[fishercat]

i have been very happy with my 2004 Slayer 30 which has now been upgraded to probably the level of a 50 with vanilla 130r and sweet mavic wheelset. It is my main bike for east coast tech xc riding. I am wondering how others like their slayers and what they mainly use them for. is the bike a bit heavy and short in the cockpit for tech xc/ what size do you ride and how tall are you? I'm 5'6" on a 16.5" slayer. just looking for some feedback from other slayer folks. thanks

 

[aveski2000]

Hi Fishercat,

I just got my new Slayer 50 last week. It's very sweet. It's going to take a while to tune it in. I've been out a couple of times just playing around. I got it for all mountain xc riding. I don't think I'll be doing much hucking although Greg and pufdup will probably try to encourage me. The only thing I'm not sure of are the tires. They are kinda heavy. I may put a set of Hutchinson Python Golds on it or try to find a set of light weight all mountain tires. Maybe I'll feel different when I get back into shape. I'm around 5''7" and 145 lbs. I also have the 16.5" frame. I think I'm going to really enjoy it. You have to come up and ride Aggie this year. Make the trip up Greg. Bring some of the other Boston Ragers with you. There is a lot of climbing but the downhills will be super fun. I'll keep you updated as I learn the bike. Hope to see you guys soon.

 

[fishercat]

hey, your bike looks great!! get rid of the tires though. I'm running wtb weirwolfs 2.5 front, 2.3 back, so far , so good. last year i ran nokian nbx 2.3's front and rear. also great tires.
i will come up with greg. how heavy is your bike??

 

[aveski2000]

Just shy of 30 lbs. I will be able to loose a pound or so by changing out the tires.

 

[Umbrous]

05 Slayer 30

I am wondering how others like their slayers and what they mainly use them for. is the bike a bit heavy and short in the cockpit for tech xc/ what size do you ride and how tall are you?

Well, I'm about a month into my new 05 Slayer 30. I use it mainly for technical XC here in Arizona and I've had no complaints regarding the travel or the ability for this bike to handle tight lines and climb steep mountains. I have ridden virtually all the Phoenix trails and the bike has held up nicely to all the abuse, including one crash at South Mountain's National Trail. Go here to see video of the trail. This bike handles all the trails very well and leaves little room for improvement.

Weight isn't a huge concern for me because I use to ride an old heavy @ss hardtail with virtually no suspension. The Slayer is actually lighter than that old hardtail. If I were to go on an epic long ride though I would want a lighter bike for sure.

I ride a 19 inch frame and I'm 5'11" and occassionally I do curse the bike when the pedals hit the ground. A little more clearance would be nice.

As for the stock tires something says no thanks, and I don't care for them, they're gone as soon as they partially worn. The verdict is still out on the wheels, I do believe they have taken the brunt of my abuse and my weight (210lbs). They don't seem to rotate as straight as before..hmm money gone.

Anyways I'm with you, I'll probably upgrade the fork at a later time.

 

[pufdup]

My Slayer has been a great bike. This will be my third season on it. Haven't had any major problems. I use mine for technical xc and light duty freeriding. No problems on 4-6 ft. drops. This year for tires I picked up a pair of Panaracer Fire FR 2.4's. Had light weight tires before and they didn't do the bike justice. I also got a beefier bottom bracket as well.

This bike has given me a ton of confidence and has left me wanting a bike with more travel. Nice bike by the way Avrum. Almost as nice as mine!