Rocky Mountain Slayer

J

Johnny Faceplant

Squid
Hey everyone,
Sorta new on the site, so this may be in the wrong area but how tough are the 2011-2013 Rocky Slayers. I am looking for a bike that can take a flogging on the way down but still get back up (looking to go in the epic among other things).

Most of the riding I do is all mountain. Basically I often do stupid things on a bike then think about the consequences for the bike after the damage is done, if you know what I mean. Hence how well will the slayer handle this?

If not a slayer what other recommendations can you make, sub 3K

Thanks for the help.
 
B

benmwatkins

Likes Dirt
bikes

rocky slayer is a great bike, so are epics and you should also look at the new norco "range" and "killer bee" models. also great at pedalling up aswell as smashing down.
 
P

Psyloman

Likes Dirt
Great Choice with the Slayer, Smoothlink suspension and straight up geometry makes this bike climb amazingly well, and is more than tough enough for having fun on the DH side, i use one for the exact same reasons you are looking at and couldnt be any happier. Let me no if you would like to get into any more detail or you have any more questions on this amazing bike.
 
Dreggsy

Dreggsy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm riding a slayer 70 2012 model, it's awesome i think the new ones (2013) are a touch lighter.
mine weighs 14kg, which isn't too bad with a dropper post.

where are you , you could take mine for a test pedal, i'm in sydney.
 
J

Johnny Faceplant

Squid
Cheers for the help everyone. Had a go at one in the carpark at the lbs and liked it. Obviously not as informative as taking it for a proper ride.

I had a bit of a look at the Norco B's and they look to be a tad outta my price range. The slayer 50 I'm looking at is right at the extremes in terms of cash as it is.

There is a 2012 slayer 50 at my lbs going for 3k. Which is possible but potentially too much. Pretty much the only reason I'm going for the 50 over the 30 is the forks. The Mazorocci (spelling) ones on the 30 don't seem particularly crash hot. Is this valid? Am i better defiantly better off with the fox ones?

Cheers for the offer Dreggsy but i'm up in Toowoomba.

Thanks for the help.
 
andy

andy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Give Jay a call at taylor cycles. He is a Rocky dealer and rode the top of the range Slayer for a while. I think he may suggest that it isn't he bike for long rides like the epic. More of a short and mainly down type bike. The Element?? might be better balance for a do all bike.
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
I've looked into a lot of 'do all' bikes lately, to help a mate with his decision on a new bike. He's going for a slayer 70, and i'm as jealous as fuck.
Make sure you consider looking into getting a runout 2012 model, if you want bang for your buck, also.
 
Dreggsy

Dreggsy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
andy said:
Give Jay a call at taylor cycles. He is a Rocky dealer and rode the top of the range Slayer for a while. I think he may suggest that it isn't he bike for long rides like the epic. More of a short and mainly down type bike. The Element?? might be better balance for a do all bike.
Click to expand...
I use mine for 4-5hr rides on a weekly basis

If you want to set it up as an epic all day bike, you only need to do 2 things

1. get a longer stem, mine came with 50mm as stock
2. Get some all day epic tyres (what ever they are)
 
outtacontrol

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yep, I'm with Dregsy.
Very happy with my 2011 Slayer 50. Raced it on the weekend in a local DH round and then did a bitumen hill climb last night with a mad techy trail to get down.

Very versatile. Great geo for climbing, but don't expect to be the fastest up the hill.
 
andy

andy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
outtacontrol said:
Yep, I'm with Dregsy.
Very happy with my 2011 Slayer 50. Raced it on the weekend in a local DH round and then did a bitumen hill climb last night with a mad techy trail to get down.

Very versatile. Great geo for climbing, but don't expect to be the fastest up the hill.
Click to expand...
Are you riding down Castle hill in the dark? :)

Guess it all depends on how you intend on riding the bike. I took photos of Jay and Blacky going super hard, going really big on some DH tracks when they first got these. But a month or so later we did a Gravity Enduro from what I remember they found them to slow sprinting the pinch climbs etc. They needed more gravity and bigger tracks to excell.
 
outtacontrol

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
andy said:
Are you riding down Castle hill in the dark? :)
Click to expand...

You bet!! Not just any track either. Super cool, but very scary run down some angry rock slabs with some mad drops.

I agree the Slayer is mainly about going down. It does however climb well, it just won't be the quickest, but I suppose that has a lot to do with your motor.

Mine is only little...
 
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D_Nine

D_Nine

Senior Member
Big +1 ,I've got a 2011 Slayer 50 in 19" . Does it climb ? Oh yeah ! So well I run a 1x10 32 front 11-36 rear. Rode Ourimbah long weekend no issue,Redhill no prob either. Could I do it easier yes, have more fun ? No ! Mine comes in at 14.3 kg. Hands down best bike I have ever ridden.I heard the guy using the long term Slayer 70 for AMB mag liked it so much he bought it.If you read up it was used for DH,AM,long epics and the occasional race !
 
Dreggsy

Dreggsy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
outtacontrol said:
Yeah, that Dregsy guy seems to like his too :nod:
Click to expand...
Lol. he sure does,

It will climb a lot better with a slightly longer stem, and lighter XC orientated tyres, I'm running 2.35 high rollers,
you could get rid of the dropper for another 500gm saving
 
notso

notso

Likes Dirt
Dreggsy said:
I use mine for 4-5hr rides on a weekly basis

If you want to set it up as an epic all day bike, you only need to do 2 things

1. get a longer stem, mine came with 50mm as stock
2. Get some all day epic tyres (what ever they are)
Click to expand...
Hey mate,

I've got a 2012 Slayer 50 and ride about 4-8 hours a week.
Coming from a DH background I did the opposite and put a 50mm stem on it for better descending and put some Schwalbe Hans Dampfs on it. Can't stop grinning!
 
Dreggsy

Dreggsy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
notso said:
Hey mate,

I've got a 2012 Slayer 50 and ride about 4-8 hours a week.
Coming from a DH background I did the opposite and put a 50mm stem on it for better descending and put some Schwalbe Hans Dampfs on it. Can't stop grinning!
Click to expand...
yeah i'm running a 50mm stem, all depends on how you want to ride over the day or how much climbing there is i guess,


the reverb is quoted at mtbr here, so it is quite heavy, but at least it's not rotating weight.

User Submitted Specs
Actual Weights:
30.9/380 - 522 grams (tscheezy)
30.9/420 - 565 grams (scottg)
31.6/380 - 537 grams (mitja)

I'm waiting for a e-mount chain guide to turn up, I'll let you guys know how it works as a 1 x x10 setup
and a new bolted seat clamp my pants catch the other on when it's least expected.
 
outtacontrol

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I have gone a step further and for long AM rides, with climbing and lots of kms, I have a lighter wheelset which makes a huge difference. I am only 65kg and run some Crests on Hope hubs.

Needs a little more care, but really brings the bike to life. They accelerate way faster than the DT Swiss 400 that I use for heavier stuff
 
J

Johnny Faceplant

Squid
Looks like I will probably get the bike, just gotta get the end of year exams. :help:

Anyway, looks like the first things to look at/swap will be tires, stem and a dropper post. Are there any other essentials for this bike or will that do me? Cheers.
 
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