Kavenz on Engineering a Better Enduro Bike (Ep.117)

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Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.
Kavenz VHP16
Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.
Kavenz VHP16
Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.
Kavenz VHP18

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Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock got an early start in the mountain bike industry when he landed an internship at Nicolai when he was just 17. He followed that up by founding 77designz, making chainguides, stems, and more, but he still had the itch to design his own bike — so Kavenz and the VHP16 were born. But the story is a lot more complicated — and interesting — than that, so we sat down with Giacomo to get the full rundown, including the trials and tribulations of starting a bike company; the design goals for the VHP16, and all the tradeoffs inherent to bike design; the new VHP18; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Giacomo’s introduction to the mountain bike industry (2:22)
  • Founding 77designz (7:12)
  • VHP16 design philosophy (10:14)
  • High-pivot bikes & their tradeoffs (20:01)
  • The new VHP18 (34:49)
  • Mullets (38:41)
  • Giacomo’s Big Idea (43:15)

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4 comments on “Kavenz on Engineering a Better Enduro Bike (Ep.117)”

  1. Great podcast. I was a high pivot skeptic when the most recent wave of high pivot enduro bikes started hitting the market. Many seemed to be very ground hugging and not the most playful ride experience. The Kavenz piqued my interest with it’s short chainstays and horst link design which was a bit different than some of the other new high pivot bikes with long chainstays and/or high single pivots.

    The Kavenz is the first bike I’ve ever ridden that feels exactly how I want a bike to ride. It has excellent traction and can monster truck through rough terrain as good as anything. At the same time it’s very easy to bunnyhop and boost off jumps and trail features.

    The chainstays don’t get crazy long as the bike compresses which probably helps with maintaining a more predictable and playful ride compared to some other high pivot bikes.

    I typically get a new frame on a yearly basis and the Kavenz VHP16 is the first bike in a long time that I have no plans on replacing any time soon. If you get a chance to ride one, do it. This bike is something special.

    • Great timing — a VHP16 frame showed up today, in fact.

      First Look and Flash Review coming very soon, and a full review in a bit.

  3. When new high-pivot bikes came out, I wasn’t sure about them. They seemed to stick too much to the ground and weren’t much fun to ride. Then I tried the Kavenz. It’s different because it has shorter back wheels and a special way it’s put together.

    The Kavenz bike is the best one I’ve tried. It sticks to the ground really well and can handle rough ground easily. But it’s also great for doing jumps and tricks. It’s the perfect mix of power and fun!

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