Q - Whats an Esker?

• An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an asar, osar, or serpent kame, is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America. Eskers are frequently several kilometres long and, because of their uniform shape, look like railway embankments. They happen to make incredible land formations to build singletrack and paths through the wilderness on.

Q - When did Esker start?

• Thats a bit of a loaded question, but the Esker brand officially kicked off in 2018 when the founder, Tim, set forth to bring Dave Weagle's new Orion Dynamics Suspension platform to market along with the tried and true steel and titanium designs that we've all come to love. An evolution of the brand 'Advocate Cycles', Esker aimed to bring a group of riders and like-minded individuals together to think differently about how build a bike brand that not only focuses on creating the bikes that we all love to ride, but does so in a independed and sustainable way that supports not only the riders using the bikes we create, but the communities and like-minded small businesses that we all want to see grow and flourish in the world of mountain biking.

Q - Where are you located?

• Another very loaded question! We all joke that we're a bit 'base-less' when it comes to where we're located, but the truth is that our warehouse is located up in Minneapolis, Minnesota where a small portion of our team lives. Most of the Esker crew spends their time traveling, riding, exploring, and taking inspiration from riding regions all around North America (and beyond).

Q - Can I visit the warehouse?

• Not at the moment. Our warehouse is nothing fancy or special, and we don't have it setup to be viewed/toured by the public. If you order a bike from us a select 'local pickup', theres a good chance we'll let you take a gander around the warehouse and all of the fun things we're working on.

Q - Do you have demo bikes at the warehouse?

• Yes and No. The demo bikes are on the road traveling around North America the majority of the year. If there is a specific model/size that you're trying to swing a leg over, shoot us an email at info@eskercycles.com and we can double check what we have on hand, or help direct you to one of our amazing retail partners that can work with you to get on a demo locally.

• 'Tiny but Mighty' is what we like to say. At the moment, you can count our entire team on one hand...so yeah, pretty small.

• No. It is a completely new design that happens to be designed by the same person as the DW Link. It is similar in that it is a short dual link design but it differs in that because of being designed around only a single chainring, the various instant centers (pedaling, braking, mass transfer) can be finer tuned to where they need to be. The shock rate is also more linear leading to excellent early bump compliance and mid travel support.

• Esker suspension bikes that use the Orion platform are able to offer incredible pedaling efficiency while isolating pedal, suspension, and braking forces. We believe the Orion platform provides an incredible overall ride quality and delivers a more enjoyable experience throughout the entire ride. Check out more information on Orion Suspension HERE

• Elkat: Float X 230x60/65- EVOL LV, 0.3 Volume Spacer, CM, RM, Rezi LMB2
  Metric 230x60mm (MW and OG at 150mm rear travel)
  Metric 230x65mm (LT at 162mm rear travel), 8x21mm forward mount, bushing-less clevis rear mount
• Rowl: Float X 210x55- EVOL LV 0.5 Volume Spacer, CM, RM Rezi LMB2
  Metric 210x55mm, 8x21mm forward mount, bushing-less clevis rear mount

NOTE: an un-tuned shock will not behave as well as the custom tuned shock that is intended to be used on the bike along with the Orion Suspension platform so we do not recommend their use. Shock specs are also listed in the frame specs section of each bike page.

Q - Is the Elkat or Rowl coil shock compatible?

• As of now, there are no recommended or approved coil shock options.

• The Elkat and Rowl use post mounts designed around a 160mm native rotor size, and can clear up to a 203mm rotor.
  • 160mm Shimano rotor: No adapter needed
  • 160mm SRAM rotor: No adapter needed
  • 180mm Shimano rotor: SM-MA-F180P/P2
  • 180mm SRAM rotor: 20mm PM disc brake adapter
  • 203mm Shimano rotor: SM-MA-F203P/P2
  • 200mm SRAM rotor: 40mm PM disc brake adapter

• You'll need a part of Portage Rack Mount Bolts and a seat collar with the ability to attach a rack to it. The Portage Rack Mount Bolts will replace the top M8 hardward on your Portage Dropout and allow you to thread in an M5 bolt to help you attach a rear rack.
• This hardware can also be utilized on our hardtails that already have rear rack mounts if you wanted place your rear rack struts further back and lower on the frame.