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Rocky Mountain
Edge Slayer 50
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Submitted by
zeekjones
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | North Burma, Annadel ST. Park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Purchased At: | Santa Rosa Cyclery | | Strengths: | Great Feel and geometry. This bike is so fun. Especially after riding a hard tail for 20 years. This bike handles very well over rock gardens. I have ridden through a wide range of trail conditions. It seems to handle them all very comfortably. At first I thought I would loose some climbing ability but it climbs like a goat. | | Weaknesses: | The bike seemed a little heavy at first but after multiple rides you soon forget. | | Similar Products Used: | I have been riding the Ibis Mojo as well. The Mojo climbs a little better because of its light weight. But as soon as you point downhill you want to be on the Slayer! So if I had to choose between the two, The Slayer every time. | | Bike Setup: | I installed a shorter Thomson stem and wider Azonic riser bars. With this upgrade the bike seems to handle better on the downhill and feels better off drops. Wheelies are much easy as well. I like the Kenda Navegal tires. | | Bottom Line: | If you like cross country but want to go faster downhill this is a great bike! Its Strong and dependable. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. | | Strengths: | Great climber, solid precise handling, soaks up everything I ride over. | | Weaknesses: | A bit of nose bob when out of the seat and the grips are nothing great. | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/ added carbon seat post, handlebars and upgraded Race Face Deus XC crank. | | Bottom Line: | A great all around XC bike that does everything you ask of it without hesitation. I picked up Mt biking 12 years ago and was amazed by where you could go w/ a bike, but in recent years have been doing more road ridding due my abusive hard-tail. I've tested bikes from Giant, Specialized and Gary Fisher but all seemed to be lacking in one way or another. My new Element has brought me back to what I love. I'm overwhelmed at how great I feel after a 3 or 4 hour ride. I found myself handling previously "close your eyes and pray" log piles and rock strewn downhill’s with such ease I was actually laughing as I passed. Rocky Mountain has built what, so far, seems like the perfect bike for me; great climber, super downhill skills, dead center handling, solid component package and at 25 Lbs. fairly light. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from anytown, ca
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | mikes bikes rip off shop | | Strengths: | This bike is a piece of crap!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Weaknesses: | Do NOT BUY ANY ROCKY MTN product. Buy anything else
MIKE's bike shop sucks too
| | Similar Products Used: | Any bike I have had was better | | Bike Setup: | Components that do not hold up....frame that creaks...cheap race face parts....cheap disc brake set up | | Bottom Line: | DO NOT BUY THIS BIKE OR SHOP AT MIKES BIKES | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Hydro-cut | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Brauns | | Strengths: | This is a well rounded all-mountain bike. Totally redesigned frame from 2005. The 2006 has a very low center of gravity. This is the perfect bike for aggressive trail riding. It climbs admirably and the 6" of travel front and back soak up anything on the downhill. Excellent component group. | | Weaknesses: | Experienced some chain suck, but keeping the crank well lubed seems to alleviate that. Does not do well in any amount of mud. | | Similar Products Used: | Compared everything in this segment, Specialized Enduro, Cannondale etc. Not too much is as well rounded as this bike. | | Bike Setup: | Time ATAC carbon pedals (comes standard with Shimano), Race Face crank, Juicy 5 brakes (sweet!), SRAM 7 shifters/deraillers, Cross ride wheels with downhill tires (seems like an odd spec till you ride it), Bomber with ETA and rebound adjust fork, FOX RP3 with double pro-pedal rear shock. | | Bottom Line: | If you want to go fast and hit everything on the trail, this bike is for you. It'll get you out of trouble on big hits. It'll climb anything. Just get on and pedal. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from california, california
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Strengths: | This bike was such a piece and am so glad to have sold it. I am sorry to the guy I sold it too but warned him. This company ripped me as well as the bike shop I bought it from. Race parts were cheap bottom of the barrel ones that broke or wore out. Head set was not even a sealed one. Bottom bracket went out 3 times. Frame craked like a broken bed and the problem still existed from time I sold it. Brake system never worked right and went back to factory three times. So, please do not buy a Rocky mtn. Do yourself a favor and buy any other brand. Maybe you could call a customer service person that will actually call you back too. | | Weaknesses: | everything | | Similar Products Used: | none this bad | | Bike Setup: | no parts lasted long enough to see how they worked | | Bottom Line: | this bike was bad. Rocky Mtn co is bad. Buy another brand and who cares if it is canadian made when all the parts are cheap overseas parts.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harvey
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Mount Work | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Riders Cycle | | Strengths: | Well rounded trail bike. Technical climbs. Fun factor. | | Weaknesses: | Hutchinson tires, seat. | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain Element, RM ETSX, Kona Dawg, Santa Cruz Heckler, Giant Reign, Fisher cake | | Bike Setup: | Stock "04 with Kenda Nevegal tires, rock guard. | | Bottom Line: | This is an upgrade bike from my RM Element Race bike that finally broke after 8 years. My Element was a great bike that could do most things well and no one could out climb me when things got technical. When it came time for a replacement I was ready for some increased travel but did not want to give up too much on the climbs. After looking at all the bikes with 5" of travel in my price range I settled on the Sayer 50. I knew this would be more fun on the descents and drop-ins, but what really suppressed me was it did not give up anything on the climbs. After an initial get acquainted period and a swap to Kenda Nevegal tires (2.35) I just completed one of the most enjoyable 4 hour rides, ever. This bike is so much fun to ride when things get interesting (drop-ins, jumps, tech climbs, the ugly stuff). Everything is so much easier that I was acing things I would not have even contemplated before. In fact it is so much easier to ride I almost feel guilty. If you are looking for a fun bike that does everything well without the weight penalty of the 6-8" travel bikes than I would highly recommend the Slayer to users ready to upgrade to more travel but still want to ride up hill. It just likes to have fun! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
HappyBiker
a
from Europe
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | It climbs great and descends just as good ! Fox Vanilla fork, nice powder coat, looks... | | Weaknesses: | I've had to change shock bushings/reducers after every 20 rides or so (Everything is lined up and tightened at the correct torque). Why did they put a 63,5cm wide race face evolve low riser handlebar on this bike ? It deserves a 66cm+ handlebar to handle like it's made to do. Cheap wheelset that gave out pretty quick, but that's ok. They had to save money somewhere.. The Hayes did creep as pretty much all Hayes do before u do something about it.. I would like more tire clearance in the back. | | Similar Products Used: | Used/Tested: Trek Liquid 30/55, Kona Dawg Deluxe, Specialized Enduro Expert, Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0, Gary Fisher Cake 2DLX, Azonic Saber, Turner 5Spot.. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except: wheelset H:DT 240S bolt on R:XR4.1d, Easton EA70 Monkey Bar, Fizik Gobi saddle, bashguard, modified XTR rear der, Shimano 540 pedals.. Changed the tires right away when I got the bike. | | Bottom Line: | I just love the geometry on this bike. It's a perfect fit for me and the conditions where I live. I'm also happy about the Fox Vanilla up front. It handles the rough great (with correct spring, remember to check). Spring in front and air in the back suits the bike just fine ! Somtimes it feels a little heavy up front compared to the rear though, but I suppose it's mostly a matter of getting used to it. Had a warranty issue on the 3DLink when the bike was just a couple of weeks old. The guys at the LBS ordered everything right away and I had the bike rolling again within 48 hours. Impressive ! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Iain
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | If someone like Jeff can bag a product 'twice' (in the 50 and 70 section) - then i can say how damn good my bike is...twice. Don't listen to rubbish were a person wont be specific about there trouble. We all suspect they may well be loosers who can't ride/maintain/look after their equipment....and look to someone else to blaim. Whats that old adage?.....'a bad workman always blaims his tools'... | | Weaknesses: | None so far, best bike i have had. | | Similar Products Used: | Jekyll (two years owned) Dakar (two years owned) Hardtail (two years owned) Lots of others | | Bottom Line: | Damn fine steed. No probs after 6 good hard months | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Iain Rathie
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | poo-shooter/4.5 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | simple, proven suspension design. heaps of travel for a heavy duty trail bike. climbs very well for a bike this capable. handles the technical ups and downs very well. | | Weaknesses: | experiencing peculiar form of chainsuck (no, the chain is not stretched/dirty etc) where the chain gets caught between the big ring and the chain stay - must say, every bike has subtle differences in shifting requirements - i suspect that we (the bike and me) will grow out of this issue as we become more familiar with each other | | Similar Products Used: | Owned: hardtails, jamis dakar, cannondale jekyll (with lefty) have ridden all sorts of duallies including: heckler, catamount, specialised, k2, iron horse etc etc | | Bike Setup: | Stock at the moment (it did come with upgraded wheelset including 223 rims - think the LBS did me a favour) Plan on a few upgrades in the future | | Bottom Line: | I loved my previous ride - a 2002 Jekyll 800.
First ride on the new bike - a fairly hard and fast night ride, saw me handling stuff and taking lines i hadn't thought of doing previously. This bike is just that little bit more capable than the Jekyll.
I had concerns that it may not handle the "ups" as well as the Jekyll. Unfounded - she climbs very well. Haven't noticed a difference against the Jekyll (which was damn good) Did a very solid 50 k (30 mile) ride the other day. The only thing that me down was old age (just turned 40)
Doing a hundred kay (60 mile) point to point race in September - won't have any problems on this bike (will put a lighter set of tyres on for the day)
Overall - very happy with her. I'm now doing things that REALLY scare me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
james
a Cross Country Rider
from durham, canada
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | durham forest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | bay cycle | | Strengths: | light bike, very nimble,nice part selection ie:Race Face and Fox with Shimano LX&XT doing the shifting and Hayes disc brakes doing the stopping.Excelent riding position and a great climer. | | Weaknesses: | LX shifter indicater rattles,evolve crank started to make noise,the sattle takes some time to get use to (very firm)on long rides.Front sticker on head tube fell of.Should have Mavic 223 on at this price range not the low end 117 | | Bike Setup: | Stock with platform peddles and a race face deuce stem. | | Bottom Line: | This is my first full susp. bike and i am very pleased with the way it handles.I know now want the other reviewers meen when they say this bike gives them confedencs to do things they might not have tryed with there other bikes.The riding position is excelent l now ride for 2 to 3 hours without back pain.Did i mention that the slayer lookes great.If your a person looking for a strong,lite well biult bike that can go anywhere this is the bike for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ezra
a Weekend Warrior
from Henderson, NV
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Boulder City (Bootleg Canyon) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Purchased At: | Copelands | | Strengths: | Rocky Mountain quality. Easton RAD tubing. Exceptional value. Fairly light for a soild 5" travel bike. Great Paintjob. Also, I have to agree with Steve, this 18" frame size is perfect for riders of our height. I am also 5'9" and had a very hard time finding a frame that suits my height. The 19" frames are too big and the 17" frames are too small. Component selection is spot on for the price and the Fox and Raceface gear means you are not giving up anything except mabye a few grams of weight to much pricer XTR type components. | | Weaknesses: | Mavic Xm117's might not hold up as well as the 223's but I will update my review if this is the case. Not a big fan of Hucthinson tires. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Heckler and Bullit, Ellsworth Truth, Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0 (poor quality and geometry is off), Giant VT2 | | Bike Setup: | I've only had it a week so stock for now. If I destroy the rims (which I do way too much) I will go with 223's or DeeMax. Also plan to switch to OURY grips. | | Bottom Line: | After a long and exhaustive search for a 5"-6" travel do it all trailbike I settled on the Slayer. I researched every comparible bike online and weighed the pros and cons with the price and my choices kept getting smaller. I tried to go to all the LBS's in Vegas and kept hearing the same thing when I thought the price was too high. They all said there was hardly any mark up in thier frames and components and that at 2600-3100 they were selling me a bike at "cost". I'm sorry but if I have a LBS spec out a bike with the same exact components as the Slayer 50 on a Heckler or similar frame and the cost is $1000 or more over the Rocky Mountain either they are full of BS or they need to go to college and take Business 101 to re-evaluate thier business model. My advice, for what its worth, is to not play into the hands of those who think its okay to gouge the consumer on the basis of supposedly supporting your LBS and find a bike that has what you want for the right price. Hell, with the $1000 I saved I could go buy a Heckler frame if I wanted too. Not that all bike shops are greedy, some are run by people who truly love the sport and help riders of all skill level enjoy biking by keeping them in the saddle and giving good advise. However, the bike shops that think they can charge inflated prices on a bike because its the hottest thing in the latest issue of MTB Action had better wake up. The consumer now has more choices than ever for buying good bikes. Online shops and large sporting good stores are are far more attractive alternative for price and will continue to flourish. So start treating people with respect and address the issue of high prices as a collective with the manufacturer instead of trying to have the people who visit your store soak up your lack of intelligent business decisions. That said if you want a top of the line bike and care about your cash go check out the Slayer 50. I will update this regularly. Great job Rocky Mountain. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Medford, MA
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Finishing Hole- Fells | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | JRA Cycles | | Strengths: | Balanced bike with a big sweet spot. I Looked at the 5 spot and Ellsworth but this was thousands less. 18" frame Fits my 5'9" height and reach right out of the box. Most manufs have gone to the small-15"/medium-17"/large-19" format. none of which fit. Fox Vanilla fork is the best for the$- set up once and haven't touched it- just what you ask for in a good fork. Rims have stayed true despite my new-found tendencies for taking air. I Could've afforded the Slayer 70 but didn't think the component upgrades were worth it. I would definitiely smash those XT brake/shifter combos up in no time. Hayes disk brakes rock! | | Weaknesses: | Titec Ithys saddle is painful- I see it on a lot of bikes these days. I miss my old WTB SST-98. Will change it soon. Some reviews say the tires aren't that good- I think they're OK except in the wet where they are slick'r than s**t. The 2.3 size and high volume are pretty cush though. Replaced the headset w/ King immediately- no problems w/ stock but I've seen Ritchey headsets turn to dust under load. Race face crankset is pretty stiff but isn't quite as smooth as Shimano-esp. shifting into the middle ring. LX shifters feel a little cheap but work OK. | | Similar Products Used: | Turner 5 spot, ellsworth, proflex 857 | | Bike Setup: | All stock- except for King headset.Time ATAC Alium pedals | | Bottom Line: | The bike has such a balanced feel it gives you confidence to try tech stuff-epsecially pointed down. I can do stuff on this bike that used to send me over the bars on my old pro-flex. Climbing is good. This is not a race bike but a great trailbike. Should be durable for the long haul. Bike is a great value- lots of travel and durability for the dough. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton AB
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Terwilliger south to ring road. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | LBR | | Strengths: | Riding postion, durability, comfort, handling, climbing, decending. | | Weaknesses: | Spokes loosened up quick and have needed tightening twice. Fork spring too soft for 245lbs rider(not really a weakness). | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Dawg, Specilized Enduro. | | Bike Setup: | Lizard Skin Grips, Siffer fork spring, bar ends shimano platform/clipless pedals, WTB Speed race V saddle. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent bike, I had a Rocky hardtail I gave to my son when I bought this bike. Not quite as sharp in the tight twisty single tracks as a hard tail, but the comfort & stability at speed, over roots & trail junk etc make up for it. Going to a stiffer fork spring helped huge for my 245lbs because the fork was diving in corners messing up the steering geometry so I cranked up the spring preload and compression dampening to compensate but that kind of ruined the fork action and still did not cure the diving; the stiffer spring is the way to go if you are a heavier rider, that fixes up the front end and lets you use much less compression damping making the fork much more compliant on roots etc.
The riding position makes for very comfortable riding.
Truly a do all bike. I don't get tired of riding this thing.
The primary reason I bought this bike was the "feel" of it and how it fit me, actually I waas going to buy an 03 Edge but they sold it between the time I called and got to the bike LBR so they made me a great deal on the Slayer 50. The durability and quality are bonus. And i'm glad I went witrhthe 04 because of all the upgrades on it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | This is the nicest bike I have ever ridden. As a longtime cross country rider I wanted to buy a bike that could go a little bigger and harder, while still being able to climb well. This bike certainly fits the bill; it climbs efficiently, descends with confidence (thanks largely due to the Vanilla up front), and the parts spec'd are second to none. The lockout on the Float is quite useful although there is no noticeable bob when pedaling. Rocky has also put a ton of high end RaceFace components on the bike (stem, handlebar, cranks, rings, seatpost) which are all quality parts and help to make this a very light FS bike. | | Weaknesses: | The Float RL tends to be a bit soft, even though I crank up the rebound and air pressure. I also don't think I get the 5" rear travel it claims, but that's not the end of the world. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant AC2, Specialized Enduro | | Bike Setup: | I added a bell so they can hear me comin! | | Bottom Line: | This bike is the full package. I'd recommend it to nearly everyone except hardcore DH/freerider types. It can climb efficiently, descends tight, steep singletrack with ease, and has a pretty hot paint job too. Rocky has put together an exceptional bike that makes me smile every time I go for a ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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