Submitted by
Terry R
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia Beach, Virginia
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2005
Strengths: Number 1 is it's a Rocky Mountain! It has a super light and strong frame, climbs like a mountain goat. Was a fun bike stock, but...
Weaknesses: Seat and pedals had to go. Rear derailer needed a lot of TLC, (probally my fault due to numerous hard crashes causing mis-adjustments)and crappy Stickers(I like the worn look but also looks great w/out and highly polished... chrome is cool)
Bottom Line:
I have beat the crap out of this bike and have done a little of every kind of riding on it and it has performed well for me each and every time(I tend to get a little carried away and try things I really shouldn't). I fly up hills and when I'm coming down, able to corner like a chased jack rabbit. The light weight feels great, I am able to throw it around at will and roots and quary rocks don't phase me (too much, as long as you are off the seat). Bottom line is the forks works well going up, down and around, the frame is strong and light and this bike has been fun and easy to upgrade to whatever you want. Perform your maintenance and it will last you forever(unless you like to drop off snowmobile bridges and slide down cliffs). What a bargin!!! Value is 5 you get a lot more than you pay for and is easy to upgrade starting at such a low base price. Great Hardtail I love it. If you want a fun and sub $1000 hardtail this is it, great bike for the biginner or more advanced rider. Will burn up the XC courses w/ the proper adjustments.
Similar Products Used: 1999 Specialized FSR Enduro Pro, working on a Rocky Mountain Slayer
Bike Setup: Carbon Monkeylite XC bar; Easton EA70 stem; Shimano XTR shifters/brakes w/ Ceramic V-brakes, rear hub, derailers; Mavic Crossmax SL wheels; Thompson seatpost and Eggbeater Candys next will be Race FaceNext LP cranks (the Prodigys are super strong though)
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Submitted by
Ryley Jones
a Cross Country Rider
from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2003
Strengths: Great frame,lightweght, solid fork, raceface crank, awesome upgrade potential.
Weaknesses: Saddle, decals peel off easily, but no real complaints.
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike for the price, if you are shoping in this price range, you won't find a better bike. I tried 6 other bikes and this one blew me away. You're paying for the frame, and as components wear out, you can turn this bike into a race ready machine. Excellent climber, real solid smooth feel. I've been riding this bike everyday on real technical terrain, and have yet to notice any performance drop. Buy it!
Similar Products Used: Gary fisher big sur, trek 4500
Bike Setup: Stock except upgraded to a selle italia, kore stem & handle bars.
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Submitted by
RICHARD STOTT
a Cross Country Rider
from MANCHESTER
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2003
Strengths: Lightness,comfort
Weaknesses: poor components especially the v brakes which snapped.
Bottom Line:
This bike is s**thot get some XT gear on it and change the saddle you are paying for a great frame and forks makes the rockhopper fade like a bad dream.All your decals will fall off straight away making it look like a proper bike!
Similar Products Used: specialis[z]ed rockhopper trek 8000[old 8000]
Bike Setup: shimano LX as rocky supplyed
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Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2003
Strengths: Great solid frame, very lightweight
Weaknesses: The drivetrain is a little hodgepodge, better to change out to all shimano
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. I got an even better deal from a shop closing out their RM stock, but even at full price this bike is worth every penny. I'm a college student and needed a cheap and solid bike that could handle a lot of cross country and a little freeriding, and this bike is what I ended up with. Fatter tires and replacing the drivetrain was a smart idea, but mainly the componentry is good, the bike is light, the geometry is comfortable, and it's a fun bike to ride. I've borrowed a friend's Marzocchi Z1 130mm fork, and even though the bike isn't designed for that much travel, it still handles it well without slowing the steering much. My only complaint is the front end sems a bit low with the original fork/stem setup. This is an awesome trail bike and well worth the money.
Bike Setup: XT rear derailleur, LX crankset, shimano cassette, WTB weirwolf front tire
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Submitted by
Trevor Iverson
a Racer
from Canada, Manitoba
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2003
Strengths: EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Weaknesses: NOTHIN!!!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
very good bike. its hand built, light weight (27.5 lbs.) perfect for xc racing or just weekend rides in the valley and in the mountains. plus its canadian. if you race or just rid the trails with your friends BUY THIS BIKE!
Submitted by
Escarlata Laletra
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterrey, NL, Mexico
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2003
Strengths: Marzocchi MXC comp air suspension, easton elite frame, weight, maxxis tires and very good quality rocky mountain components.
Weaknesses: I have seen no other but the saddle, it´s incredibly uncomfortable, why rocky mountain doesn´t increase bike price 80 usd and set it with a selle italia for example
Bottom Line:
My budget was no more than 1200 usd and this bike was my perfect choice according to my type of ride. I am a crosscountry rider, i do 10 meter drops with 45 degrees of slope combined with rock and 2/3 meter steps of 60 degrees. Marzocchi absorbs everything, i have to worry about only to keep the right path, this suspension helps a lot to have nice control of the bike. Crankset is sweet and nice, this raceface was unknown for me and i didn´t trust it at the beginning but it works just like DEORE XT hollowtech. I have to get used to the frame geometry because the top tube is shorter and with a little bit bigger angle that Giant Yukon, i know this increases control in the descent but you could lose power in the climbing, there is nothing wrong with the frame only to get used to it. I have increased my descent speed in a 20 % aprox and i think i can increase that number even higher. This is a great bike and if you change components to your XT, XTR selection even better. EASTON Elite frame is one of the best aluminum available, its composition gives this bike the perfect strenght aided by an artistic welding by rocky mountain. I am almost ready for the MTB season in my state. Great bike rocky mountain folks.
Strengths: Great fork, good components, excellent frame, light weight
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
Great bike for cross country. Fork absorbes everything. great value at just $700. big improvment from my old marin. If you're looking for a good hardtail at a budget, look no farther.
Submitted by
moosejenk
a Weekend Warrior
from salt lake city, ut
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2002
Strengths: great frame for a good price, also come with awesome components!
Weaknesses: none yet.
Bottom Line:
rocky mountain delivers an awesome bike, this is very true even without their good pricing. pick up this bike if you're ever choosing between a rocky mountain and another similar bike for sure!
Weaknesses: I'm a 210lb guy and the seat hurts like hell. I'm trying to give it time to break in, but so far it still hurts a lot. It looks like I may have to change saddles. The pedals are not so great if you take the harnesses off becasue they are one sided.
Bottom Line:
I eliminated the Oxygen only because I didnt want to spend $1500. I was ready to buy the Stratos but it only came in this strange orange color and I dint want to take the chance ordering it and then not liking it, so I went for the Elevation and upgraded the components. The bike is fairly light and is quite fast. I can feel the speed more than other bikes I've ridden. The bike works flawlessly so far. Shifting is beautiful. Only thing is if you are a heavier rider like me, you might need a more cushioned saddle.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Stratos, Rocky Mountain Oxygen, Klein Attitude
Bike Setup: I upgraded to Shimano XT Shifters, XT Rear Derailleur, and XTR Front Deraileur.
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Submitted by
Chris Wong
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, CA. USA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002
Strengths: Component level Overall weight Solid feel Great price point
Weaknesses: Decals peel easily Fork break in period slow Seat is a little stiff (by my standards)
Bottom Line:
The Rocky Mountain Elevation is a fantastic deal for the money. Comes with an awesome fork (Marzocchi, slow break in period though, as explained by the store) and a sturdy, light frame. Nice overall weight and geometry, and good paint job (minus the decals, which aren't applied very well).
I was looking at the Rockhopper A1 FS, Trek 6700, and Stumpjumper M4 as alternative choices, but couldn't resist the bang for the buck this bike offers. Although more expensive than the Rockhopper, it definitely feels as solid and well equipped as (if not more than) the Stumpjumper M4. The TREK 8000 is a similar bike to the Stumpjumper M4, and thus appeared equally less appealing overall. The bike definitely has a smooth and solid feel, and is very responsive.
The only minor complaints are the rather stiff seat and decals. I probably will upgrade the seat for something a little bit better in the future.
Other than that, I can't stop praising the quality of this bike. Assuming it stays together through some great rides, I would definitely say this is a steal for the money. Now all I need are some good trails and a few buddies, and I'm set!
Submitted by
Brendon Radomsky
a Cross Country Rider
from London, England
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2002
Strengths: good geometry Good riding position Excellent climber Good suspension
Weaknesses: Forks a bit heavy leading to increase in overall weight of the bike. Decals arent coatd, so peel off very easily.
Bottom Line:
Excellent buy - I found the change from my old trek, to this masive. My overall performance has increased and has allowed me to push myself harder. The weight of the frame makes climbing alot easier and having a good frame allows me to upgrade my componenets. All in all its a bike that can be used for entry level racing and can be upgraded for use in more competitive racing.
Similar Products Used: Trek 4300 - entry level bike. Not anything near the same quality though.
Bike Setup: hardtail.
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Submitted by
Nick Wakefield
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2002
Strengths: Geometry, Nice Balance of Components for the money, It's a Rocky Mountain!
Weaknesses: I bought it for my Girlfriend and it's to small for me!
Bottom Line:
I bought this for my girlfriend to get her into riding, I got her to try lots of bikes and she took this out for the test ride and was gone for ages compared to any other bike! She says it makes her feel she can take on anything with it compared to the other bikes she tried and now she can't wait to ride at the weekends.
