Pedaling Performance
The Podium’s pedaling performance was average. A bit of lateral flex was detectable in the rear end of the bike, but it didn’t seem to hinder performance at all, whether picking a line through a rock garden or while cornering hard. The bike’s bottom bracket height felt good, but the chainstays made lofting the front end require more effort than on the Trek Session 9.9, or Santa Cruz V-10. But once again, the Podium’s longer chainstay made it feel evenly weighted between the tires, so keeping traction through a turn was easy.
Jumps / Airs
Given the Podium’s neutral handling, I was really surprised when I dropped into my first jump trail lap on the bike. The Podium offers phenomenal pop off lips. I’m pretty certain it conjures a magic carpet that carries the rider way up in the air and then smoothly down to the transition of every jump. Noah Bodman agreed that, of all the bikes we rode in Whistler, the Podium was decidedly the easiest and most fun when it came to lofting through jump lines. The Podium pops more than the S-Works Demo or Santa Cruz V-10, and is more predictable on a take off than the Trek Session 9.9.
SR Suntour RUX Fork Performance
I was excited to try out the SR Suntour RUX front fork on the Podium. It’s quite a bit cheaper than the air-sprung Fox 40 or the Boxxer World Cup, but is otherwise pretty similar. It’s built with high and low speed compression adjustments, a single rebound adjustment, 38mm stanchions and, an air spring. The axle design features a single side quick release clamp, which holds the drive side axle in place, and a lever that pulls out to aid in rotating the axle loose. (Unfortunately, this lever was extremely hard to pull out and did not lock into place smoothly).
The RUX’s damper performance was similar to a Mission Control Boxxer, with comparable sensitivity over small bumps and good bottom out resistance. It didn’t have quite as much mid-stroke support, however, and would dive some on steeper terrain.
On a more concerning note, however, over the week we tested the Podium, the RUX’s performance degraded significantly. In short, the fork went from feeling decent, to seeming as though it badly needed a rebuild. The RUX felt as though it had too much compression damping, even with both high and low speed adjusters backed all the way out. It would pack up because the rebound was much too slow, even when set to wide open. We moved each of its adjusters throughout their ranges to establish that they were still functional (and they were) and then the crowns were readjusted to make sure that nothing had become skewed, but that made no difference.
SR Suntour says that the air side of the fork should be cleaned up and the oil changed after 50 hours of use. All the issues I experienced with the RUX occurred before I’d put 25 hours on it. Given that, at this point all I feel prepared to say is that I’d love to try another copy of this fork to see if my experience is any different. I’ve never had a fork require such a short service interval before and that leaves me thinking that the particular RUX on the podium we tested might have been a lemon. (We plan to test out another RUX fork soon to see if the particular fork mounted to the Podium was malfunctioning.)
Shimano Zee Build Kit & Spank Wheels
Though the fork was a bit of a disappointment, the Podium’s build kit was great otherwise. I would happily spec a Shimano Zee kit it on a downhill bike and save money over a Saint kit. The Spank wheels were also fuss free; they stayed tight, true, and dent-free throughout the test period.
Bottom Line
I really enjoyed testing the Knolly Podium and thought it rode very well. A bike like the S-Works Demo is probably a better choice if speed over rough terrain is your first priority, but the Podium is no one trick pony. It’s an extremely fun bike to ride, and I’d recommend it if you are looking to tackle challenging, technical terrain, and especially if you like to sky through jump lines.
NEXT PAGE: Geometry & Specs