The original Slayer debuted back in 2001, the follow-up act to the Pipeline, one of the first freeride bikes ever to hit the market. It's had a few different looks over the years, but for 2020 the Slayer gets back to its freeride roots with more travel and longer, slacker geometry numbers.
Previously only available with 27.5” wheels, there's now a 170mm 29” wheeled version in the mix to accompany the 180mm 27.5” version. The first models available will have carbon front triangles and aluminum swingarms, with full aluminum frames set to arrive in November.
Rocky Mountain Slayer Details• Wheel size: 29" or 27.5"
• Travel: 170mm (29") / 180mm (27.5")
• Carbon front triangle, aluminum swingarm or full alloy
• 63.8° - 64.8° head angle
• Chainstay length: 442mm (29") / 430mm (27.5")
• Carbon 90 price: $7,999 USD
•
www.bikes.com The top tier Carbon 90 model shown here retails for $7,999 USD, built up with a Fox DHX2 coil shock, 36 Factory fork, Shimano XTR 12-speed drivetrain and 4-piston brakes, and a 2.5" Maxxis Minion DHF / Aggressor tire combo, both with Double Down casings.
Frame Details The new Slayer's frame shape now looks closer to an Instinct or an Altitude, although the front triangle brace helps it stand apart from its siblings. The front triangle is carbon fiber, with tube-in-tube internal cable routing to make derailleur, brake, and dropper installation as easy as possible. Rocky's designers had considered keeping the brake line externally routed, but they decided to tuck it inside the chainstay to prevent any possible damage from occurring during shuttle runs - a poorly placed pedal and a bumpy road can be all it takes to mess up a brake line that runs on top of a chainstay.
Extra care was taken to keep the bearings contamination-free as long as possible, and they're all shielded in to prevent mud and grit from getting inside. Other details include water bottle compatibility, clearance for up to a 2.6” tires, and single-tool frame hardware wherever possible.
Geometry The Slayer is equipped with Rocky's Ride-4 geometry adjust feature that, you guessed it, allows for four different configurations. In the neutral setting on the 29” model the head angle is 64.5-degrees, with a 442mm chainstays and a 76.5-degree effective seat tube angle. The bike's actual seat tube angle is relatively steep as well, which is good news for taller riders.
Reach numbers range from 442mm – 503mm on the 29” model, which comes in M, L, and XL sizes. The numbers are almost identical on the 27.5” bike, but there's a small model in that wheel size, with a reach number as low as 419mm. Chainstay length on the 29er is 442mm, and it's 431mm on the 27.5” bike.
Suspension Design The Slayer's shock orientation has been altered from the previous version – it's now mounted to a brace that connects the top and down tubes rather than being vertically oriented. Remember the purple and yellow Pipedream that
Wade Simmons was on at the end of 2017? That bike was actually a sneak peek of things to come – it was a prototype used to refine the suspension design of the new Slayer.
Given that the new Slayer was going to be more downhill-oriented than ever, Rocky's engineers set out to reduce the amount of anti-squat, and to increase the amount of end-stroke progression. The previous version had anti-squat levels that were high enough to cause unwanted pedal kickback and harshness at the beginning of the shock's travel, although it did make for a very efficient feeling ride. To address that issue, the new Slayer's anti-squat now sits between 80-90%, and doesn't deviate as drastically as the bike goes through its travel.
On the leverage ratio side of things, the ratio is more linear early on in the travel, before it ramps up towards the end of the stroke for better bottom out resistance, and to make the bike coil shock compatible.
Models Carbon 90: $7,999 USD. Fox DHX2 coil shock, 36 Float Factory fork, Shimano XTR drivetrain, XTR 4-piston brakes, Race Face Next R cranks, DT Swiss 350 hubs / Race Race ARC 30 rims.
Carbon 70: $5,999 USD. RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate shock, Lyrik Ultimate fork, Shimano XT drivetrain, XT 4-piston brakes, Race Face Turbine cranks, DT 370 hubs / Race Face AR 30 rims.
Carbon 50 (29” only): $4,999. RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate shock, Lyrik Select fork, Shimano SLX / XT drivetrain, SLX 4-piston brakes, DT Swiss 370 hubs / WTB i30 rims
Alloy 50: $3,999 USD. RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate shock, Lyrik Select fork, Shimano SLX / XT drivetrain, SLX 4-piston brakes, DT Swiss 370 hubs / WTB i30 rims.
Alloy 30: $3,299 USD. RockShox Super Deluxe Coil select shock, Yari RC, SRAM SX drivetrain, Shimano MT520 4-piston brakes, Shimano MT400 hubs / WTB i30 rims.
Rocky Mountain's headquarters are ideally situated at the base of the Vancouver's North Shore mountains, the epicenter of the freeride movement back in the late '90s and early 2000s. The trails have evolved over the last twenty years, and there might not be quite as many telephone pole high skinnies, but they're still plenty challenging, full of root-choked chutes, steep rock rolls, and perfect loamy turns if you know where to look. I was able to spend two days getting acquainted with the new Slayer on the trails it was developed on, and as an added bonus, freeride legends Wade Simmons and Thomas Vanderham joined in on the rides, something that would have made 19-year-old me positively giddy with excitement.
For my 5'11” height I went with a size large, and 29” wheels. I kept the Ride-4 chip in the neutral position to start out with, but I'll be messing around with the different configurations in the future.
There wasn't a whole lot of climbing on the rides thanks to the use of some shuttle vehicles, but on the few shorter uphill sections we encountered the seated pedaling position felt very comfortable thanks to that steep seat tube angle. The coil shock does cycle into its travel a bit during harder pedaling efforts, but the compression lever is easy to reach for extended fire road or paved road climbs, and the lower antisquat number does allow for increased traction, something that's key during wet and slimy winter rides.
Big wheels and 170mm of travel can be a recipe for a bike that requires extra attention and effort to control, but that wasn't the case with the Slayer. It doesn't feel like a big, sprawling brute of a bike, which was a nice surprise. It felt more nimble than I expected, a trait that came in handy on some of the more awkward sections of trail we encountered. The 170mm of travel was smooth and well controlled in extended rough sections, and the fork saved me more than once when an unexpected hole suddenly appeared.
I did have a few moments where the lever feel of the XTR brakes changed mid-run. The bite point would be in one spot, and then it'd be closer or futher away from the bar the next time I pulled the lever. It's possible that it's a bleed-related issue, but it may also be related to the Servo-Wave technology, which Mike Levy detailed in his recent XT review. Even though the lever feel changed, the amount of power the brakes deliver is impressive, and it came in handy for doing quick speed checks staying in control on extended steep rock rolls.
I'll be putting more miles in on the Slayer over the course of the next few months – stay tuned for a full report later this year. And don't worry, I'll be sure to evaluate how it handles skinnies and drops to flat.
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Nope! Unless its as bad as that Marin thingy majig
keen to understand more about why. Seems like it should be a sprawler.
would be good for someone to test the 27.5 version also
One can assume that such claims are being equally overstated. Basic physics hasn't changed in the past 3 years, last I checked.
Funny thing, two months ago I have exchanged a 26 inch bike for a 29 inch bike and there is no clear answer which one was more nimble. 29ich bike cornes better because it is stiffer (again, nothing connected with 29inch wheels). 29inch is indeed less eager to perform minor direction changes and requires to be leaned into every turn, but this is cause by the BB drop, not by 29 inch wheel per se.
Low speed corners, tight switchbaks - both bikes did it equally well.
The instinct is a very active and nimble bike, and I could easily believe that the Slayer is as well
In general, nimbleness is a wet dream of an online troll since it cannot be measured, so they can argue forever. But whenever someone here says they like playful bikes I have a strange feeling lad is throwing dead sailors of pumptrack rollers rather than sick scrubs for miles, trying to sound like a member of 50to01 group.
I noticed the most difference between a 29 and 26 in slow chunky rock gardens where you are pedaling squares. The 26 accelerates over the rocks much easier at super slow speeds. Got to keep the 29r moving and conserve the extra momentum or bog down.
Two days of shuttling isn't enough to really pick apart all of the handling nuances, but I'll dive in deeper in a follow up article.
look forward to it, thanks
so what do you make of deciding between the 27.5 and 29 versions of this bike for someone who's reticent to switch to 29. I tend to be just into size mediums and the longer travel enduro 29ers I've tried in mediums (my size) feel shitty to me. Is this the bike that's going to make 29 feel decent?
I can give you an idea if you tell me your arm span (finger tip to finger tip) and your height. The measurements I use are a bit more detailed than that but I could at least compare your current bike to a new slayer. Also what is your current bike?
I agree with you. Example: I always remember that there were a few BMW’s where I was like: Nah, when the came out. But after a while they became some of the best looking ones. Z4, previous 5 series, etc.
Thanks.
its much better to bury the forces into the ground through the crank. look at a trek all the forces are in line with the BB. same if the bike has a horizontal lower link like many of the Santa Cruz bikes, the initial forces are directed backwards and I can feel it big time especially when hitting a quick succession of sharp roots or rocks.
Also, Pivot, Ibis and Yeti!
**insert slow clap**
The 350 these bikes should have is hardly an expensive option. It really shouldn't be too much to ask for on a $6000, or in my case $8000 bike.
Kinda spendy in parts and you need DT shop tools to do it, but it's possible. I did it on my 370 hubs with no issue.
I fear the 9120's just lose it when braking during very fast sequences of bumps. It does not feel like a bleeding issue at all, levers are solid before and afterwards.
I thought this was solved and rear brake only when I bought them...
Every single time a new Shimano brake is released the reviews and initial impressions talk of the issue being "fixed" or "much reduced" and every single time they are wrong.
maybe it´s me but I never experienced these bite point problems and everytime I gave SRAM a new try - mostly, when they were installed on a new bike - I was quick to swao them within three month and be happy again
I'm pretty miffed about it because i would actually like to run Shimano brakes. Levers feel great, power is fine and prices are cheap.
But i'm not willing to play the bitepoint lottery. I run the levers close to the bar, if the bitepoint wanders inwards the lever will hit the grip and i have to press into the rubber to get full power. Feels horrible and might even be dangerous.
Currently on Maguras, lets see how they hold up. Formula is looking good as well.
My current Codes seems much more consistent and require less maintenance.
Code bite point seems to vary a bit by altitude, but it stays consistent between runs after setting up for a location. Shimano can be all over the place on a single run.
I'm willing to live with it for one major reason, the force required to use the brakes doesn't change. Every time I've tried Sram brakes, both codes and guides, my hands end up absolutely destroyed by the end of a run because of how hard you have to pull the lever to get them to slow you down.
I also run my levers pretty close to the bar, and I've never had the bite point move in (not saying its impossible, but I would hazard a guess that the cause would be a bad bleed or insufficient oil in the reservoir)
So if you're willing to re-calibrate how you think about using your brakes, you might be able to manage it.
However, remember when Gwin broke his chain? He said the rear susension felt amazing. GCN did some back to back testing with and without a chain, and while not strictly 100% scientific, they thought that their test DH bike was faster (and posted faster times, despite a pedaly section on the course) without a chain. Chain growth (pretty much the same thing as pedal kickback) puts drag on the rear suspension, and even if we can't feel it its still hampering it enough that pros can easily tell and some (like Gee) are testing ways to disable the drivetrain during certain sections of trail.
Read reviews of the Zerode Taniwha- everyone says it has amazing grip on the DH since there is essentially no drag on the rear from the lack of a derailleur, but it does have a chain tensioner that is clutch-less so it drags on the rear suspension much, much less. Some pros run the XC version of the older XTR rear derailleur with a short cage on their DH bikes because it doesn't have a clutch.
it is true though that the actual path of the rearwheel is always some sort of arc and not sometimes an s-shaped curve, like santa cruz said back then. ( but as you can see in the enduro review the shape of the arc can be tuned with a vpp/ horst -bike; specialized did just that)
Should ‘slay’ and be nimble at the same time. Good on some brands not going back to 2010 lenght chainstays and keeping things nimble for those who like to get over the front.
I'll see myself out.
Seems that it might be less pedally but Im reading between the lines. The 2018 is a very pedally bike - climbs awesome - eliminating the harshness at the top of the stroke may or may not make this less of a climber? Reports are of pedal bob but how bad?
Id love a head to head comparison of the 27.5 versus last year even though if I was buying one today my money is on the 29r., Long live the Slayer - simply wicked bikes!
This is the second article about a bike that has turned in to “the truth about Shimano”
Ether way don't think I will be trading in my 2017 Slayer for it anytime soon the 17-19 seemed more well rounded in my opinion, I might have to go for an altitude or an instinct bc when I retire the slayer.
I’m questioning the choice of rims though. ARC and AR 30s on enduro/freeride bikes...? I just got a Norco Range C1 and the ARC 30s lasted all of 4 rides before the rear suffered a tubeless voiding dent. WITH a Huck Norris and over 30 PSI of pressure all stacked up against my colossal 155lbs... didn’t even notice the impact that did it. Just went to grab the bike after scouting a line and the tire was flat... Raceface and their OEM brands need to rethink spec choice like this.
Ether way don't think I will be trading in my 2017 Slayer for it anytime soon the 17-19 seemed more well rounded in my opinion, I might have to go for an altitude or an instinct when I retire the slayer.
Looks like a destroyer!
PB, could you please ask for correct numbers there? Not that this is important when you release a new bike, RM...unbelievable...
I get it they want to sell bikes. Pink bike needs to get page views. But come on, when they post “spotted” and first ride two days apart, some credibility is lost!
But all I want to know is why isn't the latest Kirt Vories video on the front page?!
How would you compare Slayer to new Enduro? Any hint?