First ride review
I just finished my first ride and wanted to share my initial impressions of the RS75. The Crestline is my second e-bike, In 2020, I purchased a new Specialized Turbo Levo comp with 700 watt hour battery that I’ve ridden almost exclusively over the last 3 years and several thousand miles.
To test the RS75 I went on a 3 hour 20 mile ride with 4200 ft of elevation gain that I have frequently done in the Yacolt Burn State forest in WA. Here we have DH and enduro tracks that can test most bikes’ capabilities in one form or another.
Fit and finish
The fit and finish of the RS75 is fantastic. The carbon frame’s lines are clean and I dig the color scheme. The cockpit felt like home as I’ve been running oneup bars on the Levo. This is my first time on an AXS drivetrain and after mulling it over I opted for the cleanest possible cockpit and added an AXS dropper. As a result, there are only two cables out front and the whole setup is super clean.
On my previous bikes I’ve run Shimano brakes exclusively. I’ve been anti SRAM brakes because of lever feel and noise when wet but after a conversation with Troydon at Crestline I decided to give the Code Ultimate Stealth Brakes try. Although it’s only one ride the brakes feel great and I’m looking forward to a long term trial. It’s my first time on a Zeb and Super Deluxe so I was stoked to try it too especially coming off of a full fox kit on my Levo.
The Levo had a float 36 performance elite with grip 2 damper and a kashima X2 shock. I’m not sure I can comment on wheels because I don’t really notice them unless they wobble easy or break. We will see how these carbon crank brothers hold up, but at least they have a lifetime warranty
Bosch motor
I noticed right away that there were some profound differences in the feel of the Brose compared to the Bosch. I use the bike to train, and I climb in Eco (Levo) so I spent the climb in Tour+. On the Levo, the power delivery feels linear. As you turn the cranks the bike gives you the power it’s going to give you right away.
This is not what I felt on the CX Race motor. On the Bosch, turning the cranks gives you power, but what’s different, is the motor keeps some juice hidden and as you put more power down the motor will deliver more power until it reaches maximum output. This actually caught me off guard on my climb causing me to slide out.
I hit this punchy off camber section and I wanted to throw a couple hard pedals to take the initial change in grade, and given my time on the Levo, I didn’t anticipate the motor having power in reserve. This resulted in the bike getting away from me and down I went. I realized then that I had some learning to do to explore how the bike was going to react under power.
I made it a point to try all the modes the rest of the ride. The most important call out is that the Race mode with overrun is pretty rad. It takes some time to figure out the overrun, the bike gives you power output for a sustained period after turning the cranks.
You also have to learn how to methodically use or not use it. A poorly timed pedal stroke can throw off what would be an otherwise clean section or turn as you get that kick of power. Overall it’s a sweet feature and I look forward to mastering its utility.
Noise is minimally more pronounced on the Bosch motor compared to the Brose but nothing that’s substantial enough to call it a detriment. I do hear the occasional noise on a descent where I’m not having to focus on the terrain, but when I’m focused on descending I didn’t really hear it.
As noted above I had a pretty big ride, I’m 155 lbs and the Bosch consumed more juice than the Levo. I’ve done this same ride many times and the Levo finishes with approximately 60% battery. I finished this ride with 48% and the Bosch has a larger 750 watt hour battery. I was still tired, so there’s plenty of range on this bike so as I sit right now I don’t think it matters.
Riding Experience
What’s it like to ride? This bike does it all. I started on a flowy trail with some rocks and sweeping berms. Its a fairly fast trail with rollers and jumps to flat to begin to get a feel for how the bike handles things. The suspension is incredibly sensitive and supple off the top.
Riding this trail and the others I did throughout the day the bike just soaked up the chunder. The super deluxe and zeb were so much more sensitive than the X2 and 36, the bike felt under control and planted on sections of trail that had me feeling like i was on the edge while riding my Levo.
On my last ride of my Levo I pushed really hard and nabbed a KOM and some top times on these trails but that whole time I felt every rock and root. I pushed no where near as hard on this bike and it just ate up the trail. I beat my prior KOM and snagged some other top times along thte way. What's more, this bike is insanely playful. The suspension just wants to pop off of everything.
I sent doubles, triples, step downs and gaps I never felt comfortable doing on my Levo. Large impacts on my levo left me feeling like I could never have enough suspension. I played around with the tokens and presures but no matter what i did the ride was always harsh if i wanted it to not bottom out at the speeds and hits I was riding.
I have to reiterate how surprised and a little scared I was to feel how much of a rocket ship this bike is when it comes upon the lip of a jump/booter/double. It just pops off and allows you to fly. Confidence inspiring? Oh yes. Riding this bike is SO MUCH FUN and I feel like this bike could ride anything. For me, I feel like its exactly what I was hoping it would be and so much more.
I have a 2014 nomad Carbon CC and I have for years said to myself "I wish i could just toss a motor on this bike because it’s just so good”, even while having this Levo. I’ve enjoyed the Levo, it was the most aggressive EMTB at the time I bought it that had a large 700 watt hour battery. This Crestline checks every box for me: Great aesthetics?
Large capacity battery? Bottomless yet playful suspension?
This bike is a pleasure to ride, and instead of feeling like I’m pushing the bike further than it’s capable of, the bike tells me I have room to push my limits. I love this bike and if you get a chance to buy one I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Buying experience
I’ll keep this section short but you should know about the customer service at Crestline. I decided to email the company and ask them about shipping and within an hour I had an email invite for a phone call with Troydon to discuss what I was looking for. Shocking to get that invite let alone a call at 7pm on a weeknight to talk about how he could meet my needs.
I’ve been on large brands my entire riding career of 10+ years, Mainly Specialized and Santa Cruz, so it’s a bit of a leap going to a brand new company with less “Infrastructure and support” for their customers. When I told my friends I was considering the purchase, especially one at this price point, they tried to convince me otherwise.
My initial experience with Crestline/Troydon, and every moment after that, has done nothing but reinforce my initial impression that they are a solid bet. I ordered a bike after my phone call and the support didn’t stop there. I had constant updates on the shipping status, tracking numbers and immediate support whenever I need it.
I was so excited for new bike day, the best day of the year, and when I received my bike a piece of protective foam had shifted in transit and the carbon frame was damaged. I sent a message and within 30 minutes Troydon was on the phone with me and arranged a solution that came through same day. I couldn’t be more pleased with the customer service.
You should know that Troydon and Company are not just selling bikes, they are selling an end to end riding experience that includes support before and after the purchase that I’m not sure the large companies can match.
I just finished my first ride and wanted to share my initial impressions of the RS75. The Crestline is my second e-bike, In 2020, I purchased a new Specialized Turbo Levo comp with 700 watt hour battery that I’ve ridden almost exclusively over the last 3 years and several thousand miles.
To test the RS75 I went on a 3 hour 20 mile ride with 4200 ft of elevation gain that I have frequently done in the Yacolt Burn State forest in WA. Here we have DH and enduro tracks that can test most bikes’ capabilities in one form or another.
Fit and finish
The fit and finish of the RS75 is fantastic. The carbon frame’s lines are clean and I dig the color scheme. The cockpit felt like home as I’ve been running oneup bars on the Levo. This is my first time on an AXS drivetrain and after mulling it over I opted for the cleanest possible cockpit and added an AXS dropper. As a result, there are only two cables out front and the whole setup is super clean.
On my previous bikes I’ve run Shimano brakes exclusively. I’ve been anti SRAM brakes because of lever feel and noise when wet but after a conversation with Troydon at Crestline I decided to give the Code Ultimate Stealth Brakes try. Although it’s only one ride the brakes feel great and I’m looking forward to a long term trial. It’s my first time on a Zeb and Super Deluxe so I was stoked to try it too especially coming off of a full fox kit on my Levo.
The Levo had a float 36 performance elite with grip 2 damper and a kashima X2 shock. I’m not sure I can comment on wheels because I don’t really notice them unless they wobble easy or break. We will see how these carbon crank brothers hold up, but at least they have a lifetime warranty
Bosch motor
I noticed right away that there were some profound differences in the feel of the Brose compared to the Bosch. I use the bike to train, and I climb in Eco (Levo) so I spent the climb in Tour+. On the Levo, the power delivery feels linear. As you turn the cranks the bike gives you the power it’s going to give you right away.
This is not what I felt on the CX Race motor. On the Bosch, turning the cranks gives you power, but what’s different, is the motor keeps some juice hidden and as you put more power down the motor will deliver more power until it reaches maximum output. This actually caught me off guard on my climb causing me to slide out.
I hit this punchy off camber section and I wanted to throw a couple hard pedals to take the initial change in grade, and given my time on the Levo, I didn’t anticipate the motor having power in reserve. This resulted in the bike getting away from me and down I went. I realized then that I had some learning to do to explore how the bike was going to react under power.
I made it a point to try all the modes the rest of the ride. The most important call out is that the Race mode with overrun is pretty rad. It takes some time to figure out the overrun, the bike gives you power output for a sustained period after turning the cranks.
You also have to learn how to methodically use or not use it. A poorly timed pedal stroke can throw off what would be an otherwise clean section or turn as you get that kick of power. Overall it’s a sweet feature and I look forward to mastering its utility.
Noise is minimally more pronounced on the Bosch motor compared to the Brose but nothing that’s substantial enough to call it a detriment. I do hear the occasional noise on a descent where I’m not having to focus on the terrain, but when I’m focused on descending I didn’t really hear it.
As noted above I had a pretty big ride, I’m 155 lbs and the Bosch consumed more juice than the Levo. I’ve done this same ride many times and the Levo finishes with approximately 60% battery. I finished this ride with 48% and the Bosch has a larger 750 watt hour battery. I was still tired, so there’s plenty of range on this bike so as I sit right now I don’t think it matters.
Riding Experience
What’s it like to ride? This bike does it all. I started on a flowy trail with some rocks and sweeping berms. Its a fairly fast trail with rollers and jumps to flat to begin to get a feel for how the bike handles things. The suspension is incredibly sensitive and supple off the top.
Riding this trail and the others I did throughout the day the bike just soaked up the chunder. The super deluxe and zeb were so much more sensitive than the X2 and 36, the bike felt under control and planted on sections of trail that had me feeling like i was on the edge while riding my Levo.
On my last ride of my Levo I pushed really hard and nabbed a KOM and some top times on these trails but that whole time I felt every rock and root. I pushed no where near as hard on this bike and it just ate up the trail. I beat my prior KOM and snagged some other top times along thte way. What's more, this bike is insanely playful. The suspension just wants to pop off of everything.
I sent doubles, triples, step downs and gaps I never felt comfortable doing on my Levo. Large impacts on my levo left me feeling like I could never have enough suspension. I played around with the tokens and presures but no matter what i did the ride was always harsh if i wanted it to not bottom out at the speeds and hits I was riding.
I have to reiterate how surprised and a little scared I was to feel how much of a rocket ship this bike is when it comes upon the lip of a jump/booter/double. It just pops off and allows you to fly. Confidence inspiring? Oh yes. Riding this bike is SO MUCH FUN and I feel like this bike could ride anything. For me, I feel like its exactly what I was hoping it would be and so much more.
I have a 2014 nomad Carbon CC and I have for years said to myself "I wish i could just toss a motor on this bike because it’s just so good”, even while having this Levo. I’ve enjoyed the Levo, it was the most aggressive EMTB at the time I bought it that had a large 700 watt hour battery. This Crestline checks every box for me: Great aesthetics?
Large capacity battery? Bottomless yet playful suspension? This bike is a pleasure to ride, and instead of feeling like I’m pushing the bike further than it’s capable of, the bike tells me I have room to push my limits. I love this bike and if you get a chance to buy one I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Buying experience
I’ll keep this section short but you should know about the customer service at Crestline. I decided to email the company and ask them about shipping and within an hour I had an email invite for a phone call with Troydon to discuss what I was looking for. Shocking to get that invite let alone a call at 7pm on a weeknight to talk about how he could meet my needs.
I’ve been on large brands my entire riding career of 10+ years, Mainly Specialized and Santa Cruz, so it’s a bit of a leap going to a brand new company with less “Infrastructure and support” for their customers. When I told my friends I was considering the purchase, especially one at this price point, they tried to convince me otherwise.
My initial experience with Crestline/Troydon, and every moment after that, has done nothing but reinforce my initial impression that they are a solid bet. I ordered a bike after my phone call and the support didn’t stop there. I had constant updates on the shipping status, tracking numbers and immediate support whenever I need it.
I was so excited for new bike day, the best day of the year, and when I received my bike a piece of protective foam had shifted in transit and the carbon frame was damaged. I sent a message and within 30 minutes Troydon was on the phone with me and arranged a solution that came through same day. I couldn’t be more pleased with the customer service.
You should know that Troydon and Company are not just selling bikes, they are selling an end to end riding experience that includes support before and after the purchase that I’m not sure the large companies can match.
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