5 Wild Bike Checks from the Flannel Crew

5 Wild Bike Checks from the Flannel Crew

Posted by Noel Buckley on

We wanted to show you what the Flannel Crew will be riding this season! There's a real mix of wheel sizes, travel, style and use cases going on here. The best part? That there truly is a Knolly for every style/size of rider and it shows! Take a look at these wild builds and let them know what you think.

Joey Reinhart headshot

JOEY REINHART

IG: @thejoeyreinhart 

WHERE YOU LIVE: Calgary, Alberta

Nearby trail system and your favorite trails: 

Moose Mountain! I volunteer on the board there. Favorite trail would be a toss up between Flight 66 and Jean Guy on The Rocks. https://www.trailforks.com/region/moose-mountain/ 

What do you ride (type of terrain)?  What's the intended use for your new bike? 

I’m kind of the odd one out in The Flannel Crew. Most of my teammates are big on shuttle trucks, bike parks, and big backcountry lines. I quite literally need a quiver killer of a bike. I pedal in-town on busy weeknights, I climb to get to loamers or less-accessible trails here and there, but I still jump in the truck with the boys and pound out shuttle laps and bike park days. The Knolly Warden is perfect for me. It’s playful in the gnar and tech, and I can still hang with the homies on a jump line or when we’re checking off big wood stunts. 

Joey's Knolly Warden

What model and color? 

I scooped up a Knolly Warden in Brushed Raw Aluminum. 

How tall are you? What size frame did you get? How does it fit you?

I’m definitely weird ergonomically. I’m 6”0 tall on the dot but I’m more torso than legs. In my case, the Large Knolly Warden fits like a dream. The cockpit is roomy, and I feel right at home riding it on the descents, climbs, and the works. 

What’s your bike spec? Did you do anything custom?

It’s almost part-for-part an out of the box build. The only thing I opted for was a bit of extra travel after going back and forth with Ken at Knolly. We stuffed a bigger shock on it and air spring in the fork so it’s 180mm on the front end and 175mm of party in the back. Other than that, I tossed on my We Are One Unions and I9 1/1 hubs so it’s bombproof for some big hucks. 

What do you love about your new bike?

I’m loving some of the smaller details on this one! Like the whiskey bottle decal on the seat tube. 

What did you name your new bike?
Since it has the raw-metal look, I named it after one of my favourite Johnny Cash songs. Big Iron! 🤠

 Austen Tanney headshot

AUSTEN TANNEY

YOUR IG HANDLE: @austentanney

WHERE YOU LIVE: Calgary (Cowtown), Alberta

Nearby trail system and your favorite trails: I'm fortunate enough to have a local trail system right outside my back fence in Valley Ridge. But my favorite trails and second home will forever be Moose Mountain in Bragg Creek, AB.  When I say Moose Mountain I mean the classic shuttle laps of T-Dub, Flight-66 and Billy Dog. Prairie Mountain pedal laps do not exist in this fellas trail vocabulary. 

What do you ride (type of terrain)?  What's the intended use for your new bike?

I have always been drawn to the natural untouched lines of mother nature. The Hike-A-Bike express is my game, and new terrain is its name. I plan to get the 2023 Chilcotin into a lot more first ascents, and push the envelope of summit riding in the Rocky Mountains to see what's possible to descend on two wheels. 

Austen's Knolly Chilcotin

What model and color? 

2023 Knolly Chilcotin 29" Frame / X-Large / Teal Cosmos

How tall are you? What size frame did you get? How does it fit you?

Weighing in at 220lbs and standing at 6’2 in height, fighting out of The Flannel Crew corner. My weapon of choice for the 2023 season is the X-Large Knolly Chilcotin 29" with Fox 40’s. Having a long reach and tall athletic build, the X-Large fits great and I already feel right at home in the cockpit. 

What's your bike spec? Did you do anything custom?

2023 Knolly Chilcotin 29" XL Frame, with GX Build Kit.

Customizing this bike was a treat. I decided to take an authentic approach and customize the Chilcotin into a freeride monster. This included Orange Fox 40’s, a Spank 20mm Hub Conversion Kit, RS Super Deluxe shock with 500lb spring, and matching orange spank rim decals. 

What do you love about your new bike?

The best thing about my new Knolly, other than being able to swing a leg over something trustworthy and not clapped. The aesthetic color scheme and monster build is ready to point straight down the chute and let er-buck.

What did you name your new bike? 

Eggplant! 🍆

Bryant Freeman headshot

BRYANT BOOTS FREEMAN

IG: @lil2zesty

WHERE YOU LIVE: Calgary

Nearby trail system and your favorite trails:

Moose! T-Dub and Flight 66

What do you ride (type of terrain)?  What's the intended use for your new bike?

All things send: loam, steeps, big hits, screeeee!

Bryant's Knolly Warden

What model and colour?

A Knolly Warden without paint to scratch!

How tall are you? What size frame did you get? How does it fit you?

6 foot, got a Large and fits beautifully.

What's your bike spec? Did you do anything custom?

Base drive train. Have a fox 40 factory up front for 203mm of big bike travel. Have a 180mm coil in the rear. Topped up with Sensus grips and Chromag saddle + pedals.

What do you love about your new bike?

That it’s a downhill bike with a dropper 😂

What did you name your new bike?

Free Bird. 🦅

Alex Moran

ALEX MORAN

IG: @estfire15

WHERE YOU LIVE: Calgary, Alberta

Nearby trail system and your favorite trails: 

Favorite trails have to be the ones I started riding on! OG trails at Moose Mountain and Canmore like T-dub, Jean Guy, and Riders of Rohan. Rooty/rocky/gnarly Alberta terrain. I'm also lucky to live a stone's throw from Fish Creek Provincial park in Calgary and frequent the trails and sneaky descents scattered about.

What do you ride (type of terrain)?  What's the intended use for your new bike? 

I ride all sorts of terrain from flowy gravity lines, tech, steep chutes. I'm blessed to ride with friends who enjoy multiple disciplines so need a bike that can scramble up a long ascent, crush park laps, and “Green Wheel” some yet undiscovered trails. I think the Knolly will do all that and more and can't wait to put my feet to the pedals.

Alex's Knolly Chilcotin

What model and color?  Knolly Chilcotin 167 in Stealth Black.

How tall are you? What size frame did you get? How does it fit you? 

I'm 6’ and I snagged a large frame. Feels great in the saddle should be the perfect fit come the spring.

What's your bike spec? Did you do anything custom?

Full GX build, with a Zeb Ultimate front, and RS Super Deluxe air rear. I slapped on some fresh  grips and a well broken in Chromag Trailmaster LTD for a fresh pop of green off the matte black finish of the frame. Plan to keep this build fairly low-key to fit with the “Stealth” build; plain from a distance but an absolute slayer up close.

What do you love about your new bike?

I'm loving the attention to detail and small bits of design that make it pop. The gloss black logos off the matte black. The components are solid, trustworthy pieces I don't have to worry about!

What did you name your new bike? 

Black Sabbath. 🤘

Lars Gonera

LARS GONERA

IG: @larsgonera

WHERE YOU LIVE: Calgary, AB

Nearby trail system and your favorite trails:

Moose Mountain’s Flight 66 or building our own trails with Austen in our backyard.

What do you ride (type of terrain)?  What's the intended use for your new bike?

Bikes built to go big and fast. Anything and everything that doesn’t require pedaling uphill. Like Kenny Powers once said “I play real sports, not trying to be the best at exercising”.

 Lars' Knolly Chilcotin

What model and colour?

Knolly Chilcotin Teal Cosmos 29er

How tall are you? What size frame did you get? How does it fit you?

I’m 6’4” and 230 lbs. With really long arms and legs it’s easy to decide on sizing, XL. Coming off a 2019 XL 27.5 bike, the Knolly Chilcotin feels like an absolute tank and the 29’s make me feel like I’m actually on a mountain bike for once and not a plus size squishy dirt jumper.

What's your bike spec? Did you do anything custom?

Knolly Chilcotin XL, with a GX Coil Build wrapped in automotive 3M courtesy Keenan. Fox 40s with 203mm travel. Purple Raceface Atlas 35 bars with Chromag Squarewave XL grips. Raceface Chester DM stem. Chromag Rawhide Overture saddle. Purple Chromag Scarab pedals. Matching Spank rim decals and some custom Fox 40 fork decals from Ground Keeper.

What do you love about your new bike?

Absolutely everything, from the limited edition colour way to the way the angles flow to the big burly Fox40, but the thing I love most is how this rig feels! Big, Burly, and Confident!

What did you name your new bike?

Rhonda! 💃

We would like to give a HUGE shoutout to Jayme Rashelle Photography, Austen, Lars and Dre Visuals for the bike check photos!

The Flannel Crew group shot

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