Strengths: pretty light yet damn rugged.feels real good going real fast. If you want it to it can climb all day with almost no rear suspension bob, yet it wails down rock gardens like they are a babies bottom. Drops around ten feet or less are like butter. Flies smooth and lofty in air. Corners like all wheel drive porche. Did I mention light and bomber tuff?
Weaknesses: Can only run 2.7's in the front and 2.5's in rear.(I need 3.0's both ends) 2000 RM6 Rocky swing arms have noticeable flex, even with a main pivot needle bearing kit and good tight parts
Bottom Line:
A pretty good value for such a high dose of adrenaline. Nothing has broke yet after doing agressive dh riding and drops nearly every day that I've owned it. All I have replaced is tubes and grips.It is not a DH race bike, but I can blow the doors of many a lycra clad gram pinching hard tail xc stiff getting up the steeps, stop at the top for a drink, and then kamikaze my way to the bottom and they'll still be climbing. BEE-ATCH!
Purchased At: Tri-City Mountain Bike in Rochester NH
Bike Setup: stock with exception of needle bearing kit and nice cheap free agent BMX platforms, Panaracer 2.35's
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Submitted by
Painless
a Downhiller
from Kamloops, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2001
Strengths: Looks kewl, good weight, pedal's well.
Weaknesses: Bushings!!!! Had, one broken frame already. Needle bearings installed.
Bottom Line:
Bike works great now, but had to go through a lot of hassle to get it this way. Great for DH, and freeriding. good bike for drops. Shiver works excellent, never had such a fork. But for the price I could have saved up a few more coins and got the RM9.
Bike Setup: 2001 Shiver, DMR Chain Guide, RF North Shore XS cranks, 8" Hayes brake rotors, RF stem, bar, seatpost, Sun Doublewide rims, Gazzoloddi 2.6, and Kujo 2.35 tires, Sram shifter, r-deraileur.
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Submitted by
Guillermo Shaw
a Downhiller
from Mexico City
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000
Strengths: Awesome cornering and great descender. Easy to pedal and good jumper. take your time climbing and it will get the job done fair enough.Grat geometry and exellent rear swingarm lateral strengh and Hayes purple disc brackes.
Weaknesses: little to heavy, need a rc shock,need needle bearings to activate the rear swing-arm to get a real plush feeling and taka advantage of the suspension design.
Bottom Line:
Exept for the needle bearings and a 0 degree steam the rest is just personal preferenses, the bike is well equiped from factory. and it handles better than the others I had tried. If you like the freeriding with a lot more downhilling than uphill and singletracks rated for pro-level riders this is the weapon.
Bike Setup: Azonic shorty 50mm x 0 Steam, Thompson seat post,wtb-sst Ti/kevlar + confort zone sadle, Mavic-D321 rims on stock hubs, 8" rotor F and a Rock-Shox Boxxer
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Submitted by
Chad Lindenbach
a Weekend Warrior
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2000
Strengths: Strong, Super plush! Kick ass frame design and quality.
Weaknesses: A little heavy - 35lbs.(oh, well, I didn't buy it to race XC anyway, so who gives a sh*t?!)
Bottom Line:
Too much fun for one bike! You can rip trails with it, do some urban stuff- big drops? what big drops, I didn't feel anything!!! Kicks ass on the steeps. This bike handles like a dream. If you have chicken legs, don't buy this bike! Go buy a Gary Fisher Sugar and pretend that it's a full suspension! Peace from the EAST.
Similar Products Used: Norco VP-S 3, Kona Stinky, Specialized FSR big hit
Bike Setup: Custom city, baby! Manitou x-vert dual crowns, Hayes, Easton carbon bar, Full XT (hollowtechs rock) Tiogo 2.3 DH tires and some Ritchey bits for fun.
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Submitted by
Tony Laibach
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2000
Strengths: Looks, indestructible RAD tubing, Purple Hayes, tires (Michelin WildGripper Dh Soft: awesome grip), definite confidence enhancer which in turn demands you to buy body armour.
Weaknesses: Rear pivot bushings. Can't believe one of them (the one at the lowest near the BB) got busted only on the second ride, probably a defective part more than anything since no one else is complaining. Some people witnessed (and swore) a racer in Thailand bending the ThrustLink swingarm like a pair of chopsticks at a gnarly drop after a less than perfect landing.
Bottom Line:
Other than the defective bushing at the rear pivot (damn sloppy for RM!) the bike is hot to ride, to rip, to jump, to corner, or just to look at.
You should buy it if you don't mind the ubiquitous Maple Leaves. Can't think of any other reason.
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Bullit. Tomac 204. Mountain Cycle Shockwave.
Bike Setup: Completely stock (38 pounds)at first, but changed the MR.T's oil to a lighter grade thus now plusher, changed to a 27" handle bar, (25" stock just too narrow) and put in new and stronger brass bushings or sealed bearings wherever I can.
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Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchvegas
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2000
Strengths: Cushy, got the looks, quiet, brakes, rocky parts (yeah, i said rocky parts), fork,tires,handling everything
Weaknesses: It's got a creak that is so quiet that it can't be heard unless riding on a road. chain guides rotate after a while. Shifters, weak dropout
Bottom Line:
I don't know what the complaint on rocky parts is. guess there's just some name brand freaks out there. none of the rocky parts have failed, or degraded at all. The mr.t is plush like your mama, as well as the rear end. the rims are fairly light but strong. I rode this bike on the streets for a while,where i took a 5 foot drop onto a flat. the bike didn't even whimper, the shocks were on the plushest settings and i weigh approx 200. then i rode for the first time downhill at attitash/bear peak in NH yesterday. It was a dream, plush, comfortable, the brakes were magnificent, the fenders did their job. Bear peak is setting up a dual slalom course, i've never jumped big before, they had 2 big tabletops and some birms, all's i have to say is that be bike handles so well, it gives me the confidence to try new things without thinking twice. this bike got the looks, and if you go to attitash ask the people in the shop about the dual slalom course.
Similar Products Used: cortina dh8, various hardtails
Bike Setup: stock, completely stock
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Submitted by
marc degagne
a Downhiller
from whistler bc canada
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2000
Strengths: despite talk of a weak rear end, i found it solid, but im a lightweight. peddled well. fully made up for any mistakes that i pulled on the ride
Favorite Trail: any trail built with blood and sweat
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: kona shinky deelux, balfa bb7, deep cove g-spot
Bike Setup: all the goods
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Submitted by
tom lambert
a Weekend Warrior
from nh
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2000
Strengths: seems strong, craftsmanship is beautiful, lots of details, like the option of front derailleur, geometry is nice handling. feels great, like the brakes, the fork and chain guides are good quality.
Weaknesses: 6 pivots, availability, i ordered mine in november and just got itin the middle of february
Bottom Line:
this bike is mint, the overall quality of how it is put together is excellent. nothing seems shotty, like the fenders although the cable housing does creak against them. the wheelset is nice, quality handbuilt. all's i've done with it so far is jump with it and it flies better than any bike i've ever tried. i'm very happy with it and i don't think i will ever break it.
