I think in the past, Knolly's really were tuned for the older school north shore = fireroad/shuttle/push/climb-switch then slay the descents. They had a bit of a reputation of not being the most efficient climbers but had very active suspension with tons of traction and Noel dialed the suspension to take on anything the descent could throw at them. The Fugitive is a result of some new thinking and shows how adaptable the 4x4 design is.
Before the Fugitive I was on a Norco Sight (arguably one of the best and underrated all round bikes on the market). The Sight was an efficient climber (single track and fire-road) but struggled a little when it came to really technical climbs (suspension didn't seem to be active enough). But then could hold it's own on the descents (raced a few enduros on it).
On the Fugitive, it's just as efficient as the Sight on the fire-road and single-track (feels like they've upped the anti-squat a fair bit from previous models), but does better that the Sight on difficult tech climbs... the suspension stays active and gives you lots of grip... 3 months in and I'm still testing its limits of adhesion. I don't feel the need to use the climb switch at all.... I do when it comes to turning up a big road climb, but it's not like it feels necessary.
But then, on the downs... that 135 really is supple and feels like much more (again, enduro racing it and it slays rock gardens)
Honestly when people ask me about this bike, I can 't help but gush... it just feels so good everywhere. I never been on a bike that felt like this before. It's a 29r that is still fun, lively, corners and climbs like a 27.5.
I've played around with set-up a fair bit and think I'm settled... I'm 5'11" on a size Large with a 160mm fork, 50mm stem with no spacers, bars cut to 780 with 20mm rise.
The only thing I'd say is that the frame is burly and stiff (in the right ways), and can take repeated beatings... so it is a little heavier than your typical new super light carbon competitor. Not that weight is usually an issue for those looking at Knolly, but it's just something to keep in mind when building your bike as it can get hefty if you don't watch your spec. Part of the reason I stayed away from a coil out back and went with an MRP Ribbon up front (beyond the awesomeness of this fork, it's light)
To answer your question... it seems that through refinement and tweaking of the 4x4 links, the bike feels more like a DW link bike with good amount of anti squat at low levels of compression, and almost none in high levels, yet the suspension remains quite active to bump forces throughout.
Hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions.
April 23, 2019, 12:12 p.m. - IslandLife
I think in the past, Knolly's really were tuned for the older school north shore = fireroad/shuttle/push/climb-switch then slay the descents. They had a bit of a reputation of not being the most efficient climbers but had very active suspension with tons of traction and Noel dialed the suspension to take on anything the descent could throw at them. The Fugitive is a result of some new thinking and shows how adaptable the 4x4 design is. Before the Fugitive I was on a Norco Sight (arguably one of the best and underrated all round bikes on the market). The Sight was an efficient climber (single track and fire-road) but struggled a little when it came to really technical climbs (suspension didn't seem to be active enough). But then could hold it's own on the descents (raced a few enduros on it). On the Fugitive, it's just as efficient as the Sight on the fire-road and single-track (feels like they've upped the anti-squat a fair bit from previous models), but does better that the Sight on difficult tech climbs... the suspension stays active and gives you lots of grip... 3 months in and I'm still testing its limits of adhesion. I don't feel the need to use the climb switch at all.... I do when it comes to turning up a big road climb, but it's not like it feels necessary. But then, on the downs... that 135 really is supple and feels like much more (again, enduro racing it and it slays rock gardens) Honestly when people ask me about this bike, I can 't help but gush... it just feels so good everywhere. I never been on a bike that felt like this before. It's a 29r that is still fun, lively, corners and climbs like a 27.5. I've played around with set-up a fair bit and think I'm settled... I'm 5'11" on a size Large with a 160mm fork, 50mm stem with no spacers, bars cut to 780 with 20mm rise. The only thing I'd say is that the frame is burly and stiff (in the right ways), and can take repeated beatings... so it is a little heavier than your typical new super light carbon competitor. Not that weight is usually an issue for those looking at Knolly, but it's just something to keep in mind when building your bike as it can get hefty if you don't watch your spec. Part of the reason I stayed away from a coil out back and went with an MRP Ribbon up front (beyond the awesomeness of this fork, it's light) To answer your question... it seems that through refinement and tweaking of the 4x4 links, the bike feels more like a DW link bike with good amount of anti squat at low levels of compression, and almost none in high levels, yet the suspension remains quite active to bump forces throughout. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions.