If we had to pick one word to describe Knolly’s fresh new 2020 Warden, it would be balanced, and not just because both wheels have an equal 160 millimeters of travel. It isn’t a word we’ve used much when talking about bikes with a cockpit as long as the Warden, but the 500-millimeter reach didn’t make it feel sled-like and uncontrollable like we’ve experienced with other reachy rigs. As a matter of fact, the Warden felt especially mild-mannered and easy to get along with. None of us needed much of a learning curve to get up to speed on the thing.
The almost 77-degree seat tube angle definitely helped keep the bike from feeling massive when seated. But that doesn’t fully explain why it didn’t feel crazy long when out of the saddle. We think that the small wheels’ inherent ability to increase maneuverability helped the bike feel shorter than the number would suggest, as did the not-too-slack head angle. We mostly rode the Warden in its slack position, which generates a 64.75-degree head angle. In the steep setting, it goes up three quarters of a degree to 65.5, making the Warden dip its 160-millimeter-travel toes into trail-bike territory. We’re guessing that most people looking at buying a Knolly will stick it in slack and leave it there, but having the option to give the Warden a split personality is a benefit.
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