Rocky Mountain Element 970 Introduction

Rocky Mountain Bikes released the Element 970 as their second 29er, new for 2012. While the Element platform has been around since 1996, this is its first year offered as a 29er. Since its inception, it has been a XC (Cross Country) bike with its roots in racing. What is XC ? Typically, it refers to a race oriented bike with an emphasis on light weight and efficiency. Rocky Mountain knows that, to most of us, XC still means light and efficient but that we expect a lot more from a XC bike than just a race and training bike. The Element still has its roots in racing but it can also be a fast, efficient trail bike.

The Element 29er platform comes in 3 parts levels. The 970 for $4299.00 , 950 for $3300 and 930 for $2600

The 970 comes with a more XC oriented group which includes a 100mm (3.9 inch) RockShox Sid fork, and light weight, speed oriented Maxxis tires (Aspen rear and Ikon front). The 950 comes with a longer travel 120mm fork, heavier duty 20mm axle and a wind down feature that can change the travel from 90mm to 120mm on the front shock. In addition, it has less expensive hubs and X9 cranks instead of the carbon variety found on the Element 970. Other then these differences, they are pretty close in spec. The 930 is a more budget oriented package. Cool thing is they all share the same frame, so you can upgrade over time.

Rocky Mountain designs their bikes in British Columbia, Canada. In recent years, they have out sourced production overseas. The coolest thing about Rocky Mountain has always been the small batch, custom FEEL that they have. Even though this bike is manufactured in Asia, it is not a catalog spec’ed bike. Every nook and cranny is engineered to achieve a purpose.

Lets look at some of these frame features that are truly unique to rocky Mountain Bikes. One of the first things I noticed is the use of bushings on the pivots, instead of bearings. Since I first rode Rocky Mountain Bikes and sold them at a shop I worked at, this has truly been a selling point. Bushings are lighter and require very little maintenance. They spread the load of the pivot over a greater surface area. Lighter and easier to maintain; why are we using bearings? Taking it a step further, this is no ordinary bushing. Rocky Mountain uses their ABC bushings (angular concept bushings). Yay, more acronyms ! Check out this video for the details. Put simply, lighter, stiffer easier to maintain – all good things in 29erOnline’s book.

Rocky Mountain Bicycles – ABC™ Pivots from Rocky Mountain Bicycles on Vimeo.

Rocky Mountain’s Smooth Link is another feature of the Element series. No, it is not a variation of the Horst Link. Check out the video below for Rocky Mountains take:

Rocky Mountain Bicycles – SmoothLink™ Suspension System from Rocky Mountain Bicycles on Vimeo.

Included in the frame is a direct mount front derailleur mounted to the chainstay, tapered steer tube, and internal cable routing with really well executed seals where the cables exit the frame. A 30.9 seat post with a rubber seal at the seat clamp to keep out the elements (no pun intended). The bottom bracket type is a BB92 variety. Basically, it has a press-in bearing and adapter. You use an integrated spindle crank set that is readily available. Here is a good write up on it that gives the basics without making you want to pass out or take a nap.

The fit is much different then other maker’s geometry. We will post test rider’s dimensions, so you can get an idea of how to size the Element. Our test model is a large 18.5 inch seat tube. Rocky Mountain Bikes dubs this Race Tuned Compact. The goal is to diminish the handling differences between a 26er and a 29er.

I have to say, when production was outsourced, I was very skeptical that they would be able to keep the same feel as those bikes that were hand built in Canada by welders who signed off on the bikes they welded. This sort of small, dedicated, soulful, roots company is what drew me to Rocky Mountain in the first place. Admittedly, there is still a part of me that misses that. The good news is, that everything was engineered and designed in British Columbia down to the smallest detail and, by doing so, they have kept the feel of their bikes true to Rocky Mountain’s heritage.

The Element 970 shows its purpose right out of the box. It is not loaded with the lightest parts, but rather a smart, well rounded parts kit. the DT rims are not the lightest rims but they are stiff, have welded seams, and are tubeless ready. Would you sacrifice stiffness for weight ? I would not, especially for a bike that can do daily duty as a one bike for most occasions. The hubs are 15qr variety with a 12 x 142 rear. This is a welcomed trend, even on bikes that emphasize light weight. The extra stiffness in both wheel and frame is worth the very small weight penalty compared to the older open drop style. The other wheel components are very straight forward. The DT Swiss hubs are laced 3x with 32 spokes Combined, they are reliable, a very competitive weight for the money, and easy to service…smart!. We have said it before and will continue to emphasize the importance of wheels that are easy to maintain, with a tried and true balance between strength and weight. This wheel set should be easily serviced by any decent shop anywhere in the developed world. Convert it to tubeless and ride them into the ground.

The fork is new to us, and is a new model for 2012. Rocky Mountain spec’ed the Element 970 with the Rock Shox Sid RL model. RL refers to rebound control and lock out. The Sid RL is a dual air model with positive and negative air chambers. Spend the time setting it up correctly and it can go head to head with any other fork on the market. As stated above, it has a 15qr front axle and a tapered steer tube. Once again, we see Rocky Mountain focusing on stiffness and not micro managing weight. Big thumbs up here!

The Element 970 handlebar, seat post, and stem are all aluminum Easton models. The standout to me is the nice wide 685 mm bars that have a 9 degree sweep. For the record, I would still like to see bars that are wider and with an upwards flair. Wider bars can always be cut down. Again, I will also state that preferences are huge, even within the 29erOnline testers, so this really isn’t that big of a deal, as most people will be fine with the bars that are provided. That said, manufacturers could allow people the option of trying a wider set up by spec’ing the bike with a wider bar and allowing them to cut them to the desired width. The short time I spent on the bike, I ran a 70mm stem and a 710 mm wide low rise bar. With this setup, this is the sharpest handling 29er dual suspension bike I have ridden to date. With the stock setup which is longer, lower, and narrower, it didn’t have nearly the same level of playfulness.

Braking duty is handled by the very light and extremely powerful Formula R1 Brakes. The 180mm rotors used both front and rear should provide plenty of power. A neat detail is the Canadian Maple leaf engraved in the caliper’s piston.

The drivetrain is a mix of SRAM parts. X7 front derailluer, X9 shifters, XO rear derailluer, and a SRAM 1070, X9 level cassette. This is a very good setup and really has nothing one can complain about. We run X9 on our 29erOnline built kits, and have had no problems or complaints, even from riders coming from a much higher end product on their personal rides.

The Element 970 promises to be a smart versatile Cross Country oriented bike, with the ability to be used day in and day out as a trail bike as well. Our testing will be focused on this versatility. The testing has just begun!

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