Close-up of a bicycle frame's bottom bracket area.

 

ORION SUSPENSION DYNAMICS: 
 

Designed by Dave Weagle, the ORION Suspension Dynamics was originally inteded for use on a motorcycle chassis.  

Its ability to independently isolate both braking forces and accelleration forces from the movement of the rear triangle made it a no-brainer to use in a mountain bike application. Once 1X drivetrains became the standard, we at Esker Cycles couldn't wait to bring it to the trails!

Orion is a patented short link 4-bar, that keeps a much flatter shock curve and dropping anti-squat curve for a very active suspenion that takes square-edged hits with ease, while still offering great pedaling support.

EASY, CONSISTENT, and FUN:

 The short 4-bar design revolves around a concentric bottom bracket pivot, with the shock driven by a clevis yoke. This Dual-Link platform acheives an incredible balance of keeping the suspension active under braking and pedaling while increasing the control over the axle path, anti-squat, and anti-rise characteristic.

All of these design considerations add up to a responsive and controlled ride throughout a wide range of terrain:

Effeciency climbing long fire roads? CHECK

Grip and momentum up technical sections of singletrack? CHECK

Comfort and control on chunky descents? CHECK

Innertia and 'POP' on ribbons of flow?  CHECK

Picture of Kyle our Warehouse Manager looking rad?  DOUBLE CHECK

Bicycle frame close-up showing the rear suspension and linkage system.

DURABILITY AND SERVICE IN MIND:

The ORION linkage allowed us to design a frame that was stiff under pedaling no matter the material. Its oversized bearings and robust linkages help to keep the rear tire tracking where the rider wants it, and movnig forward without loosing efficiency to unwanted flexing and lateral movements.

ORION's oversized 45 x 58 x 7 Enduro Bearings keep the system running smooth and long-lasting. Need to replace or service them a long way down the road? Each Frame and Complete ships with the ORION Tool to help keep service easy-peasy.

Whats the origin of the ORION Suspension Design?

Designed by Dave Weagle, the ORION Suspension Dynamics was originally inteded for use on a motorcycle chassis.

Orion is a patented short link 4-bar, that keeps a much flatter shock curve and dropping anti-squat curve for a very active suspenion that takes square-edged hits with ease, while still offering great pedaling support.

What solution(s) does the ORION Suspension Design offer over other suspension designs?

Its a bit softer in the mid-range for great bump absorption in the "pedaling zone", while still offering great pedaling support. This translates to being able to stay seated pedaling, and slam into square edged bumps, and pedal right through them with ease, translating to a bike that pedals well through chunk and technical trail features.

How does the kinematic of the Woodsy and Howdy compare to that of the original Elkat and Rowl Models?

The kinematics of the bikes are entirely different because we changed wheel sizes, shock sizes and tunes, chainstay length, and also had to adjust all the things such as Anti Rise and Anti Squat to compensate for those other changes to get us to the "ride feel" we wanted. That being said, the Howdy and the Rowl have a similar ride feel, and the Woodsy and the Elkat have a similar ride feel. The overall feel of Orion is a supportive pedaling platform, with a softer mid-stroke that gives a bottomless "hover bike" feel, and favors seated climbing, traction, etc. In those ride feels, the Howdy is tuned to be a bit firmer in that mid stroke for more of an overall pedaly trail bike, and the Woodsy is tuned a bit softer to make more of an all-day, all trails, take on anything bike.

What sort of shock tunes does the Orion Suspension Use?

The Orion suspension is designed to counter the forces of acceleration that compress the suspension (commonly called "squat") within the mechanical layout of the suspension, not using the shock to support those forces. This allows us to use shock tunes with lower compression damping that are more "open", which allows the shock to create more traction and absorb more bumps. Typically, our bikes use shocks that are on the lower end of compression tuning, and the middle of rebound tuning, and the overall shock rate favors larger volume air canisters.

Can you run a Coil Shock with Orion?

Yes, the overall shock rate does allow a coil to be run on the bikes. We know there are a lot of solid shock options out there, and we respect that riders like to customize. That said, we’ve spent a lot of time dialing in the tunes on the shocks we spec and they’re built to match our suspension kinematics and ride the way we believe our bikes should ride.

Because of that, we strongly recommend sticking with the shocks we provide. We can’t guarantee performance or compatibility, and Esker Cycles is not responsible for any frame damage if you're running a shock we didn’t spec.

Can you run different sized shocks with Orion?

No. Running a different length or stroke than the stock size can cause contact between other components during the travel of the rear wheel, which creates a safety issue and voids the warranty. The Woodsy uses a 230x60mm rear shock and the Howdy uses a 210x50mm rear shock.

Alexandera Houchin riding a mountain bike on a forest trail. Esker