Submitted by
greg lettie
a Weekend Warrior
from louisville, ky usa
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002
Strengths: strong lightweight easton taperwall aluminum frame with an adjustable marzocchi bomber air fork. very good components for the money spent(especially the lx/deore drivetrain and deore shifters and brakes).
Weaknesses: uncomfortable saddle even though not used very much on rougher terrain. i plan to upgrade eventually.
Bottom Line:
i love this bike! i could not believe the value for the money. all the other bikes i've seen with the same or similar components are usually priced a few hundred dollars more. the easton frame is awesome and is definately worthy of future upgrades as parts start to wear out and need replacing. i recommend this bike to anyone, especially someone who wants a high quality trail-ready bike without having to spend over a thousand dollars. i plan on having this bike for a long time and would like to try out other Rocky Mountain bikes.
Submitted by
Rob
a Racer
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Strengths: Beatiful Frame and lusty paint job. Sweet first set of tires. It is the rocky mountain bicycle for someone who is getting started at offroading.
Weaknesses: Original components.
Bottom Line:
I bought it at a great price and saved my money all summer for the parts. The truth is I want to buy some cane creek disc wheelset/hope discs and a new headset for it. I love the bike and I intend to race it next year. This sport is awesome! I am still healing my broken wrist which I injured riding this season.
Bike Setup: Raceface Next Crank, System Stem, air alloy riser bar Cane Creek Thudbuster Suspension seatpost, lx brakes lx hubs with mavic 517's, SRAM 9.0 shifters/7.0 Levers & rear derraileur specialized ti-rail men's pro saddle and black Time Allium pedals.
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Submitted by
Oliver Bush
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001
Strengths: aluminum frame, light, LX components, Marzocchi air forks, brakes, and its made in Canada,eh!
Weaknesses: stock seat, riser bars (replaced them after first ride)
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike for about $1000 Can. The stock seat is a joke. You might as well just get the credit from the LBS and put it towards a half decent seat. I got rid of the riser handle bars after my hands got numbed after my first ride. I've always used a straight bar, and its nothing against the bike. Get yourself a high pressure pump for the shocks, so you can dial them in. The LX components and the Marzocchi still need more break-in riding until they reach their full potential. Besides the minor complaints, this is a excellent bike for an intermediate rider which can hold its own on XC. Great performance with great value.
Bike Setup: Stock except Shimano SPD515 clipless pedals, Specialized handle bars, Profile Bar Ends, Trek (male friendly) seat
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Submitted by
Nathan
a Cross Country Rider
from Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2001
Strengths: Easton Butted Frame, Marzochi Z-5 air, LX/deore components, rides like a dream
Weaknesses: no clipless pedals, stock rims a little weak
Bottom Line:
This is the best bike I rode in the $700-$1000 range. It looks and feels great, I would definetly buy another Rocky. If you are looking for a good valued bike that is worth upgrading this is the bike.
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, AB, CANADA!!!
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Strengths: SWEET CANADIAN RIDE!!!!!! Lots of bike for your money!! LIGHT, FAST AND RESPONSIVE
Weaknesses: ? Weakness, what weakness ?
Bottom Line:
When I went out to buy a bike I tested them all. When I'm putting out this much money, I want to make sure it's right. From what I could see this one was the most bike for the money. What a sweet ride!!! Love the big Bomber Z5's out front. I tried the Judy's and they felt like pogo-sticks! I'm really blown away with the quick, sharp handling to the Rocky! Their Geometry is like nothing else I have ridden. Shifting is smooth and so quiet there are times I don't believe it has changed gears. Saddle sucks a bit, but there are certain things that make you tougher, right? I'm used to riding a flat bar so the riser bar took a few rides to get used to. LIGHT, FAST and REPONSIVE!!! I've taken air off of a couple of good rolls and this thing flies! I love it. I even started commuting to work because of the bike - 25km a day. Great on and off road.
Similar Products Used: Kona Fire Road Specialized Stumpjumper GT Avalanche Giant 860 Many others
Bike Setup: Stock with the following changes: - Shimano SPD M747 (AWESOME pedals) - Bar Ends - 5W light on the bars, 10W light on the helmet - for 24hrs of Adrenalin later this year.
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Submitted by
Jeremy Ruegg
a Cross Country Rider
from North Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Strengths: The Easton Elite frame is probably it's biggest strength. I have wrecked numerous times since I bought the Elevation and the frame is still intact, not too much else is, but the frame is perfect! The Fork is pretty good too. It's no SID or White Bros, but for an $800 bike it's frickin awsome. Just be sure to order the pump when you buy the bike, it'll make life much easier. The shifting is nice, considering you're getting LX and deore. Infact, the only problem I have had with the gearing was that the tip on my rear cable came off and the cable frayed so bad it snapped! Easily taken care of. The rims are good for the money, the tires are great for sand (a must riding in Florida....Florida is made of sand!)
Weaknesses: ok, You've heard people complain about the seat. Given, but I still ride on it. Why you ask? When I could be riding on a $100 love saddle? Cause the reason I bought the bike was for cost efficiency. In other words I have no money....I'm not in the saddle enough to care! the only other weakness I've seen is the chainrings. I was attempting to go over the see-saw at Camp Murphy (teater totter) and fell, pretty damn hard. Bent the friggin chain ring like it was tin foil. So i banged it back into place when I got home. Then, later that week, i fell again. But this time it was not a huge impact, no crater was found when I picked my fat arse up. But still, the crank got bent. However, this time it was in a different spot. Huh, cheap rings. I recomend having them swapped at the shop or get a bash gaurd (I am!).
Bottom Line:
This bike is completely worth the money. Actually, I think you're getting MORE than what you pay for. When has that ever happened? I Highly recommend this bike for those of you(us) who can't afford the $3,000 bikes the Mags like "Mountain Bike Action", "Mountain Bike", and "Bike" advertise and test (what the hell are those guys thinking? how the hell is a working man supposed to afford that crap? I mean, for me, paying for college on my salary is hard enough. I had to save for months to afford extras like my bike!). Ok, enough ranting. If you have all the money in the world, work for MBA magazine, otherwise buy this Rocky Mountain, made in Canada so you know it's good.
Similar Products Used: This is my first Mountain Bike. Maybe that's why I wreck so much, I pretent to be pro and kick my own butt!
Bike Setup: Stock except for (reminder...I bought this bike so i COULD upgrade!):XT Crank set, SPD858 pedals, Chris King hubs in the works...just gotta save about 15 more paychecks!
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Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2001
Strengths: What's not to like??? The fork is plush and easily adjustable, i bought the factory pump straight from marzocchi. Shifting is smooth, the components are what makes a bike and this is one sweet setup. Deore brakes and shifters. Did I mention the frame, the frame is light and in a word... sweeeeeeet!
Weaknesses: Nothing except for the saddle, but isn't it usually?
Bottom Line:
Bang for your buck, handbuilt Canadian quality, excellent components. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who is looking for a hardtail. I ride it to work, downhill and on the trails... Can't complain about anything really, the next step? Pedals and probably some hydraulics. 5 Flaming chilis for everything about this bike, performance and value all wrapped up in a nice powder coated finish.
Similar Products Used: Kona Caldera Specialized Rockhopper
Bike Setup: As I bought it, with a body geometry saddle.
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Submitted by
Ed Abarientos
a Weekend Warrior
from Lynbrook, New York
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2001
Strengths: Frame and Drivetrain definitely compliments each other. The fork....Marzocchi Z5, what else can I say? Can't say anything bad about this bike. Awesome handling, great components!
Weaknesses: Could've come with a better seat, but this is easily fixed.
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this bike to anyone, especially the novice weekend warrior like me. You can't go wrong with the price and the quality is excellent. I put it through its paces last weekend and the bike never quit. It kicked a** and carved around the trail like a knife. This ride is very precise and the shifting is very smooth. I'm giving this bike 5 flaming chilis for the excellent handling, weight and components...... Just wanna thank my friend John "Trailblazer" Lee for recommending me this bike. He told me I couldn't go wrong and he was definitely right!
Weaknesses: I've thought about this long and hard, and I seriously, honestly, can't think of a single weakness.
Bottom Line:
I'll start off with the forks. The bike came with a pair of 2001 Marzocchi Bomber Z5 Air front suspension forks. These forks are excellent forks, although, I kind of wish the bike would've came with oil coil forks instead, because adjusting these forks is a bit of a pain if you don't have the proper equipment. I know I'm not supposed to, but I filled them up using a friend's air compressor and it worked just fine, although I wouldn't recommend you do it all the time. Anyway, the forks are excellent. They are great looking, super plush and extremely heavy duty. Marzocchi has upgraded the forks with a stronger crown, which can take a lot more abuse than the crown found on the 2000's. Overall these forks rock. Really plush, 80mm travel, adjustable...what more could you ask for?
Next is the drivetrain. My previous bike was equipped with a full Shimano Acera setup. And let me tell you, it was just downright horrible. I had that bike in the shop 3 or 4 times in the first month to get my derailleurs adjusted, and they even replaced the rear derailleur seeing as how the bike was shipped with the wrong one. But this was only a temporary fix, because the bike's chain continued to skip and fall off frequently. And when the bike actually did shift properly, it wasn't exactly what I'd call smooth. I didn't have the time or energy to adjust my derailleurs every single day, so when I got this Rocky Mountain, the new drivetrain setup was a sigh of relief. The bike is equipped with a Shimano Deore LX rear derailleur, and a Deore front derailleur. The bike shifts so silently. I have bent the small rear hanger and totalled another part on the rear derailleur, however, but that was my fault and therefore doesn't take any points away from the overall performance of the drivetrain. I highly recommend that if you're in the market for a new bike, that you don't settle for anything less than Shimano Deore when it comes to derailleurs, or you'll regret it! Trust me!
The frame on this bike is also spectacular! The bike came with a beautiful black HANDBUILT aluminum Easton Elite HBO taperwall frame, and I have the 19.5" sized one. It's so light compared to my previous frame its not even funny! I love it! The welds are perfect, the frame is strong, light and built in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada! I'm sure this bike will last a long, long time with this frame. The frame can carve up the single track and fly down the fire roads like you wouldn't believe! This is definitely the greatest handling bike I've ever had! Rocky Mountain certainly doesn't skimp on the quality when it comes to frames!
The bike came with Maxxis MoFo XC tires fitted on Sun CR18 rims! And let me tell you, this is one of my favourite parts about the bike! The tires are awesome, with a great looking "orange-wall" all the way around them. And they're situated on the strong yet light CR18 rim, and it looks great too because it's black! These rims really complete the 'Black Beauty' look of this bike, and I'm very happy with it! I ride about 8-9km every day, and after 4 months, the rims are still true (except I did bust a spoke) and I'm sure they will be for a long time to come!
The bottom line is: this is a downright awesome bike. By far, the best bike I've ever owned. Period. It's my first Rocky Mountain (I've previously owned 3 Norcos) and I'm very happy with it. I was recommended to Rocky Mountain by a friend of mine, and I also was interested in Rocky Mountain because my aunt and cousin use Rocky Mountains, and are extremely pleased with them. I would definitely recommend this hardtail to anybody who wants a good looking, handbuilt, quality bike that can tackle some of the toughest trails out there! Go out and get one! No other bike company can match the quality of Rocky Mountain, in my opinion. Quite possibly the greatest Canadian bike manufacturer there is! Check them out!
Similar Products Used: -Rocky Mountain Stratos -Specialized Rockhopper -Klein Attitude -Used Kona Caldera -Used Rocky Mountain Hammer Race
Bike Setup: Stock except for Axiom thornproof tube in rear, used VP platform pedals and Axiom rear brake shoes/pads. I'm currently planning on upgrading the pedals to a pair of Mosh Half-Step Pedals, as well as possibly upgrading the handlebars, stem and rims.
