Crestline RS 181.2 thread – builds, reviews, technical info
- Thread starter BikeBert
- Start date
First proper ride post nut snip…finally
5’10, RH3, mullet, 450cs.
Unreal bike.
Sizing: perfect to me. I went 180 oneup dropper slammed and 155mm cranks. I wouldn’t change a thing. 35mm rise oneup bars cut to 770. Wouldn’t mind trying 50mm rise again, but it felt real good as is. Very comfortable.
Climbing: got some steep jagged chunky lava rock climbing in today. I truly thought this climbs better than my amflow (sold) which surprised me. Idk if it’s the longer cs or what. Didn’t have to consciously weight the front on steeper sections and it just ripped. Tires helped too, gripped insane. Did not notice the e13 hub at all!!! I thought the deadband would be annoying but I literally didn’t even notice it.
DH: wow. Surprisingly playful, corners great, eats chunk. I will never use another I9 hub. The e13 sidekick set to 18 degree (max). Dead silent bike. Felt so free of any drag at all, butter smooth, no readjusting feet. Ate the chunk. Mavens need a little breaking in though. Zeb and vivid coil felt good, I need to tinker a little with it though and get some rides where I’m pushing harder to give better review on that.
M2S: Again dead silent. I just ran auto all the time on m1 and did same for most of the ride today. Felt pretty similar. The hugggggeeee improvement I felt that I never did on my m1 was toggling on the quick start in advanced features. This made a big improvement when you stop on a climb. Smoothshift was super rad too for dh (didn’t have on my m1 since had cable derailleur). It’s sick being able to upshift multiple while coasting then as soon as you pedal it’s already in that gear. If you have m1, the M2s isn’t worth the upgrade to me. Well, mine wasn’t rattly though either. M2s was dead silent of any rattles (I’ll update if that changes). Only noise I got was in gear 12 on the road in turbo I was getting a click in derailleur and played with micro adjust a little but couldn’t get it to stop.
Contis: dude these things grip! Argo front krypto rear. Can’t wait to see how they do in mud. Always rode assegai F and dhrii R and hate how they pack mud here.
Will update as I get more rides in. Super stoked though!
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It feels so good. Very calm. I almost wish I didn’t sell the amflow yet to try it on there just to see the difference on that bike. The pretty much silent hub is also so sick. I don’t think I will ever go back now. I can tell a big difference in the drag coasting from the i9 and also just spinning the wheel on the stand.
Do you notice the deadband on yours? I didn’t even think about it at all today. I got home and started typing this and realized it wasn’t even a thought.. it obviously didn’t affect my climbing whatsoever.
Andorranik
Member
Mine was shipped with the DHX2 and a 550 Spring......never used it and swapped out for a Ohlins TTX with a 525 Spring to be truly in the sweet spot I am 100kg fully loaded. The DHX2 is for sale and I can send with my work mate to the states on the 25th June if anyone state side is interested
That's a really glowing review of the E13 hub. I've considered making this swap but I must admit I can detect no PK or feedback at all on my Wild currently. But maybe it's a thing where ya don't know, until ya know...
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According to Chat GPT, there is only about 1 watt more friction in a regular hub like a DT Swiss DEG, so I'm not sure the lower-friction e13 makes a meaningful difference to rolling speed on the trail. Spinning the wheel on the stand could be misleading as there are no other forces involved, e.g. friction from tyres and wind resistance, making the hub seem more important than it is, especially on an ebike.
I've only done 3 rides on my e13, all in the lowest 12 degree setting. The first two were at Chicksands bike park, which is mostly jump lines, and I found the deadband problematic because it's harder to get a quick crank in to increase speed between jumps. The third ride was on tame, low-angle XC trails, and likewise it was a bit annoying when riding with high assistance as I often wanted to do a couple cranks to maintain speed between corners. It wasn't really an issue on climbs though, as the motor overrun takes up the slack. Those rides were all on trails unfamiliar to me, and not that techy, so I can't really comment on the anti-kickback benefits. I'm sure I will find it more beneficial when I do steep, chunky DH tracks. But I really wish e13 had a 0 degree option, like DT Swiss does. I might end up selling the e13 wheels and swapping to DT Swiss for that reason, or else keeping a spare wheel with a high-engagement hub for use on jumpy/XC days.
TTEngineer
New Member
I’ve got Hope 155’s on my M2s. You are indestructible
Got hopes as well. They went on easy and work great.
Not sure but I definitely felt less rolling resistance. Tires can play a big part in that too. I got curious and looked at other reviews and most of them mention less rolling resistance as well.
I wonder if quick start feature helped in taking some deadband up when pedaling. Idk man I just really didn’t notice it and I thought it was going to be an issue. I have it max setting and figured I’d end up in lowest, but for right now I’m for sure keeping it in max.
@Suns_PSD could be a lot of factors in the smoothness, but man it’s sick. They did just come out with new sidekick 2.0 hubs that are lighter and smaller looking. I’m stoked on these though. It was dreamy flowing silent and smooth. I’m coming off I9 hubs though so high engagement and loud af.
I should perhaps clarify that my e13 wheels are on a bike with a CYC X1 Pro motor, which already has some lag to the pickup, so the issues I mentioned might not be so apparent if you have an Avinox, Bosch, etc. But there was noticeably more lag with these wheels, so it's not entirely down to the motor.
There is deadband but I don’t mind as I take my Crestline flying up on fireroad only… I’d imagine people climbs tech trails up a lot would dislike it. Whenever I climb single track I’d take my SL bike.
Try enable the quick start feature or whatever it called. It may help, by default it is off.
I actually like how quiet the e13 kickback hubis, I would have bought it if the 2.0 released earlier the year. The DT hub is loud, not as bad as industry 9 but annoying when the whole bike is so quiet.
From all the reviews online it’s more clear that the anti kickback device is really personal, riding style seems a big factor. Eg, The YouTuber Jeff absolutely hate it as he does wheelies all the time.
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TTEngineer
New Member
Does anyone else feel like they are fighting the motor in eco?
Mine is set for 60Nm and 750w peak. Then I think the assist is set at a 3. I’ll have to double check that though.
Either way, eco felt like I was having to overcome the motor to get moving.
Mine is set for 60Nm and 750w peak. Then I think the assist is set at a 3. I’ll have to double check that though.
Either way, eco felt like I was having to overcome the motor to get moving.
FrogSkunk
Member
Yep and I finally realized its due to the 36 chainring. I must admit, I didn’t really like it at first, but now that I have gotten used to it, I wont go back.
When I first got on the bike, I thought eco wasnt working right
TTEngineer
New Member
Yep and I finally realized its due to the 36 chainring. I must admit, I didn’t really like it at first, but now that I have gotten used to it, I wont go back.
When I first got on the bike, I thought eco wasnt working right
What do you mean it’s due to the 36t?
I think it’s actually that you’re used to the other modes that give more power, so eco feels like the brakes are on in comparison. But if you keep riding in eco, you get used to it. It’s just like hopping back on an analog bike after riding your ebike. It feels like the brakes are dragging, but they’re not.
Nick W
Member
I’m curious what spring rates people are running. I’ve seen the charts etc. Just want to know people’s actual experiences. I’m 150lbs on a rh2 with a 400 pound coil dhx2. The rear feels a little tall to me so I’m considering trying a 375. I wish it was a little easier to swap coils
Nick W
Member
You must have long legs. I’m 5’6 with short legs and long torso on an rh2 and there’s no way I could run a 180. I have a 150 oneup fully slammed with a sq lab 611 and the seat still won’t go as low as I’d like. It’s not quite high enough either, but it rides so nice I’m not sure I really care anymoreI have an RH2 with a V3 180 One-up and an SQ Lab saddle. Works for me.
How can it not be low enough, and simultaneously not high enough?
Nick W
Member
Because it won’t fit as long of a dropper as I’d like. My S3 Levo 3 could hold a 180mm oneup that fit much further down in the frame and it was high enough when extended and low enough dropped. Your question makes me wonder if you know how droppers work
FrogSkunk
Member
Yea sorry I was running out the door. Im also speaking on my experience as I was going from a bike with a 34t CR. The 36 just requires more effort to get up and going.
I have definitely noticed what you are describing, and I could be wrong for as to why.
when I first rode the bike, I went to eco from off. I literally had the same thought. So it wasnt like I was riding it in a higher assist mode then switched it into eco.
TTEngineer
New Member
No. This was starting in eco. It definitely felt like the motor was giving resistance. I did mess with the assistant level and kicked it up higher. The drag went away. But it still shouldn’t feel like drag when the assistance level is lower.
My trad bike is 36t as well so I’m used to the feeling. But bringing up how the bike feels in off, I’m not super happy with how much resistance the motor gives in off as well.
I went for a ride on Sunday, did ~4500’ and 29.9 miles. Killed the battery in the last mile. A few minutes before the battery died, it shut off the assistance. Personally I think they should cut assistance at like 1-2% of battery left, but make the motor give just enough to make it feel like a normal bottom bracket. The way it is now, you have to fight the motor.
I got the TI 5 devs and they fit fine.
Nick W
Member
Dude, this community is about trying to be helpful, not being rude. I suggest that if you can’t be helpful you keep your mouth shut. There is a discussion in this thread about dropper length, because this is an issue on these frames. One guy said he can run a 180 on a rh2, and I was saying I can’t. So for those interested in this topic, if you have more like a 32” inseam, you might be able to run a 180 oneup. If you are more like 29-30” inseam, you are pretty much stuck with using a 150. Because this part costs $300 bucks, most of us don’t want to roll the dice so we try to gather information everywhere we can. I’m sorry this concept is so difficult for you to grasp. For some, the fact that a person that is 5’6 or 5’7 with a 30” inseam can only run a 150mm dropper with this frame might be a deal breaker. That’s why we post these observations and personal experiences. To help other people make decisions. Amazing that you want to be rude to meSounds like you meant to say: 'I wish the bike could fit a longer dropper'.
It looks like if you get the wolf tooth resolve dropper you can do 160 slammed.
mrtrinh
Active member
I use to be the same weight and 375 will get you at 30% sag. Im now 160lbs geared and running a 400lb spring.
I read the threads and to be fair 1. He is not rude to you at all 2. You saying about the low/high confused me at first and then I realized you mean the seat post insertion is too short and seat post stack is too high. I relate to you as I’m 5’7 with RH2 and I’m using SQlab and 150 Axs dropper. But It seems you over reacted a bit… just relax
Nick W
Member
Nick W
Member
Thank you. This is the info I was looking for
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