Submitted by
Eli47
a Weekend Warrior
from BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2010
Strengths: Light strong frame, Marazocchi Bomber shocks, full Avid XT, top end bike. Loved the handling, it was like wearing a bike.
Light front end.
Weaknesses: None that I or any of my envious friends could find.
Bottom Line:
Loved the bike, Limited Edition, Fully made in Canada 'eh.
Unfortunately it was recently stolen. The picture provided is from the brochure, and I hope to have a better image uploaded at another date.
Bike Setup: I didn't change much from purchase except the pedals I decided I didn't want to buy a pair of clipless shoes to ride my bike, so standard light Aluminium pedals were added, and an Extreme rear rack that acts as mud guard. I changed the handle bars because I needed a bit more height.
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Submitted by
Elliot
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2007
Strengths: Extremely light, great brakes(Avid), climbs like a mad monkey, clean shifting, adjustable shocks (Marazocchi Bomber), GEAX rubber, good looking bike, an eye catcher. LOVE IT!!
Weaknesses: None to my knowledge.
Bottom Line:
I wish I could include a picture (as i have one from the catalogue) I was going to get a Norco, or Kona, or Brodie, but this one won me over, hands down!
Similar Products Used: Kona, didn't like it as much.
Bike Setup: Avid, shimano, Geax.., I forget all the trimmings, but it's loaded.
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Submitted by
stiffee_shane
a Cross Country Rider
from T dot O
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2002
Strengths: Strong, durable and sweet looking bike. Nice ride, pretty compliant for an aluminum frame.
Weaknesses: There is some noticable flex in the bottom bracket area when I hammer on the pedals. This is probably because my 180lbs of weight torquing on the pedals :-)
Bottom Line:
What can I say about a bike that has faithfully served me for just over two years. Recently I've been thinking about selling it for an FS rig, but everytime I go out for a ride on it, I still want to hang on to it. Its a fast feeling and responsive frame. I don't see too many of them floating around the trails or anything either which is too bad. It really is a awesome frame. Not sure about the cheap paint beef. After two years of riding, I expect some scratches and dulling. I think it still looks great. For a frame built around the same XC geometry as the Element Team made from Easton Ultra Light tubing (not Scandium like the Element) $700 (Canadian) is an awesome price. I built may XC machine around this frame and couldn't be happier.
Bike Setup: XC racer. Nothing like the stock set up. Avid Mag brakes and levers, CK headset, RF stem, CT2 bars, '00 SID, XT/XTR drive train, Mavic X517's, Thompson post, Flite Ti saddle, IRC Serac XC rubber.
Strengths: Extremely light, fast, climbs like a flaming monkey. Looks are very cool.
Weaknesses: A little flex in the frame, but it is more character than a flaw.
Bottom Line:
Bought the frame, 1999 hand built, limited edition, signature series with custom graphics. Very sweet. Did a frame up build. Still dialing in the bike, but immediately noticed how quickly the bike climbs in any gear, and wants to pick up the front end and fly. A little twisty in the rear end when tracking narrow ruts, but thats a penalty of the 3.2 pound frame and a 200+ pound rider. Not overly rigid like some AL frames, so it has a very comfortable ride.
Fast Fast Fast... Very confidence inspiring. Gorgeous welds. What a joy to ride after riding my FSR land yacht.
Bike Setup: XTR - shift, brake, v's. '02 Bonti crankset, WTB hugs/speedmaster rims/skewers, Titec Hellbent XC bar (very sweet), Kore Lite 3 stem, Syncros post, flite ti saddle, Cane Creek S2 headset, Manitou Black Elite 80/100 fork
Strengths: Everything...frame is super sweet looking, with the little leafs looking like canadian flags...paint has glitter in it...nice. Takes/took everything I could swing at it...no sweat, still looks brand new.
Weaknesses: Absolutly nothing....sweet ride
Bottom Line:
Rocky mountains are the shi* for sure, that fool at the top "Kevin" must be either 230 lbs, or simply slow. The thin air is awesome, I get complements everywhere I go. Supersuper strong, easton aluminum tubing....and hand built in BC...sweetness...if you could ever find one...but it quick, cause it wont last long, full flaming turds for you RM
Bike Setup: the bomb...full hayes, shimano 575 wheel...blingbling, easton, XT, XTR
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Submitted by
Cam
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2001
Strengths: Nice light frame Lots of durable parts
Weaknesses: Comes with cheap rims, BB, cassette, and headset.
Bottom Line:
This bike has been a great trail bike for the most part. I broke the XT rear and the hanger, but that was my fault. The stock headset broke on a decent. The real seal replacement has been great. A pedal broke on a get off...I replaced it with another set of rocky mountain pedals under warentee and havn't had any other problems.
Bike Setup: Replaced wheels with slightly better rocky mtn hubs (cartridge bearings rolled better than the stock XT's)laced to mavix 221's. Replaced the headset with a race face real seal. XTR rapid rise rear. Sella Italia OX seat.
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Submitted by
Jamie Gilbert
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodbridge, Ontario CANADA
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2001
Strengths: 3 wheels-1 fork crown-2 fork rebuilds-lots of shredded skin blood and sweat yet the frame has not cracked! Rides like expensive steel but way lighter. Nice stuff like anodized frame and solid anti chain suck thing.
Weaknesses: Got a good deal, but she's a wee bit shmall fer me 6' 185lb body(16.5" frame)
Bottom Line:
I can't get myself to buy a new bike. This bike has so much value it would cost a great deal to replace it, but would not fetch much on the used market. Happy days on thin air.
Similar Products Used: rm hammer giant atx 850&780 bianchi rigid diamond back accent ex
Bike Setup: sachs quartz group w/syncros stem, ritchey HB & OCR (I'm a beliver!), race face cranks, look sl pedals, marzzochi xc-700 forks, ~23lbs
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2001
Strengths: -decent weight -nice soft fork for the rough stuff -the price was good
Weaknesses: -super cheap paint -super weak frame -the geax tires a terrible -the bb is a shimano lx cheap not race face -the cheap ritchey headset didn't last -the wheels were poorly built -my frame cracked
Bottom Line:
I bought the thin air for a bike that I could race and ride on technical fast trails, not even north shore trails and it still broke. Rocky Mtn's frames are super lame. I've seen so many break. I rode it off a few 4 footers and mabye the odd 5 footer and it still broke. ROCKY didn't give me any warranty they said it was my fault so I parted the bike out and bought a 2000 kona king kihuna frame instead of another discounted rocky frame and I've had no problems. The Kona is a nicer riding frame as well. I wouldn't recoment a Rocky to anyone. Mabye if you don't plan of riding and rough fast technical trails this could be a decent bike but once you di ride challenging trails it's a total dud.
Bike Setup: now I have all race face parts and sun rims with a lot of xtr and a 2000 atom 80 polished fork
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Submitted by
Jeff Claman
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlottesville, VA
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Strengths: Durability, lightweight, stiff, geometry, looks, etc.
Weaknesses: Me
Bottom Line:
Well, it's been over two years since my initial review and all I can say is, WOW!! This frame is as strong as an ox. There are more dents and scratches on this frame than on a 77 Pinto bumper, and she still gets me through the nastiest technical stuff I can throw at her (24 hrs. of Snowshoe course 00). High-end components are nothing without a durable, stable frame, and the thin air provides just that. It's just too bad that rocky discontinued the thin air in 01. (although you still may be able to find one online)
Bike Setup: bomber, king, raceface, avid, mavic (a few upgrades in the past 2 years)
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Submitted by
Matej Zalar
a Cross Country Rider
from Ljubljana
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000
Strengths: Light, good XT components, I have some Roox components.
Weaknesses: Tires, brakes, seat and the smallest cog (it was from aluminium, now I bought the steel one and it's OK).
Bottom Line:
First I had problems with chain, then with a cog, but now I have no problems. It's really good climber and descenter, I have allready won a competition with it.
Bike Setup: XT components, some components are Roox (it's a special edition-only about 30 was made), Marzocchi Bomber Z3 shock.
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Submitted by
Andrew C
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2000
Strengths: -was a nice bike -climbed nice, handled well -shorter stem with a 15 deg rise and a riser bar made it a noth shore dream, well almost
Weaknesses: -strength of the frame -paint -bb, tires, those geax totally sucked -that headset lasted one hardcore endo then it was f.u.c.k.e.d.
Bottom Line:
This was a good frame til it broke, I was riding on one of vancouvers more extreme trails ( cherrybomb ) and I took about a 6 foot rocky drop, got sketched out landed badly ruined both rims and almost completely broke the drop out off the frame where it had been welded on. Ahh nice I thought...... I landed it!!!!!! anyways it was a great drop realy hurt me but now that I got my new thin air frame I got it in a smaler size 17.5 and now I can do and land that drop everythime, of course with the halp of my sun rhyno DH rims.
Similar Products Used: 97 cove handjob with a 97 judy dh and all xt and I took the old race-face cranks off that bike and pt them in my thin airs
Bike Setup: -99 this air with a pair of good tires ( michelin hot s's ) and a lot of more durable parts
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Submitted by
Brian Kaiser
a Racer
from Reno, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2000
Strengths: I buy Rocky Mountains because they are relatively rare sites on the trail...I seldom see another one when I'm riding. Besides that, they are spec'ed with top shelf components and have incredibly nice paint jobs (those leaves are sweet).
Weaknesses: Given the component level, this bike was about $500 more than comparable bikes, but I didn't care. I wanted another Rocky. Unlike the bombproof powder-coated paint that was used on my 1996 Rocky, the black part of the frame seems awefully delicate. It almost immediately scratched and dulled, but it's usually covered in dirt anyway. The powder coat on my 1996 bike still looks great, albeit scarred from the trail.
Bottom Line:
Race ready out of the box, this bike has not dissapointed me. I love nearly everything about it. Those wacky Canadians build awesome bikes.
Strengths: Beautiful frame, Race face parts are excellent, nice drivetrain, geometry is good for its intended purpose. Fork is very nice
Weaknesses: Crap rims and the Geax tires slide out in the corners, very cheap BB and the Ritchey headset is a nightmare, Rocky Mountain in house clipless pedal stapped off
Bottom Line:
This is a great race bike for people on a buget. Sure it's easy to get an ultra-light bike if you have $5000, but for this bikes reasonable price it rules. It shares the same frame with Rocky Mountain's top bike (Vertex T.O, in 1999) and has most of the same Race Face components. It ascends very well and fells well set up for cross country riding. Although I love this bike, some of its stock part's selection was strage. The rims were found on some of Rocky Mountain's cheapest bikes and it had the same BB as the very cheapest bikes in Rocky's lineup. The Geax tires were garbage also. The fork is very plush (if not undersprung in stock version) but the clipless pedals snapped!! This bike is great in stock form but spending about $500 on it aftermarket can make it amazing!
Similar Products Used: 1996 Rocky Mountain Hammer Race
Bike Setup: Stock except for WTB stealth pedals, Maxxis 380 tires and raceface taperlock BB, Mavic 517's on the way.
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Submitted by
Becky
a Cross Country Rider
from San Ramon, CA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2000
Strengths: Great XC geometry, really nice components, great looking
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
This bike is the best! It handles very well on twisting singletrack, rutted fire roads, and climbs like a champ. The XT derailleurs work like a dream and the Z2 BAM shock smoothes out the ruttiest of trails. The only thing I changed was the pedals (to Time ATACs). The 2000 model has lesser components on it, so I would recommend taking a step up to the Vertex for 2000 (it has similar components to the '99 Thin Air).
Weaknesses: cheaper brakes, headset, and bb. As for the rims...my brothers $850 RM soul has the same rims....I DON'T LIKE THAT!! but they're still true and are fairly light.
Bottom Line:
I've been rideing it for almost a month now and have NO problems with it performance wise. There's a few nit-picks with the parts...but it's just because all the rest of the parts rock.
