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Rocky Mountain
Element 50
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Submitted by
racerbrown
a Weekend Warrior
from Havre, MT
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | light weight. looks awesome. chicks dig it. | | Weaknesses: | chain has come off a couple times. | | Similar Products Used: | first mountain bike ive ever owned. | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | this bike goes anywhere. It will make an ordinary rider feel like a pro. I will probly have mine for at least 10 years or so and Im not worried about it becoming outdated because it is such a great bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wilkenstein
a Cross Country Rider
from Northern VA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Fountainhead or Quantico | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | Hudson Trail Outfitt | | Strengths: | The frame and brakes are alone worth the price I paid for this bike. Awsome, awsome, awsome. Frame is handbuilt in Canada, not on an assembly line in Taiwan. Amazing climbing ability from a FS bike. Superb downhill manners for an XC oriented bike. | | Weaknesses: | Shimano 525 hubs and LX cassette weigh a ton but have proven reliable so far. Main pivot will come loose if not torqued and loctited correctly. | | Similar Products Used: | First full suspension, but other rides include 98' Cannondale f400 and 04' Giant XTC2. | | Bike Setup: | Foam grips, thomson elite seatpost (only because I already had it), WTB rocket V saddle. | | Bottom Line: | Look for these things on sale and jump on it. That's what I did and am extremely happy I did so.
I weigh 185 neked and ride typical mid atlantic singletrack. I have raced it in an exterra duathlon and a 12 hour race so far and loved it. I plan on many more races in the year.
I'm swapping out the cassette as soon as possible and I'm going to start saving for a custom wheelset. I think a nice wheelset will compliment this frame beautifully and shave quite a bike of weight.
For the price I paid I'm giving it 5 chilis, but if I had paid full price I probably wouldn't as some of the components are iffy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GVM
a Cross Country Rider
from ccs
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Los Paulinos | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | www.bicyclettesdehul | | Strengths: | Very Fast (than my older Stumjumper 2005), Very Confortable, nice Geometry, Great climbing traction, Good weight put out of the box in 12klg. | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stumjumper | | Bike Setup: | Fox RL 100, Fox RP23, LX/XT, Components Raceface Evolve XC, Fromula oro 24, Mavic and hutchintong tires. | | Bottom Line: | Incredibly fast, better than a climb to a Hardtail, very smooth and comfortable ride, 100% recommended, very secure in donwhill and really do not believe how fast you go, the machine is very fast and reliable, has a good stiffness and can be very safe on the road. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dirk
a Cross Country Rider
from Gallup, NM
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Pete's Wicked Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Grand Rapids Bicyle | | Strengths: | The Element's frame construction and ride characteristics are definitely strenths to this bike. Also, the coupling of the frame with Formula Oro brakes, and the complimentary Fox fork and shock make this bike plush and confident at the same time. | | Weaknesses: | For a $2400 bike, some of the components appeared lower end for that price range (the LX front der. for example). Yet, none of them have failed me yet and have meshed together quite well into a smooth machine. | | Similar Products Used: | Hardtails-Diamond Back and Trek
Full Suspension-Specialized FSR Elite | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for chrome egg beaters. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is an excellent example of a mountain bike for the "working man" looking for high performance fun. If you are really into racing, there are lighter (and more expensive) rigs out there for you. If you want to huck off everything under the sun, be sure to buy a something built for that purpose. But if you want to ride as efficiently and fast as possible with your riding buddies or in the local race, this bike fits the ticket. It is not the bike that will the World Cup, but it sure makes me grin every time that I ride it, and that is the biggest prize of all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ravewoofer
a Cross Country Rider
from Southwest of Boston
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | If you don't know, I ain't tellin' | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Foxboro Bike | | Strengths: | This bike is extremely stable over the rough stuff at high speeds. Slick roots and rocks? No problem. Once dialed in, the Element just flat out motors. The most noticible aspect of the bike is how smooth it goes over the rocks and ruts. I'm not sure if it's due to the carbon seat stays or the custom tuned RP23 shock, but the bumps are heavily damped out. What's left is the feeling of just pedaling smooth circles. The faster you pedal, the quicker the bike goes. I really can't feel any unwanted feedback through the pedal stroke. | | Weaknesses: | I did crack the swingarm down at the yoke, but this happenend nearly a year after purchase. The frame is warranted for 5 years and Rocky Mountain replaced it immediately. Rocky Mountain has added an extra piece of aluminum between the yoke for additional strength. I must say, even with the crack, I was able to ride as often, fast and hard as I liked. | | Similar Products Used: | I only rode hard tails before the dualie. | | Bike Setup: | The bike is stock except for the following upgrades:
Selle Italia flite saddle
Chris King Hubs and headset
Mavic 717 rims
XTR metallic brake pads
XTR rear derraileur
XT Front derraileur | | Bottom Line: | I will not give up this bike! In fact, if anything goes wrong, I'll gladly buy another Rocky Mountain product. It's crazy fast and strong through all types of conditions.
The Rocky Mountain Element makes XC riding a blast! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Flat Ark
a Racer
from Rogers, AR USA
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Hobb's | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Mojo's | | Strengths: | The handling is razor sharp. Best climbing bike that I have ever ridden and the front end stays planted on steep climbs. Front and rear suspension feels perfectly balanced and soaks up everything. Propedal eliminates any possible suspension bob and the bike feels like a hard tail. The Formula brakes are awesome. | | Weaknesses: | Frame could be a "little" lighter. | | Similar Products Used: | Salsa Dos Niner | | Bike Setup: | Race Face Next SL 3/4 riser bar, RF Next SL post, Sram XO twisties, Truvativ Noir Crank, XT cassette, X9 Rr Der, American Classic wheels w/ceramic bearings-titanium Q-releases-Sapim CX-Ray spokes, Formula Oro K24 brakes, SB-8 on the rear and Crossmark on the front "tubeless". | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is that this is the perfect XC racing machine IMO. The previous reviewer "seemed" to imply that the Element is not really suited for XC racing due to it having a short TT. Do your homework and check the actual #'s. Maybe he should have purchased 1 size larger. Anyhow the Element does everything right. It handles/accelerates/tracks/climbs better than any bike that I have ever owned or ridden all the while soaking up the bumps. I highly recommend this bike for anyone who is in the market for a fast/capable XC bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ricksom
a Racer
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Durham Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Strengths: | - Good value
- Responsive turning
- Well balanced suspension
- Great climber
- Fun to ride
- Excels in twisty, flowing singletrack
- Much better bike than their older Instinct line
| | Weaknesses: | - Shortish top tube may be cramped for some
- Lowish bottom bracket hits more things than I am used to
- Not particularly good for racing | | Similar Products Used: | Titus RacerX (great racer and trail bike)
Rocky Mountain Instinct (pre Element brand)
Rocky Mountain Vertex
| | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Fun bike to ride in twisty, flowing single-track. Handles technical sections very well too. Because the bike geometry forces you in a more upright, freeride position than I am used to, it is not ideal for racing. But for ripping your favourite single-track without a care for lap times, this bike is ideal and very comfortable.
Very responsive turning, more than my Titus. Can hold a very tight turning radius. Stable on the technical stuff and at higher speeds. An all out pleasure to ride, and looks good too!
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids, MI USA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Yankee Springs | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. | | Strengths: | Rock solid stability, razor sharp handling, fantastic climber, trail trash rolling resistance (it goes over everything with little to no drama), fairly light. | | Weaknesses: | A bit of bob when climbing out of the saddle, but you feel so great after the down hills it doesn't seem to matter. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested various products from Cannondale, Specialized, Giant and Gary Fisher. | | Bike Setup: | Stock with upgraded RaceFace crank set, composite seat post, bar ends, Oury grips. | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up to my entry of a few months ago. My RM Element 50 continues to impress. At 44 I had all but given up trail riding due to lower back problems on my old hard tail. I now ride, not so much faster, but with so much more endurance and fluidity it's scary. I literally find myself smiling after easily passing sections of trail I either dreaded or had problems negotiating in the past. I highly recommend this bike to anyone who wants a bike that feels like an extension of your own body and only has you going back to the bike shop to thank them for selling you such a great bike. Speaking of which, if your in GR stop by and see Brian and/or Sam at Grand Rapids Bicycle Co., they are the best! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Castle Rock, CO USA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2600.00 | | Strengths: | Extremely comfortable, responsive, downright lively. Fast on the downhill, and a faster climber than my old hardtail. | | Weaknesses: | Wish it was a bit lighter. | | Similar Products Used: | Old school Kona, Cannondale, Gary Fisher | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks. I rode a ton of bikes until my brother in law pushed me to try a Rcky Mtn. What an awesome bike. While it's a bit heavier than some of the others I tried, I actually think I climb faster on this bike than I do on others. I would absolutely buy another Rocky Mountain, although I'm going to be on this for years to come. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$3200.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclepath Kingston | | Strengths: | The bike is so fast, the components are amazing and the handling is unmatched by any other bike. | | Weaknesses: | Rider training must be increased to match the performance of the bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel EX, Rocky Mountain - Stratos, Rocky Mountain Element, Gary Fisher HiFi | | Bike Setup: | SRAM X.O Grip Shift with X.9 Front and Rear Shifting. ODI Lock on Grips, Formula ORO K24 Brakes, Raceface Crank, stem, bars, seatpost, WTB Saddle, Crankbrothers Candy Pedals. | | Bottom Line: | This bike handles better than any other bike I have ridden. The stock components are top-notch (I am a grip shift guy though). The Formula ORO brakes are incredible, no squeaking and amazing power and modulation. Thank you Rocky for putting them on at the factory. The suspension and geometry make this bike both smooth enough for a fun weekend of trail riding and weekend races. I am looking forward to doing to the BC Bike race at the end of June and the Epic 8 hour race at the end of May.
THIS BIKE IS AMAZING! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Grand Rapids, MI
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. | | Strengths: | Great design. Purpose built, solid and @ 25 Lbs fairly light. | | Weaknesses: | None so far. | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/ carbon bars and seat post adds. | | Bottom Line: | As quick as my old hard tail on climbs. Great in the turns yet oh so comfortable on big down hills and all the trail junk you encounter on long CX rides. It feels so solidly well centered you can just aim and shoot on any part of the trail with no worries. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JOHN DIONNE
a Cross Country Rider
from HAMILTON,ONT , CANANDA
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | waterdown | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | Scattalon Bikes | | Strengths: | Overall great bike good geometry, feels good on the road and seriuos trails | | Weaknesses: | So far I have had it a month in the 1st week lockout on rear shock went, took back to the shop been without a bike for 1 1/2 weeks, poor service from ROCKY MOUNTAIN no way to contact them with concerns, Fox shocks isn't a whole lot better, I would think that they would be s embarrassed that the product failed prior to even seeing the trails, that they would send out a new shock no charge to keep me rolling, guess not..... | | Similar Products Used: | upgrade from Vertex 10 | | Bike Setup: | 18" stock | | Bottom Line: | Great design poor service,terrible customer relation, probably would by a different brand that is more customer friendly, I bought Canadian and kind of regret it. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeston Norenberg
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Stevens Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1899.00 | | Purchased At: | Mike's Bikes Palo Alto | | Strengths: | Beautiful finish, blistering fast on cross country climbs and descents. | | Weaknesses: | A bit twitchy on the downhills. | | Similar Products Used: | Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0 Ibex Apogee XT | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton Monkey Lite carbon fiber handle bar and Lizard Skins Lock on North Shore grips. | | Bottom Line: | Great bike, I absolutely love it. It is fast and responsive and handles well under my 220 aggressive pounds. I am having a slight problem with the bottom bracket so I will repost on that. Not a problem from the bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ramon
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1899.00 | | Purchased At: | Mike's Bikes | | Strengths: | Light (27.55lbs)for a 100mm full suspension ride. Great climber and quick handling. Solid level of components. Nice paint job. | | Weaknesses: | A bit twitchy on steep technical downhills. Tires are ok for hard packed dry terrain but tend to wander quite a bit when things get wet. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stumpjumper, Kona Mokomoko | | Bike Setup: | Shimano LX dual control, XT front and rear deraileurs, Easton stem seatpost & bars, Mavic 317 w/ LX hubs, Race Face Evolve cranks, egg beater pdls, Selle Ita seat. | | Bottom Line: | So far the bike has been great. I'm coming off a 30lbs Kona so the Element feels light as a feather. It climbs extremely well and tracks very well. The only complaint so far is on steep downhills that are extremely rocky. It gets a bit twitchy because of the steep head angle (71.5) so you really need to concentrate. Overall it's been great. I'll follow up with another post in a few months to see how it holds up after a good beating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
aaron weaver
a
from salt lake city, utah,usa
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | crest to millcreek | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1280.00 | | Purchased At: | canyon bicycles | | Strengths: | Strong ridgid frame, predictable handling, handles similar to a hardtail but takes the bumps. | | Weaknesses: | pivot points must be periodically lubed or suffer squeeks, shimano 525 hubs, I hope they don't strand me on the trail. | | Similar Products Used: | trek 8700, diamondback ascent | | Bike Setup: | shimano hydralic brakes, long neck with rise; a disadvantage in steep uphill, a relaxed advantage in every other situation, 525 hubs (recieved many poor reviews) mavic rims, liberator seat (big help, rock shox duke-nice, beats my old sid by a mile. | | Bottom Line: | You can't go wrong with a rocky. My friend has ridden one for six years. He used to kick my butt, now i kick his. His rocky has handled many hard miles well. I expect the same. I got my bike for a steal. It's an 04, I bought it in 06. every year it dropped in price. it's a 19" frame, thats why it didn't sell. in 04 they wanted 2k for it. I recomend the ellement to anyone. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Huvis
a Weekend Warrior
from Burnaby BC
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Simons Vancouver | | Strengths: | Well built solid frame with a proven design. "Built in Canada"
| | Weaknesses: | Chain Suck but maybe its me.
| | Similar Products Used: | Kona Dawg Delux, Caldera , Stuff and Stinky | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Fox RLC100mm Air fork. | | Bottom Line: | A great ride mine is 30lbs with my digital bathroom scale. I like the higher bottom bracket as I rarely hit the pedal on rocks ect. Climbs well minimum bob, desends well except I like my Dawg better for down. I would buy this again and have recomended it to freinds. Only 4 Chillis for value as this is alot to pay for a bike
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Submitted by
Kevin
a
from Canada
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | it's me again.....the bike is actually 27lbs, and once you get used to heavier wheels it's just as fast as anything else out there.....not training for a month is probably the real culprit for being slower on hills lol... | | Bottom Line: | It's light and fast, buy it! I don't know why I don't see more of these around..AMAZING | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin McMahon
a Racer
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Jumping Pound Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1951.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Great bike. This thing is fast as hell, excellent ride, great frame, well built. The suspension is a great design, the components are pretty good. The suspension is amazing, better than the Epic, Superlight. I love the dual control levers and LX discs. The Eggbeaters are cool, the tires are light, saddle is pretty decent. and hey, the colour is pretty sweet, too. | | Weaknesses: | It's too heavy!!! I wanted a bike that I can race in Jr Expert to replace my hardtail Norco Rush; which is fast, but has no discs or full suspension. Well, this was a great upgrade, with similar LX/XT components but it weighs about 2-3lbs more than my Norco. My bathroom scale (yeah unaccurate, but still) shows nearly 30lbs (29something). That's very sad for an XC bike. I want to race, and I am much slower on climbs with this. On a good day I'm several minutes slower (maybe 10) on an 80 minute training ride with a lot of hills on pavement. That's not as competitive as I'd like to be.. Also, the Fox fork in front doesn't feel quite as nice/progressive as my Rock Shox SID race fork on my Norco, but as it has broken in it feels better and better. | | Similar Products Used: | I checked out a Scalpel 1000, Norco EXC full suspension, Santa Cruz Superlight, Specialized Epic....This has better suspension parts than the superlight, active suspension that the Epic is missing, and I'm not a Cannondale man. But that Cannondale was pretty light. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, but investigating ways to lose some weight from this. Email me with any advice, please!! (I will probably go with a EC90 flatbar, EC70 post, super light Selle Italia saddle, and maybe a Carbon stem, but any other options are also welcome. | | Bottom Line: | It's a great XC bike for enthusiasts, just excellent. But if you want to race, you need everything you can get to make you faster uphills, not just down hills. At a $3000 CAD MSRP, I thought I was covered, but unfortunately I'm stuck for now with a great bike that's too heavy to race and be faster.. Maybe I should have sprung for an Element 70 (but I didn't see any in stock). This bike would be perfect all around if it were 27lbs, maybe even 28 I could live with. but 29/30 is just too much.. It climbs pretty good and the shock lockout is awesome, but I just don't feel that competetive edge that I know I get on a hardtail.
Rocky Mountains are expensive, and I wasn't going to get one because of that, but I got a great deal on this.
I still give the value 4 because of the suspension components. Most other bikes didn't have the RP3 which is an outstanding shock, or the Fox RL 100, which is also an amazing fork. The Superlight is lighter, but I didn't want a Duke fork or LX components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara, CA
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1450.00 | | Purchased At: | Copeland Sports | | Strengths: | High quality component package. Hand wielded frame. Beautiful paint job. Great hydro brakes. A bike you can trust.
| | Weaknesses: | Stock tires are ideal for packed dirt racing but not all around XC. They are quite light though. | | Similar Products Used: | None. Owned a 2004 Trek 4500, but that is the bush leagues compared to this beast. | | Bike Setup: | All stock except for IRC Mythos 2.1 tires. | | Bottom Line: | This bike costs a pretty penny MSRP. I managed to purchase it for approx $1400 on a closeout. I had researched many bikes and had never considered the Rocky Mountain line. I must say that the bike is wonderful. The first month or so that I owned it I had several problems with the deraillers staying tuned, this was probably due to the mud riding I had been doing. The rear hanger got bent somehow as well, and the rear brake was feeling really soft. Copelands tuned it all up 2 or 3 times and now everything is fine. After an initial break-in period, the bike is great. I would not buy this at MSRP. It's a good bike, but not a steal for $2300. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trevor Hennes
a Racer
from Medicine Hat, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere in the Canadian rockies!! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2066.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike and Run Shop | | Strengths: | Affordable, handbuilt racing machine!! Easton ultralite tubeset. Rocky's brilliant 3D link travel. Strong parts package and a beautiful paint job to top it off!!!! | | Weaknesses: | If not cared for, and not maintained, the linkage can loosen and cause a bit of creaking.(But that takes alot of neglect to the bike to have that happen)! | | Similar Products Used: | Intense Spider, Ellsworth Truth, Santa Cruz Superlight/Blur,Devinci Dragonfly, etc..... | | Bike Setup: | Stock when purchased, but i'm slowly upgrading it to have it at 25 to 26 pounds! | | Bottom Line: | A handbuilt racing rig at a decent price that is proven itself numerous times in the racing scene. If you want a cookie cutter bike that is super affordable than don't buy a Rocky, but if you have the knowledge and you ride enough to notice the difference, than look no further! I race this bike, commute to work on it and train off road on it aswell! It has taken a beating in the mountains and on the singletrack of the prairies, only to stand up for more abuse. What more can i say?, i love my Element! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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