However, the trade-off is overall higher suspension performance that always maximizes traction (and without traction, what benefit is there to great pedaling dynamics), gives a very neutral feel, and provides great tracking and braking, features which deliver extremely predictable performance in all conditions. Because it adds additional degrees of freedom to the design of our frames, this makes the kinematic engineering significantly more difficult and time-consuming. We are the only company in the world that really does this as a fundamental characteristic of our products. Levy: What would you like to tell the riders who say that your FourBy4 suspension design has an "extra set of pivots and links"? Why are they there and what do they do?īuckley: The Fourby4 Linkage design is really the heart of our products: it allows us to separate out and independently tune (to a higher level) various performance aspects of the rear suspension and shock progression that are otherwise co-mingled in conventional linkage designs. In fact, we feel that we can continue to improve the performance of our alloy frames to even higher levels (and still perform at the top of the market, irrespective of materials) while maintaining value in the alloy product that is not attainable in our carbon product due to its much higher manufacturing cost. The introduction of (significantly more expensive) carbon frames does not instantly reduce the performance of the alloy frames. We feel that there is a market for both products: our alloy frames have been receiving rave reviews for years, and we have built tremendous customer loyalty with those products. A well engineered and manufactured alloy frame will far outperform a lesser carbon frame, hands down. Of course, that's not true at all, and cost of manufacturing can vary wildly, even with the same materials involved. That's kind of like saying that both a Hyundai Genesis and a Porsche 911 Turbo weigh 1,500kg and have roughly the same amount of materials in them, hence both should cost the same. There is a misconception in the bike industry that all alloy frames cost the same amount to manufacture and that all carbon frames cost the same amount to manufacture. Noel Buckley: The first thing to recognize that is that while carbon gets most of the attention, the reality is that manufacturing techniques and the quality of the materials are much more important than the actual type of material used. With so much focus on carbon fiber these days, including your new Warden Carbon, why should a customer who's planning on spending a big chunk of money still be contemplating an aluminum bike? Mike Levy: You're one of a small handful of companies still offering what should be considered high-end aluminum bikes. 3 Questions With the Knolly's Noel Buckley