Crestline x DJI - RS 181 SPECTRE Edition

Plummet said:
Amazing how some of you guys are form over function..... sure the slimmer down tube does look slightly better. But the actual weight distribution is going to be worse. 800wh with more forward and higher weight = more suck fore weight and balance of the bike.

My 400wh Crestline set up feels darn similar to an equivalent mtb. When I put the 600wh in it feels more e-mtb like. I dont even want to fit an 800wh. That would suck for forward weight. The most suck will be dji 800wh option.
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When comparing the length of the DJI 600 to Bosh 600 the two batteries are actually very close in terms of length. I think weight distribution of the lower set battery is pretty negligible. I was fortunate enough to spend extended time on both the gen 1 and gen 2 crestlines and I personally did not notice a difference in weight distribution when pointing the bike downhill. That Gen 5 Bosh motor is excellent though in terms of quite performance and natural feel.
 
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Plummet said:
Amazing how some of you guys are form over function..... sure the slimmer down tube does look slightly better. But the actual weight distribution is going to be worse. 800wh with more forward and higher weight = more suck fore weight and balance of the bike.

My 400wh Crestline set up feels darn similar to an equivalent mtb. When I put the 600wh in it feels more e-mtb like. I dont even want to fit an 800wh. That would suck for forward weight. The most suck will be dji 800wh option.
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There will be no loss in function on this bike. Don’t forget who actually designed and built this one. When I spoke to him on the phone last week he was giggling about how good it was. Troydon doesn’t build anything that rides like rubbish.
 
People will always be jealous and/or regret that they bought the previous model right before the next newest and greatest thing comes out. What joy not knowing what’s coming out next, way to go Troydon. 🤣 What a shock it was getting his email about the DJI release.
Don’t worry Bosch Gen5 Crestline owners, I’ll be in the same boat when the next best thing is released. I’ll be telling my self I should have waited, and that what I ended up with is still better in some way! Just please don’t make the next release be some bad ass long travel MGU!!😬
 
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I ordered the RH4 MX with 440mm CS dropout. It’ll be fun to feel her out on the trails.
How many people are going to be running the 600 battery?
I’m guessing it sits at the bottom of the down tube? Unless I’m missing it on the website, I’m not seeing a 600 battery option.
 
Plummet said:
Amazing how some of you guys are form over function..... sure the slimmer down tube does look slightly better. But the actual weight distribution is going to be worse. 800wh with more forward and higher weight = more suck fore weight and balance of the bike.

My 400wh Crestline set up feels darn similar to an equivalent mtb. When I put the 600wh in it feels more e-mtb like. I dont even want to fit an 800wh. That would suck for forward weight. The most suck will be dji 800wh option.
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I agree, it does make a difference but it might not be as big or noticeable as you think.

Torque = Force X Distance

i overlayed a DJI bike with a Bosch bike (sadly their website has a medium frame DJI and a large Bosch so the images don’t line up perfectly but you get the idea.

The difference in weight around the pivot point is pretty much a wash when you consider the 5mm difference in chainstays, (440 on a medium as opposed to 445 on the Bosch), heavier battery, heavier motor and higher Shock location. Also notice the DJI battery is located at the top of the downtube, that also helps shift the COG back a bit.

You can make a bigger difference to the weight of the front end by either shortening the chainstays further via dropouts or lightening the front wheel up a bit by going with DD tires as opposed to Gravity. Or swapping out the 225g 2.3mm TRP brake rotor with a 160g hope rotor since that’s the furthest point of mass from the pivot point!!!

Perhaps a lighter carbon front wheels and carbon bars will help too. A DH fork with Gravity tires/wheels and cushcore is probably a lot worse than going from a 400 to 800wh battery in terms of front end weight.
IMG_0012.jpeg
 
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On a side note, rear wheel tire clearance was an issue with mud on some reports. Does anyone know if they fixed or widened the chainstay on Gen 4?

IMG_0013.jpeg
 
Posvar1 said:
There will be no loss in function on this bike. Don’t forget who actually designed and built this one. When I spoke to him on the phone last week he was giggling about how good it was. Troydon doesn’t build anything that rides like rubbish.
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I never said it was terrible. I do think dji over hyped though.

For the record I don't want to run a 800wh my bosch gen 5 either. Witg the 600wh its getting marginal for too much front heavy e bike feel. I hated the too front heavyness
Of the voima with its long big 750wh battery.

I also admit that plenty of people don't have a problem with 800wh batteries with their use case. I just prefer better handling than bigger batteries.
 
Plummet said:
I never said it was terrible. I do think dji over hyped though.

For the record I don't want to run a 800wh my bosch gen 5 either. Witg the 600wh its getting marginal for too much front heavy e bike feel. I hated the too front heavyness
Of the voima with its long big 750wh battery.

I also admit that plenty of people don't have a problem with 800wh batteries with their use case. I just prefer better handling than bigger batteries.
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Ahh, fellow former Voima owner.
The issue with the Voima (besides its looks 😂) was the enormous reach (I’m a medium and got the K2 - 480mm reach) and zero drop BB. Turning the motor that way, linkages located high up, shock high up and big 4.4kg 750wh battery high up and far forward really raised the COG and front end weight of the bike.
It was an amazing climbing machine but I swear it’s so top heavy that I went OTB at least 15x in one year of ownership on this bike riding steep stuff as opposed to all my other bikes where I don’t OTB more than a couple times a year.

I don’t think the crestline with a BB almost 20mm lower than the Voima is going to be nearly as top heavy or front heavy

IMG_0308.jpeg
 
Does anybody happen to know what the default adjustable dropout length is for a MX RH3? I can’t find this on the website, it just states the following:

“Each frame ships with the recommended dropout and wheel configuration based on size.”
 
JJ503 said:
Does anybody happen to know what the default adjustable dropout length is for a MX RH3? I can’t find this on the website, it just states the following:

“Each frame ships with the recommended dropout and wheel configuration based on size.”
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Likely 445 since RH2 is 440. You’re right, this information is now missing from their website…
 
MTB_MIKE said:
Likely 445 since RH2 is 440. You’re right, this information is now missing from their website…
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Yeah it listed this info then you choose what size to order. Now just: “sold out”
The RH4 recommendation was 450. So I would agree with 445 for the RH3
This pic is the previous Crestline

IMG_2176.png
 
Amflow owners are still waiting, almost a year now for batteries (600 or 800) to be available for purchase. If it’s taking this long for DJI’s own bike brand, I wonder how long we’ll be waiting for Spectre spare battery.
 
AlumiPro said:
I ordered the RH4 MX with 440mm CS dropout. It’ll be fun to feel her out on the trails.
How many people are going to be running the 600 battery?
I’m guessing it sits at the bottom of the down tube? Unless I’m missing it on the website, I’m not seeing a 600 battery option.
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RH4 with 440? I thought the website default was 455?
 
BikingBad said:
Amflow owners are still waiting, almost a year now for batteries (600 or 800) to be available for purchase. If it’s taking this long for DJI’s own bike brand, I wonder how long we’ll be waiting for Spectre spare battery.
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Amflow is not a quickly removable battery system. I think you have to drop the motor.

The Cresty is designed to be quickly removable so hopefully it will be available to Crestline to sell.
 
MTB_MIKE said:
I agree, it does make a difference but it might not be as big or noticeable as you think.

Torque = Force X Distance

i overlayed a DJI bike with a Bosch bike (sadly their website has a medium frame DJI and a large Bosch so the images don’t line up perfectly but you get the idea.

The difference in weight around the pivot point is pretty much a wash when you consider the 5mm difference in chainstays, (440 on a medium as opposed to 445 on the Bosch), heavier battery, heavier motor and higher Shock location. Also notice the DJI battery is located at the top of the downtube, that also helps shift the COG back a bit.

You can make a bigger difference to the weight of the front end by either shortening the chainstays further via dropouts or lightening the front wheel up a bit by going with DD tires as opposed to Gravity. Or swapping out the 225g 2.3mm TRP brake rotor with a 160g hope rotor since that’s the furthest point of mass from the pivot point!!!

Perhaps a lighter carbon front wheels and carbon bars will help too. A DH fork with Gravity tires/wheels and cushcore is probably a lot worse than going from a 400 to 800wh battery in terms of front end weight.
View attachment 162159
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Good write up. I agree with your hypothesis other than the longer battery makes front weight bias worse rather than better.

445 chain stay is actually the chain stay length I want. So if I purchased DJI i'd be speccing 445 chainstay. I also run EXO front (my local is loam and slippery tree roots so dont need dd for the front)DD rear tyres, Carbon wheels, one piece carbon bar/stem and lighter xt brakes compared to Mavens for the standard S180 spec.

1749421564655.png
 
MTB_MIKE said:
Ahh, fellow former Voima owner.
The issue with the Voima (besides its looks 😂) was the enormous reach (I’m a medium and got the K2 - 480mm reach) and zero drop BB. Turning the motor that way, linkages located high up, shock high up and big 4.4kg 750wh battery high up and far forward really raised the COG and front end weight of the bike.
It was an amazing climbing machine but I swear it’s so top heavy that I went OTB at least 15x in one year of ownership on this bike riding steep stuff as opposed to all my other bikes where I don’t OTB more than a couple times a year.

I don’t think the crestline with a BB almost 20mm lower than the Voima is going to be nearly as top heavy or front heavy

View attachment 162161
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I had a K1 with 450 reach. I hated the 455 chainstay. Way too long for my liking. That fucked with the front weight balance too. The high bb was also a factor. I didnt really notice until I upgraded my enduro bike that was low. The Voima felt too high after tham The Voima was fantastic at fast chunk, that's where it ended. I'm easily beating my own strava fastest times set on the Voima with the Crestline. Crestline a better machine by far.
 
Plummet said:
I had a K1 with 450 reach. I hated the 455 chainstay. Way too long for my liking. That fucked with the front weight balance too. The high bb was also a factor. I didnt really notice until I upgraded my enduro bike that was low. The Voima felt too high after tham The Voima was fantastic at fast chunk, that's where it ended. I'm easily beating my own strava fastest times set on the Voima with the Crestline. Crestline a better machine by far.
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What size was the K1 and what size is the Crestline?
 
Posvar1 said:
What size was the K1 and what size is the Crestline?
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K1 voima 450 reach 455 chainstay.
Rh-2 Crestline 450 reach +5 reach adjust headset for 455 reach and 445 chainstay....

Way more balanced for me. My perfect reach is 460. Im 5mm short with the Crestline. That's not a biggy for an e bike.
 
Plummet said:
K1 voima 450 reach 455 chainstay.
Rh-2 Crestline 450 reach +5 reach adjust headset for 455 reach and 445 chainstay....

Way more balanced for me. My perfect reach is 460. Im 5mm short with the Crestline. That's not a biggy for an e bike.
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Gotcha. I set up my OG Crestline with the +5mm reach at size RH4. Ordered the RH4 DJI with 29er 455 drop outs and also 27.5 455 drop outs. We will see. I’m 6’7” tall.
 
i write here to follow this thread. i find this bike interesting.
 
anyone with the inside if they will ever do bigger batches? do they use cheaper molds for the frames they can't use that often or why the low numbers each time?
 
Plummet said:
I never said it was terrible. I do think dji over hyped though.

For the record I don't want to run a 800wh my bosch gen 5 either. Witg the 600wh its getting marginal for too much front heavy e bike feel. I hated the too front heavyness
Of the voima with its long big 750wh battery.

I also admit that plenty of people don't have a problem with 800wh batteries with their use case. I just prefer better handling than bigger batteries.
Click to expand...

The reality is that even if you had had not yet purchased your Bosch Crestline, you would not have been able to buy the DJI on the first go around. Your current platform is more than current.

Crestline customer service got back with me after I sent them a message before they were even released and told me that they were all sold out to previous customers before they even listed them to the public. I suspect a few randos placed them in their carts and paid the full amount up front and managed to slip in.

Getting prefunded to the tune of $700K before production is pretty impressive. It was a leap I wasn't ready to make so I'm fine with it.

But the DJI is on my very short list of next bikes. I want to see exactly how the bash guard situation actually works out in the real world. Just yesterday, I expertly manualed across 1 tree, and bashed exactly 2 others. No bash guard is a complete deal killer, so I need to see their solution.
 
sethimus said:
anyone with the inside if they will ever do bigger batches? do they use cheaper molds for the frames they can't use that often or why the low numbers each time?
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They simply build what they can pre-sale 100%. No waste, no discounts, pure exclusivity, high resale, etc.

They are doing another batch 3-4th quarter and they should be easier to get then.
 
Regarding rear wheel axle path: seems to me ideally, you'd want the rearward axle path to mimic the front axle path (since the front tire moves backwards during compression) to maintain a consistent WB throughout the bike's travel.
 
Rob Rides EMTB said:
I will try one for sure
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Hi Rob, have you ordered a frameset for delivery to the UK?
Where are you sourcing your battery from?
I was tempted to try ordering the other day, but the battery warning put me off.
 
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