Bike Build: Knolly Podium Finished

by A.Tong

The Knolly Podium build is done!  Haven't had a chance to ride the
bike on terrain other than the road outside my house but it feels
great!

First impressions:

The bike sits low and long. Shouldn't be a surprise since it is a new
school DH bike. I'm glad I decided to go with the large frame as the
medium would be just a bit too small (I am 6ft tall).  Just playing
around with he bike it does seem to want to stick to the ground more
so than my Nomad. As you see it, the bike sits at 41.5lbs. Heavier than I thought it
would be but I could drop 2lbs easy just by switching tires.  I love
the Minnion DHF's so unless you have a better idea for a lighter tire,
these are staying!

No one really wants to hear about a parking lot review so I'll skip
right to the pics. I hope to get some real DH time on the Knolly soon so stay tuned for a review.

Bike Build: Knolly Podium - Drivetrain

by A. Tong

Time for an update on the build. 

When I was planning this build I had all intentions to reuse my existing crank set, bottom bracket, shifter, and rear derailleur.  Well, turns out the Truvativ Gigabite BB just didn't fit right.  It is supposed to be compatible with the 83mm bottom bracket shell but the spindle was off center.  Luckily for me, the shop that sold me my Knolly Podium frame was able to give me a great deal on some cranks.  Enter the e*thirteen DH cranks! 

This crank set is something else.  Super sweet matte black crank arms with the e*thirteen in glossy black.  The most outstanding feature for me on this crank set is the polygon interface between the crank arm and spindle.  This should provide a nice stiff interface with the bike!  I tend to hate proprietary parts and was cringing at the fact I'd have to buy another bottom bracket tool but thankfully, e*thirteen includes a tool to install the bottom bracket cups. 

While I was on the e*thirteen train I thought I'd pick up their LG1 ISCG 05 chainguide.  My wife runs this on her Norco DH with no problems so it was an easy choice for me.  I chose to go with the 36-40T model in the event I need to add a larger chainring in the future.

Speaking of chainrings, I decide on going with Chromag.  Chromag CNC machines the 7075 aluminum chainrings with a taller profile to help prevent dropped chains.  But to be honest, I love their OSX bars and adding a bit more Chromag bling doesn't hurt!

Here are some pics.  Unfortunately I didn't get pics of the parts separately but I'll be sure to take some more detailed photos from now on.  

Here are the parts playing nicely together.  Sorry e*thirteen for the upside down crank.  I'll do better next time. 

36 tooth red Chromag chainring mated to e*thirteen DH crank.  A think of beauty if I do say so myself!

A shot of the everything together!

On the bike and ready for some pedals!

Fortunately for the budget, the Shimano XT shifter and rear derailleur from my old 2004 Kona Coiler Deelux still work OK so I'll use those for the time being.  The spring in the derailleur is a bit weak after 7 years of service but for the limited shifting I need it to do, I'll give it a go. 

Just waiting on the headset which should be here in the next few days.  Once it's on, I'll snap some pics and give a parking lot review!

Bike Build: Knolly Podium - Cockpit Part 1

by A. Tong

One of the three places your body touches the bike is the grips.  I've been a fan of the ODI lock on grips since they were first introduced and I've used them on all my bikes since.  Normally I go with the Ruffian grips but this time decided to try the Troy Lee Designs series in white with red anodized lock on's.  My hands are on the small side and these grips fit nicely in my hands.  The grips weigh in at 112g with hardware.  Worth the weight in my opinion for security and convenience.

White looks nice now but most likely not so nice after a few rides!

Next up is the 50mm Straightline Components direct mount stem in anodized red.  This blingy bad boy weighs in at 152g with all hardware.  

Made in Canada!  Lookin good!!!

Lastly for today is the handlebar from Chromag.  Tough to weigh a handlebar but the scale says 325g.  I used this bar on my Nomad for all mountain and DH duties and it was awesome.  Nice and wide (30 inches) with a good sweep and 1 inch rise.

Black chrome!  BA-BLING! 

All together it looks something like this.

Excellent start! 

Thanks to Chris @ Calgary Cycle for all your help!