August 11th, 2009 by 
leel
 |
Review of the 2009 Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 30Words and photos by Lee Lau unless otherwise noted. |
OVERVIEW
Rocky asked me to test their Slayer SXC (Super Cross-Country) full-suspension all-mountain bike. I own a Rocky Mountain Element and had previously tested their new Altitude frame so am familiar with Rocky’s build quality and their well-deserved reputation for detailed well-thought out excellence. I specifically asked for a lower-end model as I’d been riding high-end pimped out bikes for the last few years and feared I was getting a bit jaded. There’s really not much fault you can find in a $ 6,000 bike after all (well Buffy, the carbon parts don’t quite match …..). Accordingly Rocky set me up with their lowest end bike of the line - a SXC 30 in size 18″.
Rocky has a fair amount of bike design experience and the Slayer SXC is not new so I didn’t expect to be surprised. Although it has evolved somewhat, the SXC has existed in this current design incarnation since 2006. It’s basically a single pivot design employing Rocky’s LC2R (Low Centre Counter Rotating) suspension technology. Technology bafflegab aside this technology is meant to result in a very plush ride with it’s strength being highly tuneable suspension. The Slayer SXC is intended to fill the all-mountain gap for riders who are biased towards downhill. As befitting the lowest-end component spec bike, no components stood out for their sheer look-at-me factor; instead the bike was a workmanlike solid build that did its job without fuss.
Posted in Feature Articles, Pro Reviews |Tags:Bikes, Canada, rocky, Slayer SXC |22603 visits| 
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August 19th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Nice review what kind of camera setup are you using?
August 19th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Thanks. Some shots were taken with a Canon G10. The trickier shots with splotchy light patterns were taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT with Sigma 17 - 70 lens
September 10th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
do you need special tools to take the rear triangle off the bike? or can it be done with simple allan keys?
September 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Tim,
Standard set of allen keys should do it
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:30 am
Great review Lee. I have a 08 SXC50.
You are right about the tires.
I changed them after one ride for my old (half worn) Nevegals, and they still perform better than the brand new Prowlers.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 am
yeah. Initially I felt bad about being so opinionated against the Prowlers. I got over that when I realized this review was really all about my opinion (wrapped around objective details like the components and specifications). I’ve talked to more then one person who’ve not been big fans.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Great review. Many thanks. I ordered an SXC 70 frame. Arrived today. Yuuumm. The Mrs is out so I’ve got all afternoon to make sweet sweet lurve to it. With all this quality time together, it should be built & tuned up nice in a couple of days. Then….SHHHHHHHRED! Sadly, I’m risking an ‘09 Marzocchi 55ATA. Probably asking for trouble. I note they dropped the ATA for 2010. Too many issues?
Great vid too BTW. Best soundtrack to image I’ve seen in an MTB video, never mind a review. Well done.