Morewood Kalula Review

Bikes in the Kalula's category can be hard to fully understand - they're not downhill bikes, certainly not all-mountain bikes, and the term "freeride" seems like a silly way to describe having fun in the bush on your bicycle. The media, meaning myself, is as guilty as anyone for perpetuating the pigeonholing of bikes that these terms accomplish. Thankfully, there are many companies like Morewood who are more concerned about how fun a bike is, as opposed to where it fits in. Sporting somewhat ambiguous geometry, 7" of rear wheel travel, and a downhill friendly 83 mm bottom bracket and full sized 12 x 150 mm rear axle spacing, the Kalula is capable of being different bikes for different people. One thing about the Kalula that is clear as day is that it certainly looks like it would be a blast to ride. Morewood's much praised Makulu downhill bike is recognized as being at the pointy end of the field when talking performance race bikes, being able to cover ground quickly and offer the rider incredible grip, but the question is if its little brother shown here can hang onto those traits, while at the same time being more fun on less demanding terrain? A quick scan of the geometry for both tells me that, on paper at least, the two bikes share some numbers, aside from a head angle that differs by a personality altering 1.5 degrees, even if they both shared the same fork, but it isn't quite that simple. Static ground clearance is the same, with the BB height of both sitting at 22 mm above the axle line, but the Kalula will sit higher, given that it will run less sag. Interestingly, both share the same 438 mm long chainstays. Things are drastically different when it comes to measurements taken at the front of the bike. Not only is a reach a full 28 mm shorter on the Kalula, the head angle is also 1.5 degrees steeper. Those two facts add up to a bike that sports a much shorter front-to-center distance than the Makulu, and therefore a shorter wheelbase as well. After rereading that paragraph a few times you're probably wondering what it all means on the trail... Keep reading to find out.

Morewood Kalula details:

- 178mm of rear wheel travel
- Low leverage 2.3:1 linkage with Enduro Max bearings
- 30.9mm seat post diameter
- 83mm bottom bracket
- ISCG 05 chainguide tabs
- Tapered head tube
- 150x12mm rear axle spacing
- Postmount 160mm rear brake mounting
- Small, medium and large frame sizes
- Frame weight: 10 lbs 11 oz (including shock and axle)
- Complete build weight: 38 lbs 5 oz (custom build)
- MSRP $2495.00 USD (frame only)


Not coincidentally, the Kalula looks remarkably similar to the longer legged Makulu, and in fact uses the same low leverage rear suspension design to control its 7" or travel. The single pivot design rotates around a single large bearing on each side Morewood's SPI 2 pivot assembly that forgoes using a traditional pivot axle, instead incorporating it directly into the pivot caps. The catalog says that it's "simpler, stronger and lighter" than the previous version of the SPI system, which is true as there are less parts and less weight when you compare SPI 2 to the older version. The shock rate is manipulated via two short links to get the same low leverage 2.3:1 rate as the Makulu, but it uses a shorter 3" stroke shock (compared to the Makulu's 3.5" stroke monster) to achieve 7" of travel. All of the pivots are held together with flush fitting steel hardware and aluminum caps help keep mother nature out. Our test bike uses Fox's top of the line DHX RC4 shock that features all the usual dials to adjust both low and high speed compression, rebound, and bottom out, but depending on where you're located you may also be able to spec the bike with a Cane Creek Double Barrel or BOS Stoy damper.

While there is plenty of whizzy suspension stuff to talk about, there is more to the Kalula than its rear end, including the burly tapered headtube up front that will come in handy if you choose to spec a long travel single crown fork like the Kashima equipped Van 180 FIT RC2 Fox 36 used on our test bike. The hydroformed top tube slopes aggressively down towards a short interrupted seat tube - there isn't a ton of room to adjust saddle height, but the majority of riders who are considering the Kalula won't be worrying about that fact. While it isn't a full-on downhill race bike, the Kalula does sport an 83 mm bottom bracket shell, ISCG05 chain guide tabs, and 12 x 150 mm axle spacing, meaning it accepts full sized downhilll parts. The rear brake caliper attaches via a 160 mm post mount. Cables are routed cleanly down the top of the down tube, and the frame comes with some protective tubing for the derailleur housing as it makes its way down the swingarm.

It's a rare bird that I feel comfortable on straight away, but the South African bike felt like I was home right off the bat. The comfy Renthal bar, with its sweep that seemed to be spot on, surely played a part, but the Kalula's slightly short cockpit (approx. 28mm shorter than a Makulu of the same size) fits the bike's intentions spot on. Sure, it didn't feel ideal anytime the trail required some seated pedaling, but that isn't the bike's intention, is it? Stand up, attack the terrain, and the short reach will feel right on the money. When the time does come to put down the power you're efforts will be rewarded with relatively crisp acceleration, even with the RC4's low speed compression dial turned as counter clockwise as it would go. This trait, along with its firmer travel than the Makulu, went a long way to giving the bike an energetic attitude, much more so than its ground hugging bigger brother. That's the obvious bit, the less obvious fact is how it still manages to deal with serious terrain, but we'll get to that later. Despite what many riders believe, it takes some heavy terrain under most people to truly be faster on a downhill race bike, and this is why the Kalula makes so much sense. The 7" travel machine was infinitely more manageable when weaving through tight trails or on terrain that demanded slower speeds and pinpoint riding. In this regard the Kalula was a blast to ride, mainly because the throttle doesn't need to be pinned open to have fun - the bike put a smile on my face even when I was on cruise control. Due to the shorter front end and steeper steering angle I didn't feel the need to have more weight over the front end of the bike when attacking corners. The result of a more relaxed attitude aboard the Kulala is the ability to carry speed through tight bends very well, although it doesn't quite sport the sure footedness of a longer bike in faster or loose turns, and this is where the blue bike will give up ground compared to a true downhill bike.

The Kalula's rear suspension was very impressive, although I will admit that I was expecting that after having a few fleeting runs on the Makulu. Just like its bigger brother, the linkage gives the rear end an incredibly low leverage ratio. What does this do, you ask? Well, besides requiring an equally incredibly soft shock spring that can be a hassle for lighter riders to track down, it also can make for more sensitive suspension action and added consistency due to lower operating temperatures. While the majority of riders aren't going to be pushing the bike hard enough to take advantage of the the last point, there is no doubting that it increases the dampers reliability in the long term. True to form, the back of the bike dealt especially well with anything that was handled by the first part of the shock's stroke. Probably the biggest surprise came when on the brakes, in that the rear end stayed very active, despite the common shit talk of single pivot designs firming up when on the binders. The blue bike spent quite a bit of time in lift assisted bike parks, places that are known for their braking bumps and beat terrain, but the bike felt more planted and stable when crossing these sections than many linkage designs that go on about being fully active no matter what. The result was more traction than I was expecting in those situations, and while I am not going to proclaim to you that I was going noticeably faster, I will state that I was more confident than on some other bikes. At the opposite end of the spectrum the Fox damper did require a bit if fiddling in order to get enough ramp at the end of the Kalula's travel. The RC4 may come as stock on many bikes and not have the flash of some other more expensive options, but its adjustments were effective on the Kalula and the shock performed extremely well on its design. With the piggy back's volume closed down and a few extra clicks of high speed damping, the bike dealt with hard hits quite well, but I'd like to see a bit more progression from the linkage - especially considering that the bike is intended for park use or as a mini DH rig. All this suspension technology is always a balancing act, but having a shock with potent adjustments is a godsend. One thing that the Kalula did quite well was strike a proper balance between keeping the tires on the dirt for ridiculous traction and at the same time manage to be much more poppy, energetic, and all around fun than other bikes sporting only a single inch more rear wheel travel. That to me is what really sets the Kalula apart from other pint sized DH bikes - the traction between the front and rear tires felt to be on the same level as a true race bike, but at the same time the bike wanted to have fun and enjoy the terrain much more than that same race bike would. Geometry plays the biggest part in deciding a bike's character and everyone has their own opinion on what numbers make for a perfect bike, but it would be interesting to see how the Kalula's personality would change if it was sporting a slacker and lower stance.

How about those parts? The spec that you see on our test bike is completely custom, but the standout selection is surely Fox's 180 mm VAN RC2 36 fork. There is no two ways about it, this thing is seriously bad ass and I am confident in saying that the damping and control it has on tap rivals other companies top end downhill forks. While I am positive that a fork can be as smooth out of the box sans the eye catching Kashima coating on its stanchions, the Fox fork did slide through its travel implausibly smoothly. The only recommendation I would have would be to swap out the stock medium coil spring for the next weight up if you plan on confronting any proper terrain or if you are not in the welterweight class. As expected, the Avid Elixir brakes and SRAM drivetrain performed flawlessly, there really isn't too much to say there except that they certainly have their mid and high end components dialed. Also worth mentioning is the MRP G2 guide that we fitted - quiet, trouble free, and didn't ever pack with mud and goo. There were a few components that we didn't seem to get on too well with though, including the Easton Havoc DH wheels, which held their tension just fine, but who's rear axle constantly wanted to either be too tight or too loose. The wheel's axle mysteriously deciding to tighten down meant that its overall length becomes ever so slightly shorter, enough though that the Makulu's axle itself would no longer stay tight. While all the blame does fall squarely onto the rear wheel's hub and not the bike's axle (the Makulu's axle never backed out), I would still like to see a pinch bolt to hold it in place. I also never really got on well with the WTB DIssent tires. I'm sure that they work well in other conditions, but I just never managed to find those conditions. I found myself much more comfortable on the bike after installing a set of 2.5" Kenda Excavators, a favorite tire around the office. Prospective owners of the Kalula should keep in mind that the frame does require an uncommon headset size that we struggled to track down.

After getting to know the Kalula I cringe to use the word "freeride" to describe the bike's package. Yes, it's shorter and has less travel than a full sized race bike, and sports steeper angles as well, but using the F-word to explain what the bike is all about is selling it a bit short as there are too many negative connotations with that term. It isn't an awkward and unwieldy monster like many other 7" travel options, but something that is much more at home playing in the forest at speed, laughing at the bigger bikes that are not being ridden to their full potential, and certainly having more fun all at the same time as well. There are certainly mountains and riders that deserve a slacker and more forgiving bikes, but the truth is that most of us would be far better off on the Kalula than our current steeds.