2011 Rocky Mountain Slayer Dissected
Late in 2009 I started to hear some rumblings about a possible revamp of the Slayer for 2011 from the ‘God Father’ of Freeride, and fellow Rocky Mountain athlete, Wade Simmons. I was instantly pumped about a possible overhaul of the Slayer and adamant that I be involved in the R & D process. So, after a few emails and some well placed phone calls, I got my hands on one of the five prototypes.
My 2011 Rocky Mountain Slayer. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
My initial impressions of the R1 (the original Slayer prototype) was that it climbed like a firecracker, it was as agile as it was stiff, and it descended like nobody’s business. However, on the steeps the R1 seemed a bit sketchy. My main issue with the R1 was its head angle. At 67.5°, I felt that it was too steep for an all-mountain ‘do everything’ rig. As it turned out, all the testers agreed. Working with Jamie Stafford, the Lead Designer on the Slayer project at Rocky, we hammered out the issue and the R2 was produced for testing.
If you haven’t ridden ‘Ladies Only’ on Fromme Mountain in North Vancouver recently, you’ll be amazed. Photo: Dave Bryson
From the R2 was born the 2011 Slayer. As stated by Mr. Stafford, the main goal at Rocky was “to create the best … aggressive all-mountain bike possible,” and I believe they have accomplished their goal. With a revised head angle of 66.5° and some minor tweaks to the tubing of the R2, the Slayer is now dialed. These changes produced the perfect ‘do-it-all’ style of bike. It pounds uphill, somewhat akin to the prowess of a Nigerian dwarf mountain goat on amphetamines, and on the way down, shreds the gnarliest and steepest terrain and on the North Shore of Vancouver there is no limit to the two.
The Slayer doing its thing. Photo: Jerry Willows
The Frame
With the 2011 Rocky Mountain Slayer, it’s not all about the fact that this bike offers 165mm of rear travel and weighs less than 7 pounds with my rear shock. Nor is it all about its slack head angle of 66.5°, or its relaively low BB height which both make descending effortless. Or its steep seat tube angle of 75°, which makes climbing a pleasure. And it’s not even the Slayer’s sexy tapered tubing and its 1 1/8 to 1.5 head tube, or its 12-by-135mm rear end, which adds to the overall stiffness and aesthetics of this frame. It’s about the little details. Details like the anodized rocker plates and hardware, its clean and efficient cable routing system, an uninterrupted seat tube (12”), single tool linkage hardware, an E-type front derailleur, which all prove that this bike is a well thought out piece of engineering. In short, the frame is light, stiff, responsive, and throws the hurt to the dirt regardless of my wheels’ orientation.
The little things. Love the clean and effective cable routing system on the Slayer. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Suspension
For 2010, I was running the very tuneable and stylish Rock Shox Lyrik Solo Air fork. The Lyric is one of the lightest air spring forks around, weighing in at an impressive 4.82 pounds while featuring 170mm of squish. For the rear, I opted for the more robust Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 with a 450 pound titanium spring. Why go Ti? Well, because titanium is twice as flexible as steel and, more importantly, weighs only about half as much. The Vivid in combination with the Slayer’s ‘SmoothLink’ suspension system eats up the rough stuff, and its linear rising suspension rate ensures a predictable, smooth and plush ride.
I have to give a big shout-out to James and Arthur at SuspensionWerx for the custom tune on my suspension. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Control Centre
I have to say that I love the feel of my Truvativ Boobars – 780mm wide, 20mm rise, and a 7° back sweep feel perfect on my Slayer. And when combined with my 50mm Truvativ Holzfeller stem (CNC’d and forged Al-66), I find myself in a neutral riding position, and ready for those hairy descents. As for my shifting, it is always flawless thanks to my Sram X.O Trigger shifters. Running X.O components is such an asset. If you don’t believe me, try some. I guarantee you’ll never go back. I also love the adjustable pull lever/clamp position feature of these shifters.
Sram, Truvativ, and Avid has me covered. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Seat and Seat Post
WTB has graciously stepped up for 2010 and is sponsoring the team for saddles. I am running the WTB Rocket V, which features titanium rails, and weighs in at 215 grams. And, if it’s good enough for current DH world champion Steve Peat of the Santa Cruz Syndicate, I guess it’s good enough for me?
Riding a Shore classic. Ladies Only on Mount Fromme, North Vancouver, BC. Photo: Dave Bryson
Truvativ’s Noir carbon fibre seat post keeps me pointed on those climbs. The Noir weighs a minuscule 225 grams, and utilizes titanium hardware for that extra touch of sickness.
WTB and Truvativ, enough said. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Brakes
When deciding which brakes to run for twenty-ten, the Elixir were an easy choice. The power and modulation you get from these brakes is second to none. I decided to go with the all new Elixir CR Mags which weigh in at an impressive 330 grams, feature an ultra-light magnesium body, carbon fiber lever, updated master cylinder, and new U-Clamp for easy adjustments. To compliment the CR Mags I went with the more than adequate 185mm rotors.
Rubber
Maxxis Ardent 3C (Triple Compound) 2.4 low rolling resistant, traction designed tires never fail to hook-up for me. Love these tires for aggressive all-mountain riding. I like to run the 2-ply tires for riding on the Shore, and Sea-to-Sky corridor as an insurance policy against flats.
The rubber of choice for 2010. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Drivetrain
For cranks I am running Truvativ’s answer to all-mountain riding, the Stylo OCT. My 170mm Stylos weigh in at 913 grams with the bash guard, and includes both a 24 and a 36 tooth chain ring. I find this team provides the perfect range for climbing and descending, regardless of topography, when combined with my 11-34 Sram PG-990 rear cassette. For pedals, I am running the Truvativ Holzfeller’s, which feature mean looking replaceable spikes, plus an oversized spindle and cartridge bearings. As for my rear derailleur, well, custom colour options, 192g, CNC’d 100% carbon outer cage, titanium main spring, 1:1 actuation ratio all make my Sram X.O short cage derailleur the caffeine AND taurine in my energy drink of a drivetrain. Like I said before, X.O performs.
The power producer-Truvativ and Sram. Photo: Eamonn Duignan
Look ma, I’m chainless! Photo: Jerry Willows
There you have it. My 2011 Slayer dissected. And of course I’d be bikeless without the help and support of Rocky Mountain, Sram, RockShox, Truvativ, Avid, Maxxis, WTB, Dakine, and RaceFace.
Eamonn gets some good gigs – and riding a 2011 bike in 2010 is a fine example. Note – Eamonn is an nsmb team rider and as such this is not meant to be an unbiased and thorough review of the frame and spec presented. Eamonn wouldn’t lie to you – but we like to be straight up when there might be a perception of bias.
What do you think about Eamo’s Slayer and his spec? Hack on him at will here…
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