REVIEW: 2011 Rocky Mountain Slayer 70

All-mountain bikes are the biggest selling bike category these days for good reason: they’re arguably the most versatile bikes and they tend to be the most fun to ride. Rocky Mountain Bicycles has been producing AM bikes even before marketing departments came up with the term, with the company’s Slayer model occupying that category for the last decade.

For the last several years, the Slayer has used Rocky’s Low Centre Counter Rotating (LC2R) single pivot design. It worked fine, but Rocky thought it could improve the ride experience. In order to do that, Rocky redesigned the Slayer around its SmoothLink suspension system and StraightUp geometry concept, both of which had already proven successful on its Altitude trail bike.

At first glance, SmoothLink may look like the Horst Link design you see on bikes from Specialized and Norco (among others), but there’s a fundamental difference. Horst Links are characterized by a chainstay pivot in front of and below the rear axle, whereas the SmoothLink pivot is in front and above the rear axle.

The 2011 Rocky Mountain Slayer 70, outfitted with a non-stock KS i950R height adjustable post. There are two cable guides on the top tube for attaching the cable for the post. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

According to Rocky, the SmoothLink design minimizes pedal feedback and effectively eliminates pedal bob by keeping the average chain torque line parallel to the lower link (the line between main pivot and rear pivot).

The design also minimizes chain growth on the Slayer, in order to keep the rear suspension more active. The Slayer’s linear rising suspension rate is supposed to make the suspension feel bottomless, preventing the bike from wallowing in the middle of the rear shock stroke and letting the bike ride higher in its travel for a more active ride.

StraightUp geometry is even simpler: the seat angle is steeper. In the case of the Slayer, it’s 75° – much steeper than the 70° or 71° that you often see in AM bikes. The idea is that this seat angle better position you to get power to the pedals, while also reducing pressure on your lower back and special bits. When StraightUp debuted on the Altitude, many people thought Rocky was crazy, but they stopped saying that after a ride or two.

All of that sounds good, but does it work? That’s what we’re about to find out.

The bike itself
The Slayer frame has been highly modified for 2011. Rocky uses it own highly engineered RMB FORM 7005 aluminum tubing and hydroforming has been used extensively throughout. Even the seat tube has been shaped in several different planes to provide a strong mounting point for the upper shock mount and greater surface area at the bottom bracket junction. 

The intersection of three big tubes, all put together at an appropriate angle for the intended application. Hydroforming is the way manufacturers are going these days, and the Rocky has its fair share of manipulated tubing. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Other changes? The bike gets a tapered head tube that boosts stiffness considerably. You’ll also find guides for a height-adjustable seatpost welded onto the non-drive side of the top tube. Not everyone is doing this, and it’s very nice to see.

I started with a standard post, but switched to a KS i950R height-adjustable post near the end of the test. So far, the post has been a good investment, although it’s not perfect. HA posts aren’t cheap and they aren’t light, but they’re such a great addition to just about any bike that the upsides easily outweigh the drawbacks. Rocky chose not to spec one on the Slayer because they felt that consumers would like to have the option of picking their own post. Adding a post would have also pushed up the price of the bike.

The SmoothLink suspension design puts the rear pivot above the axle, so it doesn’t infringe on Specialized’s Horst Link patent. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

All cables other than the front brake and HA post are routed under the down tube. They’re attached at three points using a clamping system that screws into an attachment point on the tube. The ’11 Slayer frames are Hammerschmidt compatible, if you want to run that system.

Other evidence that someone was thinking ahead when they designed this bike: bolts on the Slayer rear suspension linkage only require a single sized Allen wrench on one side. Rocky’s Granny Sandwich, a plate that mounts behind the ISCG chainguide tabs, keeps the chain in place and should virtually eliminate stuck or dropped chains.

The chainstay-mounted front derailleur uses an e-type mounting. You can also see the front of the chain plate sitting between the bashguard and the frame. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Like several other companies, Rocky is getting into the 142mm rear end game for 2011. The Slayer features Shimano’s new 142x12mm E-Thru rear hub system for a stiffer rear end and improved wheel installation. Machined grooves in the rear dropouts make it easy to align the rear axle.

Unlike some other versions of the 142 rear end that are appearing this year, the Slayer’s rear axle uses a quick release lever on the non-drive side. Personally, I prefer having the quick release there – it just makes wheel removals and installations that much easier.

The Slayer’s rear end may look similar to other bikes, but there are some subtle and important differences. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Numbers for the new Slayer are a mix of standard all-mountain and unique variations. They roll out as follows: 165mm of rear travel, a 66.5° head angle and 6.1″ head tube, 24.4″ / 620mm of horizontal top tube length in the XL frame, 16.85” chainstays and a 47.04” wheelbase.

The bike that I’m testing is the Slayer 70, which comes with top-shelf parts. That (long) list includes a Fox 36 TALAS fork, FOX RP23 XV custom valved rear shock, a Cane Creek semi-integrated head set, Easton Haven stem and carbon bar, Formula The ONE DH disc brakes with 180mm rotors, SRAM X-9 9-speed shifters and a Matchmaker clamp that’s compatible with the Formula brakes, a Shimano SLX e-type front derailleur mounted on the chain stay, Race Face Sixc carbon cranks set up with a bashbuard and 32/22T rings, Rocky house-brand hubs, an 11-34T cassette, DT Swiss EX 500 tubeless compatible rims, Maxxis Ardent kevlar bead tires with 2.4” on the front and 2.25” on the rear, an Easton EA70 seat post and a fi’zi:k Gobi XM saddle.

Weight for that complete package, with Shimano 545 pedals in the 20.5” size, was 31.26 lbs. Frame weight, including shock, is 3209g (7.07 lbs) according to Rocky.

Ride impressions
During the three months that I tested the Slayer, I rode it in a wide range of conditions: on rooty, technical Shore trails, in the fast and flowy singletrack of Squamish and on some epic backcountry rides in the Chilcotin region, which is located two hours north of Whistler.

Rides lasted anywhere from two to eight hours, and involved anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000’ or more of climbing. And when I was lucky, they also involved a similar amount of descending. About the only things I didn’t do with the Slayer were take it on shuttle runs or in the bike park, which is fine considering that it’s an all-mountain bike.

The Slayer is a visually striking bike, but what really got my attention was when I threw a leg over it and found out how amazingly well it climbed. My first ride on the bike started with a technical singletrack climb that I normally have to stand up and hammer through. This time, however, I put the bike in the 32/34T combination and spun all the way to the top. As promised, there was no noticeable pedal bob, although there was some minor pedal feedback if you shifted while the suspension was compressing.

The Slayer excelled in technical singletrack situations. || Photo: Vicki Cunningham

All of a sudden, this trail felt like a standard middle-ring climb rather than a technical uphill grunt. The bike didn’t spin out, it didn’t lose momentum and it felt like it did in fact sit higher in its travel rather than wallowing. I was able to focus on keeping the pedals turning rather than maintaining my line or powering over obstacles, which was a definite plus.

More importantly, I didn’t have to work harder to get up the hill. I made sections of trail that had forced me to dismount in the past, and I was considerably less tired when I got to the top. As far as I was concerned, that was a big win right out of the gate for the Slayer and the credit goes to the StraightUp geometry. It also seemed to alleviate some of the pressure on my lower back. I often get tightness in my lower back when I’m riding with a large pack, and didn’t notice that at all on the Slayer.

Moving your body further towards the front of the bike rather than having you off the back and changing the center of gravity makes a lot of sense, especially for taller riders who get further back as they move their seatposts up. The StraightUp geometry also moved the saddle forward a little bit, making it easier to get back on steep or technical sections.

The ride was just as good when the trail levelled out and then headed downhill. This was my first time riding a bike that uses the SmoothLink suspension design, and I liked what I found. The rear end tracked well going over trail obstacles, as well as staying firmly planted during heavy braking – one of the real shortcomings of the single pivot design used on the last iteration of the Slayer. It was also lively, without feeling skittish or nervous – likely due to the bike’s ability to sit higher in its travel.

Choosing to go with a 142mm rear end was also a good decision. It keeps the back of the bike very stiff through all types of terrain, and ensures that there is very little deflection at the rear wheel. I didn’t encounter any wheel rub during the course of the test, even after switching to a wider rear tire.

Wheelbase on all-mountain bikes can have a big impact on the ride quality. Too long and you feel like you’re riding a freeride bike. The bike can feel sluggish at slower speeds. Too short and it can be choppy or skittish – more like a slopestyle bike. At 47.04”, the 20.5” Slayer was definitely on the longer end of the spectrum for AM bikes. Compare that to other extra large AM bikes: the Santa Cruz Nomad is 46.1”, the Giant Reign 46.0” and the Specialized Enduro 47.75”. 

Numbers notwithstanding, the wheelbase felt spot-on. The Slayer was able to handle tight, twisty singletrack very well, and was able to manoeuvre on man-made obstacles with confidence. It also handled high speeds like a bike with an extra inch of travel, making it easy to fly down fast descents with a lot of confidence. Combine the longer wheelbase with a good fork and the SmoothLink rear suspension and you have a bike that lets you really enjoy the downhill you just earned with that long climb.

A healthy wheelbase made it easy to rip downhill sections on the Slayer. There was also enough room to move around on top of the bike. || Photo: Vicki Cunningham

Head angles play a big part in handling and ride characteristics for a bike, and this was another area where Rocky chose good numbers. The Slayer is pegged at 66.5°, which is the same as the Enduro but 0.5° slacker than the Nomad and 1.5° slacker than the Reign. You’re now treading in what used to be freeride head angle territory, but things change over time and the slacker head angle makes sense when matched up with the longer wheelbase, stout front end and capable rear suspension.

The end result is a bike handles exceptionally well when you get it up to speed without being so slack that it loses confidence in slower, more technical terrain.

The good stuff…
There were a number of things that I really liked about the new Slayer. The first was the combination of the rear suspension design and the seat angle. SmoothLink suspension and StraightUp geometry work very well together and made climbing very easy. I was sitting and spinning up trails that would normally be a real chore. Thumbs up for that.

Weight on the Slayer 70 was also very reasonable. Not spectacular, but reasonable. A 20.5” bike with stock parts and a set of Shimano 545 clipless pedals weighed in at 31.26 lbs. That increased by about a pound when I changed the components to accommodate personal preference (wider bar, longer post and different saddle, different tires). In spite of the added heft, the Slayer still climbed exceptionally well and the overall bike weight was never an issue.

Most of the component spec on the Slayer performed exactly as it should for the duration of the test. The Sixc cranks are great, the bar / stem / seatpost combo were sufficiently stiff and did their thing. The SRAM shifters and rear derailleur worked consistently, although the cables were getting a bit gunky by the end of the test. The Shimano front derailleur needed a little fine tuning to eliminate rubbing, but was smooth for most of the test.

In spite of the longer wheelbase, the Slayer was still able to navigate tight corners like this sandy little gem without any problem. || Photo: Vicki Cunningham

Spec’ing Maxxis Advent tires in the two different widths was an interesting move, but they worked well enough and were light for such a high-volume tire. Riders may want to switch them out for something different that will suit their particular riding conditions or styles, especially once the stock rubber wears out, but they’re good enough to start with.

I like Fox forks, and the two-position 2011 Fox TALAS fork was all that you’d expect: just over 6″ of smooth, progressive travel and a stiff chassis. The new travel-adjust knob is easy to work but I do miss the mid-travel 140mm setting that was available on earlier versions of this fork. There are times when you want more than 120mm of travel but don’t quite want 160mm. Minor, though, and the great attributes of this fork certainly outweigh that. I was very pleased to see that Rocky didn’t go with a 15mm fork, which many companies make a mistake of spec’ing on their long-travel AM bikes.

On the back end of the Slayer, the RP23 was another pleasant surprise. I wasn’t sure if the shock would be able to deal with everything I was throwing it at, given that I weigh in at 220 lbs plus gear, but it didn’t disappoint. The rear suspension did indeed feel linear as promised, and definitely didn’t wallow in the middle of the stroke. It was also able to handle bigger hits – landings never felt harsh and the bike was able to plow through rough downhill lines with confidence. A DHX air shock might seem like the logical choice for this bike, but the RP23 was never outgunned, so I have to say that it was a good call.

The one area where the shock did let me down was in the compression tuning, which showed up in a lack of difference between the three ProPedal settings. As this review was being prepared, however, Rocky let me know that they have refined the shock tune in time for the production model release of the bike.

According to Rocky engineer Jamie Stafford, who designed the Slayer, “the production tune on the shock will work better with the frame’s linkage rate, and ultimately allow the rider more adjustability between the three ProPedal settings with a little less air pressure in the can. This will essentially liven up the shock’s performance and improve the overall feel.” Which sounds like a really good thing to me.

Tuning on the shock fitted to the test bike seemed pretty good, so I can only imagine how sweet it will with revalved compression. You can also see the highly manipulated seat and down tube in this shot. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

… And the not-so-good
Unfortunately, there were a few things that I didn’t love about the Slayer. None of them were major, but they did keep the bike from being perfect.

The biggest drawback for me was a relatively low bottom bracket, which resulted in a higher than average number of crank and/or pedal strikes on rough, rooty trails. 

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UPDATE: Rocky provided the height of the BB after this review went live – 13.85″ with stock tires. That’s 0.35″ higher than the number I originally posted.

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That compares to 13.77” on the Enduro and 14” on the Nomad. Obviously, that number drops even lower when you’ve got the fork in the short-travel mode. 

Clipping a pedal or crank when you’re powering through a tough section can interrupt your flow, but it can also be hard on the equipment – especially equipment like the Race Face Sixc carbon cranks on the Slayer 70. There are rubber boots for the carbon cranks, so make sure you have a set installed if you’re riding in rocky terrain. You may also want to pay attention to your pedal strokes rather than just hammering through the chunder. “May” being the operative word here. I just kept on going.

UPDATE: Rocky also expressed concern that the pressure in the rear shock may have been low, resulting in more pedal / crank contact. It is possible that I was running slightly more than the recommended sag, but I still experienced a much higher than normal number of pedal and crank strikes on a trail that I ride regularly.

This kind of terrain was a piece of cake coming down, but would require some finesse going up if you wanted to do it without polishing the end of your cranks. || Photo: Vicki Cunningham

The second issue was the Formula The ONE disc brakes. They may fall under the category of Gucci stoppers and the weight may be good for a DH brake, but I didn’t particularly care for them. They had an on-and-off feel that was very wooden and it was difficult to get the lever as close to the bar as I like. Brakes are a really important part of the bike / rider equation as far as I’m concerned, and these ones didn’t cut it for me. I switched them out for a set of Avid Elixirs and was much happier. 

Formula’s The ONE brakes certainly look nice but when it came to performance on the trail, I didn’t like them. The fact that they have their own Matchmaker-type clamp to combine the brakes with Avid shifters is a nice touch, but not enough to save them. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Third area of concern was the top tube length. Rocky has always made bikes with short top tubes, and the new Slayer is no exception. Top tube on the 20.5″ Slayer is 620mm, compared to 645mm on the Enduro and 629mm on the Nomad, and that’s too short for an XL bike. In fact, it’s very close in size to some companies’ size L bikes. Swapping stems can mitigate the issue, but I would much rather run a shorter stem on a longer frame than the other way around. I suspect that shorter top tube length carries on down the size range, so be sure to check fit if you’re going from another make of bike to a Rocky.

Next was cable routing. I don’t mind the idea of running cables underneath the down tube because it results in a very clean looking frame, even though there is the potential for damaging the rear brake line when going over a rock or root. The larger issue is the amount of crap this particular mounting system seems to attract. Rather than using three separate cable guides, Rocky bunches rear derailleur, front derailleur and rear brake cables together, leaving just enough room to trap plenty of dirt, mud and other debris in and around the cables. 

The rear derailleur, rear brake and front derailleur cables all run under the down tube. A system of clamps hold them onto the frame, and a neoprene / velcro sleeve hold them together where they pass under the BB. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

The cables weren’t the only area that seemed to attracted a lot of dirt. The matte black finish on the Slayer 70 is very slick when it’s clean, but it’s a dust magnet. After a week in the Chilcotins, it was hard to tell what colour the frame really was. Combine dust with dripping sweat, water or energy drink and mud, and the frame looks well-worn very quickly.

There were also plenty of places on the rocker arm, rear triangle, around the bottom bracket and on the bottom of the down tube that will collect mud. You’ll be hosing this bike off regularly in wet weather if you want to keep it clean.

The Slayer 70 frame attracted copious amounts of dirt and dust. This was after an hour of riding on a logging road. Note also the machining on the rocker arms and stays, not to mention the area behind the seat tube. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

None of these things are deal breakers, but they’re all things to be aware of – especially if you ride a lot of technical singletrack or are a tall rider who likes a long top tube.

Final thoughts
I had a lot of fun testing the Slayer, enough that I’m seriously considering picking one up for myself when production versions are available. It climbs amazingly well thanks to StraightUp geometry – better than any bike that I’ve ridden in a very long time. The SmoothLink suspension design provides a plush, efficient ride that tracks very well through rough terrain and the 142mm rear end with the thru axle ensures that it’s sufficiently stiff. Those things alone make this bike a solid performer. The fact that the Slayer is capable of handling just about every type of all-mountain riding you can throw at it is an added bonus. 

As noted, there were a few things that kept the Slayer from being perfect. Some of them will be bigger issues than others, depending on how tall you are, where you ride and whether you’re fastidious about your bike’s appearance. Keep them in mind when you’re shopping – for this, or any other bike. 

The 2011 Slayer is a huge leap forward for Rocky from the last version of the Slayer both in terms of design and execution, and it’s is well worthy of being on your short list if you’re looking for a new all-mountain bike.

The new Slayers are available in Rocky’s standard size range: 15”, 16.5”, 18”, 19” and 20.5”. MSRP for the Slayer 70 is CAD$4,999 CAD / US$4,399, while the mid-level Slayer 50 comes in at CAD$3,999 / US$3,399, and the entry-level Slayer 30 will go for CAD$3,199 CAD / US$2,749. Riders who want to build their own bike will be able to pick up a Slayer 70 frame for CAD$1,899 CAD / US$1,699. Expect the new Slayers to be appearing in bike shops some time in late fall or early winter 2010.

PROS

• StraightUp geometry makes climbing easier and takes pressure off your back
• SmoothLink suspension is efficient, supple and keeps the rear end planted
• the bike handles very well at speed, thanks to the longer wheelbase and slacker head angle
• it also handles well in slower, more technical terrain
• several features illustrate the attention to detail that went into this bike (guides for the HA post, Granny Sandwich, ISCG mounts, one size bolt for the rear linkage)
• weight is good for this size and type of bike
• parts spec (with the exception of the brakes) is very good

CONS

• lower bottom bracket means more pedal / crank strikes
• the top tube is a little on the short side
• the brakes may not suit your tastes
• matte black finish and machined parts attract dirt

– Stuart Kernaghan

 

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Like what you see? Think that this could be your new AM weapon? Or is Rocky messing with a classic here? Head over to the boards and let everyone on the world wide web know what you’re thinking.