Spokewrench Cycles

Titus Racer-X Ti Frame with F100 RLC For Sale!

FOR SALE!!  This is a large frame and as you can see in the picture, it looks incredible and is one of our favourite frames.  This is Titus's cross country frame at its best.  Weight of the large frame is 6.08lbs with the Fox RP23 shock.  

Features

• Seamless 3Al/2.5V titanium front triangle 
• Hand-crafted in Tempe, Arizona 
• Triple, oversize, sealed-bearing main pivot 
• Precision machined 6Al/4V titanium shock tabs 
• 100mm of rear wheel travel
• Complete Frame Weight: 5.75 lbs(large)
• Carbon seat-stay
• Compression molded, multi-direction carbon fiber X-Link 

Rear Shock

• Custom tuned Fox RP23 
• Adjustable pedaling platform
• Adjustable air preload
• External rebound adjustment

Compatibility

• Disc brake only
• 1 1/8" headset
• 34.9 Traditional (bottom swing) top pull front derailleur
• Designed for use with 100mm travel fork

 

$2750 plus applicable taxes with Fox F100RLC fork shipped!

Something Cool

We have something really cool on the way and we're extremely excited about it!  We saw them at the show and everyone was talking about it.  Everyone wanted to get their hands on one and everyone that rode one at the Outdoor demo raved about them.  Now we're getting a couple of frames and we can't be more excited.

Well, we've received the frames and they look incredible.  Hard to describe the frame with pictures but we'll try.  They do say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Weight:  6.92lbs Medium Frame with headset/BB/XT front derailleur.   That's a very decent weight for a 5" travel suspension bike and should build up to I would estimate 24-26lbs depending on wheel choice, etc.  

Team Spokewrench

Get Pushed!

We're offering a really cool offer that we think everyone will love.  A few years ago, we sent our rear shock in for servicing at Push Industries.  The Fox RP23 on our Moots Cinco was just not performing.  It was bottoming out no matter how much air we put in.  The shock was simply blowing through it's travel but there was no leak that we could tell.  We decided to go with Push Industries' custom program and tuned it to our weight, riding style and bike model.  WOW!  What a difference.  It was like night and day.  The bike felt completely different and the rear shock responded the way it was supposed to.  We are so happy with the work that Push did with our shock that we're offering it now to anyone that purchases a new Knolly bike from us!  That's right, a complete custom rear shock tune included in the purchase of a Knolly frame.  How cool is that?!? ;)

This will likely delay the delivery of the frame as we have to send the rear shock in to Push and have them do the work so that depends on their current backlog but we've found Push to be great in the past and work to be very quick and efficient.

FREE Custom Rear Shock tuned by PUSH with every Knolly Endorphin Purchase!!

If you were sitting on the fence about a Knolly bike, hopefully this will help PUSH your decision!  Email us for more information at info@spokewrench.com.

Team Spokewrench

Knolly Endorphin Complete!

The Endorphin has been built up and it looks great.  We'll be delivering it to Dave so that he can try it out.  The build went very well and we did not have any issues.  As with the Delirium-T, the bike is very well made and the quality and attention to details shows.  In general, full length cable routing is the best way to go and especially more so for this type of all day, go anywhere in any type of condition freeride bike. 
We speced a Fox 36 Talas RLC fork for it because we figure that this bike is going to be used on different trails and having the option to adjust the fork travel will help Dave adjust the bike to suit the trail.  It's heavier than the 32 Talas but the 36mm is stiffer and suits this build well.   The rear shock is a Fox RP23 and matches the front fork.

We put on a Cane Creek 110 headset and we're really amazed by this headset.  It's not like us to be impressed by a headset as it's not something most people talk about when talking bikes but it definitely rivals Chris King and we feel in some ways is better than CK.  It doesn't have as many colour options as Chris King but there are certain design features and attention to detail and overall quality that we have no problems recommending this headset to anyone. 

For this bike build, braking duties are handled by Shimano XT.  We saw the changes to the XT line and we've been very impressed.  The disc brakes have been getting very good reviews and Dave was keen on trying them out so we went ahead with them.  We're trying to get a 7" rotor/adapter for the front as that's probably better suited for this bike but we'll start with the 6" for now. 

Thomson looks after the stem and seatpost.  That's the defacto industry standard.  No fuss, no complaints, no brainer.   What's better than a Thomson Elite seatpost?  The Thomson Masterpiece seatpost.  There are others of course but are you getting more?

Shifters/derailleur is a mix of SRAM x.9 from our last project and an XT front derailleur that is on loan.  Cranks are also from our previous project.  Really no complaints here.  The integrated cranks/BB works well, stiff and reliable.  So reliable that Chris King's BB is Shimano compatible. 

Just a note on cable routing as that seems to be a common question when people ask about Knolly.  There are a lot of cable guides on the frame and the frame uses full cable housing (thank you) so there are a number of ways to route the cable.  Play around and see what makes the most sense.  It's fairly intuitive and usually common sense and just the natural way the cable bends gives you an idea of where to route it.  And the nice thing is if you don't like it after setting it up one way, just cut the zip ties and do it a different way.  The only concern(?) I have is the small loop that results beneath the BB because of the way the front derailleur cable is routed.  Now this doesn't seem to have caused any issues thus far but I would suggest keeping an eye on the cable to see any signs of rubbing or damage on the housing after a ride.  

Also, a note on the front derailleur.  Using the Shimano XT front derailleur, we did notice that with a 2.35" Kenda Nevegal tire, there was a bit of rubbing of the cage and the knobs so we adjusted the front derailleur just ever so slightly.  The shifting is fine and there are no issues but there isn't much clearance and something to be aware of.  Now we've been told the SRAM front derailleurs may not have this issue.  

The overall weight of the bike with the heavy wheels from our last project is 34lbs.  Now with lighter wheels (Dave has since replaced the wheels with Crossmax XLs with Stans), he managed to save 896g or roughly 2lbs.  Now that's a huge difference when it comes to rotating mass so immediately acceleration and climbing is going to be better.  

Here are some initial thoughts from Dave and it's very positive so far!

"My overall impression was very good, though i was riding pretty tame terrain. The most outstanding feature was how incredibly well the bike pedalled, especailly out of the saddle. The EG was pretty smooth pedalling in the saddle, and it would climb anything, but it there was a lot of wallowing/bobbing which robbed energy and forward momentum. This Endo seems to still follow the trail pretty well, but when out of the saddle, every pedal stroke literally shoots the bike forward! Very much like a hardtail. Its certainly the first full suspension bike where i have looked forward to just standing and hammering up steep pitches. This bike is as heavy as my Stinky (and the EG) but it pedals as well or better than my Epiphany, I hardly notice the extra weight. I know its only been one ride, but with the adjustable travel TALAS, this is the closest i have come to riding the 'one' bike...extremely versatile. All you'd need to go from cross country to all- mountian/ light freeride is 2 wheelsets" - Dave

Knolly Delirium-T Reviewed

Mark compared the Titus El Guapo and the Knolly Delirium-T last fall and here are some of this thoughts of the 2 different bikes.

This comparison is for the two bikes as built with the EG weighing about 34lbs and the DT weighing just over 36 lbs.

Both of these bikes are aimed at the "all mountain" category and both can do it all but you might not want to do it all on a regular basis using just one of these. If you were to draw a line bridging the gap between cross-country and freeride, the EG would lean toward the cross-country side and the DT would lean toward the freeride side. Yet, there would be a good bit of overlap in the centre. If you want a bike that you can ride cross country (for all but racing perhaps) yet still be able to do some occasional light freeride, the EG, as built, is a good contender. It is more versatile with two wheelsets. If you want a bike leaning more toward freeride (as I did) the DT is a better choice. However, these two bikes (again as built) are more alike than they are different.

Although I did not ride the bikes back-to-back, my memory of the EG was that it was heavy but not inordinately so. This is the same feeling I get from the DT.  The difference in the weight is where I felt it. My impression of the EG is that the wheels were heavy and slowed the bike down almost as though you were riding through loamy soil - not quite like mud but there was a definite drag. I felt that if the EG had a lighter wheelset, it would run like a dog unleashed. By comparison, the DT just feels generally heavy. The weight feels centered and there is not the feeling of pent up power I got from the EG. Perhaps because of the centered feeling, I didn't always feel the weight of the DT. In fact, the only time I felt like I was paying a price was on gradual inclines - the kind that on a lighter bike you can just spin a bit faster to keep up your speed. On the DT, extra effort was noticeably required. Interestingly, the DT did not feel heavy on flats or declines. The heavy wheels on the EG felt heavy even on flat ground. On stronger climbs, both bikes felt heavy but both pedal so efficiently that there does not seem to be a weight penalty. Further, the suspensions on both keep the rear wheel on the ground which makes both bikes climb well on technical terrain. The DT does get floppy in the front end with the fork in the 6.5" setting and benefits well from an adjustable travel fork.

Lupine Tesla

We just received our Lupine Tesla light and WOW!!  This light is bright.  Very clean design, lightweight and very well made.  This light has a lot of throw and peripheral spill light that it's nicely spread but still focused ahead.  See picture below.  I was really impressed. We've been sitting on the fence about LED but over the last few years it's really taken off and some manufacturers have dropped HID all together to concentrate on LED.  Do a search on Lupine and you'll know that it's a well respected light manufacturer that's been around for quite some time.  They've always produced sought after lights and these LED lights are no exception.

PRICE - $625 Cdn - Order now and receive the optional headstrap so you can take your light night skiing or camping FREE! ($50 Value)

SPECS

• 12W High Power LED
• Hexagon reflector, Beam angle 13°
• 700 lumens
• 43 x 49 mm (diameter x length)
• CNC-machined black shot-peened aluminum body, bright silver bezel
• 3D Adjustable Mount
• Weight 102g 

Project 2009!

We got our Endorphin...Whoohoo!!  This will be the bike we use for our Project 2009 .  It's black and will be using a Fox RP3 rear shock.  Last year we built up the Delirium and it was a hit so we wanted to bring in the Endorphin to see how it compares.  It should be lighter but definitely able to handle anything you can throw at it. 

Weight - medium frame / fork - 7.78lbs - noticeably lighter with the Fox RP3 air shock than the Delirium-T we build up last season.  This frame can optionally be ordered with the Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock that will add about 1lb to the overall weight which is still quite good for this type of bike.

As can be seen from the pictures, the quality of the frame and attention to detail, gusseted head tube, cable routing, paint quality, laser etching is very much what we'd come to expect from Knolly  and they did not disappoint.  There has been a lot of positive press and reviews of this bike from the general media so we're excited and looking forward to seeing how it is for ourselves.  We'll be building this bike up in the next little while and post more pictures and a final build list at the end.

Comments welcome!

Spokewrench

New Rohloff Ride

Richard has sent us pics of his Rohloff GT Xizang before and now has a new ride to share with us.  It's a brand new custom Carver Ti 96er!  29" inch wheel in the front and a 26" inch wheel in the back.  From his own words..."its an amazing all day bike - great uphill and brilliant downhill - that myth about the rollability of a big front wheel is true .... only 80mm reba fork on the front but it feels like the best travel fork ive ever had ....."  We're a sucker for custom built frames and bikes so this is eye candy for us.

Carver ti Custom 96er
Front Reba 29er 80mm
Stans rim on Hope hub with XTR disc front
XTR cranks and Eggbeater pedals
Thomson Elite seatpost and Selle Storika saddle
Rear xtr rim brake
Rohloff on Mavic 819

Weight about 27lbs

Not bad for a Rohloff equipped Ti hardtail. 

Pretty sweet ride...

Spokewrench

Rohloff Daily Driver Down Under

Now something a little different from someone in Australia.  Here is what he has to say about his Rohloff equipped bike.

"Here is another one--I built this up in 2004 after getting sick and tired of trying to keep my conventional mtb drivetrain alive. It's still going strong--

It's an On-One Inbred Cro-Mo singlespeed frame with an EBB to neaten up the chain-tensioning duties. Other stuff is pretty standard, except for the hub and the Dean Ti seatpost to cushion the ride a bit.  Also have a bit of a soft spot for the Shimano BR-755 brakes--a bit heavier, but otherwise much better than the newer Shimano offerings in my humble opinion.

Anyway, this is my do-it-all bike.  A lot of commuting, lots of recreational singletrack, quite a bit of endurance racing (until my back demanded full suspension for this), l and even some biketouring towing a BOB.  It did it all without complaint for a couple of years, until stress-fractures in the frame headset area needed attention (hence the big gussets). This rebuild was a blessing in disguise, as I took the opportunity to add some cable-guides, with a neater shifter cable-routing job down the down-tube and along the LH chainstay--much straighter cables and better shifting than the original setup that had the shifter cables arching up along the seatstay and top-tube--don't do it that way.

So, the summary--5 years, 25,000 km, about 10,000 km of that off-road, countless tyres, 1 cracked frame, 2 stuffed (=stress-fractured) rear rims, 2 sets of brake rotors, 4 chains, 2 rear sprockets, 2 front chainrings, 4 bottom brackets, one fork, two sets of pedals and 2 crank-sets all worn out.  As bad as this sounds, the only components I think didnt hold up well to the abuse I've dished out were the ISIS bb/crank combo (ISIS bottom brackets suck--now I'm running Race-face X-type-much better), and the frame.  Initially the frame rode well, but was too flexible around the headstem area, which is probably why the cracks developed.  Much stiffer with the gussets added, and now rides better than new.  I think On-One thickened up their tubeset a bit in subsequent frames.  But I cant complain too much--I give my mountain bikes a very hard time. 

Now for the call on the Rohloff hub--Its fantastic.  Like a car gearbox.  No doubt its a few hundred grams heavier than a (premium) conventional drivetrain, but its so hassle free. In the same way that adding disk brakes or a suspension fork made your original bike heavier but faster at the same time, the Rohloff hub can make your bike a swifter steed overall.  The muddier and snaggier the conditions, the more this hub outshines the opposition--nothing ever goes wrong, and afterwards a quick hose off after a muddy ride (yes, we do get mud in Australia sometimes...) and your done.  Shifting is a different experience, but quick, consistent and smooth as silk once mastered. 

Rohloff Daily Driver Part II

We last saw Brandon's Brodie back in May and now he has over 2000 miles on his Rohloff and send us some more pics.  We love that colour on that bike and the Rohloff hub looks amazing. 

That's what custom is all about, your ride your way.  Brook saddle, flat pedals, custom grips and setup for what the bike is intended to do.  There was a lot of thought that went into this build and it shows.  That's something we've noticed about Rohloff equipped bikes, people tend to be very creative in where they install it so in many ways it's more versatile than the typical cassette hub although you can argue that any of these bikes shown here can use a standard hub.  But then it loses that special character that only a Rohloff can bring.

 

Team Spokewrench

 

Knolly Delirium-T Arrives!!

The Delirium-T we ordered from Knolly is here and we're super excited.  We talked to them at the show and they're an amazing bunch of guys.  Great to talk to and work with.  The frame looks great and we're stoked to build it up. 

The Medium frame with Fox DHX 5.0 air shock for those interested is 10.6 lbs.

The bike has been built and delivered and we took some pictures of it.  The complete bike with tires was 36.22 lbs without pedals.  That is pretty reasonable for this class of bike, not quite DH but definitely not XC race either. This bike was meant for the north shores of BC so it was designed to do some pretty big drops and handle the abuse of riding in some pretty extreme terrain.  This is full face helmet and body armour type of riding, definitely not for the faint of heart.  You'll need a bike that'll not only take the type of riding the shore offers but also instill confidence for the rider to attempt those trails. 

This bike was build with Knolly's Pro Kit which is really a no nosense, functional, practical and not overly heavy build kit.  Marzocchi 55 ATA and Fox DHX 5.0 keeps things plush and on the ground.  Shifting is handled by SRAM x.9 shifters and rear derailleur which we love.  Shimano takes care of the front E-type derailleur.  Race Face looks after the cranks and bar, no problems there.  E-Thirteen supplies the chainguide, no fuss and works.  DT Swiss 240 hubs front and rear with 5.1d rims, durable and light.  Maxxis DH tires with heavy duty tubes and Magura Julie All Mountain brakes to slow things down when it gets a bit hairy.  Seatpost is supplied by Thomson, is there any other?  Stem and seatpost binder is by Chromag and they look great.  Everything built up nicely and we were very pleased with the quality and finish of the frame.  Lots of machined parts everywhere and attention to detail is amazing.  Cable routing spots all over the frame to make it a breeze to route the brake and shifter cables, something that sometimes gets missed.  It's the little things that make it stand out from all the other frame manufacturers out there.  This is one sweet looking bike and from everything we've heard so far, it will be one sweet bike on the trails too.

Spokewrench