Anyone at Outerbike can ride this thing and report back???
I just saw the ride report on this. Sounds very promising, like the REACT suspension of Darrell voss but with less complexity. I like that it was designed around motorcycles but has instead been designed for bikes. Should be solid riding and hopefully lasting. Wish a larger company bought it and could bring it to market at a lower price point but if it is successful perhaps Esker will put out an aluminum version for us poor folks.
Rode one at Sedona MTB festival. I loved it. It was the best ride of the festival for me. I also rode a Devinci, Specalized, and Evil. I rode it on Sunday when I thought I would be pretty tired from 2 days of riding, but I just wanted to keep going on this bike, climbing and then bombing downhill.
I'm going to demo the Elkat next week! Mostly for trail riding in Minnesota. Curious how people would compare this to the Yeti SB130, YT Jeffsy, Ibis Ripley v4, and Salsa Horsethief?
I'm going to demo the Elkat next week! Mostly for trail riding in Minnesota. Curious how people would compare this to the Yeti SB130, YT Jeffsy, Ibis Ripley v4, and Salsa Horsethief?
Eager to hear how the demo goes. I'm also from Minny and interested in the Elkat.
Eager to hear how the demo goes. I'm also from Minny and interested in the Elkat.
I reached out to Esker via Facebook and they have demo bikes available this week. I just bought the Ibis Ripley so I'm going to cancel my appointment. Angry Catfish also has them in stock. I rode it around the street and it felt fine. It's 4 lbs heavier (32 lbs) than the Ibis but it has 20 mm more travel. I decided to go with the Ibis since I wanted something lighter weight and 140mm for twin cities riding is a bit much.
Just returned from DirtRagFest in W.V. The terrain is ROCKY!!!! BIG giant rocks...small tiny rocks...sneaky rocks hiding in the ferns waiting to grab your pedals.
The Elkat was one highlight of the demos for me. First it's really nice looking...the bike seems stout and well built. Also, in XL, it doesn't look bizarre. I was surprised how heavy it felt when I picked it up b/c it gets up to speed easily, was pretty easy to get into the air, and didn't "ride heavy" at all (whatever that means).
I am firmly in the 29" camp, but I wanted to try the Orion design for when they come out with one. I think it hits a sweet spot with the DW design. It climbs like a Pivot , but descends really plush.
The Elkat was agile and super fun to rail in tight corners. Down: it just bombs through everything. Did I mention rocks? I hate them and W.V. will judge a bike's rock garden abilities. I will say this: 29"! The rear of the Elkat was fantastic on the successive hits...just soaked them right up. BUT: the front end did get hung up on occasion when there was successive rocks or roots with a deep rut between; I'm blaming the 27.5's. I asked the Elkat guys if anyone tried a reverse mullet, but they said no. Also, regarding the rocks, I had a few pedal strikes, but nothing unexpected or surprising. I didn't experience any more pedal strikes than with other demos...and less than a few other bikes.
The Esker guys were super cool to talk to and really knowledgeable about the bike and the Orion suspension (it's history, how it worked, and proper setup).
All-in-all, I could definitely see myself on an Esker...but not until there's a 29". The Esker guys said that a 29" was in the works (probably 150F/140R) and would prolly be out around the end of the year.
Anybody buy an Esker and get any customer service whatsoever after the purchase? Setup, warranty, anything? My experience has not been good at all. No manuals, no info online, just basically an e-mail address that rarely produces a response and never produces a solution.
Mine arrives tomorrow. Ill see what my experience is like and will share.
Thanks. Please let me know also what you think of the compression damping custom tune if you got the DPX2. Mine seems way too slow and it's wide open. Bigger hits are harsh and I don't get full use of the travel, I've tried sag between 20-30% and different rebound settings.
that's not good to hear.....I also think it's hard to stray from the big brands like Yeti, Ibis, Santa Cruz when the price is really not that much less even though I will admit the build kits are pretty sweet!
I'm still going to try to demo one to see how it rides compared to the new Yeti fleet that is more stretched out
We are around, and want to help out with any questions that you have. Recently, some responses have taken longer than we would like, and we have put in place solutions to handle these requests much more quickly.
If we have missed any messages, we apologize, and want to make sure that we get back to each question as soon as possible. If you have been waiting on a response, you should have been contacted by now. If this is not the case, please reach out to [email protected].
For setup and documentation, head to the documentation page (https://eskercycles.com/pages/documentation) on our website. We will regularly be adding additional information to this page. If you have further questions on setup, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
And lastly, if you have not yet, find us at an upcoming demo event (https://eskercycles.com/pages/demo) to get on an Esker, take a ride with us, or just drop by and chat. We hope to see you out there.
I rode an Eskat on MBar trails at Outerbike, very supple, great traction, rode like a DW but less mushy, more active, felt like it never really ran out of suspension. Trails are kinda mellow, but I'd get one.
I also tried a Trust fork and I'd love to try the two in tandem.
I rode an Eskat on MBar trails at Outerbike, very supple, great traction, rode like a DW but less mushy, more active, felt like it never really ran out of suspension. Trails are kinda mellow, but I'd get one.
I also tried a Trust fork and I'd love to try the two in tandem.
Glad you got a ride on it. I mentioned it on a different thread at beginning of the year and as i mentioned then it was high on my list after outerbike bentonville last year. I ended picking up a 140/130mm 29er at a great deal from local seller earlier this year but still eyeing a longer travel 27.5 so this bike is still in contention for me. Did you get any time on hd5 or sb140? Curious to hear your thoughts if u did...
Glad you got a ride on it. I mentioned it on a different thread at beginning of the year and as i mentioned then it was high on my list after outerbike bentonville last year. I ended picking up a 140/130mm 29er at a great deal from local seller earlier this year but still eyeing a longer travel 27.5 so this bike is still in contention for me. Did you get any time on hd5 or sb140? Curious to hear your thoughts if u did...
I'm not a Yeti fan, too much dollars, ride feel does nothing for me, and then they have issues. The HD ride fine, I like Ibis, but still just a DW bike that rides kinda chunky.
I just re-read the Bike Mag Bible review on the Elkat and it mirrors my impression: Rides like it has more suspension than it does, takes square hits better than any bike I've ridden, maybe a tad mushy for out of the seat cranking but to be honest, who the hell does out of the seat cranking on anything but an XC bike?
I didn't get chance to ride it on a serious downhill, but I don't think my impression would change, it takes square hits amazingly well, would love to see it paired with a Trust fork. The company owner said the Trust Shout was too tall for the Elkat, but then Bike Mag set theirs up with a Fox 36 160mm.
Anybody buy an Esker and get any customer service whatsoever after the purchase? Setup, warranty, anything? My experience has not been good at all. No manuals, no info online, just basically an e-mail address that rarely produces a response and never produces a solution.
Update on this, Esker had an email problem that lasted a couple of months. But they sprang back to life and got in touch, replaced a shock under warranty, sent a pivot maintenance tool, some torque values, and published an online tech manual. Lesson learned hopefully, give your direct-buy customers a phone number in addition to an email address. Bike rides very nicely now.
We are around, and want to help out with any questions that you have. Recently, some responses have taken longer than we would like, and we have put in place solutions to handle these requests much more quickly.
If we have missed any messages, we apologize, and want to make sure that we get back to each question as soon as possible. If you have been waiting on a response, you should have been contacted by now. If this is not the case, please reach out to [email protected].
For setup and documentation, head to the documentation page (https://eskercycles.com/pages/documentation) on our website. We will regularly be adding additional information to this page. If you have further questions on setup, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
And lastly, if you have not yet, find us at an upcoming demo event (https://eskercycles.com/pages/demo) to get on an Esker, take a ride with us, or just drop by and chat. We hope to see you out there.
New Eskar Elkat owner here and I am excited that there is some discussion about this great bike. I just finished building my bike up 2 weeks ago, and it is quickly changing to winter here in Colorado, so I have only put in 3 rides on my new rig: 1 full day at the Navajo Rocks area in Moab, and then 2 rides locally on my local favorite trail area here in Western Colorado.
Just a quick backstory. I finally broke my 2012 Turner Burner 27.5 this summer. I have been riding my steel hardtail with 27.5x2.8 tires since, and have really enjoyed the old school aspects of the HT. But, for some reason the fire was lit this fall to find my 27.5 full suspension replacement. After about a week of online research and some conversations with the bike shop guys, I decided to stick with the 27.5" platform, because of the nature of the trails that I ride around here in Western Colorado and SE Utah. The trails that I ride in these areas are basically slower-riding tight twisty technical chess matches, with lots of steep technical climbing. To me, despite the major resurgence of 29ers on the scene, 27.5 bikes still have their place in this type of mtb environment.
I chose the Esker for a few main reasons. I loved my Turner burner - it was definitely ahead of its time when it came out in 2012. With my new bike I wanted a bike that seems like a modern take on the Turner Burner - a 27.5 that has a little more travel and the slacker/steeper geometry. Also, I was very interested in another Dave Weagle designed rear suspension, since my experience with DW Link on my Burner has been so great. Climbing efficiency is very important to me. I was also compelled by the great reviews on this bike and for some reason I'm always drawn to the underdog brand. It can be beer, trucks, bikes or bike components; I'm always going to be interested in the company that has a different view and spin on things.
So as a new Esker Elkat owner I would like to be part of any effort to create an information resource for owners of this bike and prospective owners who want to learn more about this bike.
It's getting late and I'm fading big time. For now I will post a picture of my bike as it is built now. I have a few changes to make still. When I get a chance to post again in the next couple of days, I will post my experience riding this bike.
i'm surprised this bike isn't more popular. I never heard of Esker until I rode one at Outerbike in Bentonville. It was easily my favorite bike. I like how active the suspension is and how easily it rolls over rough stuff. The owners gave me a killer deal and included a Rockshox Pike ultimat free with frame purchase. I was a little worried about going from 29 to 27.5 wheels but found I didnt miss the 29 wheels at all. The frame is burly and not light weight but doesnt ride that way. I only notice the weight when I pick the bike up. So far the reviews I've read have been spot on.
i'm surprised this bike isn't more popular. I never heard of Esker until I rode one at Outerbike in Bentonville. It was easily my favorite bike. I like how active the suspension is and how easily it rolls over rough stuff. The owners gave me a killer deal and included a Rockshox Pike ultimat free with frame purchase. I was a little worried about going from 29 to 27.5 wheels but found I didnt miss the 29 wheels at all. The frame is burly and not light weight but doesnt ride that way. I only notice the weight when I pick the bike up. So far the reviews I've read have been spot on.
If I was to guess, it's probably a case of marketing budget, crowded trail bike field, Dave Weagle's newest and least known suspension design, 29ers more popular (arguable) and minimal forum presence.
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Originally Posted by smartyiak
