Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Esker’s Japhy and Hayduke remain unchanged for 2026, but the Minnesota brand has updated its colors and specs. Due to rising costs, they’ve made some key changes to deliver the best price to customers. Learn all about those changes and see the new colors below…
Esker Cycles has announced new colors and builds for the Japhy and Hayduke. Both are 29-inch, 120mm hardtails with a variety of features that make them solid options for all kinds of riding. The models remain unchanged for this year, but the state of global trade necessitates some pricing changes for the new colors and complete options.
As founder Tim Krueger put it, “Tariff price increases sucked. And we feel the pinch, just like everyone else out there. So we put most of our effort into finding ways to reduce the price, while keeping the experience awesome. All prices listed here are now fully inclusive of all ‘market conditions,’ and there are no longer any surcharges on our site.” Esker had announced a surcharge on their bikes last year due to fluctuating tariffs imposed by the current administration on materials and imports. Nonetheless, the brand has added new build options from microSHIFT, an in-house wheel offering, and a chromoly steel fork. Let’s dive into each model to see the new colors and complete builds.
2026 Esker Japhy
The Japhy comes in three colors this year, including a bare frame option. Fully tested through the harsh Minnesota winters, the brand says, “Each Esker chromoly frame is ED coated for corrosion protection, and now some of them are offered in bare ED finish, which we call ‘Darkness.’ This skips the cost of paint to keep that option lower priced. And you might start to see this as a theme on all Esker chromoly frames.” The other two colors are Aurora and Sasquatch. The Japhy is available as a frame-only option for $1,000, a rolling chassis for an additional $500, or a complete starting at $2,000.
The complete options range from a singlespeed build featuring the brand’s Fork Yeah! chromoly steel fork, a 10-speed option from microSHIFT, and a geared Shimano XT build for around $3,000, depending on your choice of wheels.
For more information on the 2026 Esker Japhy, visit EskerCycles.com.
2026 Esker Hayduke
The 2026 Hayduke also has two new colors with an ED-coated option. The ED-coated offering is the same as on the Japhy, and the two paint schemes are a green Saguaro and a tan Burlap color. Hayduke frames also start at $1,000, with various builds starting at $2,000.
Complete builds on the Hayduke are similar to what’s available with the Japhy and range from singlespeed budget builds to Shimano XT 12-speed-equipped bikes. Like the Japhy, you can customize your fork, wheel, and drivetrain options with components from Industry Nine, ENVE, and SRAM, or keep the cost down with in-house components.
For more on the 2026 Esker Hayduke, visit EskerCycles.com.
Fork Yeah!
Launched earlier this year, the new Fork Yeah! Fork is the brand’s chromoly steel offering with three-pack and rack mounts. Esker also claims it rides amazingly well. Per the brand, “Our tester TJ even asked what black magic we used to make it ride better than the carbon fork he replaced. But more than anything, Fork Yeah! helps us keep the starting cost of the complete down, while keeping the ride stoke high!”
Along with the ability to spec microSHIFT and their in-house wheels, it’s nice to see a brand spend the time and energy to keep costs low in a time when everything seems to be getting more expensive.
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