|
10/06/2008
|
 |
The toughest thing about reviewing gear is the moment when you have to take your hands off the grips and put them on the keyboard. I imagine the separation anxiety we experience is akin to how a parent feels when dropping their child at school for the first time. Maybe that's pushing it, but you get the idea.
A few weeks ago, I unveiled the RMX Team, a bike that the folks at Vancouver's
Rocky Mountain Bikes sent
to our gear department for deployment into the forests of BC. After my initial
inspection and report,
I had the chance to load the new steed up into the truck and take her off to
the trails.
Whenever I get on something new, I like to go to my favorite trails first, where I am comfortable enough to stay in one piece and focus on what the gear beneath me is doing. So the RMX's maiden voyage was my weekly Sunday
morning meeting with the trails on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver.
Set Up
Before I jump into the results of my test, you should know I am 5'11" and 175 lbs. The medium frame came with 2 rear shocks sprung for a 170-185lb rider; the Fox RC with Pro-Pedal was running a 400lb spring, and the Manitou Swinger 4-Way had a 350lb spring. The 888r had been dialed in and required no further adjustment beyond what was available externally (compression and rebound).
Corey & Baron taking a trail-side rest.Getting to know the RMX
Those who have spent any time on previous RM models will feel familiar with the cockpit of the RMX right away. My first run was down some of my all time favorite trails, Wild Cherry into Roach Clip. These little gems offer a wide variety of terrain, starting with steep, technical lines with into open rock faces, and moving into tight singletrack, with the grand finale of a few great jumps and an eye watering high-speed tear out onto the road. After this first ride, I spent 2 months with the RMX, visiting all three of the legendary North Shore mountains and traveling east right through to the Woodlot in Mission.
 One of the first things that really stood out after the first ride was the feel of the improved rear suspension design over previous models. The oversize bearings combined with a wider linkage and longer stroke shock made for a smooth, solid ride. The rear end tracks well and maintains a progressive feel over a wide range of terrain. It's supple on the small stuff and ramps up on harder hits and misjudged landings. The RMX is a freeride bike; it doesn't have the super deep feeling of a more DH-oriented bike, something freeriders will appreciate and DH'ers will miss. As well, the high bottom bracket provides ample clearance over obstacles and keeps your chainguide from getting abused.
The frame was clearly built to accommodate the big eight inch travel Bomber, maintaining a 66.75 degree head angle, which is slack enough to tackle nasty steeps with confidence but steep enough to maintain some snap in slower, tighter corners.
Corners: It took me a few rides to figure out how to make the bike turn
well at speed. The longer cockpit likes your body to be centered, and the more
you lean it, the faster it will carve. With the help of the super-tacky 2.5
Maxxis Minions I could lie
the bike down in corners with confidence.
Jumps: I am no Wade Simmons when it comes to air-time, but I do get the rubber off the dirt now and then. For the few air miles that I earned on the bike, it felt balanced and stable.
Pedalling: This bike comes with a few rear shock options, determined by the model you select. The Wade Simmons and straight RMX come with the Fox RC Pro-Pedal and the Team and Pro models come with the Swinger 6-Way. The test bike had a Swinger 4-Way and a Fox RC Pro-Pedal. Each shock shines in it's own way on this bike.
Baby Got Back
There seems to be two types of riders on suspension bikes, and Rocky is catering to each of them. There are those that live and die for the adjustments and tweaking (author's note: 'yeah, that would be me') and those that want something they can set up and forget about, the less knobs the better. With that in mind, each of the available rear shocks on the RMX lend themselves to one of those specific audiences.
Swinger 4-Way - This Manitou
damper features an air adjusted SPV, external rebound, and spring preload. After
half a dozen rides, I was able to find what I felt was the best set-up for me.
I was running 125 psi in the shock, and had the volume adjuster 1.5 turns in.
The rebound was run between 4-6 clockwise clicks in. When you stand up and pedal,
the Swinger does a good job of filtering out your pedal strokes unless you really
pound it. When you are seated on long climbs, the 8" rear suspension feels like
a 3" XC bike; something your legs will really appreciate.
 I found the SPV shock 'danced' a bit on smaller frequency bumps, like exposed roots and smaller rocks. The tradeoff is that it comes alive at speed and floats through abusive sections like a land-yacht Cadillac and ramps up beautifully on the ugly stuff.
The SPV air chamber on the shock released air pressure over time. I had to check and adjust it every few rides, not a big issue, but if you are the kind of person that likes to set and forget, it will probably bother you. If you are not technically confident setting up your own gear, it would be a good idea to have your shop tech walk you through it the first time. The technology is there, and you need to be sure that you are accessing it to its potential.
Fox RC Pro-Pedal: The Fox
Pro-Pedal was their all-new (2004) answer to stable platform valving. Rather
than using air to help regulate the pedaling platform, they use a spring loaded
"threshold" type valve system which is set up in the factory and non-adjustable.
It feels much like other Fox shocks, buttery-smooth, but with a more "valved"
feel. There isn't really anything to set-up beyond spring rate and the external
compression and rebound adjustment. I ran the compression 3 clicks in, and the
rebound 7-9 clicks in.
The Pro-Pedal does its job. Like the Swinger, it give the bike a short-travel feel during seated climbs, and filters out all but the hardest pedal strokes when you are out of the saddle. The Fox shines in it's simple set up; it's something you can dial in and forget about. Another positive characteristic of this shock was that, unlike the Swinger, the Fox remained smooth over small chatter.
Stealth Bombers
The Marzocchi 888 was a fork that created serious excitement when rumors began to fly in 2003 about a sub-8lb fork boasting 8" of travel. It's nice to see Rocky recognize this and spec it on their flagship bike. The stealth black 888r features an all new cartridge design that helps keep the weight down and performance up and comes with a massive range of adjustable rebound and compression.
The 888r is the smoothest fork I've ridden. The harder you push it, the better it gets. It has the ability to make what looks like another pass over the bars turn into a minor vibration in the grips.
Report Card
Overall, Rocky has done an excellent job at taking a popular design to the next level. The feedback from their Jedi squad of team riders has clearly influenced the creation of a far more aggressive, feature-packed model. The RMX was delivered to us after being test piloted by one of the big names in our sport. It was then subjected to 2 months of abuse in all weather conditions, and when it was finally parked, still remained as the tight as the moment it arrived.
The finish on the test bike was not the candy-red paint featured on the production RMX Team. However, the gloss black paint and decal kit held up well to being dumped a handful of times, shuttled, and rubbed by dirty gear while pedaling. If this is any indication of the quality of the OEM finish, then it gets a big thumbs up. As well, the welds were impeccable, flowing and consistent like a stack of dimes.
The "road to review" didn't come without a few hitches. While the RMX shined in most areas, it did have some flaws. I experienced chain-suck frequently on rough terrain. The chain would make contact with the tire and get sucked in between the 2.5" Minion and the swing arm. The 2.5" tire had ample clearance, and I could only see this as getting worse if you were to run a larger tire. The primary cause seemed to be chainline related. Hpwever, as I mentioned before, our bike was not a stock build, and the Saint BB and cranks may bring the rings out enough to provide proper clearance. Another possible solution could be a 150mm rear hub, which would also push the chainline away from the tire.
The bike we had, featured a BMX style bolt-on hub. On one ride, the hub managed to work itself loose in the dropouts after a crooked landing. I speculate this is a result of the axle nuts wearing into the aluminum drop-outs as the bike was breaking in, exaggerated by the slight amount of flex inherent to a swing-arm type design. This could be addressed with a true thru-axle dropout like some other swing-arm type bikes use, and it would also compliment the beefy new Thrust Link by stiffening the rear end even further.
Another possible concern I had about this bike is that the medium size felt like a large. The combination of the large feeling frame and high bottom bracket made for tight stand-over for my lanky 5'11" chassis. It wasn't an issue on fast, natural terrain, but it concerned me on skinnies and slow, tech trails. I may have been better off with a small size frame.
The Jury Is In
The feedback from riders, the hard work from the design engineers, and the detailed craftsmanship has put the RMX in the spotlight. Having ridden the RM bikes of the past, I can say with confidence that the 2004 bike towers over the previous models. Throw in any recent bike flick and odds are you'll see one of these flying high, piloted by guys who are taking our sport to the next level. The stock build features some of the latest and greatest gear and bolts it to a frame that will continue to guarantee the RMX seat at the head table in the freeride market.
| *Specs: |
5.0  |
| Ride: |
3.5  |
| Price: |
3  |
| Overall: |
4.0  |
|
| Pros: |
Cons: |
-- high quality craftsmanship
- durable suspension design with replaceable oversized cartridge bearings
- rear shock options
|
- chain-suck issue may require some rider tweaking
- costly as frame only
- riders may want a size smaller than they expected
|
|
*Specs based on the equipment tested, not the complete build
Corey Anderson
The RMX Team is available at Rocky Mountain dealers as a complete bike at
a MSRP of $5999 and as a frame and shock for $2799 (Canadian funds).
For more info check out the Rocky
Mountain Web site.
|
