climbs better then my Bronson did. I think some of my climbs have even been faster. I've cleared many sections climbing that I had never cleared before. The suspension is supportive even in the open setting I don't need to firm it up when climbing. I don't notice any pedal bob at all and the traction uphill is amazing. Going downhill I'm so happy I sized up to a large frame. I'm 5'9" and Knolly recs a medium for my height, but the large frame is fast and stable. I do notice it takes a bit more effort to get in the air but I'm not a huge jumper anyway. I used to feel like I was bashing the sh*t out of my Bronson on the downs, but the Knolly can take anything I throw at it easily.

[@Wackyzigzags]

I have been watching your videos recently and I must say I really am enjoying. I have been riding for 30 yrs now, all mountain and trail, now 52 and not stopping anytime soon. Long story short, your riding style is awesome, really relaxed and precise. Watching you makes me feel like a rookie, lol. Jealous my friend, just jealous. Keep it loud and proud my friend. Peace......

[@MrJaytee1962]

Great review as always Jeff. Nobody is more thorough when they review a bike than you. You're the reason I bought my Ripmo AF and I couldn't be happier with that bike. I felt like I had ridden that bike already after your review. I always love to watch your videos and watching you ride is a real treat.Keep up the great work!!!

[@jeffsharp4982]

First off, thanks for such a great update/ review video! I could tell from the first Chilcotin video you weren’t digging it that much and as a self admitted fan boy of Knollys it wasn’t the affirmation I craved from a pro such as yourself. Kidding aside, the main reasons I first loved Knollys are their looks, and the simple fact that a Knolly was the first what I’d call modern geo MTB I’d ever ridden and it instantly gave me so much more confidence than I had prior. Next reason was I joined a group of fellow Knolly riders in southern Utah for what we called Knollfest, if I remember correctly. There we were joined by none other than Noel Buckley designer/engineer/owner of Knolly bikes. Such a cool guy, and that pretty much cemented my fan boy status for Knolly bikes haha. Having said that, it’s not a completely biased fan boy status, as my first couple of years on that first Knolly (2016 Endorphin), I had the opportunity to travel to some cool mtb destinations where I demo’d some industry leading trail bikes, like a 1st gen Ripmo, Pivot Switchblade and Trail 429, to name a few, and I honestly wouldn’t have traded that Knolly for any of them. Currently I’m on my 4th Knolly, a new Warden 168 after having been on a WaRden 160 for the prior couple of years. I wish I had the understanding of suspension you do, as this one seems less plush than I’d like. Maybe I need to remove some volume spacers…. Anyhow sorry for the long post, and thanks for the fun videos!

[@noelbuckley]

Jeff S: Thank you for the kind words! I look forward to when things are back to normal(ish?) and we can get together and ride bikes again! Maybe this Spring - why not? :) Jeff KW: yes, our bikes are quite progressive: we have terrain that requires a fair bit of bottom out resistance as you know. The shock that you installed on the bike was from another brand - perhaps it might be worth looking at the tune and seeing if there is a volume spacer that can be reduced or removed? Warm regards and thank you for the update on the Chilcotin!

[@MikeesTexas]

I love the distinct/unique look of the Knolly frames, love that straight seat tube so far forward of the bb

[@JeffKendallWeed]

YES!

[@roondoggers87]

I picked up a Knolly Endorphin a few years back for 50% off at Jensen. Love that thing. Perfect for the kind of trails and riding I like to do. Not to mention the build was crazy good for the amount Jensen wanted.

[@tabby4kyeet589]

I own a 167 and it’s been my favorite bike so far

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Right on Tabby!

[@raivkka4313]

Love my Knolly Fugitive LT, it's stout aluminum frame is super strong to handle my fat ass (260lbs). My Carbon frame only made it 1 year, that's when I got the Knolly.

[@jasonmurphy2885]

Great review. I think you’d love the Pivot Firebird small frame. It has almost the same geo as the switchblade medium frame but has a 64 or 64.6 degree head tube angle and of course the longer travel

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I'll skip the size small Firebird, I loved the medium! If anything, I'd want to lengthen the rear end by 2-3mm, slacken seat angle by .5 degree, and slacken head angle by .5 degree. Would end up slightly longer but maybe slightly more balanced.

[@aweldum]

Thanks for the comparisons! Love your thought thought process on comparing the geo to the translation on the trail in collaboration with the suspension components. I've been shopping for over a year with minimal chances to demo and have relied on your (and others) video feedback to piece together my impressions and this one helped seal the deal. The Firebird is in flight!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Congrats Alex, the Firebird is a great bike, you'll love it!

[@rekamniar]

Love the vid. You always shining a light on the importance of geometry. I love the look on those linkage.

[@TheHman22]

Top notch content these past few videos. Happy to see you reviewing a knolly. I am glad you ended up putting longer travel on it. The Chilcotin's geo and that 4x4 thrive with bigger travel numbers. The Fugitive would be a fun bike to checkout for that "trail style" bike the original build Chilcotin was trying to be. Thank you for your work and insight as always! I ride a Medium Warden 168 in the Seattle area if you every want to try the 27.5 Knolly out.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks for the note Harrison! I am probably more keen on their hardtail than anything else at this point!

[@justinvermilyea9535]

Tyaughton?

[@jeffsharp4982]

The Tyaughton is awesome! I’d be interested in hearing how it compares to your Chromag!

[@justinvermilyea9535]

@@jeffsharp4982 Exactly what I was thinking! 🤙

[@splooshmtb]

We don't see many of these on the east coast of the states but man they're sick and would like to try one on the channel!

[@alvintumulak1492]

Thanks Jeff for the review on this bike, I used to have a delirium and I did notice that that the bike is easy to jump and that’s why I got it but when u get older and try one of ur friends bike makes u think that it’s not all perfect. lol it’s really what u want to do. I change a lot what’s fun for me. I like steep and rocky trails now so I decided to change my bike because of that. I still love the Knolly brand it’s a good bike.

[@Shyd07]

You should do a review on the Orbea rallon. I personally have that bike and I feel like you would love the way it rides

[@51249ca]

just picked up a Chilcotin 151 (160/151). Gotta wait for the North Shore ice/snow to melt to try it out.

[@MrOEFVeteran]

Run a coil with a tune for that bikes leverage ratio and your weight/riding style and the difference will be night and day. I'm running an avalanche SSD tuned bomber cr on my delirium (long shocked to 185mm) and the thing is just a trail swallowing monster that can still climb well enough

[@dougferrin1398]

My Chilcotin is hands down the best bike I've ever ridden. I'm running 159 out back and it's perfect paired with 170 up front.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Right on Doug, glad its workin awesome!

[@wyattmullins6349]

I’ve got mine set 159/160 atm, debating putting a new airspring in the fork, would you say its really worth it?

[@dougferrin1398]

@Wyatt Mullins I would say that it really depends on the types of terrain that you ride. Who doesn't like more travel though...

[@johnshredsalot1295]

Test out the new norco fluid for the budget guys!

[@ruffdeezy]

I think I mentioned to try Knolly a few times over the past few years. After riding a Commencal the past year think I might go back to Knolly after seeing this and their discount going on. Had 5 knollys in the past

[@JLambinator]

I ended up snagging a bushing and running my Ripmo AF at 170/165 (still with basically stock GEO). You should give it a go. Been going back and forth between 160/147 and the LT version. Fun experiment.

[@darrinkulyk9560]

Awesome Video 😎 I LOVE My CF Warden 160/155 IT'S AMAZING 31Lbs 😁 I Work 2 Blocks From Knolly 😎

[@Peanutdenver]

I have two friends who both are riding Ripmos and say they'll never change. They say it's the bike to have when you want to maximize fun popping off little lips, manuals and pulling tires off the back wheel in a corner. I going to ride Max's in two week and he;'s gonna ride my Evil so I can get a real taste.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Right on Chicken, I LOVE my Ripmo!

[@micheandmikey]

Whistler Bike Park lift wait = 40+ minutes / Sun Peaks lift wait = what wait, my legs and arms are tired!!! 😆I will say Whistler does have it's nostalgic and Iconic trails, however I personally feel like Sun Peaks trails are better and more fun. Great review Jeff, YEEW!!

[@brianrand7191]

4:16 awesome line - also pls slap a coil on there and tell us how that works out

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks! I am so tickled to have pulled that line! Nah on the coil, that'd bring the bike to over 40lbs...

[@RM-yc3dq]

I would love to see you try the Kona process x!!

[@aussieinspainmtb7516]

Loving your videos lately Jeff becoming my favourite mtb content to watch👍🏼

[@harv83]

Wasn't sure if somebody else already commented... If you switched the shock to the 167 configuration, you would have pulled the bike for a 170 fork already, and geometry changes would have been minimal. Don't have the exact numbers off hand, but they'd definitely be in knolly's site. Possible the different feel also relates to a different shock tune, or possibly to how a longer stroke shock's progression alters the ride feel

[@smoothmoose]

You gotta test the Orbea Rallon - it's basically a cross section of the other 3 bikes. Racy but too much compared to the Firebird, more neutral geo compared to the Spire, progressive but not too much compared to the Knolly. Oh and it's lighter than all 3.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Workin on it! Have requested one, but Orbea is still backordered...

[@usurpedliberty9096]

Been on a warden their 27.5 170/170~ bike it’s killer. I live in the desert so the slow speed tight tech is all I ride. It’s such a killer bike. I agree that when you open it up it doesn’t quite hold up but I don’t think it really holds me back. I had a sentinel before this bike. I easily prefer the Knolly. It is so much easier to climb tech with and tight trails with gnar. My warden built up is 35 pounds flat so the weight really doesn’t bother me. I also don’t have the progression issues you did idk if the warden has less progression but I have it setup with 30% recommended sag and a super deluxe not a x2? I can hit bottom when I need too feels really good to me. Thanks for the review though they are sick bikes cool to see them get more content out there.

[@ousqa]

I would love to see you on a Canfield or revel. I know the suspension designs are both mini link cbf but I've heard the revel yoke side loads the shock a bit more and is rougher on bearings so the Canfield feels a little better, plus I like alu more personally cause more eco friendly

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Ousqa! I was working on getting a Revel in, was tough to arrange that. Will try again when timing allows!

[@mrvwbug4423]

Now I'm actually kinda interested in the Knolly. My biggest complaint about the Ripmo AF is the back end isn't supportive enough, a cascade link helps, but it still lives deep in the travel. I did notice Knollys run big, the size M Chilcotin is actually fairly comparable in size to a size L Ripmo.

[@wvargasski]

Just watching this. I love Knolly because their customer service is top notch. They reply to my inquiries quickly and work directly with me, rather through a shop. Knolly customer service also does not hesitate to make me happy when replacing parts. I'm riding a 2019 Warden and I definitely notice the bike come alive on the steep and technical trails.

[@Chris_makham]

Would be great if you could review the Santa Cruz Nomad 6 MX. Think that might be my next purchase. I enjoy your videos Jeff.

[@fendogmtb]

Coil for the win in the rear!

[@garretths]

Love the Knolly. I ride a fugitive and love it. Did you find the piggyback reservoir hit the water bottle?

[@randyisaak455]

Jeff, you always say that you are a terrible bike review'er yet you did a great job here. I think your style of "review" plays more towards the experienced rider but we need all types don't we? Oh but one issue, its OkanAgan nor OkanOgan! Come on up and I'll give you a tour!

[@MichelBalik]

Would love for you to ride the new 155/170 chilcotin 6.0 and so a comparison

[@seanbeniston4144]

How about the Knolly Fugitive? You mentioned the Ripmo AF travel which compares perhaps more to the Fugitive than the Chilcotin.

[@SpencerBaum]

Sounds to me like unlike the spire, firebird, and ripmo af, it would be hard to have the knolly as your "do everything bike. " but then again, if you wanted a bigger park bike, the spire still might be the better choice, I guess the knolly might just be a bike to fill a niche? Also, with that super progressive rear suspension, I wonder how it would feel with a coil shock (not that it needs the extra weight)

[@JeffKendallWeed]

The Knolly would be great if I was riding the Shore all the time- or just tight, steep trails. The coil would likely be nice, but it'd get the bike into the 40# zone...

[@chrisday4953]

Jeff, would you ever put together a long-shocked/forked ripmo to review?

[@cancer8343]

Coil rear maybe?

[@JohnM-p5r]

Long time subscriber I love the bike I would really love to see you review a banshee I know you review stuff that's a little more higher end but I would love to hear your take on them

[@remington1210]

Hey Jeff! Any plans to hop on a Specialized Enduro? I know myself and many other people would love to see it.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Ooooh, that'd be fun! I do have another Specialized bike in the shop at the moment...

[@SoilworkZA01]

Sounds like the Knolly would work great with a coil shock

[@ousqa]

Very interesting that the firebird and knolly ride so differently despite the neutral being very close to the firebird's geo (at least by stated geo)

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Oh man, they rode SO different! Back end of the Firebird is wildly shorter, and the weight distribution is much more central. Front center on the Firebird feels longer. Suspension wise, also very different- Firebird is firmer off the top, then more linear. Knolly is progression progression progression.

[@ousqa]

I also realized that the mediums are more different than the large later

[@JaggedTusk]

Chilcotin sounds more suited for a coil shock. Super boost hub spacing has prevented me from getting one.

[@dylanglaser304]

9:18 Oak-eh-no-gan cracking me up.

[@gearnerd4283]

I love my Knolly Chilcotin! I think I got a 162.5 stroke shock on mine so it's a 170/160 setup. I am curious what your suspension settings are. I notice that it is pretty difficult to get that supportive feeling I'm looking for as I think it feels like I'm not getting into the travel, but I don't know if it's the progression or if I have too many tokens in my shock. I also haven't gotten the Zeb to feel exactly where I want it either. I also have a Knolly Fugitive and definitely recommend that bike for anyone looking for a hardcore all-a-rounder. I got the Fugitive with Fox suspension and I feel like Fox is easier to setup for my needs and feels better initially. It would be awesome if you would share your suspension setup on this bike for some insight. Cheers!

[@LoganJohnston190]

Running a coil shock helps a lot. My Chilcotin 167 feels fantastic with the new super deluxe coil!

[@bonham4994sts9]

What brand knee pads are you wearing in the beginning of this vid? They look really sick 🤘

[@aaronburela432]

Just bought some lmnt can't wait to try it I'm addicted to electrolytes. Hey question for anyone out there what's your opinion on sport leg capsules to prevent cramping on long rides? Good supplement or should I just ride more?

[@jessehill3780]

So if this air shock is off the firebird and you currently have the coil on the firebird and your saying the Chilcotin is extremely progressive then I think the answer for the next test is staring at you in the face.

[@billydeewilliams8909]

That was some sorcery bullshit with the endo into hop at 0:50 (yesyes I know what actually happened). You are an inspiration.

[@Carsonsaurus]

Hey great video as always, I have an opinion question for ya. As the chilcotin is a bit burlier in frame and ramps up more quickly than an Ibis Ripmo AF, would you recommend it to larger riders looking for that playful enduro bike? I’m a super-clyde 6’6 280lbs and tend to bottom out most suspension platforms I’ve tried. Thanks again for putting up stuff on KZbin so consistently!

[@mathieufortin1110]

What about the neutral vs slack mode? Thanks!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Neutral was surprisingly more linear suspension wise, and felt good. Slack mode was more progression than I really needed. When I swapped to the 167 length (65mm stroke) shock, the rear suspension feel wasn't noticeably different- that final 5mm of stroke has so much progression that you'd only really ever get into it on MASSIVE hits. I actually emailed Knolly to ask about this, they said ya, that's how it's supposed to be.

[@gmatting]

Yeah I don't think the Chili feels like it's giving its best at 151/160mm. 167/170mm feels more native to the bike.

[@mattmatthew]

wondering if you're going to give the new chili a shot?

[@doghat34567]

Goofy Hat Award goes tooooooooo..........

[@paulkahlke2291]

I vote you wear a different goofy hat every video.

[@GF-cb8rr]

I love that hat.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

That was my grandfather's hat. He bought it on a trip to England in the 1970s, and kept it on a hat rack among his collection of odd hats. It's my favorite hat ever.

[@kangsterizer]

@@JeffKendallWeed you have a bigger head haha . its a pretty cool hat imo. ill take that opportunity to say thanks, these are exactly the bikes i wanted to see compared by someone who rode them a lot more than me.

[@doghat34567]

@@JeffKendallWeed Good story Jeff. Just playin’ with ya. Thanks for all the good videos. Keep up the great work!

[@51249ca]

What bottle cage is that?

[@fr88mail]

Still rocking my 08 Vtach as my main bike.

[@aaronkerth1171]

Live in AZ and currently riding a Medium Santa Cruz Bronson MX. I'm planning on racing a few BME's in 2023 and was considering the Pivot Firebird as my new whip. I'm 5'6" and their site recommended size Small.. would you agree, or would you size up to a Medium considering I'm racing enduros? Thanks for all the great videos!

[@aweldum]

Go demo one at the HQ!

[@aaronkerth1171]

@Alex Weldum Yes, that would be totally logical for sure but considering JKW years of experience racing DH and Enduro I would like his feedback.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Aaron, I'm sorry but I don't have that much experience with Pivot's sizing... You could try to post up on their owner's group on Facebook, or do the demo thing from HQ to South Mtn. At 5'8, loved the medium, and Logan at 5'7 also loved the medium. I'd think the small would be a safe bet, since it's a pretty big bike anyhow- but trying one is the key!

[@21armyn]

still waiting for the New continental tires review!! lol

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Workin on making that happen...

[@CP-qx2ff]

try a coil shock maybe?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Nah, I'm trying to keep it under 40lbs.

[@xiaolongwang6583]

@@JeffKendallWeed I just demoed a 167/170 chilcotin in our local shop couple days ago (probably gonna take one soon before the sale ends), same zeb fork, but rockshox super deluxe shock, large frame with my CB mallet DH pedals on, weighted in the shop shows 36lbs, I was surprised how light it was, cause it feels quite bit heavier than my Bronson V4 during riding both up and down. Since you mentioned your bike weights 38 lbs, I am wondering why, unless their scale is not working properly? lol it has exo casing tire front and back tho, what tires you running? the stock build comes with exo both, I probably gonna swap the rear to a DD casing.

[@Yhigma]

Show us shots of the chief

[@Bueller611]

Im always curious what your suspension settings typically are? Im guessing max volume spacers and relatively high PSI for your weight. Your bikes look like they ride very stiff.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Oh man, I should post some of the data! I have gone towards running just enough progression that I can land from ~6 feet to flat and not totally destroy my wrists, which sounds like a lot, but if you hit many big jumps it's nowhere close to what the freeride guys run. Maybe a touch more progression than the average racer guy. I do try to run minimal damping- low speed in particular. Just enough high speed comp and rebound to control those hits. I found that using the spring as much as possible creates a really nice feel.

[@TheGeoffreyDyck]

How do you compare this to the altitude, another really progressive bike with similar travel?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Oh man, Altitude was SO MUCH lighter and racier! I had an easier time handling the Altitude in a wide variety of conditions. The suspension progression of the Altitude was much more appropriate for my needs, where as the Knolly is often more than I really need. The Rocky also had some great attention to detail- easier cable routing, adjustable chainstay length, adjustable progression, and yeah, a good 2+ lbs less frame weight.

[@BubsMTB]

Did any more bolts come loose?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

No, it was solid from there on out.

[@catg9196]

Maybe try a coil shock?

[@RCKING1]

Nicolai saturn 16 😀

[@BasicBodThor]

want it plusher...put a coil on it

[@trentvlak]

Hopefully you did everything right so Knolly has no excuse to sue you. 😆

[@Shane-px2ns]

U wanna sell yours now?

[@alexprohoroff1500]

18 minutes POG

[@sthr2110]

33 minutes...and counting...to make a single run at Whistler??? No thanks.

[@Matt-py4sc]

I really like the ethos of Knolly but good gravy they are ugly.

[@trevorrees1764]

100%

[@DaBinChe]

Think it is his particular bike with the 80's paint job. I'm really digging the raw

[@tuul75]

Meh. Who cares. It’s a tool. Too many fancy boys out there colour matching their purple pedals to a purple seatpost clamp. 😂

[@nofluxgiven1949]

How much clickbait can you include in a single title

[@erikk.2435]

I’m sure this is an awesome bike, but the frame design is so ugly.

[@High_Octane]

strong bike, good bike, ugly bike. yep.

[@mosaclipz6549]

Almost nice it just has a weird link

[@skullsroad3642]

@@mosaclipz6549 I like the linkage. The bb area and headtube are gross. The new frames coming out look so much better.