Knolly Warden 168 Mountain Bike Frame

Knolly Warden 168 - Elevating All-Mountain Capability

With the addition of a long travel version to their all mountain package, the Knolly Warden 168 increases the range of travel and the overall capability of the platform, while still retaining the advantage of being a poppy little climber. It’s the type of all-mountain bike that can still be tons of fun if you want to goof off in the bike park with friends.

Whether you are looking to tackle Whistlers, the Warden 168’s home territory, or just want to get the most out of your flowy trails and steeply pitched descents, this full suspension bike from Knolly has you covered. Offering an increased suspension with 168 mm rear travel and 170 mm up front, combined with the 27.5 inch wheels, the Warden 168 can really eat up the big alpine-length runs. Sticking with the 27.5 inch wheels means that the Warden 168 will float in that sweet spot when descending: totally in control but so flickable for that ultra-important fun factor.

Though you might be thinking you’ll miss the big-hooped rollover action of a 29er, the Knolly Warden 168 more than makes up for the smaller wheels with how planted and supple the suspension with the Fourby4 linkage platform makes the ride, especially when climbing or negotiating undulating, rougher trails. The Fourby4 has been developed to keep as much of the mechanics accessible and highly tunable rate curves and leverage ratios according to the needs of the various frames in the Knolly line-up, trail, all-mountain or downhill. The Fourby4 system makes it possible to control the wheel rate independently of the shock rate, which means you’re never compromising on traction whether climbing or descending.

Aggressive Geometry of the Warden 168

The geometry of the Warden 168 is suitably aggressive, even more so than the shorter travel Warden 160. This is a long-low package that will offer oodles of confidence, though you’ll still be surprised how natural it feels when climbing. Having a setup that means the bike will be inspired to descend like a devil means that the frame has to be durable enough to withstand the biggest hits.

The high-quality aluminum frame has been made with 6066 aluminum tubing, it offers a high tensile strength, excellent elasticity, and resistance to corrosion that will ensure the Warden an extremely high level of durability. Hydroforming the tubes to precise standards is where the magic happens really and is the reason all alu frames are not created equal. For the Warden 168, Knolly has tweaked it to achieve the perfect balance of strength, weight, and responsiveness.

The Warden 168 mountain bike provides evidence again of how the engineers at Knolly really aren’t bothered with how things are normally done and would rather find the best solutions for the ultimate ride experiences. In the case of their rear dropouts, they fly in the face of the proliferation of Boost-oriented bikes with their 157Trail. It means that they are using 157x12mm rear spacing largely thanks to the fact that their Fourby4 suspension accommodates the use of wide flange 157 hubs with a threaded 73mm BB shell. And the 157Trail makes it possible for the frame to accommodate up to 27.5 x 2.8 inch tires.

Knolly runs the cable internally through the front triangle until it pops out behind the seat mast by the lower link of the Fourby4. They offer e-type as well as ISCG05 mounts for chain guides and have made the frames to accommodate Di2 wiring. The Knolly Warden 168 with 27.5 inch wheels is an all-mountain bike that extends just how far you can go with your hair-raising enduro antics. Hyper fun in the bike park, it will encourage you to try things that would make your mom go pale.

Also check Evil Mountain Bikes.