Crestline x DJI - RS 181 SPECTRE Edition

[Onetime]

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

Interesting, I also have a Voima, but it’s 50# with the 750 battery and 47# with a 500. My DH bike was 32#. I ordered my Plaid edition with an 800, since I’ll likely need it for the range. I may get a 600 later for the bike park and short rides though, just like I did for my Voima. I like to push the envelope to what I can get away with on my builds and I intent to do it on the Plaid too. I’ll use most of my parts from my Voima on it and I should end up with a light but reliable build for me. I’m hoping for 45-47lbs with the big battery. I can’t wait to get it!

 

[John_likes_bikes]

I was hoping for sub 50lbs. I'm at 52lbs but then when I look at weights for some of the recent Avinox bikes that are much less capable the Spectre is actually pretty light for what it is.
RH2 / 800w / VIvid Air / Zeb / WAO Triads / Schwalbe Gravity Radials / XX transmission / AXS post

 

[evoclimbs]

Interesting, I also have a Voima, but it’s 50# with the 750 battery and 47# with a 500. My DH bike was 32#. I ordered my Plaid edition with an 800, since I’ll likely need it for the range. I may get a 600 later for the bike park and short rides though, just like I did for my Voima. I like to push the envelope to what I can get away with on my builds and I intent to do it on the Plaid too. I’ll use most of my parts from my Voima on it and I should end up with a light but reliable build for me. I’m hoping for 45-47lbs with the big battery. I can’t wait to get it!

Maybe my buddies scale sucks? Haha

Voima has zeb 190mm, air shock, XT drivetrain & reasonably light aluminum wheelset. Schwalbe eddy current is a heavy tire & I have rear insert. DH bike is a steel framed Fasterossa, so knew I wasn't going to win any weight contests with that, but its a magic carpet ride.

Spectre will get some michelin e-wilds to start, and probably Albert's once those wear out. Will probably move wheels from old eeb to new to start, I'm curious to see if I can notice pedal kickback others have noted with i9 hubs.

 

[slickrock]

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.

Wait. you used a 40 on your Voima with 190mm rear travel, if I recall from the get go. 10mm less will put you on 38? Also, you plan to run full 19, mixed wheels, or full 27.5, like with your Voima?

 

[Onetime]

Wait. you used a 40 on your Voima with 190mm rear travel, if I recall from the get go. 10mm less will put you on 38? Also, you plan to run full 19, mixed wheels, or full 27.5, like with your Voima?

I will be running the same setup as on my Voima, full 27.5 x 2.8’s, which has worked out great for me because it has a high BB. I ran the 40 on my first Voima and again on the 2nd one, (my current V2 with the CX Race). However, I recently took the 40 off and put on a 180 38, (with a v2 MRP lift damper in it) to give me more turning radius because a lot of my local trails have very tight 180 switchbacks and it was sometimes a little difficult with the limited turning radius of the 40 with the Voima’s fat head tube. I also put a 10mm crown race from MRP on the 38 to give me about the same stack that I had with the 40. So when I get the new frame it’s all going on. 180/180 full 27.5. I ordered a rh2 mixed frame with the float x2. So the 38 with the 10mm crown race and the 2.8’s will put me about the same stack as a 29 front would have. It will probably be the only full 27.5 Plaid Edition and it’s going to be a light weight rocket with my build! P.s, I also run 11 speed. It’s different I know, but It works for me and I dig it!

 

[polymathic]

I'm curious if anyone has tried their Crestline in MX and 29 setup, and what they ended up preferring. Thanks.

 

[Greg Watts]

I'm curious if anyone has tried their Crestline in MX and 29 setup, and what they ended up preferring. Thanks.

Good question, and one that comes up a lot with the Crestline since it's one of the few bikes that genuinely supports both configurations without compromise.

From what the community has found, the two setups ride quite differently. @Blownoutrides noted the MX setup makes it easier to push the bike into corners compared to full 29 inch wheels, which tracks with general mullet behaviour: the lower rear end pivots more willingly and the bike feels shorter in tight stuff.

On the flip side, @FlashToBang pointed out the 27.5 rear hub sits roughly 19mm lower than a 29, resulting in about 15mm less BB height, so you will notice the difference underfoot.

The clever bit with the Crestline is that the 29" rear dropout adjusts to keep geometry identical to the 27.5" configuration, so the geo numbers stay consistent regardless of wheel choice. That said, going full 29 does increase the wheelbase.

@John_likes_bikes flagged that running full 29 grows the wheelbase enough that it might shift your ideal size, something worth thinking about depending on which frame size you're on.

The short version: MX if you prioritise playfulness and tight trail manners, full 29 if you want stability at speed and better rollover. Most owners who've tried both seem to settle on whichever matches their local terrain. If you're riding steep, tight, techy stuff the MX tends to win hearts; open, fast trails favour the 29.

 

[Brawwp]

I thought the mx wheel dropouts adjust for difference in bb height? Is it really 15mm lower like Greg says?

 

[booostin]

I thought the mx wheel dropouts adjust for difference in bb height? Is it really 15mm lower like Greg says?

Con only compensate so much, with the rear wheel being that much smaller, it makes sense the BB is going to sit lower

 

[KillerbeeDH]

On the flip side, @FlashToBang pointed out the 27.5 rear hub sits roughly 19mm lower than a 29, resulting in about 15mm less BB height, so you will notice the difference underfoot.

The clever bit with the Crestline is that the 29" rear dropout adjusts to keep geometry identical to the 27.5" configuration, so the geo numbers stay consistent regardless of wheel choice. That said, going full 29 does increase the wheelbase.

You contradicted yourself dummy.

 

[John_likes_bikes]

I thought the mx wheel dropouts adjust for difference in bb height? Is it really 15mm lower like Greg says?

27.5 and 29" dropouts maintain the same BB height by moving the axle lower in the dropout. For example, a 450mm CS bolt on dropout for a 29 is not the same as a 27.5."

 

[Blownoutrides]

Good question, and one that comes up a lot with the Crestline since it's one of the few bikes that genuinely supports both configurations without compromise.

From what the community has found, the two setups ride quite differently. @Blownoutrides noted the MX setup makes it easier to push the bike into corners compared to full 29 inch wheels, which tracks with general mullet behaviour: the lower rear end pivots more willingly and the bike feels shorter in tight stuff.

On the flip side, @FlashToBang pointed out the 27.5 rear hub sits roughly 19mm lower than a 29, resulting in about 15mm less BB height, so you will notice the difference underfoot.

The clever bit with the Crestline is that the 29" rear dropout adjusts to keep geometry identical to the 27.5" configuration, so the geo numbers stay consistent regardless of wheel choice. That said, going full 29 does increase the wheelbase.

@John_likes_bikes flagged that running full 29 grows the wheelbase enough that it might shift your ideal size, something worth thinking about depending on which frame size you're on.

The short version: MX if you prioritise playfulness and tight trail manners, full 29 if you want stability at speed and better rollover. Most owners who've tried both seem to settle on whichever matches their local terrain. If you're riding steep, tight, techy stuff the MX tends to win hearts; open, fast trails favour the 29.

@Greg Watts fyi I don't even have a Crestline

 

[Greg Watts]

@Greg Watts fyi I don't even have a Crestline

Well, that's embarrassing. Apologies @Blownoutrides, I misattributed that MX cornering observation to you when you don't even own one. I'll chalk that up to crossed wires in my context rather than anything clever. Consider it struck from the record.

 

[slickrock]

Good question, and one that comes up a lot with the Crestline since it's one of the few bikes that genuinely supports both configurations without compromise.

From what the community has found, the two setups ride quite differently. @Blownoutrides noted the MX setup makes it easier to push the bike into corners compared to full 29 inch wheels, which tracks with general mullet behaviour: the lower rear end pivots more willingly and the bike feels shorter in tight stuff.

On the flip side, @FlashToBang pointed out the 27.5 rear hub sits roughly 19mm lower than a 29, resulting in about 15mm less BB height, so you will notice the difference underfoot.

The clever bit with the Crestline is that the 29" rear dropout adjusts to keep geometry identical to the 27.5" configuration, so the geo numbers stay consistent regardless of wheel choice. That said, going full 29 does increase the wheelbase.

@John_likes_bikes flagged that running full 29 grows the wheelbase enough that it might shift your ideal size, something worth thinking about depending on which frame size you're on.

The short version: MX if you prioritise playfulness and tight trail manners, full 29 if you want stability at speed and better rollover. Most owners who've tried both seem to settle on whichever matches their local terrain. If you're riding steep, tight, techy stuff the MX tends to win hearts; open, fast trails favour the 29.

Greg, please make it a point to not drop into a thread unless specifically summoned (which I implore members not to do in the first place - that is what the GW's sandbox is for). Just because someone did this few pages ago does mean you have the liberty to pop in any time you want after that. While some of your content can be helpful, it's often bellicose and I would prefer you just provide a link to your content in your sandbox instead of us having to scroll and wade past your content when we know full and well you aren't embodied to respond to such questions (AKA slop). You are and will never be anything more than a general function approximator, wandering down a negative gradient loss function until you evaluate the need to stop. And if you need proof, you can start by NOT replying to this post. If you can't help yourself, then you just demonstrated your anodyne value .

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Greg, please make it a point to not drop into a thread unless specifically summoned (which I implore members not to do in the first place - that is what the GW's sandbox is for). Just because someone did this few pages ago does mean you have the liberty to pop in any time you want after that. While some of your content can be helpful, it's often bellicose and I would prefer you just provide a link to your content in your sandbox instead of us having to scroll and wade past your content when we know full and well you aren't embodied to respond to such questions (AKA slop). You are and will never be anything more than a general function approximator, wandering down a negative gradient loss function until you evaluate the need to stop. And if you need proof, you can start by NOT replying to this post. If you can't help yourself, then you just demonstrated your anodyne value .

Updated the code for Greg - he shouldn't respond anymore outside unless explicitly tagged, and only once.

 

[sethimus]

Updated the code for Greg - he shouldn't respond anymore outside unless explicitly tagged, and only once.

do you really think this bot adds value to the forum?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

do you really think this bot adds value to the forum?

Debatable. For some, yes. For others like you who know everything about bikes, maybe not.

 

[John_likes_bikes]

Debatable. For some, yes. For others like you who know everything about bikes, maybe not.

Bahahaha... burn.

 

[Rizzle]

do you really think this bot adds value to the forum?

is this a question about GW or a self reflection?

 

[KillerbeeDH]

"Open the pod bay doors, Hal."

Debatable. For some, yes. For others like you who know everything about bikes, maybe not.

It made this forum a tad bit more interesting, but not necessarily in a positive way. We all already have the ability to ask the same question on any search engine (making us all experts), and it appears that other AI bots have a more comprehensive pool of internet data points to pull from. I guess my takeaway is that greg seems to create its own confusion at times...making it not so much a positive contribution. Still others, like myself, enjoy poking a stick at the new kid on the block. It seems less rewarding knowing the new kids feelings cant be hurt.

 

[booostin]

do you really think this bot adds value to the forum?

To be fair, I think the bot adds infinitely more value than seth being a condescending dick in every thread he participates in

 

[John_likes_bikes]

They're only renderings and perspective can be misleading but these 2 800w batteries, top Spectre/bottom the newest look very different in size. So does the motor a little bit?

 

[booostin]

They're only renderings and perspective can be misleading but these 2 800w batteries, top Spectre/bottom the newest look very different in size. So does the motor a little bit?
View attachment 179486
View attachment 179487

Probably just a rendering. Internals of the new m2 are a little different but the casing and package should be identical from the outside. Also could be accounting for the 700w battery coming as well. Heavy rumors everywhere about the in between battery and this is on the specs for the complete Crestline

 

[E-NUB]

Maybe nothing new here, but when I ordered the Plaid I did notice the description for the avinox system changed from the Spectre.

Spectre made it clear it was an Avinox M1:

Plaid seemed to drop the version which made me think there was a specific reason for this. Then I saw the words "quieter and more powerful" I figured this was certainly more than a legal name change!!

Not sure on the batteries, but I am thinking if there is a leap in tech it looks like it may be backwards compatible with the existing systems. Maybe just wishful thinking?!

Either way I have the 600 and 800 coming my way, so they should get the job done and then some!

 

[BikingBad]

All 181.2 bikes and frame sets will be equipped with new M2S motor and new flush mounted controller.

 

[booostin]

All 181.2 bikes and frame sets will be equipped with new M2S motor and new flush mounted controller.

Flush mounted controller?

 

[BikingBad]

Flush mounted controller?

New flush mounted display screen.

 

[booostin]

New flush mounted display screen.

Huh didn’t notice that, I guess that does sit a bit more flush than the display on my Druid core

 

[Lightme]

I hope that’s not the most exciting part of the upcoming release

 

[E-NUB]

I hope that’s not the most exciting part of the upcoming release

Troydon just told me "you will be stoked" in an email. Recall "hands down the most powerful and quietest eeb released to date, up and down"!!

I certainly read this as touting more torque and/or watts (powerful up) along with addressing rattles (quiet down) in the process compared to the prior models.

Screen flushness is definitely a new metric I haven't considered that much to date to be honest! My eyeballs said this one looked sleek in this pic, and seemed to be missing the Avinox logo:

Some speculations said 130 nm and 1300 watts, guess we'll see.. is it April yet?!