# Comparing Esker Elkat and Spot Rollik 150



## Cdal1770 (Mar 20, 2019)

Hi everyone,

I own an Elkat and I enjoy it quite a bit. I've always wanted to own a Spot, as a I demoed the Mayhem back in 2018, and loved it. However, I'm not crazy about the new look of the Mayhem. I found the V1 to be one attractive bike, but the new design is why I'm having an inner dilemma in buying one. The Rollik 150, however, still has the "old" Spot look and it's right up my alley.

So how does its ride quality/fun factor compare to the Elkat?


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## Cdal1770 (Mar 20, 2019)

It's pathetic that I must respond to my own discussion starting post, but I just bought the Spot Rollik 150, 4-star build, and I'll find out soon enough how it rides.


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## prj71 (Dec 29, 2014)

Two botique brands. Not ubiquitous. Not really a surprise nobody was able to respond with a comparison between the two.

You'll be the first though.


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## Woodsy (Aug 15, 2005)

Cdal1770 said:


> It's pathetic that I must respond to my own discussion starting post, but I just bought the Spot Rollik 150, 4-star build, and I'll find out soon enough how it rides.


So what are your impressions? I haven't ridden either one, but I'd love to see for myself re: the reviews saying Living Link gives a nice lively ride. RM Thunderbolt has been an excellent poppy bike, thinking about a newer version of that or maybe a Spot?


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## Cdal1770 (Mar 20, 2019)

Woodsy said:


> So what are your impressions? I haven't ridden either one, but I'd love to see for myself re: the reviews saying Living Link gives a nice lively ride. RM Thunderbolt has been an excellent poppy bike, thinking about a newer version of that or maybe a Spot?


I appreciate your query! Unfortunately, I moved and haven't been able to ride the Esker for four months, but I do have some somewhat dimmed impressions to compare the two. The Spot seems lighter. It's a bit more lively feeling, but that could be my setup. However, I feel that they're both pretty similar, given their suspension platforms. Incidentally, the Spot has a flip switch and it does make a difference on both climbing and descending. The Esker does not.

I was at Mt. Pinos (north of LA) last Saturday and the Spot garnered quite a few remarks and inquiries; all extremely effusive and positive.

They're both DW-Linkish bikes, so they both have very similar characteristics, but I would give the climbing prowess to the Spot. Maybe because my Spot is a medium and my Esker a large (weight comes into play), but I feel the Spot is the best 150mm travel 27.5 I've owned. I've ridden my Yeti SB6 quite a bit and the Spot beats it on climbing. I would consider the Spot to be a 150mm 27.5 for riding many hours.

That stated, I would go with a Spot rather than a Thunderbolt, based on its climbing efficiency. One simply cannot go wrong with a DW-Linkish platform.

I hope this helped!


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