Knolly warden vs SC nomad

[gravitylover]

After having been treated like shit by Knolly it doesn't matter how great their bikes are, there's no way I could possibly recommend them to anybody.

[One (+) Sentence]

Curious to hear your rationale as it pertains to the OP.


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Santa Cruz has great rider support:

-lifetime warranty on their frames
-free replacement bearings for life (if ever needed)
-purchasing from a company that is doing very well right now and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
-extensive network of (generally speaking) high end LBS’s who can offer said support (bearings, links, etc) should you ever be in need in the midst of a road trip.
-the suspension is a more efficient climbing design than the Knolly (I read that on the internet somewhere, maybe it was one of your posts?)
-just a guess, but I would imagine SC frames weigh less
-Rob Roskopp and Joe Graney. Have you listened to either of those guys talk?

[Roxtar]

Santa Cruz has great rider support:

-lifetime warranty on their frames
-free replacement bearings for life (if ever needed)
-purchasing from a company that is doing very well right now and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
-extensive network of (generally speaking) high end LBS’s who can offer said support (bearings, links, etc) should you ever be in need in the midst of a road trip.
-the suspension is a more efficient climbing design than the Knolly (I read that on the internet somewhere, maybe it was one of your posts?)
-just a guess, but I would imagine SC frames weigh less
-Rob Roskopp and Joe Graney. Have you listened to either of those guys talk?

My favorite thing about SC is that they don't do "trendy" at the expense of "correct".
-No press fit BBs. EVER
-Waited on internal cable routing till it could be done right. (push it in one hole, it comes out the other, viola).
-Actually paid to license VPP instead of making minute changes to skirt the patents (You feel me, DW?)

[lifelinksplit]

After having been treated like shit by Knolly it doesn't matter how great their bikes are, there's no way I could possibly recommend them to anybody.

How exactly? Honestly I'm a pretty big Santa Cruz fan and thought I was definitely getting a nomad (of one version or another) for exactly the reasons people are mentioning.

Knolly just really intrigues me and have heard great things about their capabilities.

Thanks for all the feedback and discussion guys. I still think it's gonna come down to getting a foot over both bikes(if possible) and finding a build I like for a decent price. Also haven't ruled out non-plastic.

[rippling over canyons]

After having been treated like shit by Knolly it doesn't matter how great their bikes are, there's no way I could possibly recommend them to anybody.

Knolly replaced the cracked chainstay on my over 5 year old Chilcotin for free.

[gravitylover]

It had nothing to do with the bikes, it was about how they handled some personnel changes and forgot to notify me that I didn't work for them anymore for two months but I had been promoting them and doing what I was supposed to the whole time. I found out through the grapevine a few minutes before getting a sizeable order that I couldn't cash in on but had invested time and $$ to acquire. The bikes are great, climb like billygoats and descend even better. I wouldn't get the carbon one though, the premium you pay for it isn't worth it.

[donutlynx]

Both the Nomad 3 and 4 are good (great) bikes. Both are better all-around "go for a ride to rip the downhill" bikes than the Warden (i.e., they pedal very well for the amount of travel). The Nomad 4 is a ridiculously capable bike. I want one...badly. Full disclosure - I worked at a SC dealer for the past 5 years (not anymore) and rode a lot of their bikes, a lot. I will probably continue to do so, even without an EP.

That said - the Knolly would be a really fun bike, too!

[Roxtar]

My favorite line about the Nomad 4:
"Climbs like a goat and goes down like a fat girl on prom night."

[lifelinksplit]

Anyone have experience with the rockshock yaris? From what I gather it's really similar to the lyric but haven't seen much feedback on it. Hadn't looked into the lower end alloy build on the nomad till it was mentioned here figuring it was 1) out of price range and 2) a shitty build. If i could get a lyric and a coil on a new nomad (Not plastic) for not too much more a brand new bike is really really tempting.

[donutlynx]

Yari is a nice fork. Basically same chassis as Lyrik. If it is a MY18, it should have the new air spring. Main difference is the damper - Motion Control vs Charger 2. I haven't ridden the MY18, but the MY17 was spec'd on the Trance Advanced and it rode very well. The new DebonAir spring should be an upgrade. Charger 2 damper probably a little better for dealing with rapid, multiple bigger hits. Seems to be so on the Pike, at least. Motion Control is still a good damper, but not as good as recovering from bigger hits.

[One (+) Sentence]

Yes, the Yari is a decent fork. The Motion damper isn’t as sensitive as Charger 2, but it does a great job of staying up in it’s travel and not excessively diving. You are able to upgrade to Charger 2 in the future with the Yari chassis if you ever wanted. My guess is that would cost $200-$300?

The R kit is just fine, and for how capable of a bike you are getting and still at only 33lbs, is a great deal. The NX drivetrain works as advertised and they have omitted the least desirable component in that group - the 11-42 cassette that uses a standard freehub body, in favor of a 10-42 cassette that uses the XD driver. The wheels on that build though are certainly nothing special.

For around $4K you can move up to the alloy ‘S’ build and really not need to change a thing.

[Andeh]

I love the hell out of my N3. It is ridiculously over-upgraded, but there is absolutely nothing about the bike that holds me back going up or down hill. I will say that putting a coil on it was a fantastic upgrade. Most people I know riding them have switched to coil. The N4s supposedly work equally well on air. I suppose the more "modern" geometry on the N4 might fit a bit better, but the size M N3 actually fits me (5'8+" with short legs long arms) well despite the bike's reputation for running small.

I was not a fan of the RockShox suspension that came on it (2014), but I know they've supposedly improved a lot since then, and to be fair, the 2014 Fox stuff was pretty garbage. I have not ridden current RS stuff, but really like my '17/'18 DHX2 & 36.

[Roxtar]

I love the hell out of my N3. It is ridiculously over-upgraded, but there is absolutely nothing about the bike that holds me back going up or down hill. I will say that putting a coil on it was a fantastic upgrade. Most people I know riding them have switched to coil. The N4s supposedly work equally well on air. I suppose the more "modern" geometry on the N4 might fit a bit better, but the size M N3 actually fits me (5'8+" with short legs long arms) well despite the bike's reputation for running small.

I was not a fan of the RockShox suspension that came on it (2014), but I know they've supposedly improved a lot since then, and to be fair, the 2014 Fox stuff was pretty garbage. I have not ridden current RS stuff, but really like my '17/'18 DHX2 & 36.

x2
The orig RS Vivid Air was terrible (and the Monarch was worse) on the N3. Swapping to the Fox Float X2/Lyric combo was a huge upgrade and completely transformed the bike.

[zlatham]

Warden is amazing, just sayin.

[muted]

Warden is amazing, just sayin.

Well, case closed!

[LeeLau]

Wifey's Warden for sale - https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2304013/

[lifelinksplit]

Think I'm pulling the trigger next week. Just ogled some of the plastic nomads up in Helena. Going to get a aluminum S build. guy at great divide cyclery was great to to talk to. No pressure and even offered to deliver it to Bozeman. Getting excited for a late April Moab trip!