Product Review Craftworks ENR V1.0 and V1.1

jenk0s

Likes Dirt
Item: Craftworks ENR V1.0 and V1.1

Purchased From:
Craftworks Cycles

Purchase Price:
$5500

Usage:
800km (V1.0) 400km (V1.1)

Pros:
Large changes in dynamic geometry gives a very playful yet stable bike at the same time.

Cons:

Interrupted seat tube prevents longer dropper posts from being used.

Comments:
The predecessor to the V1.1 garnered a lot of attention for its unique suspension platform. Unfortunately, it was a little ahead of its time and as such the V1.0 was a somewhat confused bike: cutting edge kinematics mated to dated geometry. Not anymore… As per the Craftworks website, the ENR V1.1 maintains the fantastic I-Track platform (and rear triangle) whilst upgrading the front end to ‘Pinkbike Specifications’ (read longer and slacker). Having spent considerable time now on both the new and old platforms, I figured I’d put my thoughts out there.

Starting out with the suspension design, the I-Track suspension platform is an extremely high virtual pivot bike with an idler pulley. Their website (https://www.craftworkscycles.com/pages/what-is-i-track-suspension) is really comprehensive and worth a read if you’re one to nerd out on suspension design. Bottom line is that it works. The unique characteristics are most apparent over sharp terrain, the bike maintains momentum and composure admirably, gliding would be the most fitting verb to describe the sensation it gives through rocks, roots etc. This is a product of the rearward axle path matching the direction of the force vectors from the trail and the low pedal kickback inherent to the idler pulley design. It’s worth noting that the bike responds well to being pushed: as the suspension compresses the chain stay length grows considerably, far more than other bikes on the market. This creates stability in the platform, a pretty fun trait to make use of on trails where I’d otherwise be pretty timid.

In terms of pedalling the bike goes pretty damn well too. I tend to use the lockout lever on stand up efforts but seated’s a dream. The anti-squat is consistently around 100% for all gears so this was to be expected. All the kinematic details are on Linkage Design (http://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/search/label/Craftworks Cycles). A common question I get asked is about the drag and noise created by the idler, I’d like to say that under ideal conditions there’s bugger all in it between this and a normal chain-line, but it is worth nothing that stuff can get stuck between the pulley guide and the pulley which makes a god awful screeching noise. It’s only happened twice in the past year, but it was damn frustrating. Overall, it’s a bike that has me reaching for the full face and DH runs when-ever possible, but I still ride predominately trail just due to local geography and that sums up the bike’s nature pretty well.

Comparing the V1.0 to the V1.1 is a matter of balance. At 184cm, by modern standards I was too tall for the V1.0. The 445mm reach had me hanging off the back of the bike which led to massive arm pump as I had to use my forearm strength to maintain a low posture over the bike and not ‘fall’ off the back. Compounding to this problem, I had to run rear sag numbers in the realm of 40% to get the front to rear balance (and dynamic head angle) I wanted with the 66.5 degree static head angle. As a result, I struggled to trust the front end as my weight was biased too far over the rear wheel and the rear suspension struggled to do its job properly as it didn’t have adequate travel left after sag to absorb bumps. In this setup, the bike felt a bit like a chopper (or old freeride bike) with a tall front end and low rear. It was great on point and shoot terrain but struggled when things got a bit more technical. That may all sound a bit negative, I was actually frothing on the bike at the time but now that I’ve tried the new one, I can definitely see where improvements have been made.

V1.1 boosted the reach up to 465mm and slacked the head angle out to 65 degrees. The arm pump issue has now been resolved and with reasonable sag numbers, suspension performance has been improved dramatically. Rough straight lines were my favourite sections of trail on the V1.0 but these days I’m finding corners to be the feature of choice. The front end just hooks up and the rear end carves really nicely. As I mentioned above, the chainstay length grows the more you push into the bike so pumping corners tends to generate a lot of traction and speed. What’s really addictive is unweighting the bike just before turn in so that the chainstay length shortens right up and then initiating the turn. The bike snaps into the corner with the reduced wheelbase then the suspension compresses and the bike extends into a nice controlled drift. It feels super natural and is very repeatable.

My only gripe with the bike in its current form is the location of the seat tube interruption due to the pivot placement in the I-Track linkage design. It’s quite high up which limits how long a seat post can be. Otherwise I’m bloody stoked with how the new model has turned out. Kudo’s to an Aussie brand for sticking one to the big players by making a bike that does what it says on the tin: knocking the socks off other rigs, and at a price point too!

My particular build is as follows:
Frame: ENR V1.1 Large
Shock: Canecreek DBIL Air (with needle roller bearings in the top eyelet – bloody oath they make a world of difference)
Fork: Rockshox Lyric RC (with a custom shimmed damper)
Wheelset: Syntace W35
Tyres: Assegai Front, Aggressor Rear
Brakes: Magura MT5
Drivetrain: Sram GX 11spd
Cranks: Sram XX1
Handlebars: Spank Virbrocore 775mm
Stem: Bontrager Line Pro 40mm
Seatpost: X Fusion Manic
Saddle: Bontrager Montrose
Pedals: Bontrager Line Elite

Pictures/Videos:
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Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
Great writeup, thanks. The dynamic wheelbase makes a lot of sense to me

Still on my list, although I fear I’ll have to wait for a true XL.
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
Nice review @jenk0s. I've had the pleasure of building up one of these and they are very nicely finished, a quality piece of kit for sure!

The only reason I'm not on one of because of the sizing of the V1. Hopefully not too far down the track they'll go xl with the V1.1.

The mate that rides it loves the attention he gets on the trails when he's out and about on it. It certainly gets people talking.

He's got a 1 degree headset in his V1, running a 160mm fork and can't be happier with it. It's mostly too much bike for 80% of the riding he does, but it pedals so well on the flat he doesn't need any less travel.

He took it to Tassie recently and just raved about how it handled everything down there (Maydena & Derby).

The seat tube was a bit of an issue though, but recently put a 150mm OneUp dropper in there and that finalised the bike for him. Managed to get the post just in the right spot.

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Paulie_AU

Likes Dirt
What does it weigh all up?

With the new frame geo this is looking good for next frame. The real question is do I do a custom paint job like my DHR208 received all those years ago.
 
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jenk0s

Likes Dirt
What does it weigh all up?

With the new frame geo this is looking good for next frame. The real question is do I do a custom paint job like my DHR208 received all those years ago.
It's around 15kg, so not particularly heavy. And ditto wkkie, a custom paint job would be rad. It's worth mentioning though that the stock paint job is bullet proof, you can't scratch it trying
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
The anodising is top quality, it's a great 2 tone finish.

It's nice to throw a bit of colour around though. A complete un black frame would look interesting...
 

clockworked

Like an orange
Are these a legitimate trail bike option, or would that be too much bike. Keen to hear the opinions of those currently riding them - @jenk0s @beeb @jrewing
The local trails here probably suit a 150mm 27.5 or a 130-140mm 29er, and i can deal with the weight, but a full blown enduro bike would be too much of a pig on the long climbs
 
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jenk0s

Likes Dirt
Are these a legitimate trail bike option, or would that be too much bike. Keen to hear the opinions of those currently riding them - @jenk0s @beeb @jrewing
The local trails here probably suit a 150mm 27.5 or a 130-140mm 29er, and i can deal with the weight, but a full blown enduro bike would be too much of a pig on the long climbs
It's tough to pin the bike to one category, yes it is a super capable enduro bike but because of its high anti squat values, it pedals really well. Trail Talk MTB on youtube just picked one up and runs through it in his review. The chainstays are short and snappy in the upper parts of the travel (when your pedalling) - perfect for tech climbs. As soon as you hit a decent they lengthen out and you get the stability of a bigger bike. Sounds like it'll take care of what you need it to. Do it man, you won't regret it.
 

jrewing

Eats Squid
Are these a legitimate trail bike option, or would that be too much bike. Keen to hear the opinions of those currently riding them - @jenk0s @beeb @jrewing
The local trails here probably suit a 150mm 27.5 or a 130-140mm 29er, and i can deal with the weight, but a full blown enduro bike would be too much of a pig on the long climbs
Mines built burly, so hard to say. As Jenkins said it pedals well and climbs tech really well.
They pedal so well with a coil shock, better than the air I feel. I’m on 29 front wheel now too. They keep speed over obstacles impressively and pumping along maintains speed.
I say build one light and let’s see the results!
29 front 140 front fork?!
 
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