Mountain Biking - rocky mountain bike quality?

Hey my uncle called me this afternoon wanting to know what I thought of a rocky mountain full susp. bike. He was at a bike shop in Boone, NC, and they had a great deal on one. I don't know what bike it was but it had a fox vanilla (125 travel) on the front, rock shox bar on the rear, and full xt components, with hydraulic disc brakes. I have never really heard that much about rocky mountain, but is it a good company? I saw that they only have a 5 year limited warranty on their frames, and that is a big difference in my opinion from a lifetime. So i told him i would ask what everyone though. He rides cross country, and he probably weighs around 200-210. Does anyone have an opinion? Should i tell him to go for it?

Most companies don't offer lifetime.

RM is a good company, well built solid frames, I just don't think they are $ for $ good value. But I am cheap :) In Canada they are one of the top 2 frame makers :)

well my uncle found that deal for 1500 USD. does that seem like a pretty good deal? Because to me, it sounds like the components are pretty sweet just for that money, and that's why i was wondering how good the frame is.

well my uncle found that deal for 1500 USD. does that seem like a pretty good deal? Because to me, it sounds like the components are pretty sweet just for that money, and that's why i was wondering how good the frame is.

Rocky Mountain makes some of the best bikes money can buy. I have an RM Instinct for cross country and couldn't be happier.

Your uncle is most likely looking at an ESTX-50, which is a great price at $1500....

Good Luck

Agreed, RM have always made great frames.

Rocky Mountain makes very decent frames. I believe they're built in British Columbia and wear the maple leaf proudly on the chain/seat stay. You don't see too many at LBSs, and their production is probably small compared to Specialized, Trek, Giant...

With full XT groupo, $1500 is an excellent deal.

go for it. sounds like a good deal. and its made in N America and not Asia

I've always wondered this and it doesn't just apply to bikes, but why does it matter where a frame is made? I'd say a very large percentage of frames are made in Taiwan and as far as I can tell the only difference is that you pay the European or North American more to work per hour. If you say: But the european and american workers are more skilled, well than you're not putting trust into the actual company even though many of these companies have excellent records. However I do understand it if you are an advocate against globalization and want to keep as many jobs as possible in your respective countries.

Not all RM frames are made in canada actually. Only a few of them.

Personally I have never cared, I buy what I like with value (actually why I never buy RM)

Not all RM frames are made in canada actually. Only a few of them.

Personally I have never cared, I buy what I like with value (actually why I never buy RM)


exactly!

But RM is a classy classy brand of bike. :(

I see them a lot if you hit the real trails. Easterners seem to like them Mael!

I've always wondered this and it doesn't just apply to bikes, but why does it matter where a frame is made? I'd say a very large percentage of frames are made in Taiwan and as far as I can tell the only difference is that you pay the European or North American more to work per hour. If you say: But the european and american workers are more skilled, well than you're not putting trust into the actual company even though many of these companies have excellent records. However I do understand it if you are an advocate against globalization and want to keep as many jobs as possible in your respective countries.
I fall into the last categorie, not against globalization as much as keeping things on a more even playing field but lets not get off topic too much.If mael says its not the best deal Im not going to go against him. he knows a lot more than I do about whats good and whats not

exactly!

But RM is a classy classy brand of bike. :(

I see them a lot if you hit the real trails. Easterners seem to like them Mael!

The only one that sells out here is RM7,x and others. But no one can afford them. For 5500 for a basic setup you can do much better from other companies

They havent always built good bikes. RM# were crap.....when they came out with the RMX, they finally what they had done wrong for all those years. Even then, it has only a 6 month warentee. I wouldnt call RM a top shelf company, but they are nice bikes....a friend of mine has an instinct.....

Me neither. Decent bikes but the rm series always had problems with the shock and or linkage plates. Overhyped thanks to wade simmons but so not worth the money.

I like the names of their bikes. Where in specifics are they in Canada Mael?

Vancouver.

Not all RM frames are made in canada actually. Only a few of them.



Actually most are made in Canada. Excluding their city bikes all of their mountain bikes save the 4 bikes in their 'Sport Hartail' category are made in their bc factory. Two of the Sport ht's are now made by Oryx in Quebec.

I'm not into freeride/downhill so I can't comment on their strength and value there, but their XC bikes are excellent, and VERY reasonably priced for the most part. Sure you might spend an extra $100 bucks on a similary speced Rocky vs a 'value' brand like Kona or Giant, but IMO you get your money's worth.

Kona as a value brand eh? Giant too?

As far as I can tell, the only difference should be in the frame and unless you believe that the American workers can assemble a better frame than their Asian counterparts, it wouldn't be so much a case of value at Kona or Giant, but a case of frivolous spending on the Rocky Mountain side.

I know most are. But not all. It is not 100%, that was my only point. And with procycle taking a bigger role we may see more frames rolled out of asia than previous years.

You can't comment on the fr/dh stuff and I can't about xc. Only thing I know, I hear great things about the Element series and not much good about etsx.

Kona as a value brand eh? Giant too?


They are. They mass produce frames based on a template. Kona has very little value once it is purchased. RM (btw I don't like RM but) maintains the value and resale value. RM is closed related to a boutique brand like intense than it is Giant...

They are. They mass produce frames based on a template. Kona has very little value once it is purchased. RM (btw I don't like RM but) maintains the value and resale value. RM is closed related to a boutique brand like intense than it is Giant...


yeah, i'd agree. sure, they are mass produced too. but in much smaller scale than giant or kona, and with much of their product made domestically.

my only experience with RM was a flow frame i was on for a few months. it was actually very nice riding/handling. now if they made a beefy steel hardtail like the flow.....

mmmmmm, can you say "dekerf implant"? i knew you could!

I hear great things about the Element series and not much good about etsx.

what sort of bad things? The ETSX has made my shortlist for a new XC race bike. Reviews were mainly positive that I've read.

Well talking from whistler riders the chainstay is really weak. The rental shop went through them like hotcakes. They can't handle even the most minor of agressive riding.

Even beyond whistler a girl I know broke one from texas and ended up getting it replaced by the instinct I believe.

Seriously, besides how they ride, I haven't heard anything good about them when it comes to strength.

The ETS-X has a design flaw where-by the seattube cracks in half where the upper linkage mounts. They've beefed up the design for 05 to (hopefully) fix it. Also it seems that Rocky is replacing broken frames with the 05 model with no hassle. The ETS-X is an XC bike, not an 'All-Mountain' bike, treat it as such and I'm sure it will serve you well. Most every review I've read have glowing remarks regarding the bikes handling.

Regarding Kona as a value brand, coming from myself who owns a nice Kona (05 JTS) I can definitely tell what corners were cut to get to the low price point. Don't get me wrong, I think Kona's are great bikes for the price, but I would have gladly spent an extra $100 for a decent paint job, a headset that doesn't have rocks for bearings, peddles that have seals...

I always thought the San Andreas l@@ked kinda neat, but were WAY overpriced. I've seen them recently on eBAY for 1/2 of what they sold for new. Do all Mtn.Bikes drop in value like those, or is it just the high $$$ ones that are usually overpriced in the 1st place?

Here's the San Andreas:

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/images/san_andreas_full_suspension.jpg

Depends on the bikes. Most don't retain much value. Like a car. Some high end ones do retain value. RM fr bikes tend to fetch a tonne from the kids on pinkbike but with the educated riders, they won't even touch them used. Depends on the market and the bike :)

San andreas looked cool (well thats like a REALLY old one...)...but not many people liked how it rode. This years version they changed some of the features to make it ride better and stronger.

Hi, does anyone know anything about the Rocky Mountain Hammer Race. I saw a 99 for sale in a classified ad for 90 canadian dollars and includes a headset, bottom bracket, and rigid fork. Plus add in about 30 dollars for shipping. Im thinking of building up a single speed to ride around the city to school/shops, the guy has no pictures of it, but assuming it is in decent shape, is this a good deal? And, is there anything to watch out for with these bikes?

Here's a pic (2000 model). Nothing special about the bike. Deore LX comp. group, R/S Judy, 221 rims, ect. MSRP was just over $1000. Remember one thing, it's a 6 year old bike. I wear most of mine out in 2 or 3 years....

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/7c/06/2000_Rocky_Mountain_Hammer_Race-bikes.jpg

I am a Rocky Dealer. Saying that up front will let you know I am a fan. As a dealer, I look for more than the best bang for the buck bike when considering bikes that cost $1000 and up. One of my first considerations when deciding on a line is company support. Will they be there when something goes wrong? And will they still have parts in stock when something goes wrong 3, 4, 5 years down the road. This has been a problem with many bike companies. Rocky has been there for me in every situation, warranty and otherwise. Getting parts for a bike from 5 years ago is possible. If they do not have them in stock, they make them. All warranty frames are built from scratch, or at least the two I sent back were. Their support has been fantastic. And regarding the broken seat tube issue of the ETSX series, I have not witnessed it as of yet. I ride an ETSX and while I may not be a big air guy, I am not bashful. But to their credit, I understand they replaced all the broken frames and have since redesigned their Seat tube, suspension junctures to alleviate this problem.

Edit Note - Something odd happened in the middle of this post. I punched the wrng button and accidentally posted before I was finished. And what came up is not what I had originally written. The words Sus-pens-ion bike became an automatic link to Price Point. What's up with that? I am now going to post again and see if it does it again.

2nd edit - yes it did. So I changed the above to not let it happen again. My question is, does this happen to everyone or is it just me?

Sounds like you have a redirect bot :)

I am a Rocky Dealer. Saying that up front will let you know I am a fan. As a dealer, I look for more than the best bang for the buck bike when considering bikes that cost $1000 and up. One of my first considerations when deciding on a line is company support. Will they be there when something goes wrong? And will they still have parts in stock when something goes wrong 3, 4, 5 years down the road. This has been a problem with many bike companies. Rocky has been there for me in every situation, warranty and otherwise. Getting parts for a bike from 5 years ago is possible. If they do not have them in stock, they make them. All warranty frames are built from scratch, or at least the two I sent back were. Their support has been fantastic. And regarding the broken seat tube issue of the ETSX series, I have not witnessed it as of yet. I ride an ETSX and while I may not be a big air guy, I am not bashful. But to their credit, I understand they replaced all the broken frames and have since redesigned their Seat tube, suspension junctures to alleviate this problem.

Edit Note - Something odd happened in the middle of this post. I punched the wrng button and accidentally posted before I was finished. And what came up is not what I had originally written. The words Sus-pens-ion bike became an automatic link to Price Point. What's up with that? I am now going to post again and see if it does it again.

2nd edit - yes it did. So I changed the above to not let it happen again. My question is, does this happen to everyone or is it just me?

Indeed, it would appear you have an annoying form of spy ware.

I hate spy ware and viruses so much >_< :rolleyes: :mad:

Spybot

http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html?part=104443&subj=dlpage&tag=button

Ad-aware

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

I've always wondered this and it doesn't just apply to bikes, but why does it matter where a frame is made? I'd say a very large percentage of frames are made in Taiwan and as far as I can tell the only difference is that you pay the European or North American more to work per hour. If you say: But the european and american workers are more skilled, well than you're not putting trust into the actual company even though many of these companies have excellent records. However I do understand it if you are an advocate against globalization and want to keep as many jobs as possible in your respective countries.

It's a principle thing. People who care about where it's made probably shop at their local downtown shops instead of at the walmarts. I'm generally fall into this category, but I stray sometimes. But eventually all of our jobs will be outsourced anyway and China will reign.