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
Here are some thoughts from Mark who bought a Delirium-T from us. At the time, he wasn't sure which was better for him, the Endo or the Delirium-T. We ended up choosing the DT and so he wanted to try the Endorphin to see whether or not he made the right decision. Here are his thoughts.
"I got in a twin ponds ride and a quick spin at Guelph Lake. To be sure the build on the Endo is overkill for those trails but it still gave a fun ride. I realized too late that the fork on the Endo has a 20mm through axle whereas my Crossmax wheels are QR so the only change I made was to the saddle (my seatpost is identical so it was an easy swap.) I weighed the Endo as-built and according to my bathroom scale, it is 34 lbs whereas my DT is 37 lbs. My initial impression was that the Endo is not as capable a climber as the DT which surprised me. My preconceived expectation was that the Endo would easily surpass the DT going uphill and based on my initial rides, it doesn't. Upon reflection, the geometry is very similar, the suspension is very similar (both have Talas 36 on the front) and the weight is not as different as it seems at first so the fact it does not climb better should be no surprise. Whatever gap I perceived in their capabilities was more a reflection of my expectations. On further reflection and a brief side by side test at Guelph Lake, I realized they climb very similarly. When I call the DT a good climber I always qualify it by adding "for a 37lb bike." Was it really fair to expect a 34lb bike to be a mountain goat? Both of these bikes are heavy going uphill and both have a tendency to get light in the front end. Climbing these up smooth hills makes you long for a lighter, shorter travel bike until you realize how well they respond to an out-of-the-saddle effort. Standing with weight forward keeps the front planted, the extra leverage powers you up the hill and the suspension has very little power sucking bob but still keeps the rear on the ground so traction stays quite good. Once you try a climb with any techy bits, you stop whining about the extra weight and start to grin at the stuff you are getting over. Then when you crest and get to go down the other side of the hill, the grin turns into a bug-catching smile. Here again, both bikes are very similar. For anyone comparing these bikes, you soon realize they have a broad range of possible builds with quite a bit of overlap between models. My light DT and this heavy Endo fit into the overlap zone. It would ne nice to try again with lighter wheels but I think I rode enough to get a good feel for the bike.
When I rode the Endo I also tried to remember my impressions of the El Guapo from last summer. When I rode the EG which I think was a very similar weight to the Endo, I felt like I was on a fast bike that was restrained by its weight. I felt that with a lighter build, it would fly. My impression was of a trail bike with downhill parts. At Blue Mountain, the EG felt fast but gave me an impression it was weak for that type of riding. I had no issues but did get that impression. On the Endo, I felt like I had a solid bike. The heavy wheels seemed to fit it better. I'm sure it would be faster uphill with a lighter build but I did not get the impression of restrained power I got from the EG. I did not try the Endo at Blue but I did ride the DT there last fall and that bike was very capable on downhill trails. Given the very similar feel between the DT and the Endo, I suspect the Endo would also be an excellent bike at Blue (at least on the current trails)."
- Mark
Team Spokewrench
Comments