Bike Love
I determined that if I wasn't going to sulk all
summer, I needed to move past the loss on Ebay, and jump right in and purchase a
full suspension bike (because riding Susan's Rocky Mountain in Moab was just too much fun--I was hooked on full
suspension). I spent about a month researching bikes, and looking online for
the right one. When this 2005 Rocky Mountain Slayer 70 came up on Ebay,
I knew we had a good deal. Fortunately, through the painful lesson, I also knew
how to protect myself.
Rocky Mountain bicycles are made in Vancouver, Canada. The bikes are unique in that each one is hand built by a team of experts. Every step in the design and construction of the bike takes place in their factory and its been this way for the past 20 years. Their frames and wheels have a little sticker on them with the signature of the person who built it. This has always impressed me about this company. I've also been impressed at the component group on Susan's bike. Though it is not a top-of-the-line bling bling machine, the components, especially the fork, shock, and wheels, are solid, and the drive train is very functional. I'm new to disc brakes, so I don't have much to compare, but I thought that the Shimano LX hydraulic discs brakes on her bike were also very capable and well suited to the machine.
Onto some close-ups of the bike...
Up front, a 130mm (5.1 inch) FOX Vanilla RLC coil spring fork takes care of the bumps. This fork weighs in at a hair under 4lbs. So far, I haven't taken it on anything that's come close to bottoming it out, but it has been nice.
In the back, a custom valved Fox Float RP3, the "lightest oil damped air shock on the market," provides up to 5" of rear travel. I was skeptical of the "on the fly" adjustable ProPedal, the small blue knob, designed to convert the shock from bump-minimizing mode to super-squishy mode. Surprisingly, I found the ProPedal to work excellently, with very noticeable increments in shock response through the 3 settings. One thing I learned very quickly with full suspension bikes is to set the "sag" correctly. I read and re-read the owner's manual to this shock, and i think i finally have it set correctly. With too little air, the shock did bottom out on a couple of the larger hits, and there was noticeable ghost shifting from the rear derailler. After bringing the air pressure closer to my riding weight of 165lbs, bottoming out is minimal, and to my surprise, the shifting corrected itself.
The tubing is made from 7005 grade Easton Aluminum with Taperwall technology, a process touted to increase the strength to weight ratio while providing improved dampening.
Hubs, brakes, shifters, brake levers, cogs, and skewers are from Shimano's excellent XT group. I've been very impressed with all the components, most noticeably the hydraulic disc brakes. They have great stopping power, do not change in their strength/modulation throughout the ride, are quiet, and inspire confidence. This is the one component, however, where I am going to have to put some work in. The front calipers seem to be a little sticky. I plan to clean, bleed the hydraulics, and change out the front pads that are running thin. A small maintenance for such an excellent product.
Drive train is powered by the Race Face Deuce X-type crankset and bottom bracket matched to Shimano M540 pedals. Nice set.
The complete bike. It's the same year's as Susan's, in a similar blue color. I'm going to have to get a side-by-side picture soon, we have matching bikes!
Finally, my aging Gary Fisher hard tail (a 00' Big Sur) has been retired from cross country trail riding, and in its place is the new (to me) Rocky Mountain Slayer 70. We've been on at least one ride every week since its been here, and we've bonded quite nicely. Once the weather cools off, I'm hoping to get some longer rides in.
On another note, I've been commuting to work 3 to 4 days a week since May. According to mapmyrun.com, my daily commute is 7.35 miles round trip. It takes me 20min to get to work, door to door. I've been riding the trusty Fisher with some slicks on it, and its been addicting. I love the commute! I've decided to convert it to full road duty, but with the ability to turn it into a XC machine when needed. The project requires that I also use a minimal amount of money. So far, I've collected from various sources (and in various conditions, from gently used to new) a rigid fork, new pedals, new cranks, and a nice comfortable saddle. These parts were chosen to make the bike lighter, while at the same time, replacing some parts that have seen too many miles. The stock Bontrager cranks and pedals have over 2200 miles on them and probably have more to give! Way to go Keith!
I'm averaging ~40 road miles a week, given that I usually run an errand or ride my bike to the climbing gym. I'm loving my rekindled passion for cycling.
Rocky Mountain bicycles are made in Vancouver, Canada. The bikes are unique in that each one is hand built by a team of experts. Every step in the design and construction of the bike takes place in their factory and its been this way for the past 20 years. Their frames and wheels have a little sticker on them with the signature of the person who built it. This has always impressed me about this company. I've also been impressed at the component group on Susan's bike. Though it is not a top-of-the-line bling bling machine, the components, especially the fork, shock, and wheels, are solid, and the drive train is very functional. I'm new to disc brakes, so I don't have much to compare, but I thought that the Shimano LX hydraulic discs brakes on her bike were also very capable and well suited to the machine.
Onto some close-ups of the bike...
Up front, a 130mm (5.1 inch) FOX Vanilla RLC coil spring fork takes care of the bumps. This fork weighs in at a hair under 4lbs. So far, I haven't taken it on anything that's come close to bottoming it out, but it has been nice.
In the back, a custom valved Fox Float RP3, the "lightest oil damped air shock on the market," provides up to 5" of rear travel. I was skeptical of the "on the fly" adjustable ProPedal, the small blue knob, designed to convert the shock from bump-minimizing mode to super-squishy mode. Surprisingly, I found the ProPedal to work excellently, with very noticeable increments in shock response through the 3 settings. One thing I learned very quickly with full suspension bikes is to set the "sag" correctly. I read and re-read the owner's manual to this shock, and i think i finally have it set correctly. With too little air, the shock did bottom out on a couple of the larger hits, and there was noticeable ghost shifting from the rear derailler. After bringing the air pressure closer to my riding weight of 165lbs, bottoming out is minimal, and to my surprise, the shifting corrected itself.
The tubing is made from 7005 grade Easton Aluminum with Taperwall technology, a process touted to increase the strength to weight ratio while providing improved dampening.
Hubs, brakes, shifters, brake levers, cogs, and skewers are from Shimano's excellent XT group. I've been very impressed with all the components, most noticeably the hydraulic disc brakes. They have great stopping power, do not change in their strength/modulation throughout the ride, are quiet, and inspire confidence. This is the one component, however, where I am going to have to put some work in. The front calipers seem to be a little sticky. I plan to clean, bleed the hydraulics, and change out the front pads that are running thin. A small maintenance for such an excellent product.
Drive train is powered by the Race Face Deuce X-type crankset and bottom bracket matched to Shimano M540 pedals. Nice set.
The complete bike. It's the same year's as Susan's, in a similar blue color. I'm going to have to get a side-by-side picture soon, we have matching bikes!
Finally, my aging Gary Fisher hard tail (a 00' Big Sur) has been retired from cross country trail riding, and in its place is the new (to me) Rocky Mountain Slayer 70. We've been on at least one ride every week since its been here, and we've bonded quite nicely. Once the weather cools off, I'm hoping to get some longer rides in.
On another note, I've been commuting to work 3 to 4 days a week since May. According to mapmyrun.com, my daily commute is 7.35 miles round trip. It takes me 20min to get to work, door to door. I've been riding the trusty Fisher with some slicks on it, and its been addicting. I love the commute! I've decided to convert it to full road duty, but with the ability to turn it into a XC machine when needed. The project requires that I also use a minimal amount of money. So far, I've collected from various sources (and in various conditions, from gently used to new) a rigid fork, new pedals, new cranks, and a nice comfortable saddle. These parts were chosen to make the bike lighter, while at the same time, replacing some parts that have seen too many miles. The stock Bontrager cranks and pedals have over 2200 miles on them and probably have more to give! Way to go Keith!
I'm averaging ~40 road miles a week, given that I usually run an errand or ride my bike to the climbing gym. I'm loving my rekindled passion for cycling.
Posted: Sat - July 21, 2007 at 12:14 AM
Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jul 23, 2007 12:47 AM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jul 23, 2007 12:47 AM