Knolly Cache Steel Gravel Bike Frame

Knolly Cache Steel: Affordable Excellence in Gravel Biking

If you are tempted to add a top quality gravel-specific bike to your collection but would like to avoid shelling out the big bucks, the Knolly Cache Steel fully capable gravel bike will be an awesome option. It offers all the same design features, attention to detail, progressive geometry, and ride quality as the Ti version of the Cache but at a fantastic cost savings.

Steel really is the ultimate material for gravel riding, after all. During the heyday of steel frames there was no such distinction as “gravel riding” because there were very few roads that were not gravel. And even now that roads have been paved and new materials are being used to make bike frames, steel remains the material, perhaps second only to well-made titanium frames, that offers the best ride characteristics. That is definitely true for the Cache Steel since the designers at Knolly have made the effort to customize each tube for each bike size, so that across the seven sizes, the quality of the ride, the absorption of road chatter and the stiffness under pressure, remains the same.

Wheels, Gearing, and Suspension Choices in the Knolly Cache Steel

The progressive geometry of the frame certainly reflects the mountain bike origins of the designers. So they have given the top tube a bit extra length and combined that with some super short stems to help the stability while keeping the handling sharp. The short chainstays ensure the bike offers that responsiveness that you probably love in your enduro machine. That little kink at the base of the seat tube is one of the reasons that the Cache Steel can support up to 45c tires as well as fenders in spite of how short the chainstays are. The frame can also work with the Knolly carbon non-suspension fork or with a fork that has up to 40mm travel. Though the designers suspect most folks will be super happy to roll with the rigid carbon fork because it is super light, incredibly durable, and extremely capable of taking on the toughest terrains, they did want to make certain that the really adventurous customers could spec the bike with a modern suspension gravel fork.

That versatility in optional set-ups extends to the fact you can run the Cache Steel with 700c or 650b wheels and have either a 1X or traditional 2X configuration. Internal cable routing helps with the clean lines, while the fender and rack mounts will easily help you turn this into the ultimate bikepacking companion.

It’s fun to see a brand like Knolly, which has been at the forefront of mountain bike design for sometime now, expand its horizons a bit and give us the chance to do the same thing with our gravel routes. A bike like the Knolly Cache Steel can take you as far into the back woods as possible, while still offering a nice smooth ride on paved roads. And it does all this at a seriously reasonable price. What more could we ask for?

Also check Ibis Gravel Bikes.