# Eastern SLASH 7" COIL



## j0rdanhanson (Jan 20, 2008)

what do you guys think of this bike?








* FRAME: Full Suspension frame. Using Ellsworth Atlas Suspension Design
* FRAME SHOCK: FOX DHX-3( 7.875 x 2.25 ) 550 lb Coil
* SIZES: small- 22.1" t/t, med- 23.1" t/t or large- 24.1" t/t
* FORK: Marzocchi Dropoff 66 OEM, 180 mm travel, 20mm thru axle
* HEADSET: FSA No.9m/cup/cc 44/50
* CRANK SET / Chainwheel: Truvativ Holzfeller,175mm, RG, ISIS 24/36T, with Bashguard
* BB-SET: Truvativ ISIS Gigapipe DH BB. ISIS Drive
* HANDLEBAR: Truvativ Holzfeller bar, 680mm, 50 rise
* STEM: Truvativ Hussefelt
* GRIP: Velo 411
* FRONT HUB: Alloy 32H, Disc, Chromo axle, 20MM thru axle
* REAR HUB: Alloy 32H, disc, Sealed Bearing, Chromo axle
* RIM: Sun MTX S-Type, 32H
* SPOKES: 2.0mm Stainless steel 14G UCP, black with brass nipples
* FRONT TIRE: Kenda Navagal 26 x 2.34
* REAR TIRE: Kenda Navagal 26 x 2.34
* FRONT BRAKE: Hayes HFX 9 Hydraulic; 7" Rotor
* REAR BRAKE: Hayes HFX 9 Hydraulic; 7" Rotor
* BRAKE LEVER: Incluced with brake
* F/DERAILLEUR: Shimano LX
* R/DERAILLEUR: Shimano LX
* DERAILLEUR SHIFTER: Shimano LX
* CASSETTE: SRAM PG970, 9 speed 11X33
* CHAIN: KMC HG73
* SADDLE: Pivotal Seat; Base 2
* SEAT POST: Pivotal Seatpost, 27.2MM
* SEAT POST CLAMP: Alloy
* PEDALS: Eastern Dual-Concave Pedals, loose ball bearing
* COLOR: Black


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## JC bs (Oct 5, 2007)

eastern bmx bikes suck so why do they think they can make a good mountain bike


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## j0rdanhanson (Jan 20, 2008)

Im not getting one i just wanted others opinions


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## themontashu (Aug 31, 2004)

looks like a POS, the pasts spec is lame, the front hub isn't even sealed, neather are the pedals. And isis cranks? whats up with that


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## Acme54321 (Oct 8, 2003)

themontashu said:


> looks like a POS, the pasts spec is lame, the front hub isn't even sealed, neather are the pedals. And isis cranks? whats up with that


I have never seen a not sealed 20mm hub. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but still.


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## NWfreeride (Jan 23, 2007)

That part spec is all wrong... a 180mm DO III? yeah.. right. But more importantly, how is that bike going to get 7" of travel without the rear tire rubbing the seat tube? Not a fan, seems pretty crappy man.


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

themontashu said:


> And isis cranks? whats up with that


Its Truvativ... I thought they only made a 5" travel one, neat.


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## JC bs (Oct 5, 2007)

thats eastern they make **** look cool but its all cheap ****. plus i have seen one in person and the guy only had problems


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## Djponee (Dec 20, 2006)

not a fan.


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## j0rdanhanson (Jan 20, 2008)

yeah its all looks it has no value useage wise...


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## Urbaniste (Feb 5, 2008)

Hmm. no one who owns one seems to have said anything. My opinion, don't listen to people who haven't ridden one. I even thought they looked kinda gay at first.

I have ridden one and I now have one. It rides with the geo and handling of a dj bike, only it's full suspension. it's half Ellsworth, half Eastern. Someone might say it's from an Ellsworth from 5 years ago. I would say, since when have there been major improvements to the single pivot that Ellsworth couldn't figure out?

The wheel doesn't hit the seat tube. I let the air out of my shock and bottomed it to see, and it doesn't, It's close, but it doesn't. Short chainstays and long travel are a rare occurrence in the bike industry, so take advantage of it.

Their past specs for completes were pretty feeble, I agree with that. The new ones have better parts, but obviously with that comes higher prices. You might consider just buying a frame and building it up. 

Mine's an '07 7" Air. I'm using Bombshell Fatdaddy wheelset, FSA Mega exo BB with Gravity motoX cranks, 08 Domain 318 u-turn, Chris King headset, spank 2" riser and a set of BB7s. The bike is perfect for me. I'm 5'8", 150 pounds with shortish legs. The low standover with a 23.1" top tube fits like a glove.

I've been using my DJ hardtail for most riding, as that's the style of bike I tend to ride with the most confidence and aggression. I also spend most of my time on the street, and at dirt jumps. The slash feels EXACTLY like my DJ frame, only with full suspension, so I carry that same confidence from the HT to the FS. That being the case I find it easier to pin it on the DH and FR lines. And with the short tail, it actually manuals, and bunny hops passably. I don't think I'd make it onto the same picnic tables as on my hardtail, but most big-gun FS bikes are hard to pull even minor shenanigans on.

One other thing to consider; it's hard to see frame details, so it looks like an overly simplistic, run of the mill main triangle. Up close, the gusseting at the head junction is beefy. That throat gusset, is probably 6-7 inches long, and the metal used for them is probably just shy of 1/4" thick. The welds on this frame are VERY stout, and the side view doesn't show the actual thickness as well as forming of the downtube. The main pivot bearing is mounted straight through a fatty blistered section on the DT. The size of the bearings is the only thing I'm not impressed by, but my last FS bike was a Foes Fly, which had 40mm main pivot bearings, which approaches a moto level of overbuiltness.

So...that's my two cents. I'm not saying it's the bike to end all bikes, but it's not the garbage people like to make it out to be.


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

I've only seen them in the Dirtworks catalogues here (obviously that's the distributor in Aus). I thought they looked quite interesting - affordable with reasonable spec, but I did get the impression that they were a bit more DJ or something (well Easterns reputations pertains to that).

Have never seen any geo figures for them though to compare to anything.


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## Andrewpalooza (Dec 7, 2004)

I've seen several people riding both the 5 and 7 inch versions of this bike, all of them at lift-access bike parks and downhill races. Every time, I've made an effort to ask the rider what they thought of it. I've heard nothing but glowing reviews, similar to what the above poster has said. One of the best budget gravity bikes around, hands down.


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## LoozinSkin (Jun 29, 2004)

as i said in the other thread, its a solid frame that can be found dirt cheap... my neighbor grom buddy is running the 7 Air with a boxxer up front and a 24 in the rear and he's slaying with it. he's like 5ft 3 hence the 24 but it could rock just as well w/ a 26x26 for big kids too.

I will say it is flexy though.

dollar for dollar it the best bang for a new (non-used market) DH frame IMO


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## Prettym1k3 (Oct 11, 2005)

I don't know... any bike that claims that it has "Ellsworth Atlas suspension" seems sketch to me.

I mean, let's be honest. That's a single specific.


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## WISantaCruzPimpin (Nov 24, 2008)

I just bought a Eastern Slash 7 Coil 
Kinda Different looking in ways but i does ride well for the price..And i just wanna know how you don't have trie Rub. I've road my hard the last week and every jump i hit thats all i hear. I've hear people saying oh just go a smaller tire to fix that ok....So why does it still rub with my Specialized 1.95 ROAD TIRE!!! ahhh....POS maybe,maybe not...This is my first full sup. bike i really don't know to much about the rear Shocks but if some one can help me out on this that would be great i'm 6"1 185 lbs it's have a Romic Coil two way ajd. with a 450 2.25 Spring do i just need to go with a bigger spring ..... Thanks if anyone can help


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## Nick_M2R (Oct 18, 2008)

Acme54321 said:


> I have never seen a not sealed 20mm hub. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but still.


Youve never seen a shimano saint?


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## slothoncanvas (Mar 6, 2007)

WISantaCruzPimpin said:


> I just bought a Eastern Slash 7 Coil
> Kinda Different looking in ways but i does ride well for the price..And i just wanna know how you don't have trie Rub. I've road my hard the last week and every jump i hit thats all i hear. I've hear people saying oh just go a smaller tire to fix that ok....So why does it still rub with my Specialized 1.95 ROAD TIRE!!! ahhh....POS maybe,maybe not...This is my first full sup. bike i really don't know to much about the rear Shocks but if some one can help me out on this that would be great i'm 6"1 185 lbs it's have a Romic Coil two way ajd. with a 450 2.25 Spring do i just need to go with a bigger spring ..... Thanks if anyone can help


Are you sure your rear tire's not just hitting the back of your seat, and not the frame? That's the most common problem. It happened on my Yakuza I used to have. I had to slide my seat forward on the rails. It happens on a dude I ride withs Demo 9 too.


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## rollswithpogies (Dec 21, 2006)

I posted a review on my Slash a while back... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=463541

The 7" version just has a design flaw... the shock stroke length is too long and the tire hits either the seatpost or seat itself. Switching to either a 24" for DH or simply a shorter stroke shock will fix it with no troubles.


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## WISantaCruzPimpin (Nov 24, 2008)

*Eastern slash 7*

ya I might try a 24in rear tire and to the post before it rubs on the frame I have burn marks on it. im going to up grade the spring to a 650lb and see how that works if not I guess ill just have to go with the 24 in rim well thanks for all ur input


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## remember1453 (Aug 20, 2007)

it seems like the shock needs to have longer i-2-i when fully compressed, so I guess for the 7 inch it needs a 8.5x2.25, which almost limites it to DHX airs.

what's the dimension(length, stroke) of the shock on the 5?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Djponee said:


> not a fan.


truely not a fan


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## randyseyecandies (May 17, 2010)

i know this thread is old but i was looking for info on the eastern slash bikes recently since they were on close out on jenson for $979 i couldnt find any useful information so i just bought it on impulse because it seriously did look too good to be true. you certainly do get a lot of bike for your money, i had a brodie derelict 2007 model and it was 400 dollars more with shittier components. This bike is worth a grand easily i don't see how there was a turnaround with this bike i mean the rockshox domain 302 with 6.1" of travel itself is over 400 dollars it's got avid juicy 3 brakes wtb 2.5 mx tires and a beefy eastern stealth crankset with a chain guide and polycarbonate ring, sram x9 derailleur i know dealers get it cheaper but still it's got nice toys for being extremely cheap, also the ellsworth atlas rear end is a nice touch considering ellsworth bikes are the finest around as far as weld technology and fabrication, even dated concepts from him are worth something, but yet you get that as well, along with everything else i mentioned for less than a thousand dollars. i'm a welder myself and the frame is quality especially the atlas rear, but the eastern frame itself is very stiff short and low. the weld quality of this bike is as good as it gets the profile of the welds are perfect with great penetration this frame won't snap any sooner than any other bike.

as far as the wheel hitting the top tube or seat, that hasn't happened to me and i'm 6 foot and 185-190, i went off a 5 foot drop to flat and it didnt bottom, i also tried releasing the shock and it doesn't touch the top tube, you would hit the seat first and that's if it was really low. the first day i got it i went straight to some dirt jumps by my house and hit a 4 foot jump and landed fine, i was surprised since i have been out of riding for a few years, the bike does all the work in the air it puts you right where you need to be all u need to do is land it gives me a lot of confidence.it's a very short bike which makes manuals, wheelies and hops decent for a full suspension, the only really bad thing about this bike is it's pretty heavy considering how small it is, it just can't climb the top tube is so sloped the bike is at a very drastic angle, ad 2.5" tires and it ain't happening without a fight. and i will come right out and say it's a difficult bike to pedal on flatland as well, i didn't see anyone post that on other boards but it's probably an issue with them too the bike is clearly designed to be either in the air or going downhill. 

in conclusion, this bike is a no brainer for some one into urban dj or dh who is on a budget and wants a steller ride for less than a thousand dollars. if you don't like the frame or think it's shitty like i've read on some boards take the $1000+ of components it comes with out of the box and put them on a different bike haha


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

I like your write up.

You know going from an XC dually and Hardtail to a dirt jumper the first thing I noticed with my Giant STP was the pedal position, not the same as the XC rigs that's for sure, it just didn't feel like it was in the best place for normal XC riding etc, but I got usecd to it.
Perhaps it's a necessary trait of DJ oriented bikes to allow for the shorter chainstays and low standover.



randyseyecandies said:


> i know this thread is old but i was looking for info on the eastern slash bikes recently since they were on close out on jenson for $979 i couldnt find any useful information so i just bought it on impulse because it seriously did look too good to be true. you certainly do get a lot of bike for your money, i had a brodie derelict 2007 model and it was 400 dollars more with shittier components. This bike is worth a grand easily i don't see how there was a turnaround with this bike i mean the rockshox domain 302 with 6.1" of travel itself is over 400 dollars it's got avid juicy 3 brakes wtb 2.5 mx tires and a beefy eastern stealth crankset with a chain guide and polycarbonate ring, sram x9 derailleur i know dealers get it cheaper but still it's got nice toys for being extremely cheap, also the ellsworth atlas rear end is a nice touch considering ellsworth bikes are the finest around as far as weld technology and fabrication, even dated concepts from him are worth something, but yet you get that as well, along with everything else i mentioned for less than a thousand dollars. i'm a welder myself and the frame is quality especially the atlas rear, but the eastern frame itself is very stiff short and low. the weld quality of this bike is as good as it gets the profile of the welds are perfect with great penetration this frame won't snap any sooner than any other bike.
> 
> as far as the wheel hitting the top tube or seat, that hasn't happened to me and i'm 6 foot and 185-190, i went off a 5 foot drop to flat and it didnt bottom, i also tried releasing the shock and it doesn't touch the top tube, you would hit the seat first and that's if it was really low. the first day i got it i went straight to some dirt jumps by my house and hit a 4 foot jump and landed fine, i was surprised since i have been out of riding for a few years, the bike does all the work in the air it puts you right where you need to be all u need to do is land it gives me a lot of confidence.it's a very short bike which makes manuals, wheelies and hops decent for a full suspension, the only really bad thing about this bike is it's pretty heavy considering how small it is, it just can't climb the top tube is so sloped the bike is at a very drastic angle, ad 2.5" tires and it ain't happening without a fight. and i will come right out and say it's a difficult bike to pedal on flatland as well, i didn't see anyone post that on other boards but it's probably an issue with them too the bike is clearly designed to be either in the air or going downhill.
> 
> in conclusion, this bike is a no brainer for some one into urban dj or dh who is on a budget and wants a steller ride for less than a thousand dollars. if you don't like the frame or think it's shitty like i've read on some boards take the $1000+ of components it comes with out of the box and put them on a different bike haha


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## randyseyecandies (May 17, 2010)

what you say is true, about the different geometry of bikes designed for different purposes. I wrote that review after riding the bike for a good 4 days. an update, i have managed to bottom the wheel into the seat, it took a lot to get it there though, about 2 seconds of hang time off a steep kicker landing directly on the back tire. However this isn't a problem if you turn the seat post 180 degrees and mount the seat forward slightly( in my opinion i think the bikes seat being further forward is ideal considering where the bottom bracket is at) once changing the seat i haven't run into the problem, i also tightened the shock a bit as well. Overall the only thing about this bike that has been a real pain is the rear derailleur it likes to only have 6 speeds not 9, this is frustrating in itself considering the bike comes with a 32 tooth sprocket, making gears semi limited. i have used this bike for xc type riding and semi aggressive trail riding, more than likely the difficulties i have posted related to the bikes pedaling is due to the fact that i was completely out of shape, it's all coming back though and i'm getting used to it.


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## DHmonkey123 (Feb 24, 2010)

Sette Vexx DH is better


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## randyseyecandies (May 17, 2010)

DHmonkey123 said:


> Sette Vexx DH is better


? better than what, by the looks of it, it might just be more expensive than other bikes, and it looks heavy. those flashy burly suspension bikes never last long, they are eye candy that gets upgraded every year or so for the new generation of people willing to shell out over 4000 dollars for a complete bike, just look at specialized dh bikes. not sayin its not a good bike, but for this thread it's not a better bike than the eastern especially when considering price and build quality.


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## motodaddy (Feb 24, 2009)

If you look real close its just an SWD 6 gun copy, just looks like they bought a bunch of old swingarms to bolt to the cro-mo front end. It will take a couple on generations for them to figure out the geo. But I'm sure once they get it sorted out it will be cool.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

For cheap stuff that works, it's hard to go wrong with truvative holzfeller. Heavy sometimes, but it usually works well and is strong. The other two things I'd do would be to upgrade to a bigger front disc brake (you could just get a bigger rotor and adaptor, but I was never a fan of my HFX brakes), and save up for a new fork. You might be able to just upgrade your fork with new internals, best to contact marzocchi for that. Your fork suspension quality is much lower than your rear suspension, so it will be a limiting factor. Otherwise, you won't get a whole lot of benefit from upgrading other parts, I would just do it as they wear out.


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## norbar (Jun 5, 2007)

Prettym1k3 said:


> I don't know... any bike that claims that it has "Ellsworth Atlas suspension" seems sketch to me.
> 
> I mean, let's be honest. That's a single specific.


My ellsworth Joker XC is still fine after many years of abuse and rides pretty much  I wouldn't buy any other ellsworth fast but the susp on mine feels quite nice.


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