2018 Ellsworth Rogue 60 Long Term Review
Hi everyone! This blog will be about my custom 2018 Ellsworth Rogue 60. I bought this bike in November of 2018 from Tucson Bicycle Service!
Spec's and Value
This was a custom build that has gone through a few iterations. Ellsworth offered me an excellent deal on the frame so I figured I would treat myself. I wanted a high performance bike without qualifying as a dentist, so the initial build was spec'd with Fox Factory 36 (160mm) and X2 suspension, Shimano XT 11spd drivetrain and brakes (dual piston, dual 180mm rotors), custom Industry Nine Torch hubs to 27.5" Stans Flow rims, Fox Transfer dropper, and Race Face cockpit.
The final iteration now has a Fox Factory 36 (170mm) and DPX2, Sram X01 12spd drivetrain, larger 203mm rotor up front, Industry Nine Hydra hubs to 27.5" NOX Farlow carbon rim, and Deity carbon bars. This bike weighs in right at 31 pounds making it a breeze to pedal and maneuver.
I chose a size large and it fit me perfectly. The front triangle and seat stays are a beautiful carbon fiber on display thanks to clear resin, with the blue and red (Captain America) color scheme painted over it. Every bearing on the frame is a double row Enduro bearing and feels buttery smooth. The rocker arms and chainstay are aluminum. I wore out a few Shimano XT derailleur clutches and was chasing a creak in the bike which lead me to changing the drivetrain out. Turns out the creak was from the cables rubbing against the inner frame. The shift from Shimano 11 speed to Sram 12 speed sure looked nice (XX1 gold cassette and chain) but really wasn't necessary in the long term as I don't use the range. I did save weight with the conversion though.
Having said all of that I would rate the value of this bike as descent because I chose so much bling and light weight carbon fiber components. The initial configuration was a great value while leaving more value conscious options on the table. A factory XT build with the DT Swiss 1700 wheels would be the best value of all, but I wanted custom 😁.
Climbing & Pedaling
Ellsworth uses their very own Active Energy Efficient Suspension, a four-bar linkage designed to remain active while pedaling. As opposed to firming up while pedaling. The idea being better traction in every situation. When compared to my previous bike, 2014 Intense Trace T275a, the Ellsworth pedaled circles around it. Every pedal stroke propels the rider forward with minimal suspension bob. The suspension stays active as advertised while climbing providing more traction than a locked out bike. My personal preference is a stiff suspension while climbing (especially on pavement) and I usually engaged the climb switch. This bike pedals so well I've ridden it in XC races and placed well!
Compared to bikes of 2023, the Rogue 60 has a very short wheelbase and even shorter chainstays. This called for a rather active climbing style where the rider must be mindful about where their center of gravity is. Master your CG positioning and you will be rewarded with a grippy agile climber, couple that with a relatively tall bottom bracket (by modern standards) and you can tackle the most technical of climbs with ease.
I rarely used the 46 tooth gear on the Shimano cassette while climbing, the 50 tooth gear on the Sram cassette still looks new to this day, and that's with a 34-36 tooth front chainring. Overall an amazing bike for the pedally sections.
DescendingThe Rogue 60 is ready for the descents with 160mm of supple rear wheel travel. When running the recommended settings of 30% sag the small bump absorption was amazing. This leads to a confident ride and increased speeds. The trade off is the faster one goes the quicker the travel is used. I found the sweet spot to be 25% sag on the shock with the largest volume reducer I could get. The bike had good small bump absorption, great mid stroke support, and great bottom out resistance (Fox DPX2).
I tried a variety of shocks on this bike as my first X2 cracked at the eyelet (it was old and used before me)[yes, I put a used shock on my new bike], the second and third X2s were of the 2020 vintage and I hated the climb switch and were quickly sold, I tried the Rock Shox Monarch RCT3 Plus from the Intense (it did ~okay), I ran a DVO Jade X coilover for a little bit, and finally settled on the Fox DPX2. The Jade X was ultra supple but ran too deep in the suspension travel lowering the dynamic ride height, and I really didn't like that. I got a custom tune on it which greatly improved the dynamic ride height while still feeling good enough. It now serves as a spare. The DPX2 was the best of both worlds with a good Climb/Trail/Descend switch, excellent small bump compliance, easy to tune air shock, and light weight (nearly half that of the DVO). I might write up separate posts for each of these shocks.
I'm very picky about my shock
The Rogue 60's geometry was similar to many other enduro bikes at the time. I jumped on this bike and felt at home immediately, which is why I had to have one. The shorter wheelbase made for quick, agile handling. The taller bottom bracket was confidence inspiring over the gnarliest of Tucson's rock gardens. Even with a 36 tooth front chainring I rarely struck it on the terrain. Stretching my fork out to 170mm of travel made it even better going from a 65.5º headtube angle to 65º. I also changed from the Fit4 dampener to the Grip2 dampener, which didn't have as much of an impact as stretching it. My bike's configuration is rather light and makes it easy to jump and maneuver on the downhills. I could come to a complete stop spotting a line and get back up to speed very quickly as a result. I competed in the 2021 Bootleg Gravity Series on this bike and took 2nd overall in Cat 2, I love this bike!
I love this bike and it is not without its challenges. Since 2018 I've cracked 5 chainstays, which sounds bad but it isn't. It looks like a hairline fatigue crack, on the top of the chainstay, originating from one of the Di2 recesses (does anyone even ride Di2?). While I don't recommend this, I continued to ride one of the cracked chainstays just to see what happens. After 8+ months of beating on the bike (like Angel Fire DH beatings) the crack never grew. As an engineer, a cracked frame is unsafe and I don't recommend you ride your bike after cracking it. I chose to take the risk and this time it paid off as I'm still riding the bike today with a cracked chainstay.
Ellsworth is aware of this flaw and has a complete redesigned chainstay that can accommodate a larger rear tire too! Unfortunately Mr. Tony Ellsworth was let go from the company (while ASG owned Ellsworth Cycles) in 2017, and the revised chainstay never made it into the wild. Ellsworth Cycles is now owned by RP Designs out of Florida with Tony Ellsworth, two bikes are going back into production (source, https://www.rpdesignscorp.com/press-room/rpdesigns-acquires-ellsworth)!!!
Ellsworth's customer service has been second to none and hooked me up with a replacement part (chainstay or front triangle) free of charge every time. These bikes will be even better if they can overcome these challenges described.
Sources
1. https://ellsworthbikes.com/product/rogue/
2. https://www.rpdesignscorp.com/press-room/rpdesigns-acquires-ellsworth
3. https://www.rpdesignscorp.com/
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