Eminent Cycles

Discussion in 'Bike Reviews' started by Danmtchl, Mar 17, 2018.


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  1. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    Cornholio, Mikie, Faust29 and 4 others like this.
  2. LLPoolJ

    LLPoolJ iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Moreno Valley
    Name:
    James Johnson
    Current Bike:
    Specy Epic, Stumpu and Enduro
    Sweet lines on them
     
  3. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
  4. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    First I have seen of them.

    Looks like you can customize them pretty well.

    One thing that looks like a biatch is the rear brake caliper....all tucked up inside like that could be a bear trying to get it dialed in.
     
    herzalot and mike like this.
  5. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    That's a nice looking bike. Love the continuous line from the head tube to the rear axle. Their XL (68cm) is huge. I would have to get a size down!

    Seat tube angle is a little slack at 73°.
     
    Mikie, mtnbikej and Danmtchl like this.
  6. It’s interesting. Suspension Borrows from old, brought into new. Wondering how it will turn out compared to big box brands.

    One thing i say no to, frames than do not have the seat post connected to the B.B., or at least very close to. That eminent has the B.B. cantilevered out very far.
     
    Danmtchl likes this.
  7. AKAlan

    AKAlan Member

    Location:
    Van Nuys
    Name:
    AKA:Alan
    It really needs a mudguard behind the rear shock.
     
    Danmtchl likes this.
  8. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
    muni, UPSed, Andy and 5 others like this.
  9. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    I like the bike, but it’s too much bike for me. If you made a 140mm rear travel bike I may be game.
     
    Fueledbyex8 likes this.
  10. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
    Id encourage you to ride it. The number 1 comment we get is that the bike pedals like something with much less travel. The upside is that if you get into more technical stuff or take a weekend trip to Snow Summit, you have the added travel to handle it
     
    Old&InTheWay, OTHRider, UPSed and 4 others like this.
  11. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Hi @Eminent Cycles Nice of you to join in! I like that. An upstart company we can talk to!

    So tell us about accessing the rear brake for fine tuning and/or pad changes, and tell us about lateral stiffness in the bottom bracket area (which appears kind of unsupported).

    Beautiful bike. I'd be more than happy to test one out! :sneaky: :whistling: :) :cool: I'm 6'4" with a long torso. 210 lbs unkitted. I like rocks.
     
  12. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    I would love to test ride one myself. I saw that you have regular demos in and around the San Diego area, which is a drive from my house. Like I said before that is too much bike for my use. I am sure there are plenty of people are on here that may be interested.
     
    Cyclotourist and herzalot like this.
  13. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
    Come by and test one out. I guarantee your be impressed with the stiffness and adjusting the brake is not an issue at all
     
  14. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
  15. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Congrats on a solid review. Interesting that they rated climbing even higher than descending. Also, looks like you've done a nice job keeping the prices attractive. I wish you the best! Hard to pry the Santa Cruzes out of the hands of these IMTB guys, but there are many riders who are looking for something equal but different.

    :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
     
  16. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Climbing is always > than descending. :Roflmao
     
    Danmtchl likes this.
  17. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
    Thanks! We tried to design the bike so you could ride it on your local trails and still hit the bike park with confidence on the weekend. So climbing was certainly important to us. Too many bikes going for the extremes in geometry and purpose. Long low and slack is great if your riding the lift all day or shuttling but not so much if you need to pedal it uphill.
     
    Danmtchl likes this.
  18. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    herzalot and Cyclotourist like this.
  19. Eminent Cycles

    Eminent Cycles Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    san diego
    Name:
    Eminent Cycles
    Current Bike:
    Eminent Haste
    Thanks! if you are ever in San Diego please stop by the offices and say hello
     
  20. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    I just threw up in my mouth a little... :sick:
     
    LLPoolJ, Danmtchl, Cornholio and 5 others like this.
  21. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    There are meds for that....
     
  22. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    Yes there are, and they are called a Chair Lift!!!! :Roflmao
     
  23. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
  24. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Sweet. I may do this. I love trying bikes!

    Since they read this thread - XL please!
     
    Danmtchl and Cyclotourist like this.
  25. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    OK, here goes. I did demo a Haste today. It's great to be able to try a bike on a full outing of my usual trails. Thank you Eminent. I just did a typical Saturday ride, but starting in the Canyon. Up Stair Steps, down Rock-It, up to and down 5-Oaks, up Cholla, down Stairs, up Willow, down T and A.

    Short attention span answer. I like the suspension design and the behavior of the rear of the bike.

    The bike: Red XL Haste. 27.5" wheels. Cane Creek DBair CS shock, Cane Creek Helm air 170 fork, Carbon bars. Same tire setup that I run - Minion DHF 2.30 front, Minion DHR II 2.30 rear. DT Swiss Spline wheelset. XT brakes. Shimano drivetrain. Fox Transfer dropper post.

    Haste on T and A.JPG


    Trail by trail:
    First thing I noticed as soon as I started pedaling on Laguna Canyon Road (paved) is that the front end was lively, almost twitchy. It was easier to loft than any bike in recent memory. That makes no sense, since it has the longest chainstays of any bike I've ever ridden (about 17.3"). It's also slacker by a degree than my bike. I also had quite a bit of drop from my hips to my hands, as I do on my bike. Odd.

    Going up Phillips road and pushing up Stair Steps sucked as always. Having a 30 x 46 instead of my 30 x 42 means I sucked slower.

    Rock It. Initial impressions - the rear felt pretty plush. I was cautious about the twitchy front end because I didn't want it tucking under resulting in a Taylor. (@tbarnesarc). Hauling ass into the rock garden, looking for my usual lines, I noticed it was not quite as confidence-inspiring as my current ride. I rolled off the throttle about 10%. The stutter bumps at the bottom felt a little smoother on the rear than on my bike, but the fork wasn't doing any better.

    Up to 5-Oaks. Hmmm, even though this bike is heavier than mine, it feels more eager at the pedals on mild uphill gradients. I felt like I was getting more speed for my effort. I used the Climb Switch on the Cane Creek, but I also did some climbing with it off. The fork had no climb control, so if I stood, it bobbed like crazy.

    Down 5-Oaks. I was getting a little more comfortable with the twitchy front end, but focusing on the rear. The fierce stutter bumps at the top were definitely smoother than on my Tracer. I made a point to pay attention to any rear end flex when I hit the lower bermed turns. Seemed pretty solid laterally.

    Wood Canyon to Cholla. Noticing the eagerness at the pedals again, even though my energy levels were pretty low today, and it was getting warm. Climbing Cholla sucks on any bike, and the Haste was no different. The lower gearing only made me go slower, but it didn't hurt less. The second gear was too hard for me. I'm used to my gear combo (30 x 42). The rear tracked the tech just fine at the top of the climb. The front was much harder for me to control than I am used to. I had to deliberately keep my chest way down.

    Stair Steps. Pretty fast run. Rear felt good, front was OK. Solid support. Didn't dive. I hit the lines I wanted.

    Up Willow. Again, the steep part felt like any other bike. But once the gradient eased, the bike was again more eager at the pedals than my Tracer. Climbing with CS on or off both felt good. Did I ever mention I love Cane Creek rear shocks?

    Down T and A. By now I was getting more confident with the liveliness of the front of the bike and I enjoyed flicking it around. The fork still beat the hell out of me on the middle section. No problems with the lines through the chunk at the bottom. Good run, but my hands and forearms were worked, and my legs were tired.

    We attributed the twitchy front end to running a 50mm stem instead of my usual 70mm.

    My takeaway? It's stiffer laterally than my Tracer. The suspension design is both more plush and felt more efficient climbing - not a ton of either, but perceptible. The floating brake was noticeable if braking in chop. Less stiffening of the suspension and less apt to skid.

    Bottom Line: I want to try this bike again, with a different fork and maybe a longer stem. The cockpit was roomier than my Tracer, so I hesitate to go too long on the stem. Maybe split the difference. I like the suspension design a lot, and the concerns of the rear end being flexy are not warranted.

    Side Note:
    The Cane Creek Helm was not great. 170mm of travel, but not plush, and very progressive at the end of the stroke. I could not run less air, because I was gobbling up half the travel just riding along. My Fox 36 is better. But maybe the Helm could be fine tuned. The boys at Eminent didn't like the Helm either.

    Side Note 2:
    I like Shimano drivetrains better, but I spun out so early on Rock-It I swear I was running a 28 T chainring. Nope, but what a difference one tooth makes in the rear between my 10T SRAM and the Shimano 11t.
     
    Obsidian, scottay, riiz and 18 others like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?