Knolly Fugitive 138 Mountain Bike Frame

Knolly Fugitive 138: Evolving Excellence in Trail Dominance

When Knolly released the Fugitive, which was its first 29er, there was so much to like in this capable trail mountain bike it was hard to see where improvements could be made. Once you take the Knolly Fugitive 138 on a proper high speed descent, it’ll become clear that the Knolly engineers know what they are doing and added even more magic to the Fugitive ride.

Since the Knolly designers and engineers are skilled riders themselves, they were able to get out, try new ideas, and listen to the feedback they were getting from some of their loyal customers. And what they realized is that everyone loved the Fugitive, but they were putting forks on with bigger travel than what had been initially spec’d on the Fugitive. The designers realized that their riders were looking for bigger travel but by adding longer forks, they were throwing off the balance of the original geometry. So they went back to the drawing board and overhauled the geometry for the Fugitive 138.

The head angle has been reduced by 0.5° while the seat tube angle has been increased by a full degree, all of which helps them increase the frame-reach, keeping it in line with modern geometry. These updates enhance the high speed stability of the Fugitive 138, thanks to the longer wheelbase and increased reach. The cockpit can feel roomier without sacrificing control at high speeds. On the flipside, the low speed technical capabilities have not been dampened, since Knolly did not want to lose the trail edge of the Fugitive.

All these geometry updates mean that the Knolly Fugitive 138 can go big on the travel. The rear travel increased to 138mm, which might not sound like tons, but it is just enough to help balance the 150mm to 160mm front travel that they intend to be used with this frame. The frame itself is made from hydroformed 6066 aluminum to get that perfect balance between weight savings and durability. They are still relying on their fifth generation Fourby4 suspension linkage. Knolly is quite proud of this system which they developed in-house. It might look a little more complicated, but the double linkage allows them to fine tune each bike for the type of trails it’ll be hitting. This system allows them to isolate the pedaling forces, braking forces, and trail feedback from one another and then optimize for each. They have also upped the progression, which allows the bike to handle the biggest hits, while maintaining it’s small bump sensitivity and traction.

Dynamic Geometry System in the Knolly Fugitive 138

All these different facets: the geo, the Fourby4 suspension linkage, and the chosen travel, combine to define what Knolly calls their Dynamic Geometry system. Sure, their design is progressive in the longer, lower, slacker type of way, but it is all for a purpose. And that purpose is to provide the most sophisticated ride possible over the most challenging trails. They also like to offer a bit of choice since they realize not all riders have the same ride preferences, or the same access to crazy hard trails. So they allow for a bit of adjustment in the geometry. You can go slack or neutral by removing a bolt, sliding the shock fore or aft, and then replacing the bolt. The Fugitive’s effective seat tube angle changes from 76.7° (neutral) to 76° (slack) and a 65.75° (neutral) to 65° (slack) head tube angle.

The folks at Knolly did note that they had intended to continue producing a Fugitive with 131mm rear travel that would pair well with 140mm up front for the people who don’t feel the need for all that extra suspension on their trails. But due to the on-going pandemic induced supply chain issues, 131mm Fugitives will not be available. One would hope that once the industry unties from these supply issues, perhaps it will be possible to have these two different Fugitive options.

The Knolly Fugitive 138 has been designed to descend like a demon and climb like an angel. It comes in three striking color schemes.

Also check Moots Mountain Bikes.