Rocky Mountain Slayer

[beagly77]

Not certain this is the correct forum....I'm intending to updgrade to a moderately-priced full suspension bike, would be interested in any comments on the Rocky Mountain Slayer 50, possibly compared to a Stuntjumper Comp....these seem comparable...


If you want to reply directly - sacarr@yahoo.com

Thanks

beagly77

[rsosborn]

Not certain this is the correct forum....I'm intending to updgrade to a moderately-priced full suspension bike, would be interested in any comments on the Rocky Mountain Slayer 50, possibly compared to a Stuntjumper Comp....these seem comparable...


If you want to reply directly - sacarr@yahoo.com

Thanks

beagly77

i love rocky mountains. they handle well. i think the slayer is alot of bike for
VA, MD, DC. they have alot on sale at various local shops. almost half off.
i just wasn't up for that much travel for this area.

if you think you'll find those big trails and frequent them, give it a ride.

[beagly77]

Thanks. yes, i know about the sales which why i'm asking. Very tempting....

[rsosborn]

Thanks. yes, i know about the sales which why i'm asking. Very tempting....

hudson trail has those couple "slayer 50's" i think floating around.
i'm not sure what your riding background has been or where you ride.
the reason those are still around is because that is alot of bike.

they weigh alot. they have like 5"/6" of travel? the "50's" or "70's"
are good component groups to be in. it's decent level stuff, but it
would be hard to ride XC trails like wakefield or fountainhead with a heavy
bike like that.

if you ride out west near elizabeth furnace or maybe at gambrill, you might
get closer to what the bike was designed for. then it would be great to
come into DC or pentagon city and grab an all-mountain bike for cheap.

[beagly77]

I ride all those places with a 7 year old front suspension Marin with caliper brakes - i'd probably still use that at Schaeffer, wakefield etc. Last Nov I rode a rented full suspension Grand Trek something at Moab - with disc brakes. It's partly the latter that is inducing me to upgrade, more so than the full suspension. But the full suspension at the watershed or the furnace would be nice. My biggest concern, and the reason for posting for comments, is the weight. The Marin is light, and I think the Stuntjumper is 3-4 pounds lighter - i couldn't seem to find the weight listed anywhere for the Slayer [even on the Rocly Mountain website]

[tomn]

I think the Slayer 50 is about 31 lbs. The Bicycle Escape has a Stumpy FSR Pro Carbon (07 model I believe), size L, which they weighed at 27.5 lbs. A cheaper 07 Stumpy (aluminum Pro, Expert or Comp) will be a little heavier than that. So I think the weight difference is probably 3 lbs or less.

[sturner]

I ride a stumpjumper expert and I love it. It's a little heavy but frankly, the weight doesn't come into play too much around here because you don't have to lug it up long climbs.

I bought it when I lived in TN. The trails there are much rougher (i.e., rocky/rooty) than the trails around here and TN had bigger elevation changes.

I considered the slayer but none of the shops in my area sold it. I can't speak to the quality of Rocky Mountain, though I've heard it is exceptional, but the Stumpjumper is great.

[rsosborn]

I ride a stumpjumper expert and I love it. It's a little heavy but frankly, the weight doesn't come into play too much around here because you don't have to lug it up long climbs.


i would say that will be your biggest challenge: do you want to pedal this bike back uphill? stop by HTO in tenleytown or pentagon city and lift it. it's well-built but its heavy. the few times i've ridden the big rock rides around here, i can say once you begin down that hill, a heavier bike will almost add stability. but pedaling the thing back up can be alot if you're a light rider. since i'm real thin, like really, really light FS bikes. if you're heavier, you might like a "slayer" or other 6"/7" travel bike they have cheap right now.

i would stay in the slayer "50" or slayer "70" component group though. i bought a rocky mountain "30" and realized so many parts were so cheaped out, it would cost a fortune to get it respectable.

also, unless you're a 220lbs muscular guy, you're not going to be bunny hopping this over alot of tall stuff. it's for bombing down big hills, and doing decent jumps.

[sourceofdenial]

also, unless you're a 220lbs muscular guy, you're not going to be bunny hopping this over alot of tall stuff. it's for bombing down big hills, and doing decent jumps.

I've never had a problem bunnyhopping stuff on a heavier bike(my old slalom bike weighed more than the slayer, and I currently ride a bike that is probably a tad heavier than the slayer routinely at FH and Wakefield . Aside from the slacker geometry that is a little troublesome on really steep climbs, the weight has never been that big of a deal.

beagly77, don't worry so much about the weight and go ride it yourself and see how it feels. I dont think you'd regret having a slayer in this area at all.

[beagly77]

I'm 150, 5ft 9in so on the medium build side. My bunny hopping skills are - shall we say - rudimentary....

I have ridden the Slayer at HTO tenlytown and did like the feel.
I also tried the ETS30, but the 18 in frame was a bit big, and a medium Stuntjumper at City Bikes. Hard to tell the difference on paved roads/small hills, hence my original post..thanks for the replies - v helpful

[rossi]

I have never ridden the slayer, but do own an ETSX-50/70.(The original frame cracked and I got a new 70 frame) It is a great bike, and the travel seems to be pretty decent for most rides around here. It is a really nice bike (although I have been riding my single speed 29er almost excusively now). But for a full suspension bike, it is great and rides really well. Just another suggestion if you can find any good deals on those.

[rsosborn]

I'm 150, 5ft 9in so on the medium build side. My bunny hopping skills are - shall we say - rudimentary....

I have ridden the Slayer at HTO tenlytown and did like the feel.
I also tried the ETS30, but the 18 in frame was a bit big, and a medium Stuntjumper at City Bikes. Hard to tell the difference on paved roads/small hills, hence my original post..thanks for the replies - v helpful

yea, i know the bike you're looking at. usually in the front window?
grey? i looked at it as well. very tempting. i think it's 60% off?
i also went to the HTO in pentagon city and in fairfax circle.

for me it was between that bike, the ESTX 50 they used to have at
pentagon row, the gary fisher paragon, a gary fisher hi fi pro, and a
giant anthem at pentagon city. the head mechanic (mike) in tenleytown
will tell you about the rides i did deciding.

i took the hifi. i like low weight because i'm a thin guy. i can flip it
around. it's a mental thing but it makes me happy.

yea, if you're used to some "meat" on your bike, enjoy yourself.
i'm sure the slayer is a great ride. i had a rocky mountain hardtail.
it was awesome bike. awesome. alot of riders in tenleytown don't even know
about EF and gambrill. so you'd clean up getting it there on special.
i would just test out any giants and ESTX 30's they might still have in
tenleytown also.

[bills]

I bought my ETSX 30 in December and have put over 100 miles on it already, I love it and it is well suited for the trails I ride around here (Loch Raven and Patapsco mostly). When I bought it they (HTO) also had a Slayer... I test rode both and felt that the Slayer would be overkill.

That being said, I rode Bootleg Canyon (near Las Vegas) a couple weeks ago and the guys gave me the choice of renting a Slayer or an Enduro; I took the Slayer and loved every minute of it. It was awesome bombing down the hills on that bike, but we don't have that same types of trail/terrain around here and like others have said she was heavy (especially compared to the more lighter and nimble ETSX) and climbing was a chore.

Either bike would be a good choice if you're sure you want/need that much bike. If they have any ETSX there (I know they have some at deep discount at the Towson HTO) you might want to give it a ride too.

Good luck.
Bill