-Slingshot Farmboy 29" MTB
-7005 Aluminum front with
Reynolds 853 rear
-SPT - Sling Power Technology
-Color: Gloss black with clear coated decals and aluminum head tube badge
-Sizes: 16", 18", 20"
-Canti and disc brake tabs
-Frame price: $1,250
Submitted by
athensrider
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens Greece
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2008
Strengths: Speed, stability, overall quality, looks, comfort communication with seller.
Weaknesses: Clearance between pedals and front wheel
Bottom Line:
Greetings to everyone.
I've been riding this bike for a year and the meter reads 2000 km and i'm glad i can share my experiences with all of you out there.
I'm no athlete but i'm 44 years old, been riding bikes for the last 40 years and use my slingshot every day here in Athens Greece mostly as a commuter. Now Athens is not exactly like say Geneva and having a trail bike as a commuter here makes lots of sense as road conditions can be only described as "rough". Up and down stairs and side walks are still generally tolerable by pedestrians so i exercise them daily. Of course i'm far from exploiting all the capabilities my full equipped slingshot offers but i went far enough to appreciate some of them.
First of all speed. Speed is the most common problem all mtb urban riders face as their bad ass mtb's are sadly inadequate when facing an open road. Slingshot 29" is fast. Travels easily at 32km/h with a pace of one full rotation per sec, speeds over 40km are daily reached even on slightly uphill directions.
Second is stability. I don't know if it's the 29" wheels the frame or the White brothers fork but riding over huge bumps or ditches leave the bike practically unaffected and holding it's course accurately. It always has a solid feel that makes me feel safe and in control.
Then simplicity of shape and design and light weight make it so easy to lift carry and maintain. The slingshot effect is very seldom noticed while commuting, i only heard the clanging noise of the spring twice, but the ingenious system rounds off the edges on bumps and ditches making urban riding more comfortable without the complexity weight and power loss of other conventional rear suspension systems. Which brings me to the very important issue of comfort and by God slingshot is comfortable, you don't want to get off it i tell you. Frame quality, paint job and assembly are all top of the line. Bike still looks and feels like new and travels silent as a whisper.
Last but not least the "looks", i mean the bike is gorgeous, looks so "absolute" and unique without being loud or pretentious, just a "clean machine". True work of art that i never get tired of looking. Doesn't go unnoticed either. I had people stopping their cars and trying to get a good glimpse just by riding next to them.
The one thing that's troubling me a bit is the 4cm clearance between pedals and front wheel (maybe more on bigger frame sizes) that makes foot position essential, the 2-3 mm clearance between front caliper (juicy ultimate) and wheel spokes is intriguing but with careful setup will not cause any problems. Well i guess the "absolute" has it's price and i'm fine with that but seriously, clearances like that make you thing again about involving the bike to serious MTB use which is not my case anyway.
Sram X9 shifter and rear cogs work perfectly with FSA crank, never missed a shift even on the stiffest uphill angles. Juicy Ultimates stop it accurately and have a great "motorbike" feel.
What else can i say, i declare myself a fan and recommend without any reservations this bike to anyone who is looking for a serious all trail commuter .
Now if you want to go MTB racing well then you need to read some other review.
Bike Setup: white brothers/fsa/sram pg990 & X9/velocity/juicy ultimate/kenda karma/chris king/thomson stem&post/ritchet carbon/terry firefly
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
El_Fuzer
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, Co
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2008
Strengths: Its seating position and its stiffness.
Weaknesses: Pedal to front tire with a 175 mm crank and not enough rear wheel clearance.
Bottom Line:
Dude, don't pay attention to what the other reviewers wrote, they are either:
a) on Slingshot payroll (my best guess)
b) have only ridden the bike for a phenomenal distance of 8 miles on paved bike path
or
c) are smoking some good quality hashish.
Which ever is the case, the are WRONG! At best the reviews are naive, at worst they are dis ingeniousness.
So why should you listen to me? Because I've ridden this bike at the kokopeli trail (141 miles from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT), the Colorado trail (510 miles From Dever to Durango) and put some 4,000 miles on the best that Fort Collins and its surroundings have to offer...thats why!
So lets carefully dissect its two mayor design flaws and then some more:
First of all the distance between the pedal and the front wheels is crazy short. It only took me a couple of miles climbing in switchbacks to detect the ever momentum debilitation toe-rubbing-the-front-wheel action. People, this is crazy! Needless to say, the bike is abysmally terrible in switchbacks and if your climbing...dude, you'll be cussing slingshot all he way back to the trail head. The problem can be easily fix by changing the head tube angle just a couple of degrees. Is that so hard to do? I think not! Does anyone from slingshot test ride this thing before giving it's sign of approval? Does slingshot have a Quality Control department? Maybe not!
Second of all; the dreaded narrow rear wheel clearance. This is a true joke folks! The biggest tire I can fit with out rubbing into the chain stay and into the front derailer is a 1.9...YES, you read correctly, a 1.9. 29ers are meant to be ridden with 2.2 to 2.4, this is specially true for hard tail (which is the case here). Still, with the 1.9 there is only enough room for a 1.5 cm gap, folks, that's crazy! If it ever happens to rain, you are royally screwed because that back tire will lock up with mud from 0-60 mm in just under 3 micro seconds. heck, if your sweat happens to fall on the trail and your the tire, you are screwed my friend!
Thirds, the Kandal tires that come with it have very week side walls but that's not Slingshot fault, it's Kendal's. Oh yeah, good luck finding 1.9 tire aside from Kendals!
Fourth, there is no such thing as a slingshot action. No siree!!! Unless you are some kind of pro and you can distinguish the difference from the normal bump and vibrations form the trail to the ¼ flexing distance (at best), you will not detect ANY slingshot action! I know, its sounds cool and techy what the bike manufacturer claims, but its simple not true. Some swear by the gods of the Acropolis that they can feel it but I think its only wish full thinking. It happens all the time, you buy something new for a particular minor feature and you swear you can detect that feature doing its thing while receiving a billion sensory inputs from a zillion variables at the same time. Come on guys, keep it real will you!
On the plus side, you sit very comfortable, so comfy is the seating configuration that you might fall asleep while riding. Another plus its its look. No it doesn't look weird, it looks AWESOME!! I can't tell you the many times that mountain bike strangers have stopped to admire my bike in awe. If they only knew that crap can be esthetically pleasing! Every time I go for an epic ride and snap a picture at it and review it later that day, I feel like a proud owner of a kit car with allot of dazzle but no ponies underneath the hood.
Also, the bike is amazingly stiff. I had my doubts about the “wishbone” (the flexing fiberglass piece that unites the rear steel triable to the from aluminum frame) but that puppy does not twist, it is dead on where it should be. If you are worry about the “wishbone” breaking, no need to worry 'cause that sucker is there for life. I tried removing it (once I removed the screws) and I gave up. I think the “Wishbone” is poured and cured at the spot instead of being installed. Thats a good thing cause it creates no dead space and it is snug.
If you buy the bike as a whole or you buys just the frame ad piece every thing together you will end up with a 30 plus or minus 3 lbs, which is a normal middle of the pack 29er which is not too shabby!
So why do I ride this thing? Because it's a comfy ride and if I can avoid certain variables in the terrain, it can be a fun ride. But as soon as I get some money in my hands, I'm getting a Superfly.
So if some one says that the Farmboy was design with the Midwest in mind and that will “propel” you forward and hence giving you some kind of advantage, Ask them if they work for Slingshot. Don't fall pray to cheap used car salesman's tactics. This things is only ridable in the tarmac or for weekend riders.
Bike Setup: Reba shox
Crank Brothers Eggbeaters
Specialized phenom seat
Bontrager tires
Industry Nine wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
terrible1one3
a Downhiller
from Holt, MI, US
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2008
Strengths: Wheel Size, Frame feel
Weaknesses: Pedal to front wheel clearance with 175mm cranks, I haven't hit yet but am REALLY close.
Bottom Line:
I wanted a comfortable peddler I could commute in. Got a great deal at Holt Pro, the parts alone are worth what I paid.
This thing is litterally a sling shot. I use platforms and pumping hard this thing flies like a bat outta hell. The 29 inch wheels only lend to the advantage.
Really a cool bike, made here in Michigan, gotta love it.
Similar Products Used: Only other MTB I have is a Transition Vagrant Hard tail with similar components.
Bike Setup: 08 18 frame and parts
Reba sl dual air fork
American Classic sealed headset
x9 shifters and derailers
xt hubs velocity blunt rims
FSA carbon bars and seat post
FSA stem
Avid juicy 7 brakes
Truvativ Stylo cranks
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
d johnston
a Cross Country Rider
from laingsburg michigan
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008
Strengths: this thing climbs like no other and will roll over damn near anything. It is fast on the singletrack and prefect for the michigan trials.
Weaknesses: needs more rear tire clearance.
Bottom Line:
this is the 1st 29er i've had and i like this bike alot. It has just enough "give" to take the edge off, and it propels itself foward like no other bike i've had. I can climb stuff that i never could before, and it corners great. I am very pleased with the Slingshot farmboy and highly recommend it. If you are a tall rider this is for you. I always felt like the 26" bikes were to small.
Similar Products Used: I've had a lot of 26" mtb's, last one was a s-works epic.
Bike Setup: airway front fork 100mm, all xtr, xtr disk hubs with bontrager mustang rims,stans no tube conversion, midge drop bars, 287v brake levers, dura ace bar end shifters, and avid mech disks.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Rigby
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2008
Strengths: The most fun I've had on a bike in a long time. I recently moved from Utah to TX and the trails are very technical with lots of ruts and rocks. The Farm Boy rolls over them much better than my 26" bike and I don't feel like I'm losing momentum. Great position in the cockpit and very solid feel to the bike. The Farm Boy climbs great and I was surprized at how tight I could turn through the trees as I expected this to be a weakness with 29" wheels. Just commit to staying in the saddle and it will reward you. If you like riding something a little different for singletrack give this bike a look.
Weaknesses: None in my book! Great ride and even better service.
Bottom Line:
The best part about this bike is the service from Aaron at Slingshot. He spent a rediculous amount of time calling and emailing me until I got exactly what I wanted. In Texas I couldn't find anyone who had even heard of Slingshot so Aaron set me up with two demo bikes to try different sizes and then worked with me to build what I want. I'm sure he lost money on the amount of time he spent with me and just for that Slinshot will always be first on my list when looking for a new ride. Great product and the best customer service I have received from any company! Thanks Aaron.
Bike Setup: White Magic 29 fork, FSA cranks and misc. comp, XTR/SRAM X9, Disk brakes, Velocity Blunt wheels, FSA carbon bar.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Curtis
a Cross Country Rider
from Azouzetta lake, BC,Canada
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2006
Strengths: Throw a leg over this ride and you will notice immediately how smooth this bike rolls, put down the hammer and hold on. The sling power is felt when torque is applied to the pedal, responding with recoil like action, the harder you hammer the more you have to hold on. Being used to conventional hardtails, I'll tell you that in the dead of your stroke the bike springs forward, without the usual lag/surging we've all been acustomed to, making uphills fun again. The 29" is a real bonus, making everything you roll over smaller, compared to a 26" compared to a BMX…if you catch my drift.
Weaknesses: only one h2o holder…if that's a weekness
Bottom Line:
If single track is you thing, then this is the ride. Can't wait to get back on it…c-ya…
So I've been looking at the Slingshot Farmboy for awhile and have spent some time talking / emailing the guys up in Michigan. Btw, they've been great to talk with and have offered Read More »
I listed my Slingshot Farmboy frameset in the mtbr classifieds. Here is your chance to try out one of those bikes you that you have always been intrigued by cheaply. Here is the li Read More »
Wanted to share photo of new Slingshot.
The lime colored Blunt rims from Velocity match perfectly
Will do a ride review when I get a few more miles on it Read More »
Here is the link to the ad in the classifieds:
[url]http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=35866&cat=38[/url]
You would be hard pressed to find one cheaper. Read More »
I've heard that the new Slingshot Farmboy is going to have rear sliders. Does anybody else know anything about the upcoming 29er's from Slingshot? Are they just getting sliders, Read More »
