Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
As our spring fundraising deadline approaches in exactly a month, the small team at Esker Cycles in Minneapolis stepped up to offer a complete 2026 Lorax to one lucky site supporter. Learn more about Esker’s updated go-anywhere, drop-bar mountain bike and help power our work before April 17th for a chance to win one here…
We reviewed the Esker Lorax (in both steel and titanium) a couple of years back and liked it so much that it ended up taking home a coveted spot in our 2024 Bikepacking Gear of the Year awards, earning its place as one of the most refined drop-bar mountain bikes we’ve pedaled to date. During their review periods, Neil and Logan found that the versatile Lorax offered a unique blend of surprising speed and exceptional stability and confidence, encouraging them to push boundaries and opening up a wide world of route possibilities. “In sum, it’s a bike that simply motivates you to get out and pedal,” wrote Neil.
The Minnesota brand gave the Lorax a refresh for 2026—celebrating a decade since its initial release—updating it with a steel fork option, fresh build kits, and a few new colors. Impressively, in a time when eye-watering prices are increasingly becoming the norm, they also managed to get the price down to $2,200 for a complete build without sacrificing performance or bikepacking prowess.
Esker’s 2026 Lorax is as feature-packed as ever, maintaining its 29 x 2.6” tire compatibility; fully custom 4130 Chromoly tubing; array of frame mounts for racks, bags, and cages; Portage Dropouts for adjustability, singlespeeding, and future-proofness; UDH compatibility; external cable routing; threaded bottom bracket; and 44mm head tube. The new Fork Yeah! rigid fork has a 495mm axle-to-crown, a tapered steerer, Post Mount 180mm brake mount, and adds three-pack mounts and lowrider mounts on each leg, further expanding the Lorax’s capability.
Buyers can choose from Ranchera (red), Lunar (off-white), or Darkness (ED-coated black) colorways, four sizes to fit riders from 5’3” to 6’4” tall, and several fork, cockpit, drivetrain, and wheelset options to suit various budgets. Framesets are also available, starting at $1,250 with the new rigid fork.
How You Can Win
Everyone who has joined the Bikepacking Collective by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 17th, is automatically entered for a chance to win the Lorax or one of more than 15 other prize packages. Our members are absolutely essential to the site’s future. In addition to giveaways, as a thank you for their support, members have access to an ever-growing list of nearly 100 exclusive discounts from great brands, can buy and sell in our Bike Camp Co-op, have the option to receive The Bikepacking Journal in the mail each year, and much more. We’ve been reader-supported since 2018, and every single member makes a difference.
What our Winner Will Receive
We’ll randomly pick a Bikepacking Collective member to win a complete Esker Lorax after the April 17th deadline. They will be able to choose from available sizes and colors and will receive a full microSHIFT Sword 10-speed mechanical build with a color-matched Fork Yeah! steel fork. That’s a $2,200 value for our winner, courtesy of Tim and the team at Esker. It comes backed by the brand’s 1,000,000-mile warranty. You can find full details about the 2026 Lorax over at EskerCycles.com, and browse our 2024 reviews in the Further Reading grid at the bottom of this post.
2026 Esker Lorax Complete Specs
- Fork: Fork Yeah! Fork
- Drivetrain: Microshift Sword 1×10
- Brakes: Avid BB7
- Wheels: Esker “House” wheelset
- Handlebar: PNW Coast, 480mm
- Saddle: Ergon
- Tires: Maxxis Ikon 29 x 2.2″
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Click to JoinSupport from our members makes BIKEPACKING.com possible. If you enjoy reading the site, please consider joining the Bikepacking Collective. Membership is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Members are automatically entered to win bi-monthly Collective Rewards (including this complete Lorax from Esker Cycles), have the option to receive The Bikepacking Journal in the mail, can use our new Basecamp tools, gain access to exclusive industry discounts, and more. Collective Reward winners are responsible for taxes. Read the terms here.
Further Reading
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