Press Release: Knolly 29er Fugitive

BACKGROUND

The Fugitive or what is otherwise known as the first Knolly 29er, has been in the works for quite some time. Long at last the day has come for #knation members everywhere to rejoice. A big wheeled Knolly with the famed active Knolly Fourby4 suspension is finally here. Knolly has even taken a bold move with their new design and moved to a 157Trail spacing for the rear wheel. In addition to the 157Trail move, they have come out swinging with not one, but two Fugitive models. The regular Fugitive at 120mm of rear travel and it’s big brother the Fugitive LT at 135mm of rear travel. Additionally, if Knolly 29er wagon wheels aren’t your cup of tea and you prefer plus size tires, you can even setup the Fugitive with 27.5 Plus x 3.0. Keep reading Knolly’s official release below to see why we cannot wait to get our hands on one of these bikes. Now the question is Fugitive or Fugitive LT.

KNOLLY’S ROLLING OUT THEIR NEW 29’ER FUGITIVE

Vancouver BC, Canada (February 2018) – Knolly Bikes is freaking fired up to announce the release of the Fugitive, their first 29er, which delivers incredible traction, downhill stability and a smooth ride on any terrain. Their newest model was developed to meet the growing demands for a 29” so the Fugitive debuts with the highest level of pedaling platform of any Knolly model, yet it still maintains the legendary composure in the rough that Knolly is known for. Their riders wanted an epic bike that could take them into the backcountry, attack the biggest descents, efficiently climb steep technical trails and adapt to any route to provide a comfortable ride on long beautiful single track trails. 

After determining rider requirements for a new 29er generation, Knolly started from the ground up to design their Fugitive model. Considering past trends and manufacturing innovations, every Knolly frame part, feature, and production process was toiled over leading to significant investment in new molds and tooling. Current industry standards were reviewed, adopted and tweaked to produce a bike that’s worthy of a category in its’ own.

Knolly’s engineering approach involves a fresh perspective and a promise of achieving only the best. In an industry fixed on releasing new products as quickly as possible, Knolly did something borderline insane. With the Fugitive model, they committed an extra 18 months beyond the normal new product development timelines to research and development.

Innovation through Partnerships

Knolly’s new pivot bushing technology was developed with Igus, the world leader in polymer bushings.  Working closely with Igus, Knolly developed a new pivot bushing advancement and when combined with their high end roller bearings, they deliver less friction and added durability for the Fugitive and all frames going forward. Igus products are used throughout the bike industry in frames, forks, rear shocks and other parts that rotate and/or slide. 

Innovation through Pioneering

The Fugitive is the beginning of Knolly’s Gen 5 alloy and carbon frame platform, which meant a massive investment in tooling for the next phase. Knolly’s commitment to producing the best aluminum suspension mountain bikes led to pushing the boundaries of highly manipulated tube-sets and an extensive use of sophisticated forgings throughout the Fugitive’s construction. Every detail including the tube cross-section and width were designed in 2D and 3D to ensure uncompromised performance for the rider. The new seat tube, a key structural part of the frame, explores the limits of hydroforming technology. Throughout the frame, Knolly sourced exotic aluminum alloys to deliver reduced weight, improved reliability and unlimited length dropper post compatibility. And using only the best materials, they incorporated custom CNC machined 6Al-4V Titanium fasteners to reduce weight and increase mid-linkage stiffness.

Engineering with Purpose

Knolly fully committed to the already existing 157mm rear hub spacing, branding it 157TRAIL, and was able to implement this with rear end heel clearance equal or better than existing 148 bikes. This decision allowed them to eliminate tire width and focus on designing the bike solely based on tire diameter. As a result, the Fugitive supports 29” wheels but it can also run 27.5” Plus x 3.0” wheels/tires with minimum compromise to the BB height.

“The 29’er Fugitive is a product of years of research, design and engineering. We produced a bike that we believe will deliver unprecedented rider performance. The Fugitive has an all-star feature list that includes new suspension linkages and pivots, 175-200mm dropper posts, fully internal cable routing and 2 geometry positions. These features combined with our proven patented Fourby4 suspension, create a package that instills confidence in any terrain.” ~ Noel Buckley, Knolly Bikes CEO/Chief Engineer

The new Fugitive is also available in a long travel (LT) version, adding 15mm of added rear suspension. Here is a complete list of features:

+ Rear Travel: 120mm/135mm

+ Fork: 140-150mm

+ Wheel Size & Max Width: 29”x2.6” and 27.5”x3.25”

+ Rear Axle: 157TRAIL x 12mm

+ Up to 200mm dropper compatible on all frame sizes

+ 73mm threaded BB with removable ISCG05 chain guide tabs

+ Max. 38t single ring / Dual ring compatible

+ Trailside adjustable geometry

+ Clearance for water bottles of all sizes

+ Removable downtube protector that doubles as Shimano Di2 battery holder

+ Full internal routing

+ Shares its suspension and frame parts with next generation Knolly bikes to ensure ease of bike maintenance/service and inventory management between models

The Fugitive frames range in price from $1979 to $2175 USD, with complete bikes ranging from $4300 to $6900, both will be available for sale July 2018 at your Knolly Bikes Dealer: www.knollybikes.com

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