A Titanium Chariot: Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS Longtail Review

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A Titanium Chariot: Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS Longtail Review

Announced at this year’s Moab Outerbike, the Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS –available as a frame ($2,950) or a complete ($4,950)–is a hardtail mountain bike with 600-millimeter chainstays and touring accouterments aplenty. Esker even developed a specialty rack for this bike, dubbed the Molle Rackwald ($300.) Needless to say, it’s a unique offering from the brand.

John was able to ride one for a bit, including on an overnighter with the Esker Cycles team and Sincere Cycles in Santa Fe, so read on for an in-depth look at this rare and funky bike!

Esker Cycles Announces Ride Scholarship Program

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Esker Cycles Announces Ride Scholarship Program

Esker Cycles is excited to announce a new ride scholarship with the purpose of enabling more people to get outside on mountain bikes.

This summer, Esker Cycles wants to help get you out on the trail. With the Esker Ride Scholarship, we are providing a selected applicant the opportunity to receive a new Esker hardtail mountain bike to help them get out and do anything that they can dream up such as planning their next multi-day adventure or simply enjoying a first-time experience on a mountain bike.

We understand that there are barriers to entry within our sport, one of them being the upfront cost of purchasing a bike to ride. With this ongoing scholarship, we hope to be able to reduce those barriers ever so slightly in the best way that we know-how—by offering a bike to a rider that could use it and providing an opportunity to get out and ride.

Anyone that would like to apply should fill out an application at eskercycles.com by July 31 to tell us why they think they would be a good fit for the ride scholarship, and what they plan to do with a new Esker hardtail mountain bike. Esker is especially encouraging newer riders with a vision for a particular ride or adventure and an interest in telling their story to apply.

It is expected that the selected applicant will carry out their ride or adventure within a year of receiving the bike, and that they will share their mountain biking experience with us through the medium of their choice. The selected rider will receive a Hayduke or Japhy in the size and color of their choice.

Esker started with a mission of getting more people outside on bikes, and this ongoing scholarship is just one small way for us to continue with that mission, and to enable more people to enjoy the sport of mountain biking like we do.

For more information on the program, and to apply, head to eskercycles.com/pages/ride-scholarship

Locke and His Esker Cycles Hayduke Singlespeed 29er

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Locke and His Esker Cycles Hayduke Singlespeed 29er

George Hayduke. The fictional anti-hero created by the protector of the Western ‘wilderness’, Ed Abbey. While much of Abbey’s political pennings haven’t aged well, he still brought awareness to the American West unsurpassed by any other author of that time. Abbey’s fictional masterpiece, the Monkey Wrench Gang, is a must-read for any lover of the Four Corners and Canyon Country. In it, a ragtag group of desert rats embarks on a journey to dismantle the corporate machines threatening the cherished ecosystems found on the Colorado Plateau. The term “monkeywrenching” and even “eco-terrorist” stemmed from this book as its characters threw a literal wrench in the spokes of the all-consuming corporate machine.

Esker Cycles’ predecessor brand, Advocate Cycles, used the “Earth First” fist on their headtubes and their flagship bike was the Hayduke. When the brand became Esker, they kept the Hayduke model and its signature monkey wrench decals.

Locke reviewed a Hayduke a few years ago. You can read that review in our archives but when he swung through Santa Fe on a recent jaunt, I linked up with him and shot his own personal singlespeed 29er build. Read on for more…

Esker Cycles: Japhy Hardtail 29er

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Esker Cycles: Japhy Hardtail 29er

Some people were excited by the announcement that Esker Cycles had restocked their beloved Hayduke hardtail but saddened by its migration to a long travel 27.5″ wheeled chassis. To this Esker just announced their new Japhy hardtail 29er. A completely new bike, dedicated to 29″ wheels, a 120mm travel fork, and similar detailing as the Hayduke, the Japhy fills the niche left by its rowdier sibling’s revisions. Head to Esker Cycles to see all the juicy details.

Esker Cycles Rowl is a 150mm All-Day 29er

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Esker Cycles Rowl is a 150mm All-Day 29er

The more I ride my 150/140mm travel 29er, the more I’m in love with it. It truly is a magical travel pairing and while it takes a bit to keep on top of the travel, it really has become my all-day bike. Modern 150mm 29ers pedal like they’re much smaller bikes but still open up on the descents like a long-travel should. The Esker Cycles Rowl is right in this wheelhouse with a 140mm travel frame and 150mm fork, it is meant to be your all-mountain ally, in a neat and tidy package. With a 65.16º head angle, a 76º virtual seat angle, 425mm chainstay length, threaded 73mm bottom bracket, and a 420mm-490mm reach on sizes S-XL, the Rowl is ready for anything. Rowl completes at the R2 ($4999) and R3 ($5999) level are available now in limited quantities, so head on over to Esker Cycles to read all about it.

Monkey Wrenching with the Esker Cycles Hayduke Hardtail in Arizona

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Monkey Wrenching with the Esker Cycles Hayduke Hardtail in Arizona

Back in 2016, at the end of the #dflthedivide trip, there was a great little 40th-anniversary party at FreeCycles in Missoula to celebrate Adventure Cycling turning 40. At this party, there was a real nifty bikepacking rig from a small company that was right at home in a nonprofit shop. The Advocate Cycles Hayduke. Now, Advocate has transformed into Esker Cycles, and though the road and touring frames are no more, Hayduke Lives! (on). These are my impressions of this nifty hardtail.

Esker Cycles Summons Edward Abbey’s Desert Activist George Washington Hayduke

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Esker Cycles Summons Edward Abbey’s Desert Activist George Washington Hayduke

Anytime there’s an Edward Abbey reference in the cycling industry, my interest is piqued! Back when Advocate Cycles was around, their Hayduke MTB frame offered up a modern hardtail geometry in steel or titanium, at a more affordable price. When Advocate closed shop, the owners began to work on Esker Cycles, which launched earlier this summer. Now, the Hayduke hardtail is back with new features, new geometry, and the same desert vigilante spirit as its namesake. Get out to the desert with your own Monkey Wrench Gang and see more at Esker Cycles.

Esker Cycles’ New 150mm Travel 27.5 Elkat Mountain Bike

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Esker Cycles’ New 150mm Travel 27.5 Elkat Mountain Bike

Your next full suspension doesn’t have to come from one of the big brands. Esker Cycles are a new company, looking to put riders first with their new Elkat model, a 150mm travel, 27.5-platform frame, featuring Orion suspension design. I got to see the Elkat in person while in Bozeman and was impressed by the bike in its entirety. I don’t want to spill the beans too much because you should really head to Esker’s website to read about the company and the bike. Check out a few more photos below.