Knolly Cache Steel
An Mtb-inspired cruiser for rough routes
An Mtb-inspired cruiser for rough routes
The current gravel boom draws influence from two directions: road cyclists escaping traffic to find freedom on the open (back) roads and mountain biking’s origins in exploration and adventure. Knolly’s Cache Steel takes more from the latter, which is no surprise given Knolly’s roots on Vancouver’s North Shore. As with other tech borrowed from mountain bikers, there are unexpected benefits for the more road-oriented rider.
The Cache is Knolly’s first foray into gravel bikes. After an initial release in titanium in 2019, a steel frame joined the party. While less rarefied than titanium, the steel tubes are still shaped and tapered using Knolly’s extensive experience building alloy mountain bikes.
Knolly’s experience pays off in ride quality. The Cache holds solid under effort, but is forgiving on rough surfaces. For anyone coming off of carbon-fibre or aluminum frames, the ride feel of steel is not mythical. Steel’s vibration dampening characteristics, however, are well-suited to softening the blow from the constant chatter of gravel roads.
Add Shimano’s gravel-specific grx drivetrain to the toughness of a hardened-steel frame, and the Cache is ready for big adventures. There are built-in rack mounts, fender mounts, three water-bottle mounts and space in the frame to load it up with all kinds of bags.
The bike’s mountain bike-inspired design, though, means it also excels at more local exploration where pavement, gravel paths and short sections of singletrack can all be combined in a 90-minute ride or commute.
The Cache uses a long front centre in combination with a shorter stem. This setup creates extra room to move around on the bike, adding confidence to the handling on gravel roads that have deteriorated or on corners with loose surfaces. The long front centre and forgiving steel frame carves corners, whether they’re on dusty gravel or a ribbon of dirt. The bike did draw me to search out singletrack connectors. While I tend to do that anyway, on the Cache, I enjoyed pushing the pace not just trying to survive.
Jamming on singletrack did lead to some questionable moments as I approached the limits of the 40c Maxxis tires. Since my preferred gravel riding often includes sections of dirt, I would opt for higher volume rubber and wider rims than the Shimano RS370S. The Cache has clearance for up to 700c x 45c, or 2.1"-wide tires if you downsize to 650b rims. Then, make sure you have the chops to make use of the extra volume.
While 1-by is gaining popularity, I appreciated Shimano’s grx 2 x 11-speed drivetrain when I winched up climbs on long gravel rides. With its clutch-equipped rear derailleur, grx makes sure the chain stays solidly in place and shifts reliably on the way back down, too.
Knolly outfits the Cache Steel with external cable routing for easy service, even far from home. Routing for an optional dropper post is the only internal cable. The frame is also designed for an optional gravel suspension fork, if you want to get more comfy.
Kit out the Cache for long-distance expeditions, or keep it simple and rip around your local back roads and singletrack connectors. Either way, the Cache Steel is well-suited to keeping it fun when the road gets rough, and comfortable for long days in the saddle.
“It excels at local exploration where pavement, gravel paths and short sections of singletrack can all be combined in a 90-minute ride.”