Esker Announces Titanium Mid-Tail Mountain Bike

In a Nutshell

• Wheel Size: 29”

• Travel: 120 or 130 mm front

• Frame material: Titanium

• Size: S-XL

• MSRP: $2950 frame only, $4950 complete

• Stated weight (medium): 4.55 lbs, frame only without hardware

• Chainstay length: 600 mm

• Headtube angle: 65.6°

• Features: 24 accessory mounts, 6mm rack mounts, custom aftermarket rack available

A couple months ago when I wrote about ultra-endurance cyclist Jay Petervary’s custom Esker mid-tail bike, a hardtail mountain bike with a long rear end, a very niche segment of the internet got all frothy about the titanium creation. “Take my money now,” commented more than one Instagram user.

At the time Esker would not commit to launching a production frame, but as of today, the Montana adventure bike brand has changed their tune and released the Hayduke LVS.

“We didn’t know if this bike would ever come to market. But judging by how many smiles it has produced recently, we had to show it to the world,” Esker owner and founder Tim Krueger said in the product announcement. A few years ago, Krueger made a one-off mid-tail for himself. He saw it as the ultimate bikepacking bike, with more storage space than a normally sized hardtail, incredible stability at speed, and very smooth ride characteristics.

The Hayduke LVS is the only production mid-tail mountain bike on the market; Salsa Cycles stopped making its long fat bike, the Blackborrow, a couple of years ago, and most stretched-out bikes these days are designed for commuting and cargo, rather than trail riding.

Geometry, Build, and Cost

The LVS front triangle is identical to Esker’s original Hayduke, a hardtail that’s popular among bikepackers. Like the Hayduke, the LVS has the updated Portage Dropout with a Universal Derailleur Hanger, external cable routing, a threaded bottom bracket, and a 44 mm headtube. On the back end, the bike’s personality changes: the chainstays are 600 mm long, whereas the Hayduke’s chainstays max out at 437 mm.

The LVS is specced with a good balance of economical and proven components. The complete build comes with a RockShox Pike Base, which can be run at 120 or 130 mm; a PNW Components dropper, handlebar, and grips; a SDG saddle (an old school crowd pleaser that we’ve been pleasantly surprised with here at BIKE); Sram’s mineral oil DB8 brakes with 180 mm rotors; Stans Flow Comp 29” wheels with Maxxis Rekon tires for rolling fast on big days; and the choice of either a Sram GX Eagle or Shimano XT drivetrain, with an extra-long chain, of course.

That extra titanium in the chainstays and seat stays ain’t free; at $4,950 for a complete build the VTS is slightly more expensive than the Hayduke Ti, which costs $4,500. In the world of titanium bikes, this is a pretty reasonable number; most of the best-known titanium builders like Moots, Alchemy, and Sage are pricing their frames at around $4,000, while the LVS comes in at $2,950 for a frame only.

Frame Mounts and Custom Rack

The ability to strap a bunch of stuff to a bike is paramount in the adventure cycling world, and the Hayduke LVS doesn’t disappoint in that regard, with 24 accessory mounts on the frame for bolt-on bags, bottle cages, extra-large cages like Salsa’s Anything Cage, or one of Brendan Carberry’s absurdist accessories. Frame bag manufacturers Rogue Panda, JPacks, and Cedaero have the bag patterns specific to the LVS–one fun possibility thanks to the back end is the option to tuck a whole other frame bag behind the seat tube.

While many racks on the market will work on the bike’s 6 mm rack mounts, Esker is offering a custom heavy-duty rack designed specifically for the LVS. The MOLLE Rackwald, named in honor of the overlanding and military acronym Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, can fit an impressive four traditional panniers, two on each side, and increases the possibilities for accessory and bag mounting with all that extra real estate. The MOLLE Rackwald will cost $300 from Esker.

For Now

When I published Jay Petervary’s bike check it became clear that there is a lot of unanswered demand for these longer tail bikes that balance maneuverability with stability and offer a ton of space to play with storage for multi-day adventures. We seem to be in a cycle of homogeneity in the bike industry right now so it’s fun to see Esker take a chance on something a little out of the ordinary with the Hayduke LVS.