An introduction with the Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 90
The Slayer from Rocky Mountain Bicycles has been in the line up for a bit now and it continues to evolve and turn into a all mountain XC machine! With over 6 inches of Fox damped travel at both ends you'd have called this a DH rig years ago, but today's technology has allowed a bike like this to be nimble like an XC racer and still bomb the single track descents with ample confidence. As the snow melts in the Fraser Valley, more and more lower laying trails are becoming exposed and ready for tires to set down treads on them. The Rocky Slayer SXC 90 is ready to get out there.
The Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 90 is the upper echelon of the Slayer SXC series and comes with all the bells and whistles on it. No stone was left unturned or corner cut in the spec list of this ride. This particular model is not for those with budget constraints, you need to be very serious about your riding if you are looking at signing up for the following set up.
The frame is a work of art mixing aluminum and carbon to make one beauty looking two wheeled ride. The Slayer's evolution has brought forth a real beauty to the eyes. No rough edges anywhere on this frame, just clean smooth lines.
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Mavic Crossmax ST wheels and Hutchinson Piranha Tubeless tires keep this rig spinning well. Over the past few years we've had great luck with testing various Hutchinson tires, so we're looking forward to giving these a rip on the Slayer. The Mavic Crossmax ST wheel set is laced up 24 spokes front and back, with the front wheel running 2 cross and the rear being laced radially on the drive side and 2 cross on the non drive side. The front hub is a 20mm offering and the rear is a 135x10mm standard Q/R design.
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Fox Racing Shox is working double duty on the Slayer by providing a 36 TALAS II RC2 fork up front and an Air DHX 5.0 shock out back. The TALAS II RC2 fork has three travel settings of 100mm, 130mm and 160mm.
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The rear Fox DHX 5.0 Air shock has been custom tuned by Fox to work with the leverage ratios that this particular bike will see while cycling through its travel. Setting up a Fox Air shock is a pretty easy task, just check out the video:
Editors Note: After a few initial rides and a lot of adjusting of the rear shock it's been concluded that a rider of my size would infact require getting the rear shock re-valved to better suit my weight. This is a very common theme with Motorbikes, you get a bike that fits your height and reach dimensions, but often need to get the suspension properly setup and valved if you are outside the parameters of the "vast majority". Take the 18" Slayer for instance, it'll fit riders from a variety of heights, but you can only tune a shock for a certain spectrum of weights that you hope will buy this bike. In the end I've passed on the torch to Mike "Kakah" Levy and his 175lbs body for this test, as he fits the mold better and will be able to deliver a more just review of the Slayer's Performance.
The shifting duties are handled by SRAM's X.0 shifters, SRAM X.0 mid-cage rear derailleur and a Shimano XT front derailleur. Braking responsibilities are being taken care of by Avid's Juicy 7 brakes.
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RaceFace components are taking care of key points with parts like the Deus XC stem, the Atlas AM handle bar, the Atlas AM crankset and the Deus XC seat post. These parts are built for long term durability with performance in mind.
Sizes: 15", 16.5", 18", 19" and 20.5"
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www.bikes.com
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-Happy Trails
The Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 90 is the upper echelon of the Slayer SXC series and comes with all the bells and whistles on it. No stone was left unturned or corner cut in the spec list of this ride. This particular model is not for those with budget constraints, you need to be very serious about your riding if you are looking at signing up for the following set up.
The frame is a work of art mixing aluminum and carbon to make one beauty looking two wheeled ride. The Slayer's evolution has brought forth a real beauty to the eyes. No rough edges anywhere on this frame, just clean smooth lines.
 |  |  |  |
Mavic Crossmax ST wheels and Hutchinson Piranha Tubeless tires keep this rig spinning well. Over the past few years we've had great luck with testing various Hutchinson tires, so we're looking forward to giving these a rip on the Slayer. The Mavic Crossmax ST wheel set is laced up 24 spokes front and back, with the front wheel running 2 cross and the rear being laced radially on the drive side and 2 cross on the non drive side. The front hub is a 20mm offering and the rear is a 135x10mm standard Q/R design.
 |  |  |  |
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Lots of little knobs and one fast rolling tire
Fox Racing Shox is working double duty on the Slayer by providing a 36 TALAS II RC2 fork up front and an Air DHX 5.0 shock out back. The TALAS II RC2 fork has three travel settings of 100mm, 130mm and 160mm.
TALAS fork in the 160mm and 100mm settings.
The rear Fox DHX 5.0 Air shock has been custom tuned by Fox to work with the leverage ratios that this particular bike will see while cycling through its travel. Setting up a Fox Air shock is a pretty easy task, just check out the video:
Editors Note: After a few initial rides and a lot of adjusting of the rear shock it's been concluded that a rider of my size would infact require getting the rear shock re-valved to better suit my weight. This is a very common theme with Motorbikes, you get a bike that fits your height and reach dimensions, but often need to get the suspension properly setup and valved if you are outside the parameters of the "vast majority". Take the 18" Slayer for instance, it'll fit riders from a variety of heights, but you can only tune a shock for a certain spectrum of weights that you hope will buy this bike. In the end I've passed on the torch to Mike "Kakah" Levy and his 175lbs body for this test, as he fits the mold better and will be able to deliver a more just review of the Slayer's Performance.
The shifting duties are handled by SRAM's X.0 shifters, SRAM X.0 mid-cage rear derailleur and a Shimano XT front derailleur. Braking responsibilities are being taken care of by Avid's Juicy 7 brakes.
 |  |  |
RaceFace components are taking care of key points with parts like the Deus XC stem, the Atlas AM handle bar, the Atlas AM crankset and the Deus XC seat post. These parts are built for long term durability with performance in mind.
 |  |  |
Geometry
| 15" | 16.5" | 18" | 19" | 20.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HA | 68.0 | 68.0 | 68.0 | 68.0 | 68.0 |
| SA | 73 | 73 | 73.5 | 74 | 74 |
| Eff TT (mm) | 546mm | 565mm | 591mm | 607mm | 629mm |
| CS (mm) | 424mm | 424mm | 424mm | 424mm | 424mm |
| ST | 15” | 16.5” | 18" | 19" | 20.5" |
The morning's snow storm caught the Slay off guard
| Frame and size | Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 90 (Silver) •160mm of travel •7005 Aluminum and Carbon Seat Stays •18" Frame |
| Rear Shock | Fox DHX 5.0 Air •235lbs in the main chamber •180lbs in the boost •bottom out at full ret. •max pro pedal •6 detents in from full ret on the rebound |
| Fork | 2008 Fox TALAS II RC2 •20 mm Axle with tool free removal •100, 130 and 160mm Travel adjustment •Rebound and High/Low Compression Adjustments •Air Spring |
| Headset | FSA Orbit Cartridge 1 1/8" |
| Crankarms | Race Face Atlas, 175 mm in Black |
| Chainrings | Race Face 22/32/44 |
| Bottom Bracket | Race Face 68/73mm |
| Pedals | Crankbrothers Candy Clipless |
| Chain | SRAM PC971 9-speed |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-980 11-32T 9 speed |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano XT |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM X.0 Mid-Cage |
| Shifter Cable/Housing | Stock |
| Shifter Pods | SRAM X.0 Front and Rear |
| Handlebar | Race Face Atlas Low Rise OS (31.8mm) •27" width |
| Stem | Race Face Deus 1 1/8" OS Clamp (31.8mm) •90mm reach |
| Grips | Rocky Mountain Lock on Grip |
| Brakes | Avid Juicy 7 with 6" rotors |
| Front Wheel | Mavic Crossmax ST 20mm TA |
| Rear Wheel | Mavic Crossmax ST 135mm with Quick release |
| Tires | Hutchinson Piranha UST 2.3 |
| Tubes | UST |
| Saddle | WTB Pure V Chromo |
| Seatpost | Race Face Deus XC 30.9mm |
www.bikes.com
-Happy Trails
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It's like a new wave of long travel, xc syle/ all mountain bikes. It's kinda cool but kinda useless at the same time. Why make such an expensive bike for something that you probably wont compete on? Is that thing some young guy would ride, or is it a more comfortable XC bike for an older chap? I guess my real question is: Does it make sense to have one expensive tool for everything, or is it a better idea to choose a bike for one's favorite riding style (eg. dirt jumper, XC, Freeride/slope style, downhill)?
Well thats my rant over...if your thining about this bike I'd say buy it as soon as you can
Not necessarily
Awesome frame and setup though
malditos gringoss kgonesss chupenme l peneee!!!
You ridin' Rockies now Ty?