Sharing the exact same SmoothWall carbon front and rear end as the 999 RSL, Element 970 RSL features Fox’s new Dual Remote CTD suspension on both ends of the bike. A full Shimano XT parts kit also graces the bike, which looks like jewelry and instills total confidence for many, many rides to come.
Strengths: Accelerates very quickly for a dual suspension 29er, very maneuverable in tight spots, CTD suspension works like a charm once you get rebound, psi, etc to your liking, climbs well, descends amazingly and smooths out the rough parts of trails A LOT (been riding an aluminum HT for 2 years)
Weaknesses: Thus far none, i meanif i had to get picky, the rotors are a little big for where i live but, havent got any complaints, best bike ive riden.
Bottom Line:
This bike so far has proven to be all its cracked up to be in magazine reviews for sure. Converted it to tubeless and cut the bars down and ita at 25lbs now. Very fun bike to ride, and hard to get off... This bike is for racers who want a comfortable yet efficient rig, especially longer races, or trail riders who simply want to go faster. B