Rocky Mountain Element970 RSL 2014 review in AMB mag

For the past 2 years my life I have been entrenched in the outdoor and fitness technology world. Health gadgets and new fitness technology have boomed and working for Magellan has exposed me to all these awesome tech products that are cutting edge which ultimately aims at improving your fitness levels.

However todays post is going to be on my passion MTB bikes. I am lucky enough be supported by Rocky Mountain bikes and here is a recent bike review I wrote on the middle level Rocky Mountain Element 970RSL with all pictures taken by Lyndon Marceau which made the front cover of Australia's premuim MTB mag:AMB along with some behind the scence shots:

Bikes intrigue us cyclists, from the looks to the new moldings to the origin of the bike brand. When I think of Rocky Mountain bikes, the origin of the brand kind of tells the story. Canadian Rockies means core raw mountain biking, aggressive challenging trail riding to endless flowing single track and big rooty switchback climbs, to me this is encompassed by British Columbia. I have been lucky enough just to return from the BC bike race which spends 7 days riding through the home of Rocky Mountain, so I hope to accurately depict the capabilities of this bike from an educated view point.

The Element 950RSL is a bike which a privateer can ride with pride. Sporting a good solid build, without any over kills, you know that you have a spec’ed steed that will last and be affordable to replace down the line. With SLX brakes, shifters and front derailleur paired with XT rear derailleur, I found these more than adequate. The stopping power was as good as XT just not as smooth. The SLX rapid fire triggers snapped in place every time, jumping through the gears well. The Race face triple chain ring was something different for me as I haven’t ridden a triple ring for 5 years now, and although I’m coming from XX1, I found it no less of a regression. Knowing that not everyone has legs like Gripel, this setup suits all types of riding terrains, and is favored in British Columbia as makes the bike adaptable.

Another bonus is FOX’s CTD remote (which I found myself using as often as shifting the front ring), yes it’s a little ugly and cumbersome but I love the flick of the one switch to stiffen up the bike (front and rear suspension simultaneously) ensuring all your pedal power is being spent effectively. In “C” mode for climb the rear locks and the front stiffens for out of the saddle efforts. The rear suspension layout is dubbed by Rocky Mountain as “Smoothlink Suspension”, but to describe in laymen terms it neutralizes the chain tension so it doesn’t affect the suspension, allowing the suspension to remain active and supple whilst still hammering the pedals. The fairly short chainstay keeps the feeling of a sporty ride and giving the rear wheel good traction at all times.

The Shimano spec’s are common to most brands although Rocky Mountain pairs Race face components which very few brands use, and is a nice change. I can talk all day about spec’s and components but I believe the real bulk of this review should be on the frame and ride. The Element sets itself apart from the pack due to a frame geometry that really works. Rocky Mountain knows they have a winning geometry with this bike and I doubt they will be making too many changes for 2014. It’s evident the bike is built for speed, it translates pedal power so effectively and in corners it begs to be dropped lower and truly leaves the rider wanting to ride longer and harder. Targeted at the endurance XC rider wanting to take it a up a level, this bike is a definite KOM smasher and totally race worthy. Like it’s big brothers the Element 970RSL and 999RS, it sports a carbon front triangle, the only thing setting it apart frame wise is the 950RSL has an Alu rear triangle and honestly wouldn’t need too many upgrades to bling it out for race day, all I would suggest is a tubeless Stan’s wheelset , new tyres and saddle of choice along with some foam grips.

Another sweet addition for the more all mountain rider would be dropper post , which could be setup with the cable internally routed as the frame has provisioned for it. Apart from the rear brake all the cabling is internally routed which keeps the frame looking clean and sleek. The surprising quality about the Element is how well it climbs, but you just have to look at the frame to tell that it has great downhill capability and handles superbly through the technical sections. A flick of a switch to D (Descend) on the Fox CTD and your rear suspension opens up to a plush effective ride, finding yourself aiming your heels down, weight slightly behind the saddle, softly gripping the bars and pointing it over lines you never knew you were competent to choose on your xc bike and that’s when your smiling to the max. Your perception starts changing on where you point the bars and how far you look down the track giving yourself the competitive advantage of keeping your momentum and flow.

The debate of 26,27.5 and 29 seems irrelevant once you start riding an Element 29er, as it rolls over obstacles with ease and holds tight lines through the corners due to a fairly short top tube and a 15mm through axle hub coupled with a 12x142 rear through axle which stiffens it up nicely. The cockpit is compact and gives you a great feel of control on braking or downward pedal strokes. The bottom bracket does seem fairly low when shocks are fully open but I never experienced a problem. The Raceface handlebars come standard at 720mm and can be cut down with ease to suit the rider.

Conclusion: No doubt the market segment for the Element is for a XC rider/racer wanting to spend more hours in the saddle on a light weight responsive bike. But the 950RSL extends itself to large range of riders at a competitive price. I wouldn’t box it into a pure XC bike as is so much more capable than that, and feel that it can handle the most aggressive trails with ease and attacks with speed. As the Fox32 Float 100mm will inspire the most XC focused rider, I can only praise the Canadian based company for balancing a bike that ticks so many boxes all in one: speed, efficiency, comfort and performance.