So where does a 165mm bike named the Slayer FIt into the world of MTB right now? It’s a bit of a wild card as I had ‘DH’ crew wanting to ride it when at bike parks, and ‘lightweight’ crew just as keen to check it out when on epic all day slogs.
Is it the Swiss army knife of MTB’s? Probably over gunned in a lot of day to day trail situations granted, but that said, you won’t ever be complaining about too much travel when the going gets rowdy.
At its heart, the Slayer’s Smoothwall Carbon frame is one of the cleanest looking frames to drop this season. That long sloping top tube flows straight into the rocker and seat stays, a look that from a distance could easily be confused for a hard tail, it’s so well executed. But beyond its good looks, Rocky Mountain have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with their one-sided linkages allowing for a narrower (Boost) rear end that gives your ankles some respite from clipping stays. Well thought out internal cable and hose routing, which includes a rear shock lockout remote if you so desired, is all present.
Ports for stealth-dropper-posts and Di2-units are there too, with oversized down tube cable ports designed to ease routing through the frame and the rear swing arm. With no front derailluer mount in sight, Rocky have made sure that area is as strong as possible, with plenty of material surrounding the BB and pivot region. While First inspection shows no sign of ISGC tabs from above, a look underneath will show two below, so you can run a taco/ bashguard, plus a sweet little chain guide comes with the bike should you be feeling insecure about your chain. Tyre clearance is big enough for 27.5”x2.5” tyres and 26”x3.0” plus-sized tyres as well, should you feel the need for a bigger bag. Best element of the Slayer frame for us though? The hockey goalie mask graphic on the top tube. So good.
Like most modern mini-DH-come-enduro bikes, the Slayer’s geometry is long, slack, and of course low. Reach has been extended over its predecessor and the head angle raked out to 64.75 degrees.
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