Submitted by
Rock Jock
a Weekend Warrior
from Bat Area, Ca Date Reviewed: November 12, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Mail Boxes....
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Strengths:
Awesome Ride up hill and down. A bit heavy but its worth it. At over 220 pounds I am not buzzing up any hills anyway. I recommend going a little small on the frame for increased handling and control. Nice and low center of gravity with good clearance.
Weaknesses:
I broke my frame twice... once at the yolk down by the BB and once at the confluence of the Top tube and seat tube. This was a bummer since everyone said Rocky's were so bomber. The design flaw on the seat tube height above the top tube is a concern - get a nice long seat post so you can get the most for your pedaling on the up hill without damaging the frame...
Similar Products Used:
Nomad, Enduro, Yetti 575
Bike Setup:
The Talas is the way to go for the front fork. Race face/shimano drive train... all three rings.
Bottom Line:
I'm still waiting on my replacement frame for this last breakage. After much haggling I got Rocky to give me a crash replacement at a good deal... I still feel like it should have been free. Customer service is still a concern for me. I love the bike, but if it breaks again I might have to disown the company...
I give it a mediocre rating since it seems to have been troublesome from pretty early on. It rides great but may not take the abuse as advertised elsewhere - watch out big boys! Expect to have to dog Rocky if you bump up against product performance/durability issues.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
LOSTMAYHEM
a Weekend Warrior
from margate, nj Date Reviewed: November 7, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
Built myself
Strengths:
Pedels great up hill
Weaknesses:
All the bolts and bearings in the rear supension likage is junk. I had to go to a machine shop and have custom bolts made. The ones that are on the bike are really thin.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bottom Line:
As bad as the hardware is, its upgradable. When I get to the point of buying a new bike I will not go with this company again. Not because of there product but because of there customer service. As much as they want to sell you there bikes, this company has no interest in ever talking to you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Axis_kinG
a Weekend Warrior
from Saint John, New Brunswick Canada Date Reviewed: August 27, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Moose Trax
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$4100.00
Purchased At:
Alternatives
Strengths:
Rigid fork/lots of beef for drops and jumps. I can take this thing ANYWHERE. Rear shock feels like it has way more travel than 6 inches!
Weaknesses:
As previously mentioned, air chamber for boost valve is hard to access but it doesn't really need to be fiddled with anyway. Boost valve is hard to reach when climbing and there are LOTS of nooks and crannies when it comes to cleaning.
Similar Products Used:
Norco Fluid
Bike Setup:
Fox 36 TALAS fork, FOX DHX AIR 4.0 rear shock, removed race ring and installed red e.thirteen bashguard, s-type snow camouflage sun rims, Specialized roller pro 26x2.30 tires, Chris King headset, Deity twelve20 handlebars, Azonic clipless flats.
Bottom Line:
Absolutely GREAT bike that does it all. Literally... does everything. Up? Down? Drops? Jumps? EVERYTHING. Anybody that wants to invest the money... you will never regret it. I use this for XC/FR/DH and it is fantastic. Just you wait until you sit on one you may never want to sit on a hardtail AGAIN. I am going to give this 5 chilli's both for value and rating! Incredible bike guys/gals!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
drtrdr85
a Downhiller
from San Jose, CA Date Reviewed: June 25, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Corall at Demonstration forest
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3495.00
Purchased At:
Hyland Bikes in San
Strengths:
Very durable bike. The 36 Talas front shock makes it great for the jumps and drop-offs. The rear 6" or travel is great and feels like much more than 6". Decent weight for the type of bike. Great climbing bike for an all mountain. Climbs very well and with the pro-pedal on it climbs flawlessly. WTB tires work really well and keep you on the trail. The High bottom bracket makes for easy clearance over logs and other obstacles. The frame design was really well made and makes the bike handle great on the downhill switchbacks.
Weaknesses:
The rear piggy back valve on the rear shock is a little hard to get to. Front derailer cable adjustment screw is a little hard to get to. Other than those minor issues no other complaints. Those are minor complaints on an outstanding bike.
Similar Products Used:
Tested a Specialized Enduro Expert, Intense and Santa Cruz Heckler.
Bike Setup:
Stock set up so far.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for anyone who enjoys the downhills, drop-offs and jumps, but still wants a bike that will climb well. It is fast on the X-country stile riding and just a fun bike where ever you wish to ride. It is a modified single pivot rear suspension bike that feels great on the downhill and drops with little rear brake jack. The bottom line is go ride one at your local shop and try to demo it on a trail. Once it is set up for your weight and riding style you will be pleased!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
badbiker
a Weekend Warrior
from MO Date Reviewed: April 9, 2009
Favorite Trail:
go up to go down
Price Paid:
$1900.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
High bottom bracket, plush suspension, decent weight
Weaknesses:
decent weight, some brake dive, had shifting problems before switching to dual rings up front
Similar Products Used:
giant reign 3, stumpjumper fsr expert
Bike Setup:
Stock SXC70
Bottom Line:
After removing the larger chain ring, the shifting is very smooth. The only thing i want to say is if you like to go downhill but have to go up to get there, this bike rocks. there is a technical uphill in town that I could never make it all the way up without losing traction or banging the bottom bracket on my old stumpy FSR- first try on the slayer made it all the way. I was dead tired but 90% of that is due to the fact i'm out of shape, although there is quite a bit more weight coming up from cross country FS to all mountain. I'm not a fan of brake dive, and a better rider would ahve less than i get because i brake at the wrong times, with the wrong brake, etc. but it's still there. anyway, if you mix technical up/downhills with flowing cross country, this is a killer bike. if your ride all technical stuff and still go up, this is an even more killer bike. for straight resort downhills it would perform great, but there are obviously better, heavier, longer travel choices for the money. The 20mm QR front axel is sweet, increases rigidity, and is a piece of cake to remove. I'd give it a slight advantage over a similarly equipped Reign.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryan12210
a Weekend Warrior
from Atl, GA Date Reviewed: February 14, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Carter's Lake, Blanket's Creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
RMB crash replacemen
Strengths:
Bottomless travel, climbs great, relatively light, low center of gravity makes it easy to rail turns
Weaknesses:
hard to reach boost valve cap, clip pedals easliy because of low BB, light back end takes some getting used to when jumping
Similar Products Used:
GT I drive, Specialized Stumpjumper, rocky mountain switch sl,
Bike Setup:
X9 drivetrain, Hayes carbon nine brakes, raceface atlas cranks, 317 rims on xt hubs, z1 freeride sl fork
Bottom Line:
I'm a xc racer converted over to dh. This bike fits my aggressive trail riding style perfectly. It climbs great and absolutely rips on descents. I've had it 2 months and still haven't bottomed it out and I weigh 215 lbs. I would definitely consider it a xc/trail bike instead of a freeride bike although it has a primarily freeride shock. Strongly recommend this as a dhers or big guys xc bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
palboy
a Weekend Warrior
from Lancs, UK Date Reviewed: September 1, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Lakes
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3400.00
Purchased At:
merlin
Strengths:
great all rounder - climbs and descends well.
compact frame size - easy to get off the back
Weaknesses:
rear shock set-up is fiddly. bike jacks under rear braking. square edge hits noticeable. too many nooks and cranies when cleaning. lods of cable rub (possibly a build issue)
Similar Products Used:
specialized FSR stumpjumper 2007
Bike Setup:
marzochi 55ATA2, 2008XT, DT5.1, Race Face finish. Various tyres tried - panaracer rampage, cinder or swampies
Bottom Line:
bought this from merlin as a custom build which was a great price deal for the UK (£1700). The 55ATA2 has already packed up once, but thats not the slayer, which is just a good all round bike. the climb suits me as I tend to crawl up. the descent is confidence inspiring. bought for a trip to morzine - not been dis-appointed. looks pretty cool and rips around lakeland trails - had a couple of fast crashes as it it does make you feel like letting rip !
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
smeckma
a Weekend Warrior
from birmingham Date Reviewed: August 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:
single track
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
the rocky mountain c
Strengths:
The bike's got the feeling of an XC rig and the paint job is absolutely gorgeous.
Weaknesses:
Acces to front derailleur's rear nut made difficult due to poor geometry. Shimano do not go well with SRAM components. Not enough clearance in between chainstay and cranks. Synthetic saddle but comfortable. Not very versatile in terms of upgrading. Geometry is slack when suspension is set up for 160mm travel. High bottom bracket. Very slippery tyres for UK weather conditions.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
off-the-line setup: Atlas, Mavics and SRAM components.
Bottom Line:
This bike is just too much fun to be had, really, and can be ridden as you pull it out of the box, but needs upgrading. As an overall achievement, I'd say the bike's geometry is good and both the front and back suspension can easily be tuned up to meet the requirements of more aggressive terrain. At first, I had this feeling I was sort of dragging it along, instead of riding it I mean, but you can sort all of this out with the right set up. The very good thing about this bike is its versatility in terms of adaptability. Very little sag will suit XC riders best whereas more sag fits in quite nicely with all-mountain terrain and single track units. Sturdy though it is, you never notice the frame's actual weight as you ride it and the fact the bike comes with carbon swingarms does really make up for the situation. Weighing in at 31Lbs this bike is probably not one of the best racers there is (a friend of mine says he looks on it as a heavy 20pounder), but it is a good all-rounder on the other side of things which can be ridden for hours (and miles) without you ever noticing it. The bike is very sexy too, and it will surely catch the eye in your neck of the woods, so be ready for untimely questions and delays in your journey. And do not keep the bike in the shed: it’ll get nicked.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DanielSlusser
a Weekend Warrior
from Temecula, CA, USA Date Reviewed: June 16, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Pedals well for a 6" travel bike. Looks cool. Amazing powder coat work.
Weaknesses:
Unbalanced suspension. High bottom bracket hindered cornering ability.
Similar Products Used:
Turner 5 spot.
Bike Setup:
Stock except with beefier wheels.
Bottom Line:
The suspension on this bike was a real disappointment. The fork was very plush and progressive and felt great. Unfortunately the rear end was the opposite of that. It was very firm off of top out which made it pedal well especially up steep climbs. The problem was that it lacked small bump sensitivity. The mid part of the travel was very soft and wallowed once you got past the initial stage of firm travel. Then the suspension firmed up again at the end of the travel. This made the suspension very inconsistent feeling depending on where the bike was in its travel. The soft spot in the middle was especially annoying since if you set up the bike to have small bump sensitivity then when you went over bumps the front end would rake out as the rear suspension over reacted to the bump. If you set it up to work on bigger bumps then the front end would sag too much and the head angle would steepen up. I eventually ended up running max pressure in the boost valve to make the suspension more progressive and smooth the transition between stage 2 and 3 of the travel. I then set up the main air spring a touch on the soft side and set the propedal to about mid way to smooth out the transition between the 1st and 2nd stage of travel.
In the end the suspension just never felt right. I think that suspension should be seamless. It should just do its job and smooth out the trail without any surprises.
These issues are going to be common with any 6" travel bike I think though. The bike designer has to decide if they want the bike to pedal really well or have suspension that is plush. This bike felt like it was made to pedal well to appeal to guys who want a trail bike with more travel without giving up climbing performance. If that is what you are after then this could work for you. I wanted an all-rounder that was somewhere in between a long travel trail bike and a short travel downhill bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Chez
a Weekend Warrior
from NH, US Date Reviewed: April 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Aggie
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
EMS
Strengths:
Genius rear suspension geometry. Incredible small bump sensitivity, yet seemingly bottomless. Climbs quite well in pro pedal and shortened fork travel. Quite pretty, if I do say so myself.
Weaknesses:
Frame geometry makes some bike carriers useless, boost valve on rear shock tough to reach, tires not so good when wet. May have a cheap chain (snapped mine pretty quick). Brakes are noisy, but I think this can be fixed with either a pad OR rotor change.
Similar Products Used:
Sampled the Enduro and Enduro SL, and the Fuel
Bike Setup:
Stock plus Race Face bash ring and little touches here and there- still need to replace at least the rear tire, but haven't gotten around to it.
Bottom Line:
This is more bike than you are going to get for any other similar application setup. It's shortcomings are all minor, and its strengths are where you'd want them to be. I don't expect this bike to stay priced where it is now- being a hand made North American bike, the margins must be tiny... that's their problem though!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yak Boss
a Weekend Warrior
from California Date Reviewed: February 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Anyone I'm on
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2300.00
Purchased At:
Wheel World, Reseda
Strengths:
Climbs almost as good as xc bike (I bet if I dropped some wheel/tire weight it would be real close). It's low center of gravity makes it very flickable on tight trails. This bike really holds the line well. The SXC is the best Do-it-all bike I have ever ridden. And it just just looks great.
Weaknesses:
Wheels could be a little stiffer, but for my level skill (intermediate), the Mavic 317s do well. Tires rob this bike of performance. The Mibros are fine for the paved bike path or even the level dirt road, but not beyond that. I've upgraded to Syncros BHT-2 2.35 front and rear. I'm sure there's room for 2.5, but my riding does'nt need it. I can't put a full bottle in the cage on top of the down tube. On shorter rides or the occasional shuttle, I don't want to carry a hydration pack. A bottle cage below the down tube interferes with cable routing.
Similar Products Used:
I demo-ed alot of bikes before buying the SXC: SC Nomad and Heckler, GFisher Hi-Fi, Giant Reign, Spec. Stumpy and Enduro, GT I-Drive, Kona Coiler and Coilair, Yeti 575, Cannondale Prohet, Ellsworth Moment, Trex Fuel EX 9.0
Bike Setup:
Mostly stock except for Kona Jack pedals (my bike didn't come w/ pedals) and Syncros BHT-2 tires.
Bottom Line:
OK, so maybe you can find a bike that's 5 lbs lighter that'l climb better and find one 5 lbs heavier that will decend and take hits better, and if you have the space and money to buy several bikes, great. As for me, I needed one bike that could do it all well, and the SXC does it all VERY WELL. Only the Ellsworth Moment, SC Nomad and Spec. Enduro performed similarly in the same conditions, but similar components would have cost me about $1700+ more. I got last year's model sans pedals so I saved a bunch. I'm used to a much simpler machine, so I don't have the suspension dialed in yet, but it still performs great. The shifting is effortless and the bakes are more than adequate for all but the most extreme conditions (and I weigh 200 lbs). Maybe this bike isn't made in the USA, but at least it's NAFTA friendly. And I preferMy advice: if you want an all mountain bike and any of the SXC platforms meet your price point, go out and get it Now. You're wasting riding days. You won't be disapointed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Date Reviewed: February 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Anything With Lots of Roots
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$3200.00
Purchased At:
Whistler Canada
Strengths:
Perfect all mountain rig. Frame geometry and new stiff rear end make a solid pedaling platform. Fox DHX 4.0 rear shock works great with the pro-pedal feature. No bobbing. I am a 212 pound rider and this bike supports me perfectly. No trouble with the carbon fiber rear triangle. Fox 36 Talas front fork is great. This bike climbs like a goat and rips downhill! I would put it up there with the SC Nomad, but I like it more.
Weaknesses:
Slightly low end Mavic X317 Disk Rims. Hard to get to the boost valve on the rear shock, but no big deal!! Not happy with any Avid products. The Juicy five brakes squeal like a stuck pig. Recommendation: Switch to Shimano and put decent rims on the bike.
Similar Products Used:
Rocky Mountain Slayer 03 (I'm dedicated)
Bike Setup:
Swapped out the rims to Bontrager Rythm Elite 28 mm With Bontrager Tubeless. Dumped the X-9 Shifters and Deralluer and put on a Shimano Low Normal XT with Shimano shifter pods. Waiting to fill my penny jar to dump the Juicy 5 brakes for a set of new XT Disks. Running 8" rotors front and back(Will switch to 7" in rear)
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks and every time I ride I am fully stoked. Anyone who climbs a lot and heads downhill needs a bike like this. I gave it 5 Chilis because Rocky Moutanin hit a home run and their customer support is really good (03 Slayer issues). They were also nice to me when I bought this bike 2 July's ago at Crankworx in Whistler. I took one chili off for the value rating because of the Avid Stuff on the bike, which detracts from the quality. Hey Rocky Mountain-How Bout a Free Shirt Cuz I'm So Nice?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Russell Bowman
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Monica, CA, US Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Sullivan to Farmers to Backbone to J Drop to Squirrel Cage & Back to Car at Sullivan
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
Cynergi
Strengths:
Everything.
Weaknesses:
This is an update to below review. I love this bike. However the pivots have super light aluminum bolts that break and your bike CREAKS. I went to performance bicycles where the mechanics replaced the bolts with strong ones mish-mashed from Specialized Enduros and such. The first bolt I broke was "in my face my bike doesn't work" & the gentleman at Performance took an hour and a half replacing (he has hundreds of spare parts & the fit has to be perfect). The second bolt I didn't know had problems but got me back to the bike shop because the CREAKING noise was getting tiresome. It was down by the cranks & required crank removal. It only took an hour or two but he had to get a new bolt from Busy Bee hardware for me the next day. When I broke the first bolt my bike sat in the shop for three weeks and my friends were so pissed they went & got it for me & we took to Performance. Three months later Rocky Mountain finally delivered upgraded replacement bolts that turned out as weak as the originals (yeah, I just spent 3k two weeks earlier & I was gonna not ride my 3k bike for 3 months?). I'm not a hucker and I will admit that my friend with a Nomad has a little creaking and he takes his pivots apart and greases them every once in a while. Nonetheless, I've heard that this is in no way an unusual problem. Many have experienced it. The sharp edges of the pivots seemed to have scored a v in the bolt weakening it till it broke. Is it poor design? No. Is it weak bolts added to a great design? Yes, it seems.
Bottom Line:
Best bike I've ever had & now that I've fixed its only problem, I'm set, possibly for life. I even got a Rocky Mountain jersey off eBay from some guy in Australia.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Fair Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: September 22, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
River Rat Mountain Bikes
Strengths:
--Handling--
The LC2R Suspension: Keeps the center of gravity low in the frame making qwick tweaks and turns a snap. I Have my rear shock at about 10 PSI over body weight and it works great for me. Custom Easton tubing: Tubes are a mostly overlooked componenet when looking for a bicycle, this setup underscores the importance of high quality tubing. Each tube is custom cut and butted for every size and make of frame. What this means to you, as a bike rider, is that when you are leaned out over that turn you usually brake on it has the frame has the rigidity to hold your line so you dont have to scrub speed anymore. Fox 36: Steering Precision. Enough said. i Keep it at about 15 PSI under bodyweight.
--Suspension-- Fox DHX: The DHX is a sweet little deal. With the Propedal you're able to tune any noticable bob out of the rear end. Fox 36: Legendary, enough said. Rocky's LC2R: The suspension keeps the rear wheel glued to the ground. Super plush and efficiant, what more could you ask for? Keep in mind though it rides more like a freeride bike than a XC.
--Components-- The Sram shifting set is much more solid than the compareable Shimano system. Sram claims that this is because of they "ESP" a 1:1 acuation ratio. that they mean by this is that the cable is pulled the same distance as the derailleur pulleys move. Shimano uses a 2:1 ratio where the pulleys more twice as much as the cable. Another notable thing is that the construction of the sram shifter is much more simple than the shimano. less widgets to break means less broken shifters, right? Race Face Atlas: The Deus crank, except, its lifts weights now. its sweet. Juicy Five Breaks: They work well. They are going to be the most freindly brake to the home mechanic because of their bleeding system. I eventually replaced them with Hope Mono Mini's for more modulation and at a weight savings of 44g.
Weaknesses:
Wheels: The Mavic wheelset is heavy and not as stiff as the bike needs. i replaced them with a White Industries/DT Swiss Set. I shaved 866g with the swap and the bikes rolling resistance was halved. Tires: Spring for Some Kenda Nevegals they a bit more heavy but they are extremely consistant and they roll as well as the Mibros.
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC
-Wheels DT Swiss 4.3D DT Revoloution 1.8/1.4 White Industries M16 Rebuild with Labrynth Seal Berings
-Componenets Sram PG990 Cassette Sram X.O Rear Derailleur Sram X.9 Shifter Set Sram X Gen F. Derailleur Hope Mono Mini Brakes 170mm Easton EC 90 CNT Bar Hi-Rise Easton EC 90 CNT Post Race Face Atlas Stem 110mm WTB Laser V Saddle
Bottom Line:
The Bike is the perfect all-day, all-mountain ride. I'ts light enough to haul up the side of a mountain, strong enough to unleash on the way down.
It gets four chilis for Value because of the rims and tires. Some may compare to Kona for value, the Slayer is a hand built boutique bicycle, completely different standard than the Kona.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lande Edmiston
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Fernie!
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
The Bike Shop
Strengths:
Geometry is amazing for a downhill capable bike with XC roots. Talas fork rocks. Atlas cranks are truly amazing.
Weaknesses:
IRC Mibros are a poor addition to such a great piece of machinery. Could use a wider rim for a wider tire for use on downhills and freerides.
Similar Products Used:
Scott Ransom 30, Kona Coilair, Norco Six One, Trek Fuel
Bike Setup:
Added platform pedals and Bashguard otherwise stock bike. Parts are pretty high end minus the Tires.
Bottom Line:
Great All-Mtn bike. You won't be dissapointed. Performs as good as it looks! XC or Downhill.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Crusty
a Weekend Warrior
from New Jersey Date Reviewed: August 19, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Store
Strengths:
Quality components, great control, really nice looking bike!
Weaknesses:
Tires
Similar Products Used:
Kona Dawg, Specialized Big Hit 2
Bike Setup:
Factory
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike because it's the best looking bike I ever seen. It also happen to perform really well and love it when not too people own it. Tires suck though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
T
a
from Black Hills, SD Date Reviewed: August 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Black moose
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Rushmore Mtn Sports
Strengths:
Great climber. I was shocked that a 6" bike can climb this well. It feels light for such a big bike. Hand made in Canada. Not everyone has one . (Nomad)
Weaknesses:
The saddle sucks. Xm 317 rims are trash . When coupled with the horrible IRC Mibros you are asking for dents. Putting air in pro pedal resevoir is a pain. It creaks a bit . I cant find where.
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the money. All of the probs can be be fixed easily. This bike climbs well and descends well. A true all mountain rig.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Russell Bowman
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Monica, California Date Reviewed: May 31, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Sullivan Canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3059.00
Purchased At:
Cynergi
Strengths:
No pedal bob geometry and the Propedal Fox rear shock make this bike climb perfectly. The modified single pivot sold me as it's exactly what I want -that lively "pop" single pivots give. The 4-bar designs absorb a bit off jumps which can be good for people who just want a the trail flattened out. I, on the other hand, like to soar.
Weaknesses:
IRC Mibro tires may be the worst tire ever made as Mountain Biking Magazine said in their best of the year review on the cross country version of this bike (which has the same tires). Not only do they visually bulge between every knobby at proper tire pressure, I landed a jump with a rocky landing and I ripped a hole in the tire like I was opening a bag of potato chips. The tube popped so suddenly it was like one listening to one of those fireworks spinning around. But who rides a new bike with the original tires? I immediately put a 2.5 in the front (should've done a new 2.3 in the rear too). The stem was also too long making steering goofy (albeit good for long distance if you're a cross country only weenie ) but that's more personal preference.
Similar Products Used:
Tested the Nomad, the Specialized Enduro Expert, the Giant Reign, and a couple of others -like I said, I like the single pivot.
Bike Setup:
Immediately put Syncros Mental Magnesium platforms pedals, Syncros Gain handlebar, Syncros rims, WTB Pure seat on the bike because they are all powder coated or colored white to match the bike -the white looks awesome with the silver and black. On the non-vanity side of things I put a 50mm Easton stem on (it's the only 50mm they had at the shop) and the bike suddenly became an extension of my body.
Bottom Line:
I can't stop staring at my bike -it's so beautiful! My friend calls it the PK Ripper of mountain bikes because of the square frame. I did an uphill steeper than anything I've ever done before (the single track off the fire road going to the lone Oak tree above the Kenter Canyon jumps) and I've done bigger jumps at Kenter whoops than I've done on my Santa Cruz Bullit probably becuase this bike is so much lighter and the suspension is so perfect. I've owned so many bikes and yet this is the most satisified I've been yet. Five and Five becuase it would have cost me over $5k to put the Nomad I was planning on together with Atlas cranks etc - I can't believe they did it for me! With a single pivot even...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Karl
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County Date Reviewed: April 30, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
3500
Strengths:
Frame! Suspension
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Ellsworth Moment, Intense 6.6, Turner, etc...
Bike Setup:
Stock, Fox Talas 36 rocks! No need to change anything.
Bottom Line:
This bike absolutely rails! Low center of balance/gravity means really fast low sweeping turns, great handling. The frame is amazingly stiff, and the bike is great for all around riding. Climbs well and decends better. Fun, fun ride. Highly recommended.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Dunphy
a Cross Country Rider
from Buena Vista Co USA Date Reviewed: March 5, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Monarch Crest, Colorado Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
The Trail Head BV Colorado
Strengths:
Great all around bike. All mountain is the best description. Uphill, downhill, drops, waterbars. Just fun in all aspects. I can see that the Monarch Crest trail in Colorado will be fantasitic on this bike. It works in all areas well.
Weaknesses:
Not sure yet, has not disappointed me yet on the trails that are clear in the 4 mile area of Buena Vista. (Almost year round riding) Need to make a trip to Fruita, Moab.
Similar Products Used:
Ibis MOJO, Yeti
Bike Setup:
Factory setup. Talus 36, Sram, juicy 7 ect.
Bottom Line:
Love this bike. Great climbing, high speed cornering, drops etc. I have the IBIS Mojo also, the IBIS is on E-bay. The Slayer SXC is suited for my style of riding. I tend to crash everyonce in a while. :o) Great welds, hand built in North America. The great folks in Candada do a great job eh. Who should buy this bike...anybody that likes to have fun on the trails. All mountain is a great description. Climbs, high speed cornering, water bar jumping, rocky downhill. I may kill myself on this bike, but I will go out with a smile.
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