Same for me. I had a series of Knolly then an Enduro and now an Evil which has comparably high AS throughout its travel. It turns out I really like the high AS. The diagrams suggest the Evil has a fair amount of kickback but I can't tell. The Evil consistently doesn't get hung up on stuff the way the Enduro used to like to do, but I think this has more to do with wheelpath than AS.
I recall my Knolly as being better descenders than the Enduro but not as versatile (2010 Delirium was my last). The Knolly were remarkably even-tempered no what was happening and though that neutrality was good for pedalling it isn't as good as a little chain tug, if you know what I mean.
I remember having a brief stint on a VPP bike in the Knolly era and I thought it was insane, like it had multiple personality disorder with extra unpredictability. Coming off years of Knolly it makes sense In hindsight why this would be the case. [Looking at the graphs](http://linkagedesign.blogspot.ca/2016/03/santa-cruz-hightower-2016.html) it's pretty obvious why I didn't like VPP.
It could be that I'm physically much stronger now. When I was on my Delirium I preferred to pedal seated more often, as we did in the freeride days. Now I'm riding my Evil harder up a lot more stuff, up steeper more powerful technical climbs with a lot more standing, which I'm guessing would be less suited to a low-AS bike. I guess it's time for a test ride!
Feb. 2, 2018, 11:50 a.m. - Cr4w
Same for me. I had a series of Knolly then an Enduro and now an Evil which has comparably high AS throughout its travel. It turns out I really like the high AS. The diagrams suggest the Evil has a fair amount of kickback but I can't tell. The Evil consistently doesn't get hung up on stuff the way the Enduro used to like to do, but I think this has more to do with wheelpath than AS. I recall my Knolly as being better descenders than the Enduro but not as versatile (2010 Delirium was my last). The Knolly were remarkably even-tempered no what was happening and though that neutrality was good for pedalling it isn't as good as a little chain tug, if you know what I mean. I remember having a brief stint on a VPP bike in the Knolly era and I thought it was insane, like it had multiple personality disorder with extra unpredictability. Coming off years of Knolly it makes sense In hindsight why this would be the case. [Looking at the graphs](http://linkagedesign.blogspot.ca/2016/03/santa-cruz-hightower-2016.html) it's pretty obvious why I didn't like VPP. It could be that I'm physically much stronger now. When I was on my Delirium I preferred to pedal seated more often, as we did in the freeride days. Now I'm riding my Evil harder up a lot more stuff, up steeper more powerful technical climbs with a lot more standing, which I'm guessing would be less suited to a low-AS bike. I guess it's time for a test ride!