[Tarpon]

The first run of frames is finally done (and worth the wait). Picked mine up Sunday in Vancouver and finished the build up this evening. Should be able to get in the first ride Thursday or Friday.

First picture is Noel and friends with the first batch of assembled frames. The others are of my bike.

 

[Beyr]

Those are hot. Well, I can dream

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Way cool, can't wait to hear how it rides, its that the Ti 7" Avalanche?

 

[Tarpon]

Way cool, can't wait to hear how it rides, its that the Ti 7" Avalanche?

The man knows his forks. It is the 7" Ti with the freeride valving. can't wait to try it out, I've been on a hardtail since May. My previous "big bike" was a Bullit with a Shiver. I know the V-tach kills the Bullit easily from the test rides, the DHF out of the box feels better than the Shiver (seals not as "grabby" out-of the-box) with amazing build quality.

 

[Jimmy_Pop]

Dude, that bike is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. and looks like it will rip! very nice. i like the paper towels keepin the tires clean, cant let it touch the ground yet!

congrats on a schweet ride.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

The man knows his forks. It is the 7" Ti with the freeride valving. can't wait to try it out, I've been on a hardtail since May. My previous "big bike" was a Bullit with a Shiver. I know the V-tach kills the Bullit easily from the test rides, the DHF out of the box feels better than the Shiver (seals not as "grabby" out-of the-box) with amazing build quality.

Very nice, I wanted the Ti version but Craig talked me out of it cause I'm too fat. I rode my DHF dual damper for the first time last weekend and it was simply the best feeling fork I've ever ridden. I just got to get used to the additional 2.5lbs on the front end.

 

[B_LOWrider]

how much does the dhf weight in at?

 

[Tarpon]

Very nice, I wanted the Ti version but Craig talked me out of it cause I'm too fat. I rode my DHF dual damper for the first time last weekend and it was simply the best feeling fork I've ever ridden. I just got to get used to the additional 2.5lbs on the front end.

I lucked out and am in the (upper) range of what the Ti fork can take. The weight is pretty much a push from my Shiver so it should not be too bad. As pictured, the bike weight in at 47lbs. I do have a lighter wheelset that will cut it to 43-44lbs for when I have to pedal it to the trail head.

 

[Tarpon]

how much does the dhf weight in at?

Mine is 8.5-9lbs. Funny thing is that the heavier you are (while still being in the specified weight range) the lighter the Ti version is. It uses up to three springs in series, the main one is Ti with two short steel ones in combination with spacer tubes. At the top end of the weight range you only use the Ti spring and a long spacer.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I lucked out and am in the (upper) range of what the Ti fork can take. The weight is pretty much a push from my Shiver so it should not be too bad. As pictured, the bike weight in at 47lbs. I do have a lighter wheelset that will cut it to 43-44lbs for when I have to pedal it to the trail head.

I'm at the 187-192lbs range and Craig was just worried that it wouldn't perform exactly to my liking and I would not be satisfied with it. I know a few people who sold theirs just because of the weight issue as they were on the border. If it was just a simple upgrade I would have tried the Ti version first, however its quite a bit more to do it, so I played it safe and went with the HK model mine weighed in at 10.5 lbs, which puts my bike at almost 46lbs.

 

[Tarpon]

I'm at the 187-192lbs range and Craig was just worried that it wouldn't perform exactly to my liking and I would not be satisfied with it. I know a few people who sold theirs just because of the weight issue as they were on the border. If it was just a simple upgrade I would have tried the Ti version first, however its quite a bit more to do it, so I played it safe and went with the HK model mine weighed in at 10.5 lbs, which puts my bike at almost 46lbs.

I'm a pretty consistent 170-175lbs so Craig thought the Ti version would be no problem.

 

[Tarpon]

Here is a shot of the rear linkages. This gives you an idea of why the frame is a bt heavy, it's also what makes it so stiff in the rear end.

 

[punkassean]

Noel is still on crutches huh. I hope everything is healing up well! That sounded like a nasty spill from what I heard.

The bike looks sick! Ditch those Mag30's though for some EX723's!

 

[manziman]

so friggen beautiful. wow. my desktop is a pic of one of those V-Tach frames, the red one. oh, I dream. you lucky man.

 

[seismic]

Very nice, I wanted the Ti version but Craig talked me out of it cause I'm too fat. I rode my DHF dual damper for the first time last weekend and it was simply the best feeling fork I've ever ridden. I just got to get used to the additional 2.5lbs on the front end.

Nice that you like it Brian ! Looking forward to a review of the DHFer !!!

 

[seismic]

Here is a shot of the rear linkages. This gives you an idea of why the frame is a bt heavy, it's also what makes it so stiff in the rear end.

Super cool bike. How much travel and is it very progressive in the damping ?

 

[BadFastard]

how the hell did they calculate the suspension ratio?
That's a FSR four bar with a link to a linkage to the shock?
Lucky there's 5th elements to adjust to that.

 

[thaflyinfatman]

how the hell did they calculate the suspension ratio?
That's a FSR four bar with a link to a linkage to the shock?
Lucky there's 5th elements to adjust to that.

Any decent CAD program would do it I think.

That bike isn't quite my thing, but it looks like it has some really good ideas (full length seat tube, adjustable drops etc) that would make it go off.

 

[BadFastard]

Any decent CAD program would do it I think.

yeh sure,
but my impression is that an FSR is already quite something to tune in perfectly. Ask intense and spesh how much tuning it took them to get the bike to accelerate hard while responding well to the small hits, not slowing down by a rearward swing of the rear wheel. And how to minimize falling rate at the shock.
Many people already have a hard time dialing in their 5th elements on single pivot bikes. How are they gonna get it right on this one?

Years ago, Kona already had a uninterrupted seat tube and adjustable wheel base on their Stabs. So what problem is being solved here?

No offense it's a wikkid lookin bike, and I'm sure fun will be had on it. I'm just not sure about its competitive advantage. Convince me.

 

[dw]

That is AWESOME! Avalanche too. Noel is a great guy, I'm psyched to see his dream is coming true step by step.

Dave

 

[Kornphlake]

yeh sure,
but my impression is that an FSR is already quite something to tune in perfectly. Ask intense and spesh how much tuning it took them to get the bike to accelerate hard while responding well to the small hits, not slowing down by a rearward swing of the rear wheel. And how to minimize falling rate at the shock.
Many people already have a hard time dialing in their 5th elements on single pivot bikes. How are they gonna get it right on this one?

Years ago, Kona already had a uninterrupted seat tube and adjustable wheel base on their Stabs. So what problem is being solved here?

No offense it's a wikkid lookin bike, and I'm sure fun will be had on it. I'm just not sure about its competitive advantage. Convince me.

I'm not one to stir the pot normally, but I have to agree. Despite the apparent love of knolly bikes here, I just don't see what makes these better than any other bike on the market. Sure it's got an uninterrupted seat tube, frankly I think telescoping seat tubes are cooler than a frame with a full length seat tube. If somebody made a telescoping seat post with a nice machined finish, a simple clamp and laser etched the word "Thomson" on it people wouldn't be so hesitant to buy any bike with an interrupted seat tube. I too see a lot of complexity and weight just to make a better mousetrap. I guess there are guys who really want a bike that has a knob that can be turned up to 11 though.

 

[Curb Hucker]

I'm not one to stir the pot normally, but I have to agree. Despite the apparent love of knolly bikes here, I just don't see what makes these better than any other bike on the market. Sure it's got an uninterrupted seat tube, frankly I think telescoping seat tubes are cooler than a frame with a full length seat tube. If somebody made a telescoping seat post with a nice machined finish, a simple clamp and laser etched the word "Thomson" on it people wouldn't be so hesitant to buy any bike with an interrupted seat tube. I too see a lot of complexity and weight just to make a better mousetrap. I guess there are guys who really want a bike that has a knob that can be turned up to 11 though.

most of what you said is very true. I think the intent of the frame is very different from most. It was designed to be a Freeride/Northshore bike. If you take a look at the market there is a very small amount of 7-8" travel bikes that are intended to be "freeride". This bike was not meant to be a competitive DH racer, its a very well thought out freeride sled that offers some premium design and quality.

 

[Tarpon]

It's not everyone's cup of tea. It certainly is not a DH bike. This is Noel's description of it:


OVERVIEW

The V-tach frame is designed to be a solid chassis for building up an aggressive freeride bike. Its unconventional design is actually a combination of innovative features seamlessly meshed with proven bicycle technology. This is NOT a longer travel trail bike or a shortened DH bike. Every design and manufacturing aspect of the V-tach frame is based on building the highest performing aggressive freeriding frame available.


For those asking detailed questions about the linkage design, email Noel, he can answer them much better than I could.

 

[knollybikes.com]

I thought that I'd jump in here and offer some information on various aspects of the V-tach's design that are coming up in this thread.

Just as an aside, thanks for the concern about my health - yes, I'm pretty wrecked and will be for a few more months (not to mention knee surgery afterwards - fun...), but in generally good spirits and spending lots of time at physiotherapy.

Anyway, about tuning the rear shock and suspension linkage design: well, luckily there are lots of nice fancy CAD software packages that can do all sorts of cool motion analysis and such. Once you understand how the general concept of your linkage design works, you can then tweak it to your design preferences. Tuning the shock ratio and the shock rate (rising, regressive, falling, linear, etc...) is actually not the hardest part. There are actually probably a dozen or so design concerns that need to be addressed when designing the suspension system and these all have to be prioritized throughout the design process. You don't really hear about a lot of them, because they're aren't easy to advertize: instead, companies emphasis one or two points and market them like mad. Besides, who's going to advertize: "Our bike is really good at this, not so good at this, OK at this, and pretty darn good at this". There's actually a lot more going on in good suspension designs that you almost never hear of, or think are totally unrelated to the design: tire clearance, bearing size, and chainstay length are three good examples. These three things would be described as "secondary" design points (things like pedal bob, brake interaction and pedal feedback might be the primary design features) but must be taken into account when determening what compromises much be made in the suspension design.

In terms of extra weight and complexity, well, the extra "Four by 4 Linkage" only adds about 1/2 pound to the frame weight - and only about 100 grams more than using a telescoping seat post. Most of it is in the heavy walled Easton RAD tubing, oversized pivot bearings, and the very laterally stiff rear end. Also, there are many frames on the market now that utilize multiple linkages to drive shocks - we are not the only ones. The V-tach uses some of the highest quality bearings and fasteners available anywhere to ensure that everything runs well and stays highly reliable. We increase cost for high quality and high reliability - on every aspect of the frame design.

The main point of the patent pending Four by 4 Linkage system is to solve problems with exisiting four bar and single pivot bikes with linkage actuated shocks. The Four by 4 Linkage allows us to run a full length seat tube with a fairly long travel frame, eliminate any rear wheel / suspension interference with the seat and seat tube, allows us to run long stroke shocks, have low stand over heights, build very small frame sizes, and keep the rear end laterally stiff by keeping the linkages (i.e. seat stay) short.

Please let me know if you have any further questions - I would be more than happy to answer them!

Regards,

Noel Buckley

 

[punkassean]

Noel,

Thanks for the answers, they seem to have quieted most critics

Bummer about your injuries but on the bright side I can't think of a better way to recoup than by doing what your doing! Good luck and I hope bike sales prosper...

 

[Tashi]

Years ago, Kona already had a uninterrupted seat tube and adjustable wheel base on their Stabs. So what problem is being solved here?

The massive amount of chainstay growth (chain extension or whatever it's called) hopefully.

 

[buildyourown]

I think a lot of people have issues with this bike design because it looks redundant to someone who has never designed thier own bike. A lot of single pivot bikes use a linkage to tune the shock, and so does this bike. It just happens to use a seperate linkage to tune the axle path/rear wheel travel. This is good cause it allows the designer to put the shock in a convienent place instead of having interupted tubes and such.

The bike I designed/built did this too. I ended up using the link for shock placement. The shock tuneabilty was just a bonus.

 

[knollybikes.com]

You nailed it - I couldn't have said it better!

Noel Buckley

I think a lot of people have issues with this bike design because it looks redundant to someone who has never designed thier own bike. A lot of single pivot bikes use a linkage to tune the shock, and so does this bike. It just happens to use a seperate linkage to tune the axle path/rear wheel travel. This is good cause it allows the designer to put the shock in a convienent place instead of having interupted tubes and such.

The bike I designed/built did this too. I ended up using the link for shock placement. The shock tuneabilty was just a bonus.

 

[manziman]

Nöel! SEND ME A FREE FRAME!!!!!

 

[lovebunny]

noel ive been keeping an eye on your bike since i 1st saw your site a loong time ago. i like oyur design and was thinking of emailing you about one but i couldnt spend over1000 on my next frame and i wanted something more racy. very nice design though. get well soon!

 

[The Kadvang]

That is a beautiful, beautiful bike. I love the design and the ideas behind it... if I wasn't looking for something more full-on race and more importantly I had the cash to drop on it I would pick one up immediatly.