Sea Otter 2012: New Knolly Endorphin
Originally posted on April 23, 2012 at 15:07 pm
By Josh Patterson
If you consider yourself an aggressive trail rider, Knolly’s new Endorphin should be on your radar.
The Endorphin has 140mm of rear travel and can accommodate 140-160mm forks. This pre-production bike sports a 140mm-travel Fox 34mm. Fox Racing Shox’s new 26-inch 34mm stanchion forks look to be the perfect match for aggressive, shorter-travel bikes. We’re hopeful the increased diameter stanchions address our gripes about front-end flex on longer travel 32mm forks.
Out back, the Endorphin uses Fox’s new CTD shock, which supplants the RP23. The new shock features three modes—climb, trail, descend.
Wondering what’s up with the linkage? Knolly’s patented Four by 4 linkage separates axle path from spring rate, allowing each to be independently tuned to suit the needs of each model. Company owner and frame designer Noel Buckley places a premium on suspension performance under pedaling and braking, lateral stiffness, and low-maintenance.
The Endorphin is ripe with current “standards” and thoughtful touches: the frame uses a 142×12 rear end, ISCG tabs for a chain guide, dropper post routing along the underside of the top tube, and artfully machined CNC hardware.
The highlighter yellow bike pictured weighs in at 26-pounds.
Endorphin Specs:
- Head Angle: 67 degrees
- Seat Tube Angle: 73.5 degrees
- Bottom Bracket Height: 13.4 inches
- Chainstay Length: 16.7 inches
- Frame Weight: 6.55 pounds (raw frame)
Look for more new stuff from Knolly in the coming year: new bikes, and new wheel sizes…