Review: Crestline RS 75/50 EEB

Crestline is starting out with a limited edition run of bikes, which come with an Ohlins RXF 38 fork and TTX2 air shock, SRAM GX AXS wireless drivetrain, Cranbrothers Synthesis alloy wheels, and Magura MT7 brakes for $11,999 USD. You'll notice that the bike I tested doesn't have the same spec, so this review will be focused more on the frame and motor performance rather than each individual component. There will be more build options coming from Crestline in the future, but at the moment there's just one build kit available.

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Frame Details

E-bikes have undergone a rapid transformation over the last few years, morphing from bikes that seemed like they were cobbled together in the garage of a mad scientist to ones that are much more refined and well thought out. The 75/50 falls into the latter category, thanks to things like a charging port located just behind the headtube, where it's much less exposed to water from deep puddles, an integrated display on the top tube, and a wireless, handlebar-mounted remote that's used to switch between modes. The power button is underneath the top tube, and it also has a battery and mode indicator that could be used in a pinch if for some reason the main screen stopped working, or if the mini remote battery died.



The 75/50 also has plenty of room for a water bottle, accessory mounts underneath the top tube, and a universal derailleur hanger to make finding a replacement easier, and to allow compatibility with SRAM's new Transmission drivetrain.

The battery can be accessed by removing the cover located on the bottom of the frame. Personally, I prefer this style over frames with large battery hatches – along with allowing for a stiffer frame, it makes it pretty much impossible for the battery to be knocked out of the frame, something I've seen happen with other designs.

Geometry & Sizing

Adaptability is the name of the game here, and Crestline has worked to make their bikes easy to adjust and customize to suit a rider's preference. There are only three frame sizes, but the range of rider heights can be expanded via a reach adjusting headset thanks to the use of a ZS56 / ZS56 headset.

The smaller two sizes come with a mixed wheel setup, and the largest size has dual 29” wheels. The rear triangles are interchangeable, so if a smaller rider wanted a 29” setup with longer chainstays, or if a taller rider wanted a mixed wheel setup Crestline does offer aftermarket rear triangles.

With the 180mm Zeb fork my test bike came with the head angle measured 64-degrees. The chainstay length is 443mm on the two mixed wheel sizes, and grows to 449 for the largest 29” model. Reach number range from 450 to 500mm, increasing in 25mm increments between sizes.

Suspension Design

Cascade Components are best known for their extensive line of aftermarket links, typically designed to increase travel and progression on existing bikes. They took care of the kinematics on the 75/50 (and on Crestline's DH bike), which should theoretically eliminate the need for riders to search out a solution to increase the travel or progression of their bike.

The 75/50's 175mm of travel is delivered via a 230 x 65mm shock. The travel can be reduced to 150mm by running a 57.5mm shock and putting the flip chip in the ST position. Crestline recommends running between 28 – 30% sag, and say that the bike is designed to work with both air and coil shocks.

Climbing

The 75/50 is a long travel, full-power eMTB, and that's pretty much exactly how it feels on the trail – there's no hiding the extra mass, especially on slower speed, tighter trails. However, it carries its weight well, and isn't a cumbersome, wallowy bike – even at 30% sag the suspension is very supportive, giving it a more efficient feel than its geometry numbers and travel amount might suggest.

Straightlining up steep, techy climbs was where the 75/50 really excelled. One of my favorite test laps includes a rocky, rooty moto trail that I still haven't managed to clean without dabbing, but I did get closer than I ever have while on the 75/50. The trail is full of long, extended steep sections where maintaining an even power output is the key to forward progress.

Cleaning tricky climbs on an eMTB isn't simply a matter of picking the most powerful mode and hanging on – that technique is a recipe for looping our or spinning the rear wheel in vain. On the 75/50 I could quickly switch between modes to keep the WTB Judge rear tire digging into the ground as I worked my way upwards, balancing the power output to match the trail angle and surface conditions.

The 75/50's 77-degree effective seat angle is fairly steep, although I do think it could go even steeper without any negative repercussions. On an eMTB you end up remaining seated for a longer portion of a climb compared to a regular bike, which makes being able to find the right weight balance between the front and rear wheels even more crucial.

I've come to prefer mixed-wheels for most eMTB applications, but it'd be interesting to try the 75/50 with the rear triangle that's used for the 29” version (and option Crestline will be offering in the future) – I have a feeling the longer chainstays would give the bike even more stability while climbing and descending.

Race Mode

Along with providing 400% assistance, the main talking point with the Bosch Race motor is the additional overrun. Basically, the bike continues forward a little longer under its own power once you stop pedaling compared to the standard Performance CX motor.

It takes some time to get used to that additional shove of power, and it's certainly not a feature that's usable in all situations - if you're riding a technical, exposed trail it's not going to be the mode to choose. I enjoyed it the most when going into a flat corner, where the extra power can be turned into a higher exit speed. It's also a handy feature for getting over downed logs – you can take a half pedal stroke and then sort of lunge / push to get over the obstacle.

Realistically, I don't think it's all that necessary for the vast majority of riders, but it also doesn't hurt to have it – remember, the extra assistance and overrun are only present in that one mode out of four.

Descending

As I mentioned earlier, e-bikes are in the middle of a rapid evolution, and the 75/50 is a good example of what's possible. The big battery and aggressive geometry make it a great option for someone looking for a bike that can be used on rides that would normally involve a shuttle vehicle. Big jumps and higher speeds are where the 75/50 felt most at home – it has a very satisfying amount of pop off the lip of jumps and drops, and there's also plenty of progression to keep it from bottoming out harshly.

The supportive nature of the suspension that I noted while climbing is also present on the descents – it's a bike that rewards an aggressive rider, and the more speed I carried into chunky sections of trail the better it felt. It's not an ultra-comfy couch of a bike, likely a result of the suspension kinematics and shock tune, but it does a good job of carrying momentum and handling bigger impacts. A coil shock could be the ticket for riders looking to bump up the small bump sensitivity and overall grip.


There were also a few times when the 75/50's handling felt pointier than I would have expected, usually on really steep trails with heavy braking. The 64-degree head angle isn't what I'd call steep, but it also isn't super slack – don't forget, that number's with a 180mm fork.

The way the bike goes through its rear travel combined with the 180mm fork sometimes required a more significant weight shift to avoid getting pulled too far forward in those situations. Running the Zeb with a bit more air pressure helped counteract this by keeping the front end up higher for longer.

The good news is that the ZS56 headtube diameter keeps the door open for all sorts of tinkering – the bike is compatible with reach- and angle-adjust headsets, allowing riders to customize the bike to suit their preferred terrain. The trails I tend to seek out on an e-bike are typically on the steeper side of things; if this was my personal bike I'd likely install a -1-degree angle adjust headset to make even more of a DH machine.

How does it compare?

At this point someone has inevitably already typed, “Looks like a Santa Cruz” into the comments section, so a comparison to the Bullit seems apt. That bike was released in 2021, but it's currently the closest match in Santa Cruz's lineup to the Crestline, with 170mm of front and rear travel. The geometry is quite similar between the two bikes, especially when it comes to reach. The Bullit's head angle is slacker by approximately .5-degrees. The chainstay length is longer on the Bullit too; funny enough, it's 449mm, the same number as the 29” rear triangle that the larger 75/50 model gets.

The biggest differentiator between the two is the motor and battery. The Bullit has Shimano's EP801 motor, a 630 Wh battery, and a wired display. The Crestline's 750 Wh battery gives it a longer run time, and the wireless controller and in-frame display are a more refined solution than Shimano's – I'd much rather have the remaining battery amount displayed as a percentage rather than a series of five bars.

As far as price goes, there's only one model of the Crestline at the moment, while Santa Cruz has a wider range of options to suit different budgets, although none of them really fall into the 'inexpensive' category.

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Pinkbike's Take

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