Crestline x DJI - RS 181 SPECTRE Edition

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@Suns_PSD Right, I've trawled through @BikingBad's chainstay saga across this thread. Here's the summary:

The Chainstay Odyssey:

  • Started with 450mm - or so he thought. Ordered the 450mm MX dropouts with his RH3 frameset.
  • Plot twist: actually received 445mm - only discovered this when he went to swap to 435mm and measured the originals. Classic.
  • Tried 435mm - shorter chainstays for a more agile feel. But ran into clearance issues (couldn't fit a mudguard with the 435 dropout).
  • Settled on 445mm - running this now. His current build: RH3, MX, 445mm dropout, 600Wh battery, Kryptotal trail casing tyres, coming in at 51 lbs with pedals.
  • Now selling the 435mm dropouts at 50% off - so that tells you everything about how that experiment ended.

He also swapped to the 600Wh battery (from 800Wh) and found it made the bike noticeably more agile and playful, easier to lift the front. The 800Wh is now his backup.

So in short: 450→445 (by accident)→435 (too tight)→back to 445. The Goldilocks zone appears to be 445mm for the MX setup.
 
Suns_PSD said:
Can I get @Greg Watts to summarize BikingBad's experience with different chainstay lengths on his Crestie or does that not work anymore?
Click to expand...
Bit of background first.
I’ve been riding about 15 years, nowhere near the extensive experience some others here have. On a good day, i‘m an “intermediate” rider but I do ride everything.

Bike (RH3, MX, 445CS) never felt right for me from the start. Unlike all other MTBs I currently have and had over the years (~7), I felt more like a passenger riding it, instead of the driver. Changing to 435CS helped a bit but not nearly enough as what’s happening at the front of the bike was the culprit.

Long story short, two things addressed the issue. First, new Fox 38 Factory fork was over greased from the factory (known issue). Removing the excess grease significantly improved low speed sensitivity. Second, changing out the 800Wh battery to 600Wh removed 2 lbs from front/top of bike, improving handling, agility, easier to lift front.

With the problem fixed, I reinstalled the 445CS to improve stability on fast, steep, chunky, techy DH trails, which it did.
If 800Wh battery was my only option I would install 435CS.
Hope this was helpful.
 
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BikingBad said:
Bit of background first.
I’ve been riding about 15 years, nowhere near the extensive experience some others here have. On a good day, i‘m an “intermediate” rider but I do ride everything.

Bike (RH3, MX, 445CS) never felt right for me from the start. Unlike all other MTBs I currently have and had over the years (~7), I felt more like a passenger riding it, instead of the driver. Changing to 435CS helped a bit but not nearly enough as what’s happening at the front of the bike was the culprit.

Long story short, two things addressed the issue. First, new Fox 38 Factory fork was over greased from the factory (known issue). Removing the excess grease significantly improved low speed sensitivity. Second, changing out the 800Wh battery to 600Wh removed 2 lbs from front/top of bike, improving handling, agility, easier to lift front.

With the problem fixed, I reinstalled the 445CS to improve stability on fast, steep, chunky, techy DH trails, which it did.
If 800Wh battery was my only option I would’ve kept 435CS.
Hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...


Does your 38 have the grip x2? I have the newer one and its much better than the previous damper, in my opinion anyway. Funny, I had to send mine in for warranty because of cavitation, twice lol. They replaced the air spring this last time, but I swear it just had too much grease in it.
 
FrogSkunk said:
Does your 38 have the grip x2? I have the newer one and its much better than the previous damper, in my opinion anyway. Funny, I had to send mine in for warranty because of cavitation, twice lol. They replaced the air spring this last time, but I swear it just had too much grease in it.
Click to expand...
Sounds like it. Yes, Fox 38 Factory Grip X2.
 
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BikingBad said:
Bit of background first.
I’ve been riding about 15 years, nowhere near the extensive experience some others here have. On a good day, i‘m an “intermediate” rider but I do ride everything.

Bike (RH3, MX, 445CS) never felt right for me from the start. Unlike all other MTBs I currently have and had over the years (~7), I felt more like a passenger riding it, instead of the driver. Changing to 435CS helped a bit but not nearly enough as what’s happening at the front of the bike was the culprit.

Long story short, two things addressed the issue. First, new Fox 38 Factory fork was over greased from the factory (known issue). Removing the excess grease significantly improved low speed sensitivity. Second, changing out the 800Wh battery to 600Wh removed 2 lbs from front/top of bike, improving handling, agility, easier to lift front.

With the problem fixed, I reinstalled the 445CS to improve stability on fast, steep, chunky, techy DH trails, which it did.
If 800Wh battery was my only option I would install 435CS.
Hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that great explanation.

It would appear that the desired long narrow 800w battery, is actually quite the negative to bike handling, at least in your case.
 
Looks like the line for the 600wh battery is forming already!

There was an option for the 600 when I picked up the bike, but I went for the 800 since I go for longer rides and dont like to be limited based on juice left. I would obviously love the lighter weight for better handling and more nimble riding characteristics but there is a trade off.

I am hearing the 600 is going to be available this year and I am planning to get one if I have enough in the reserves after getting an idea of how much juice I am using on my average rides.

On this note, anyone going for a 36 fork, 160mm, trail casing tire, "lightweight" build up?! This may be a good way to go if youre not always plowing through the roughest stuff..
 
E-NUB said:
Looks like the line for the 600wh battery is forming already!

There was an option for the 600 when I picked up the bike, but I went for the 800 since I go for longer rides and dont like to be limited based on juice left. I would obviously love the lighter weight for better handling and more nimble riding characteristics but there is a trade off.

I am hearing the 600 is going to be available this year and I am planning to get one if I have enough in the reserves after getting an idea of how much juice I am using on my average rides.

On this note, anyone going for a 36 fork, 160mm, trail casing tire, "lightweight" build up?! This may be a good way to go if youre not always plowing through the roughest stuff..
Click to expand...
Its a full power e-bike, i wouldn't care about overall weight. Especially with the fork and tires. The battery I get, but even then it still mounts in the same spot, so I'm not sure how much difference the bike will feel swapping from an 800wh to a 600wh.

Not knocking your decision or thought process though. I feel on a full fat e-bike you'd want the burliest stuff since its pumping out up to 1000w up hill so no suffer penalty.
 
TTEngineer said:
Its a full power e-bike, i wouldn't care about overall weight. Especially with the fork and tires. The battery I get, but even then it still mounts in the same spot, so I'm not sure how much difference the bike will feel swapping from an 800wh to a 600wh.

Not knocking your decision or thought process though. I feel on a full fat e-bike you'd want the burliest stuff since its pumping out up to 1000w up hill so no suffer penalty.
Click to expand...

Honestly even being a total weight weenie, if I have that much power available, the large battery seems like the best way to go to me as well. In spite of some known handling deficiencies related to the higher CoG. I'm sure all but the smallest riders will get used to it.
 
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to limit my range to be able to go hard for a full ride. If I was going to the bike park with a lift, then the 600 would be fine. But that’s not going to work for me on all of my local rides. Proper suspension and cockpit setup will alleviate any handling issues with the big battery.
 
Didn't think too many folks would be going for the 160 travel lightweight-ish build up, this is not what I am doing either.

Was just curious though if anyone was going this route as it would probably be super fun for certain type of riders, and it does offer the 160 setup option.
 
Onetime said:
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to limit my range to be able to go hard for a full ride. If I was going to the bike park with a lift, then the 600 would be fine. But that’s not going to work for me on all of my local rides. Proper suspension and cockpit setup will alleviate any handling issues with the big battery.
Click to expand...
I think of it like I need an 800Wh+ battery so it doesn't really matter to me how a bike with a 600Wh battery handles.
 
To each their own but this bike begs to be ridden hard and fast in situations where I'd want all the travel possible and all the capacity possible to ride longer. It rides like an almost DH bike and handles like an enduro.
 
All the 600wh options did sell out just as quick as the 800wh's, so there are those that will enjoy the lighter weight battery option for certain!

I definitely love all the tunability this frame has with the dropout options, reach adjust, and travel adjustments. Seems like it can be really honed in for the individual riders preferences. Not many bikes I know can run 160 to 200mm forks!

Anyone plan on running a 40 dual crown 180-200 fork with all that juice on tap?!
 
E-NUB said:
All the 600wh options did sell out just as quick as the 800wh's, so there are those that will enjoy the lighter weight battery option for certain!

I definitely love all the tunability this frame has with the dropout options, reach adjust, and travel adjustments. Seems like it can be really honed in for the individual riders preferences. Not many bikes I know can run 160 to 200mm forks!

Anyone plan on running a 40 dual crown 180-200 fork with all that juice on tap?!
Click to expand...
800Wh versions definitely sold out before 600Wh models. Yeah the 600Wh sold out nearly as fast but that’s likely more a testament to Crestline and Avinox than an indicator of small battery popularity. Obviously there’s a lot of knowledgeable people who are looking for a high quality Avinox powered bike instead of the low-end Amflow that people are breaking.
 
E-NUB said:
All the 600wh options did sell out just as quick as the 800wh's, so there are those that will enjoy the lighter weight battery option for certain!
I definitely love all the tunability this frame has with the dropout options, reach adjust, and travel adjustments. Seems like it can be really honed in for the individual riders preferences. Not many bikes I know can run 160 to 200mm forks!
Anyone plan on running a 40 dual crown 180-200 fork with all that juice on tap?!
Click to expand...
I have a 38 and a 40. I’ll start with the 38 and see how it goes. If they come out with a 200 link later, I’ll stick the 40 on for a 200/200 beast. I’ll keep the 38 on in the meantime just because it has a better turning radius and my local trails have a lot of tight switchbacks and a single crown is much easier in that scenario.
 
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Powerslider said:
800Wh versions definitely sold out before 600Wh models. Yeah the 600Wh sold out nearly as fast but that’s likely more a testament to Crestline and Avinox than an indicator of small battery popularity. Obviously there’s a lot of knowledgeable people who are looking for a high quality Avinox powered bike instead of the low-end Amflow that people are breaking.
Click to expand...
I bought the CL with an 800 battery, but definitely want to grab a 600. I ride at a few shuttle parks that also have trails to ride up if you dont want to shuttle. But yea, I feel like the bike will be more fun on jump lines with the 600. However, I did buy the 800 for a reason lol

I often hear ppl say its only a couple pounds, but it can make a pretty big difference on the way a bike handles. Especially where the weight is. I know I am not dropping science here lol. This has been my experience though.

I rented a Levo 4, and it felt as though a centrifugal force was pulling the bike upright when cornering. Idk if that was due to the design of the bike, or the placement of the chunky battery. I would be curious to ride that bike again by with a 600, or even just the extender.

My original plan was to grab a Levo 4 frame if I didnt land the new CL. After riding one, I am glad I landed the CL.
 
I also ordered an 800 and like the sound of the 600 for handling but not sure if I can get away with it range wise.

I dont like staring at the battery level wondering how far I can explore before I need to turn around on my rides. However would sure love to shed weight, improve handling, and get a more nimble lively ride going if at all feasible.

Maybe if I dont need "all the watts" all the time I may get away with the 600 down the road. Much like everything else on this thing - time will tell!
 
Y’all realize that the battery regardless of size bolts in the top of the down tube right?

I don’t think a 600wh will “lower” the COG. It will move it slightly but you’re loosing weight on the bottom not the top.

Now I have ridden it yet, so grain of salt here, but I really don’t think a battery swap will feel all that different.
 
TTEngineer said:
Y’all realize that the battery regardless of size bolts in the top of the down tube right?

I don’t think a 600wh will “lower” the COG. It will move it slightly but you’re loosing weight on the bottom not the top.

Now I have ridden it yet, so grain of salt here, but I really don’t think a battery swap will feel all that different.
Click to expand...
No there’s a separate bolt hole for 600 on bottom of down tube. It’s lower and you don’t have to remove the display from what I read. So yes it lowers center of gravity.
 
Brawwp said:
No there’s a separate bolt hole for 600 on bottom of down tube. It’s lower and you don’t have to remove the display from what I read. So yes it lowers center of gravity.
Click to expand...

Ahhhhh.

Well I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.
 
Brawwp is correct.

IMG_4538.jpeg
 
The 800wh battery is the heaviest component on the new bike at 8+ lbs..

Makes sense to lose a couple pounds especially way up high is going to change the cog significantly, or at least enough to feel the difference I'd think.

Once I have the settings tuned where I like them and get an idea of the range I can get on my rides I will see if there is enough reserves to give the 600 a shot.

25% less range simply may not work for my rides, even though 25% less weight up top sounds dreamy while it lasts!
 
I grabbed a 600wh frame intentionally. I've got a 56# Pole Voima and my DH bike is 42#. Absolutely love the DH bike and generally ride similar type chunk/jump trails on both. Figured if I could get close to splitting the difference between those two weight wise, the eeb should end up feeling much more playful. Seems that sub-50# build should be pretty easy with a 600wh battery, with some reporting 47# range without going crazy light on components.

Other thing I took into consideration is my useage on the current gen4 bosch. I think I've only ever depleted the 750wh battery once, and probably have fewer than 5 rides over the course of 4 years where I finished under 15%. Mostly ride in EMTB with a swap to turbo for super steep short sections. Some of the rides where I might be likely to run through a battery are places with loops, so I am thinking about getting a portable power unit so I can plug-in and fast-charge during snack breaks. With the avinox being a bit more power hungry, I do expect I may need to trim down output settings when wanting a longer ride, but figure I might want to anyway, as my riding buddies are all on stuff that tops out at 85nm.

Dave
 
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