Now THAT Was a Bike - Wade's Retro Maiden - Crankworx Whistler 2016

Aug 17, 2016
by Mike Levy  
Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher


Has it really been twenty years? 2016 marks two decades of Wade Simmons riding for Rocky Mountain, which has to be some sort of record when it comes to athletes staying put. To celebrate this milestone, Rocky planned a special project that was supposed to be a surprise for Wade: a custom painted Maiden done up in the same motif as the iconic RM7 Wade Simmons Edition from 2003. Memory not what it used to be? Wade took delivery of his green flamed RM7 shortly after he rode off the Moreno Valley road gap in California over a Marzocchi monster truck on an earlier RM7, stomping what was at the time the largest move ever done. More than ten years later, it'd still be worthy of a movie's highlight reel.

In a lot of people's eyes, that was the golden age of freeride, so there's probably no better bike to use as inspiration for Wade's twentieth-anniversary present.
Rocky Mountain RM7 Wade Simmons Edition

Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher
Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher


Originally, the custom Maiden, known by those at Rocky as the ''Waiden,'' was supposed to be a surprise for Simmons, but the frame was apparently in Rocky's office when he dropped by unexpectedly. Surprise spoiled, but I doubt that mattered to Wade once he saw those green flames.

The frame itself was actually a stock, unpainted unit that Rocky was delivered to renowned Vancouver-based custom paint shop, PaintHouse Customs. Once there, Stacy Glaser based the Maiden's logos on the actual decals that were used on that 2003 RM7, only instead of decals, he painted them onto Wade's new bike by hand.
Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher


Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher
Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher


Glaser got his hands on the frame around the end of April, and the whole bike was finished just prior to Crankworx after some custom chrome decals were added to the Fox suspension. Longtime sponsor Race Face also joined the party with custom graphics on the carbon cranks and handlebar that will have more than one fan wondering if the bike is rocking Diabolous components. It's not; they're actually carbon fiber SixC arms and a SixC handlebar.

China or platinum are supposed to be the go-to twentieth-anniversary gifts, but neither have anything on the Waiden.


Wade Simmon s custom painted Rocky Mountain Maiden Photo by Colin Meagher


MENTIONS: @RockyMountainBicycles / @wadevsimmons



Author Info:
mikelevy avatar

Member since Oct 18, 2005
2,032 articles

91 Comments
  • 116 3
 Wow!! It's like my dream bike from back in the day! Now that Fox own Marzocchi, I wonder would it still be considered too cheeky to put some Monster T decals on the forks to really complete the look...Smile
  • 41 8
 Never. Do it.
  • 13 75
flag cretin82 (Aug 17, 2016 at 15:45) (Below Threshold)
 Looks like a session
  • 22 4
 Should have put 26" wheels on it, now that would be nostalgic!
  • 12 0
 Short, Steep and High. Those were the days.
  • 9 2
 @Boardlife69: those bikes were designed for something totally different. They were designed to huck off cliffs and north shores as high as possible. Thereby the HA needs to be steeper because the impact comes from underneath. Where as downhill bikes are ment to absorb roots and rocks at high speeds, so the fork needs to be in a more slack angle. Same for the longer top tube lengths and no need for low bb's when you don't corner at high speeds.
  • 2 2
 @Mattin: you ruined this article for me. Yes, I am trolling or something. No one cares about the logistics of the frame mishaps. This bike has a cool storyline not a summary of it "needing" new geometry etc. Go comment on some otter bike that fits your know how.
  • 80 0
 This is the gap they are talking about from 2003 for those interested
www.pinkbike.com/video/201757
  • 4 1
 MTB O.G.! ...hmmm, I don't recall the last half of that vid...it's in NWD3? Will have to dust off all the NWD Series and re-watch ...I know, I know...rough life Razz
  • 6 1
 Re watched the NWD series so many times. Especially the older half. I grew up having NWD as my inspiration and those guys are still kind of heroes to me. And it never gets old to watch, even though I must have watched NWD 4 for example nearly a 100 times by now.
  • 9 0
 man it's been 13 years already? WTF!! I still remember seeing it on the big screen for the first time n being blown away! Capital theatre in Nelson what what!
  • 12 1
 I remember being amazed by this still photo in the magazines:
cdn.coresites.factorymedia.com/dirt_new/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/wade-simmons-moreno-valley-gap-2002.jpg

Wade Simmons seems like a really cool dude.
  • 9 30
flag ShreddieMercury (Aug 17, 2016 at 17:44) (Below Threshold)
 wow. look at that stupid ass truck. no wonder marzocchi went under.
  • 7 1
 @ShreddieMercury: it was a rental for the movie
  • 2 0
 Best move ever #Legend
  • 69 1
 Wade you legend, it's been an incredible 20 years. Thanks for inspiring countless people to push the boundaries of our sport.
  • 4 2
 Absolute legend....Fantastic idea on the revival/tribute paint work! Pray tell...what magical moment is reserved for the RM9 paint scheme? (but please wait until I can afford to buy...lol)
http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb207507/p4pb207507.jpg
I started riding RM in '89 with the Hammer...miss the 'ol RM7
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/loopie/Bike%20Gear/My02RM7-frontangle.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/loopie/Bike%20Gear/My02RM7-non-drside.jpg
  • 4 0
 The young cats these days don't even know...
  • 33 1
 I worked for the YMCA for ten yrs..... They gave me a pen.... Way to step up Rocky Mountain!! Congrats on 20 yrs. Wade.... And still Shredding!!!
  • 20 0
 I would have appreciated Monster T paint matched lowers on the 40
  • 7 0
 Yeah me three! Still rad as fook though! Love it! :-) there was an old bike shop (no longer around) called wade cycles in the UK that had these on their ad pages with Michelle Marsh on them... That was the dream back then!!!!! :-D
  • 3 1
 @cunning-linguist:

YES, the legendary Wades Cycles MBUK advertising campaign - ironically suggested by the female marketing manager at Future Publishing at the time....
  • 1 0
 Totally would've been rad to have the chrome lowers.
  • 1 0
 Seeing as Fox now owns the rights to Marzocchi, I wouldn't think it would be that difficult to have them chrome them and slap a Monster decal on it. Even the stantion coating seems to fit.
  • 15 1
 Long live the Godfather of freeride!!!
  • 11 0
 Still have my pipeline, my RM7 and my Switch. Never going sell them.
  • 7 0
 PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE make this! I still have the original, and it is a prized piece for me.
  • 6 0
 New school riders will never appreciate that generation of Rm 6/7/9. Iconic freeride bikes of my time and helped me solidify my passion for bikes.
  • 4 0
 I remember drooling over the RM7s and RM9s in the magazines when they came out. Back when pink bike consisted of a few hundred grainy user photos. Oh how the time flies. That paint job really does the Maiden justice. Beautiful!
  • 6 0
 Coolest bike of 2016 for sure. Just got an 01 RM6 and I'm super stoked on it.
  • 7 1
 This is officially the coolest bike of 2016. Holy fucking nostalgia batman!!
  • 7 0
 Love it. These are mine.

www.pinkbike.com/photo/12187300
  • 3 0
 That RM7 gapping the Marzocchi truck is the sole reason I ever threw my leg over a top tube and tried to ride a bike. 12 years later I'm still riding and just as passionate as ever. There is some serious nostalgia for me with this post!
  • 6 2
 That's sick. Honestly though... wtf has Wade been up to? Can we get a write up on that?
  • 1 0
 I remember an RM7 was the first really real bike I ever rode. It was So burly. Always picked it playing DH Domination. Can't believe enduro bikes have that much travel nowadays. I wonder if this maiden could withstand that huck as well.
  • 3 0
 I miss proper head badges! Stickers/decals just don't cut it in my opinion.

Sweet tribute bike, but now I'm starting to feel old :p
  • 1 0
 I was looking for a DH bike in Europe and there was this top of the line Maiden for more than 12 thousand Euro... what a bike. Wanted to buy a cheaper Maiden that was about 6 thousand and there was no size available. I love this bike looks amazing and should work great. I remeber well this RM7 was dream bike at that time.
  • 2 0
 I love my mint condition 03 Wade Simmons RM7, but I'd REALLY love this in my collection. Sadly would never be able to afford this anniversary edition Maiden..
  • 3 1
 So Hot Right Now! Looks killer.....I was there for the original one too, had a pimped out '02 myself...Monster's, Avy, the works
  • 3 0
 This was my dream bike....so cool to see them paint the maiden up the same.
  • 2 0
 I had a green rm6 dh and a blue/silver rm 7 with Monsters. Also had a black/gold switch with stratis s7's. Good times. Wade was the reason I had all of those rockys.
  • 2 0
 Haha Stratos from Santa Barbara - I had an FR-5. That poor tech who ran the shop was having nightmares with support.
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: yep they were... Interesting. if you landed heavy the forks would twist. If you tightened them any more to prevent twisting, they would bind like crazy. Also the seals never stopped leaking.
Also had a stratos rear shock that lasted 20 minutes. One bunny hop resulted in the shock body breaking in two pieces. Garbage.????
  • 3 0
 @CircusMaximus: They looked so bad ass though for back then. The gold anodized downhill fork on my first Gen Super 8, and the FR5 on the front of my Scwhinn 4 banger homegrown.
  • 3 0
 @LittleDominic: true dat.
Homegrown 4 banger...I can't count the times Indrolled over those in the local shop!
  • 2 0
 @LittleDominic: *I drooled*
Stupid small buttons and fat fingers...
  • 2 0
 @CircusMaximus: the s8's were good aside from the fact you have to make your own fork guards out of pvc and hose clamps
  • 3 0
 Ah, the RM7, a true piece of freeride history. Wish I could hang one on my wall in my living room.
  • 3 0
 So sweet, red and white maple leaf one next please
  • 3 0
 nice ..is he gonna ride it?
  • 9 1
 Yes
  • 1 0
 That's what I was wondering, it's almost too nice to ride with the custom paint and components. On the other hand I looks fully decked out and ready for some trench warfare with the Godfather.
  • 3 0
 Oh hell yes. Will go perfect with a TLD lid with the hot wheels graphics.
  • 1 0
 still have mine
  • 3 0
 butholes! Diabolous carbon cranks, had me for a sec
  • 1 0
 My buddy Jeremy would gige.uncontrollably when riding behind me. When I was on off camber stuff, he said he could watch the rear wheel.wiggle.like a fish.
  • 3 0
 Big seats used to be the greatest back in the day.
  • 1 0
 Extremely cool!
Wade has been the source of so much inspiration during the years when I rode the most. The old RM7 was a dream bike and the "Waiden" looks the part.
  • 2 0
 Awesome, huge respect for Rocky to do this and Kudos to Wade, who is really is such a nice guy!

Did you make him cry!!????
  • 1 0
 Nope! No, sorry, no way it has been 20 years! I refuse to believe that. (Insert; where has my life gone comment)
  • 1 0
 Thrust link over smooth link any day!!! My rmx with shivers is still going strong!!!
  • 1 1
 I was never a big fan of RM but the new Maiden is pretty cool. Add the green flames from his RM7 and you have a sweet looking bike for sure.
  • 2 0
 that spring is so short...
  • 1 0
 I'd like to see a comparison review of those. Weight, geometry, travel, components, etc. - and a test ride of course.
  • 1 0
 I want to see more pics of the old bike. That thing looks bad ass even by today's modern standards.
  • 1 0
 Wow, that right there is one for the books
  • 2 0
 That 0 stem
  • 1 0
 Good catch... haha, I didn't know Barel rode for Rocky Mountain.
  • 1 0
 GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! WANT!!!!
  • 1 0
 GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 Is it just me, or is sink the pink and gypsy road intro very similar
  • 1 0
 ...well it is made in "China" at least.
  • 1 0
 youtu.be/jWCkknZiKCo had to watch this after seeing this article
  • 2 0
 Holy fuck yea
  • 1 0
 Beautiful work of art. Perfect.
  • 1 0
 Very very cool. All the raceface diabolos bits are awesome.
  • 1 1
 It's crazy to think that in 5 years most of this bike will be in a landfill...
  • 3 0
 Naw. On pinkbike buy/sell.
  • 1 0
 HOLY SHIT! @redmonkeydrops @cog50 @filterhappy
  • 1 0
 beautiful
  • 1 0
 Bad fckin ass.
  • 1 0
 This. Is. Awesome.
  • 1 1
 RM7.....too bad they ALL broke within their 6 month warrenty!!!
  • 1 0
 yes. that is all.
  • 1 0
 what rims are those??
  • 3 0
 Mavic 521?
  • 2 2
 @Wilito: Race Face
  • 2 0
 @mikelevy: lol but seriously is race face coming out with a dh wheelset? Or are they rebranded havocs?
  • 3 0
 @Wilito: 321 disc for the 2003
  • 1 0
 coolest build. E-V-E-R.
  • 2 3
 Looks a bit like a session







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