In the spring of 2023, we purchased an Esker Hayduke as a platform to help with product development, and a bike for some fun long-range fishing missions.
We thought it would be good to share a short-term review of the Esker Hayduke as a follow-up to our post on the decision-making process that led us to purchase the Hayduke.
Overall Thoughts
This review is based on about 4 months of riding the Hayduke. Rides include lots of around town and local trail rides. We also have two bikepacking trips on the Hayduke and even one mountain bike race.
Overall, we love the Hayduke. The Hayduke is a super versatile bike and is proving that it is a Swiss army knife of bikes. The best part of the Hayduke is the geometry - the bike simply feels good to be on. The Hayduke fits great and tends to just disappear under you. We could not ask for more from the Hayduke.
Bottom line - the Hayduke is great, no regrets and we would recommend it all day long!
Bike of Many Uses
Having put the Hayduke through its initial paces in several different types of riding, we thought it would be interesting to share how Hayduke performs in different types of riding.
Bikepacking - 5 out of 5
We loaded the Hayduke down with a full kit of camping and fishing gear and hit the backcountry of the San Juan mountains for two trips.
Our average gear load was about 35 lbs. and the Hayduke handled that gear well. We primarily load gear into panniers. The rear triangle of the Hayduke holds that weight like a champ. On the front end, we loaded up our Hermosa Bar Bag with both single and double rod tubes. We had no issues with this load on the Hayduke.
The Fox 34 Factory fork was amazing under the extra weight of the bar bag and tracked great. We are still working on dialing in the air pressure on the Fox 34 with a full load on the bike - 10 psi extra seems to help manage a loaded bike better.
The modern frame geometry performs great on several levels. Bikepacking is always sketchy with a bar bag and being able to see your front wheel. The slacker head tube angle of the Hayduke helps when you hit or drop off those unexpected obstacles with a load on the front end. The same goes for the longer top tube. Being stretched out helps with balancing the bike’s weight distribution under load and stabilizes the bike. The extra length also helps with added comfort on those longer days.
Overall, the Hayduke is everything we wanted from a bikepacking bike. We could not be happier.
Trail Bike - 4 out of 5
The Hayduke is an absolute blast to climb with. We are amazed at how well the Hayduke jumps forward when you give it power uphill. Climbing switchbacks is a blast and an unexpected bonus with the Hayduke. We were able to put down a handful of substantial PRs on the local town rides in Durango on some hard climbs.
The Hayduke is definitely a hardtail, and you can feel that on descents. The modern approach to geometry on the Hayduke gives the front end of the Hayduke a super solid and connected feel. The big, phat 2.6 tires help soak up some of the bumps, but you still need to ride the Hayduke like a hardtail.
The only reason we rated the Hayduke a 4 out of 5 as a trail bike was from a snappy, super responsive perspective. The Hayduke does not have that on-a-rail, super high-performance feel of other hardtails we have ridden. The Hayduke is just a bit more plush than high performant. AND, that’s OK.
We did not buy the Hayduke as a high-performance hardtail - we bought it as a bikepacking bike. The bonus of the Hayduke is that it is a super fun trail bike that we keep grabbing more often for fun rides - especially those smooth, flowy single-track rides.
Commuter Bike - 5 out of 5
During the summer, we have been using the Hayduke as a daily commuter bike and general errand-runner. We kept our Old Man Mountain rack on the Hayduke and love cruising around town with panniers on. The Hayduke cruises around the bike paths and side streets of Durango with grace and style. The Victoria Mezcal tires roll super smooth and fast.
It seems like most weeks this summer we have spent more time riding our Hayduke than driving. The townie aspect of the Hayduke is a major and pleasant surprise.
Race Bike - 3 out 5
Well, we did one 15-mile cross-country race on the Hayduke and got 2nd place in the old fart category. The Hayduke was fun to zip around on the smooth single track around Delores, Colorado. We are sure the Hayduke would not be the first bike to pick as a CX race machine. But, we took our Hayduke bikepacking bike to a cross-country race and had a blast - that’s the important part!
Things We Love
After about four months of riding the Hayduke, we discovered some specifics we love about the Esker Hayduke.
The top things we love about the Hayduke are:
- Geometry - The modern approach to geometry on the Hayduke is just a blast to ride. The longer top tube and slacker head tube on a hardtail just feel great to ride anywhere from the bike path to a technical single track. The geometry gives a high sense of confidence when riding which is important when you are headed out for longer and more remote missions.
- Ride Quality - The geometry and overall build of the Hayduke make for a bike that is just nice to ride. Honestly, we would rather spend a long time in the saddle of the Hayduke over any other bike in the garage. The Hayduke is spunky, compliant, and fits great.
- I9 Wheelset - This is our first bike with an I9 wheelset - specifically the 1/1 Enduro S. Historically, we have been huge fans of DT but are starting to fall in love with the I9. The fast engagement of the i9 wheels is surprisingly handy when bikepacking. Being an enduro wheelset, we have a very high level of confidence in the wheelset for remote, multi-day trips. This may have been the best $200 upgrade on a bike ever.
- SRAM DB8 Brakes - We were surprised that our Esker showed up with the new SRAM DB8 The DB8 brakes are really nice - surprisingly nice. Initially, we were concerned that the rotors were a bit small for stopping a fully loaded bike packing bike. So far, the DB8s do a great job of slowing a fully weighted bike down.
- Color - This is one we did not anticipate but the black and gold on the Hayduke just looks damn good, especially when paired with the Kashima coating on the Fox fork and post. The aesthetic of the bike just makes us feel good about riding it - and that is just fun.
Things That Miss
We have also found a few things that are misses for us on the Hayduke. None of these are showstoppers but things we have noticed and continue to notice as we ride the bike.
Misses that we keep noticing:
- Chainstays - There are a few things about the chainstays that are a bit off. We seem to hit our heels on the chainstays a lot and notice it. We realize that Esker is trying to clear some larger tires on the Hayduke, but the heel bumping stands out. We are surprised that the Hayduke did not come with a chainstay protector - especially with the heel tap issue. The lack of the chainstay protector is not a huge issue. We wrapped the drive side chainstay with a section of bike tube and electric tape (something we would have done anyway). We may do the non-drive side with the same bike tube protector treatment to help avoid rubbing through the paint.
- Tires - Our Hayduke came with Victoria Mezcal6 tires. These tires roll fast - like really fast - which is great around town. On the trail, the Mezcal tires don’t inspire much confidence for us. The Mezcal seems to wash out a lot especially when the bike is weighted down with a bikepacking kit. We also have concerns about the durability of the Mezcal. Not sure why but the side walls just seem primed to tear out. Our concerns with the Mezcals may be 100% related to the riding conditions in southwest Colorado and the Mezcals could be great tires for other riders.
- SRAM DB8 Brakes - We just said that we like the DB8 brakes, and we do. They brake great but there are a couple of “non-braking” things that keep bothering us. The DB8 brakes run on mineral oil. While we have nothing against mineral oil brakes this does mean we have to invest in a new bleed kit and fluid for about $70. It would have been much easier to have all our bikes on DOT oil - we recognize this may just be an ”us” issue. Second, given that the Hayduke is geared towards bike packing, we would have loved to see a SRAM Stealth-style brake on the bike. The Stealth brake levers hug the bars much closer which is super nice with bar bags. Every time we load a bar bag on the Hayduke, we keep wishing for a Stealth-style brake. A set of Stealth Codes may see their way onto the Hayduke in the future.
Mods We Made
It’s hard not to make changes to a new bike, and we did just that! The initial mods we made to the Hayduke include:
- One Up EDC V2 Tool - The OneUp Components EDC V2 Tool is a 20-function bike tool that fits in the steer tube. We are very keen on the EDC and it is a very slick way to have a high-quality tool on the bike all the time. We loaded the capsule with OneUp Plier and Plug Only concern is how we tighten the headset out on a ride - we’ll figure that out if it happens!
- Ergon Grips - A pair of Ergon GP2 with small bar ends quickly made their way on the bike. We love the half a dozen hand positions we get with the Ergons. These grips extend the functionality and range of the Esker in a meaningful way.
- Cush Core - Given the Hayduke is a hardtail and would be carrying a lot of weight, we put a Cush Core Trail in the rear wheel. So far, the Cush Core has worked out great and has come in handy a few times. Our hope is the Cush Core helps prevent tire damage and/or bad burping when the Esker is loaded up. We only hope that we don’t have to take it out on a multi-day trip - ugh!
- Old Man Mountain Rack - We had an Old Man Mountain Divide for a couple of years and moved it to the Hayduke. The rack fits neatly on the Hayduke and makes for a super platform to carry gear.
- Wraps - Kind of an old-school trick but we like it. We put a healthy wrap of electrical tape just below the seat tube collar. A section of old tube found its way wrapped around the chainstay with some extra electrical tape to hold it on. It’s amazing how handy tape and a stretchy tube can be. We have already made use of them once!
Wrap Up
Overall, the Hayduke is a great bike, and we would buy it again. Anyone looking for a simple and well-priced bike packing bike will find happiness in the Hayduke.
We will put a long-term review this winter with some more thoughts on the Esker Hayduke.