Tarpon
05-29-2005, 04:03 PM
I'm posting this here so I don't raise the ire of the DH'ers (the V-tach is not a DH frame).:D
I've ridden the V-tach (www.knollybikes.com) on the Shore a half-dozen times so far and it has done exceptionally well. I decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Whistler last Friday before the start of the Memorial Day weekend. This is the first time I have had the V-tach up at the Bike Park.
Weather was hot, in the 90's and the bears were out in force; we saw at least 7 different ones, 2 mother plus 2 cub combos and one solo adult. Nice day, not a lot of people riding on Friday so lift line was only about a dozen people deep. My brother and i did a warm-up run down B-line to S&M and then Crack Addict. Not much water left on the trails. Bike was riding well, I used the brakes less than any previous visit to Whistler. The V-tach was setup with the short chainstay setting and in the middle head angle setting; the same settings I use on the Shore. Made about 6-7 runs total. Went down a number of trails for the first time: Schleyer, Upper Joyride, Clown Shoes, and Upper & Lower Whistler Downhill. The V-tach handled everything well; it was very stable and controllable at high speed (think the high speed section on Whistler Downhill), railed the corners, and still took the tight, steep and rooty stuff easily too (the last bit of Whistler Downhill). Drops are easy, the bike is a little tail heavy so all you need to do is shift your weight back a little and off you go. The steep rock faces were no problem either. As usual, the bike was very confidence inspiring, it goes where you want it to go without complaint or undue excitement.
I can't say enough about how well the V-tach did. As a comparison, I had a rental Demo9 for a partial day at the end of the season last year. Nice bike, but it couldn't do what the V-tach can. It was a struggle to manouver on S&M due to the long wheelbase and slacker head angle. I don't even want to think about trying to make the final section of Lower Whistler Downhill on one.
Now a word about the fork. I am running an Avalanche DHF-Ti, 7" to match the rear end. My last fork was a Shiver and after riding Sliders, 888s, and Super-Ts the Avy continues to impress me. It's very stiff, it's easy to choose and hold a line through rough terrain even at low speed (stuff that tends to give inverted's trouble from torsional flex). It's very plush and ramps up well (I got the more progressive valving). So far it's a great match for the V-tach. The only tweak I have made so far is to set the spring stack for my weight range. The stock settings on compression and rebound work great, Craig makes a heck of a fork.
Overall, still very pleased with the V-tach. Noel has done a heck of a job on this frame, it's worth every penny.
I've ridden the V-tach (www.knollybikes.com) on the Shore a half-dozen times so far and it has done exceptionally well. I decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Whistler last Friday before the start of the Memorial Day weekend. This is the first time I have had the V-tach up at the Bike Park.
Weather was hot, in the 90's and the bears were out in force; we saw at least 7 different ones, 2 mother plus 2 cub combos and one solo adult. Nice day, not a lot of people riding on Friday so lift line was only about a dozen people deep. My brother and i did a warm-up run down B-line to S&M and then Crack Addict. Not much water left on the trails. Bike was riding well, I used the brakes less than any previous visit to Whistler. The V-tach was setup with the short chainstay setting and in the middle head angle setting; the same settings I use on the Shore. Made about 6-7 runs total. Went down a number of trails for the first time: Schleyer, Upper Joyride, Clown Shoes, and Upper & Lower Whistler Downhill. The V-tach handled everything well; it was very stable and controllable at high speed (think the high speed section on Whistler Downhill), railed the corners, and still took the tight, steep and rooty stuff easily too (the last bit of Whistler Downhill). Drops are easy, the bike is a little tail heavy so all you need to do is shift your weight back a little and off you go. The steep rock faces were no problem either. As usual, the bike was very confidence inspiring, it goes where you want it to go without complaint or undue excitement.
I can't say enough about how well the V-tach did. As a comparison, I had a rental Demo9 for a partial day at the end of the season last year. Nice bike, but it couldn't do what the V-tach can. It was a struggle to manouver on S&M due to the long wheelbase and slacker head angle. I don't even want to think about trying to make the final section of Lower Whistler Downhill on one.
Now a word about the fork. I am running an Avalanche DHF-Ti, 7" to match the rear end. My last fork was a Shiver and after riding Sliders, 888s, and Super-Ts the Avy continues to impress me. It's very stiff, it's easy to choose and hold a line through rough terrain even at low speed (stuff that tends to give inverted's trouble from torsional flex). It's very plush and ramps up well (I got the more progressive valving). So far it's a great match for the V-tach. The only tweak I have made so far is to set the spring stack for my weight range. The stock settings on compression and rebound work great, Craig makes a heck of a fork.
Overall, still very pleased with the V-tach. Noel has done a heck of a job on this frame, it's worth every penny.