Review of the 2009 Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 30

August 11th, 2009 by leel

RATINGS

Specs: 4.0
Price: 4.5
Ride: 4.0 (5.0 for downhill, 3.0 for uphill)
Overall: 4.0

RATING GUIDE

5.0 Outstanding
4.0 Very Good
3.0 Above Average
2.0 Fair
1.0 Poor

Pros:

- Outstanding downhiller punching way above its weight class
- Very tuneable suspension
- Lots of top-tube clearance
- With one crucial exception (tires), very rideable with stock parts spec
- Confidence inspiring in the air and more importantly, in landings

Cons:

- Terrible tires
- Tough to set up rear suspension for the sweet spot but once you get it dialed the bikes performs
- Bit of a waddler for XC situations

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Whistler

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DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

The source for this information is Rocky Mountain Bikes. Suggested Retail of this bike is $Can 2799/ $USD 2899

Overview

* Same frame through the entire lineup with the exception of the frame-only carbon rear end Slayer SXC SE
* Marzocchi 55R 160mm travel, Fox RP2 air rear shock custom valved
* Avid Juicy brakes
* Sram mid-level drivetrain (X5 shifters. X9 rear derailleur)
* WTB all-mountain wheelset
* RMB housebrand riding compartment (stem, bars, seatpost)
* 68deg HA - 73.5 deg SA (in 18″ size)

Complete bike weight: 33 lbs

Complete specifications and geometry are on the Rocky website:

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VIDEOS OF THE SLAYER SXC 30 IN ACTION

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:5197975

Eagle - the Forgotten Mountain from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:5088803

Central and Lower Digger from Lee Lau on Vimeo.

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Posted in Feature Articles, Pro Reviews |Tags:Bikes, Canada, rocky, Slayer SXC |22745 visits|

7 Responses

1. David Villalobis Says:
   August 19th, 2009 at 8:45 am

   Nice review what kind of camera setup are you using?

2. leel Says:
   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

3. Tim Says:
   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?

4. Lee Lau Says:
   September 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

   Tim,

   Standard set of allen keys should do it

5. Anonymous Says:
   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.

6. LeeL Says:
   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.

7. Mr Gnar Says:
   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.

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