2022+ Element Build Thread

Jlar · Mar 1, 2022

undergroundMTB said:
It’s game time!
Both XL frames. Weighed with seatpost collar and axle. 1lb difference in frame weight alone..

That's what Ride4 and an actual rear axle gets you.

gfowkes · Mar 3, 2022

Here's mine.
Fox 34 Grip 2 140
Fox Float DPS Performance
OneUp carbon bars 35mm rise and 35mm OneUp stem, PNW grips, PNW dropper lever
Rocky Mountain dropper with Tioga Undercover Stratum Titanium Saddle
Deore 4 piston brakes, SLX rotors and MTX Red pads
SLX rear derailleur, XT shifter, e13 Helix Cassette, XX1 Chain
e13 TRS Carbon Cranks, 30T chainring, e13 Pressfit bottom bracket
e13 TRS Carbon Race Trail Wheels, 2.35 Ground Control F/R
26 pounds

Suns_PSD · Mar 3, 2022

Some impressively light machines in here!

It's not easy to get a bike really light and still have it perform.

andrewbn42 · Mar 12, 2022

undergroundMTB said:
It’s game time!
Both XL frames. Weighed with seatpost collar and axle. 1lb difference in frame weight alone..
View attachment 1972087
View attachment 1972086

Saw the element posted on pinkbike. Like the epic better?

undergroundMTB · Mar 12, 2022

andrewbn42 said:
Saw the element posted on pinkbike. Like the epic better?

It happened.. the Element is an incredible bike, but I would say a little more of a trail bike that can be built pretty close to XC light. It would be a great option if you were looking for one bike to do it all!
I already have a Ripmo and was looking for a second bike that is as much of a rocket ship going up as it is down. The Epic Evo is just a notch above the Element in terms of efficiency?pedalability? (Not sure the right word here and don’t confuse that for the Element being inefficient).
So, yep, I swapped a few parts and have an XL Element for sale on pb (this particular frame never saw dirt).

andrewbn42 · Mar 12, 2022

did you get a chance to ride an element for a point of comparison? I’ve been looking at both as xc bikes, but also only bike.

undergroundMTB said:
View attachment 1974334
View attachment 1974335
It happened.. the Element is an incredible bike, but I would say a little more of a trail bike that can be built pretty close to XC light. It would be a great option if you were looking for one bike to do it all!
I already have a Ripmo and was looking for a second bike that is as much of a rocket ship going up as it is down. The Epic Evo is just a notch above the Element in terms of efficiency?pedalability? (Not sure the right word here and don’t confuse that for the Element being inefficient).
So, yep, I swapped a few parts and have an XL Element for sale on pb (this particular frame never saw dirt).

undergroundMTB · Mar 12, 2022

If I were to have only one, I would be on the Element and run it with the 2022 34 Stepcast 120mm fork.
I spent a little time on one with that setup and it just had me grinning the entire time. You can build it light enough for XC while still being burley enough for everyday rides (short of shuttle laps).

williford · Apr 5, 2022

OP here, I finally had a chance to ride mine for the first time last night. Wow the Element is so fast! The acceleration and ability to hold speed reminds me of an XC bike (granted, I have XC tires and wheels) but the geo lets you descend aggressively. It is a trail weapon.

The one thing I want to change is the BB height which I found a little higher than I'm used to. I thought it cornered pretty good but it just felt a touch to high. Does anyone else feel that way?

My setup is a 120 SC with the 10mm lower headset spacer and have it in the steep/high setting. I will try removing the spacer for a zero-stack lower cup and see if that helps, and then go for slacker/lower positions if need be.

CannondaleF9 · Apr 5, 2022

williford said:
OP here, I finally had a chance to ride mine for the first time last night. Wow the Element is so fast! The acceleration and ability to hold speed reminds me of an XC bike (granted, I have XC tires and wheels) but the geo lets you descend aggressively. It is a trail weapon.

The one thing I want to change is the BB height which I found a little higher than I'm used to. I thought it cornered pretty good but it just felt a touch to high. Does anyone else feel that way?

My setup is a 120 SC with the 10mm lower headset spacer and have it in the steep/high setting. I will try removing the spacer for a zero-stack lower cup and see if that helps, and then go for slacker/lower positions if need be.

I am thinking I should take the 10mm spacer out and put in a zero stack, with a 130mm fork. I placed the Ride4 in the steepest setting, and I wonder if the BB will feel too tall due to all those factors.

I haven't had the chance to give mine a trail ride yet, but fingers crossed in a couple weeks I can. For now I am running my "trail" wheel/tire setup; Raceface AR30s off my Altitude, with a Dissector front/Rekon rear. That way I can get a sense for the bike, before putting on my XC setup for those longer summer rides when the trails are drier.

Jlar · Apr 5, 2022

williford said:
The one thing I want to change is the BB height which I found a little higher than I'm used to. I thought it cornered pretty good but it just felt a touch to high. Does anyone else feel that way?

My setup is a 120 SC with the 10mm lower headset spacer and have it in the steep/high setting. I will try removing the spacer for a zero-stack lower cup and see if that helps, and then go for slacker/lower positions if need be.

I thought the bb height was already quite low. BB drop varies from 36mm to 47mm. I can't think of a competing bike that has a lower bb in its slack setting.

trl88 · Apr 6, 2022

undergroundMTB said:
View attachment 1974334
View attachment 1974335
It happened.. the Element is an incredible bike, but I would say a little more of a trail bike that can be built pretty close to XC light. It would be a great option if you were looking for one bike to do it all!
I already have a Ripmo and was looking for a second bike that is as much of a rocket ship going up as it is down. The Epic Evo is just a notch above the Element in terms of efficiency?pedalability? (Not sure the right word here and don’t confuse that for the Element being inefficient).
So, yep, I swapped a few parts and have an XL Element for sale on pb (this particular frame never saw dirt).

I noticed you are running DHR2 2.35 on the front of your Epic Evo. Is that your usual setup? I just ordered a C90 which has 26mm carbon rims. I am building it as a trail bike and am considering either DHR2 2.4WT up front or a bit lighter Dissector 2.4WT? Will the 2.4 WT work very well on the 26mm rims or would you recommend the 2.3 DHF or DHR?

dischucker · Apr 6, 2022

williford said:
The one thing I want to change is the BB height which I found a little higher than I'm used to. I thought it cornered pretty good but it just felt a touch to high. Does anyone else feel that way?

I noticed the same thing. I did run my C50 in the low position for a while but put it back to the stock neutral after 2 weeks - very marginal difference and preferred the steeper seat angle in neutral. My bike shop is waiting on zero stack spacers from RMB and will let me know when they’re in to get swapped in for the 10mm headset.

I’ve got use to it now so I’m not so fussed but will probably swap it out when it is available.

CannondaleF9 · Apr 6, 2022

trl88 said:
I noticed you are running DHR2 2.35 on the front of your Epic Evo. Is that your usual setup? I just ordered a C90 which has 26mm carbon rims. I am building it as a trail bike and am considering either DHR2 2.4WT up front or a bit lighter Dissector 2.4WT? Will the 2.4 WT work very well on the 26mm rims or would you recommend the 2.3 DHF or DHR?

I would argue that the WT platform will be a little wobbly on 26mm rims. The last time I ran rims that narrow, were Sun Ringle 27s and the widest tire I used was a 2.35.
You can get away with it, but they will be a pain to install and will likely feel floppy in the corners. For such light, narrow rims, I'd probably run Rekon race tires myself, maybe an ikon rear/ardent race front (as I am on the stock i27s on my C50).

EskimoFriend · Apr 6, 2022

I did my first XC race with mine two weeks ago. The Element was very quick and handled great! The one thing that I really noticed was how well the bike handled really steep and technical climbs, even with the less aggressive tire set up in mud (Racing Ralph/Ray). I'm still thinking that changing the fork to the 120mm SC for racing is a good idea. With the 130mm and in the steepest ride-4 position I never felt the BB was too low, no noticeable pedal trikes on a very tight twisty root-laden trail.

Bumba · Apr 25, 2022

Finished my Element build. The Finnish importer had one M size frame available in March so decided to pull the trigger. Not a true weightweenie build but it turned out to be pretty light. Now just gotta wait for the snow to melt...

Frame	Rocky Mountain Element frameset size M - w/ shock & bolts, w/o seatclamp & rear axle	2287
Rear Axle	Rocky Mountain standard	48
Saddle clamp	Bikeyoke Squeezy w/ ti bolt	9
Fork	Sid ultimate 120mm - cut to length w/o axle	1517
Front Axle	RS Maxle Stealth	38
Crown race	Wolftooth premium	5
Headset lower	Wolftooth premium extended 10mm ZS56	56
Headset upper	Cane creek forty ZS44	40
Expander	Standard starnut	10
Bottom Bracket	Praxis M30 THRU mtb	57
Top cap	K-edge garmin mount w/ bolt	25

Front wheel	Duke lucky jack 6ters (30) dt240exp cx-ray, DT torque caps w/tape and valve	610
Front tire	29x2.4" wolfpack cross	716
Sealant front	Muc-off	100
Brake disc front	Ashima Aineon 180mm w/ ti bolts	101

Rear wheel	Duke lucky jack 6ters (30/28) dt240exp cx-ray w/tape and valve	674
Rear tire	29x2.4" wolfpack race	702
Sealant rear	Muc-off	112
Brake disc rear	Ashima Aineon 180mm w/ ti bolts	101

Seatpost	Oneup dropper v2 150mm	486
Dropper cable	KS Recourse ultralight	5
Dropper cable housing	KS Recourse ultralight	23
Dropper post lever	Wolftooth ReMote for magura (w/ clamp)	37
Saddle	Selle Italia X-LR Kit Carbonio Superflow	133

Bar	Pro Tharsis 3five mini rise 780mm (cut to 760)	190
Stem	Bikeyoke Barkeeper w/o bolts	82
Stem bolts	Bikeyoke ti bolts	8
Grips	Esi Racers edge (/w bar end plugs)	56

Crankset	e13 XCX race - w/ preload adjuster	349
Chainring	e13 Ultralight 34T	62
Rear derailleur	Sram Gx AXS w/ Garbaruk cage	387
Cassette	Garbaruk XD 10-48	335
Chain	YBN Yaban 12-speed SLA1210 cut to length, cleaned, w/ quicklink	220
Derailleur trigger	Sram Gx AXS	68

Rear brake	Magura MT trail sport (w/o clamps, bolts or brakepads) - cut to length	201
Rear brake pads	Magura 7P	21
Front brake	Magura MT trail sport (w/o clamps, bolts or brakepads) - Cut to length	211
Front brake pads	Magura 9P	23
Brake clamp right	Wolftooth clamp for Sram trigger	12
Brake clamp bolts	Magura standard (4 pcs)	11
Brake caliper bolts	Titanium Oil slick from R2 (4 pcs)	10

Pedals	M-Force 8 ti	216
Bottle cage(s)	TBA - probably Birzman Uncage Carbon

Total		10354

adub78 · May 6, 2022

Is anyone running this bike with 175mm cranks? I have 4 different MTBs (all rocky) and 3 of them are 175 with the other being 170mm cranks. I can't really tell the difference between them and don't have hip/knee issues when I switch between bikes. I am mostly curious if the BB height of the bike requires 170mm, or if the 175mm will be fine and not result in tons of pedal strikes. The lone bike that I have with 170mm cranks is the 2021 element and I run it in the neutral setting all of the time. With the new 22/23 element I would likely run it in the steep setting. Thanks for any advice from those who have one of these guys.

gfowkes · May 6, 2022

adub78 said:
Is anyone running this bike with 175mm cranks? I have 4 different MTBs (all rocky) and 3 of them are 175 with the other being 170mm cranks. I can't really tell the difference between them and don't have hip/knee issues when I switch between bikes. I am mostly curious if the BB height of the bike requires 170mm, or if the 175mm will be fine and not result in tons of pedal strikes. The lone bike that I have with 170mm cranks is the 2021 element and I run it in the neutral setting all of the time. With the new 22/23 element I would likely run it in the steep setting. Thanks for any advice from those who have one of these guys.

I've been running 165 cranks for the last two years and love them. Check out this recent article on PB. https://www.pinkbike.com/news/why-shorter-cranks-are-better-according-to-science.html

williford · May 6, 2022

adub78 said:
Is anyone running this bike with 175mm cranks? I have 4 different MTBs (all rocky) and 3 of them are 175 with the other being 170mm cranks. I can't really tell the difference between them and don't have hip/knee issues when I switch between bikes. I am mostly curious if the BB height of the bike requires 170mm, or if the 175mm will be fine and not result in tons of pedal strikes. The lone bike that I have with 170mm cranks is the 2021 element and I run it in the neutral setting all of the time. With the new 22/23 element I would likely run it in the steep setting. Thanks for any advice from those who have one of these guys.

I am running mine in steep mode with a 120mm fork and without the lower headset spacer and I've yet to strike a pedal. My opinion of the 130mm setup in steep mode is that the bb is too high.

adub78 · May 6, 2022

williford said:
I am running mine in steep mode with a 120mm fork and without the lower headset spacer and I've yet to strike a pedal. My opinion of the 130mm setup in steep mode is that the bb is too high.

and you're running the stock 170mm cranks?

williford · May 6, 2022

adub78 said:
and you're running the stock 170mm cranks?

Oops, I forgot to mention I'm running 175s

2022+ Element Build Thread

Jlar

gfowkes

Suns_PSD

andrewbn42

undergroundMTB

andrewbn42

undergroundMTB

williford

CannondaleF9

Jlar

trl88

dischucker

CannondaleF9

EskimoFriend

Bumba

adub78

gfowkes

williford

adub78

williford

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