Rocky Mountain Element 950, 6 Months Review

This is my review on my Rocky Mountain Element 950 after 6 months of riding. I will go into what I have changed and then how it rides all for you to read below.

The parts list stock to changed

Rocky Mountain Element 950, size 18.5 year 2012

Handle Bar
Stock: Easton EA70 Flat 31.8, 685mm
Changed: Chromag Acute 31.8 710mm, 25mil
Stem
Stock: Easton EA90 100mm 0deg
Changed: Chromag Ranger 90mm 0deg

Forks: No Change Custom Rock Shox Revelation 90-120mil with 20mil QR maxle

Rear Shock
No change: Custom Rock Shox monarch RT

Tyres
Stock: Front: Maxxis Ikon
           Rear: Maxxis Aspen
Changed: Front & Rear: Schwable Racing Ralphs 2.25 with snake skin protection Tubless.

Drive train

Stock: 

FD Sram x.7

RD Sram x.9

Cranks/Chain rings Sram s1400 175mm 38/24 2x10

Cassette: 1050 12-36

Chain Sram PC-1051

Changed:

FD Sram X.O

RD Sram X.O

Cranks/Chain rings Sram X.O 175mm39/26 2x10

Cassette: 1070 12-36

Chain Sram PC 1091

Pedals:
Shimano XTR Trail
Saddle
Stock: fi'zi Gobi XM
Changed: Chromag Lynx DT

Seat Post
Stock: Easton EA70 30.9mm X 350
Changed: Rock Shock Reverb Hydraulic 125mm 30.9mm X 420
 Brakes
Stock: Formula RX 180mm
Changed: Avid X.O 180mm HS1 Rotors

Bottle Cage
Side mount Right hand side
Grips:
Stock: RMB single clamp lock on
Changed: TLD moto locking grips, 2 clamp lock on

The Review

This has been the longest time I have spent riding a dual suspension 29er. I was blown away when I first got on the Element 950 in Canada and was excited to have a longer time on the bike to really get to understand it. 

Controls:

I changed out the Bar and Stem and opted for a shorter stem and wider and riser bars to make the bike suit me more. I had the stem as high as it would go with all spaces under it and rode it for a week then I put all the spaces on top of the stem and rode it like that for a week to see a difference. The change in height was night and day for me, with one of the smallest steerer heights on the market taking advantage of this and getting the stem low plays a huge role in keeping the Elements front down low.

With the wider bars and lower stem cornering started to become alot easier for me. You do sit higher on a 29er so with a lower stem and wider bars you get more leverage and can move the bike around with more ease. You might even want to go into the negative to get the handle bar height down but only if you are going for some pinner race xc mode. When it came to fast tighter on flat ground I found the bike very stable. I was trying to take my 26in lines at firs but found it hard to hold the line. I rode some sections that I new rather well a few times and started to move the bike side to side more and more. After a few runs I was riding my 26 lines faster than before and even finding new lines that I had not see before as I was in a different position and speed.

Cornering: 

Loose Gravel

When I first set out on my local trails I went out like a bull at a gate, I simple went for it throwing the bike into all styles of loose corners in a effort to find the grip and drift point on the bike. I found it challenging at first due to the tyres hooking up very well being tubeless and the 29 wheels keeping a smooth even traction for the length of the corner. I pushed the bike to its limits and was very impressed at how hard you can hit corners and still ride out of them in control. The bike is responsive and will go where you want it if you know how to get it there. When I got the bike into a drift it is almost like you go into slow motion yet you are at speed. I have come to know the bike very well and I'm now very comfortable on the loose gravel as the bike will track and when it does loose traction you can lean it till it hooks up again and you will be back on track with a huge smile screaming "must drift more"

Berm/Jumps

Making sure I was comfortable with my set up I decided it was time to take it to some berms and jumpy trails. It was at home on the fast smooth berm sections wanting more and more. I was hitting berms faster than before and having a awesome time in the process. There was a limit with what I was wanting to jump on the bike for I did find it slower in the air resulting in more manuals to scrubbs than hitting the bigger doubles. It was fine over smaller jumps and rhythm sections but with a little more riding it in the area I'm sure it and the rider would hit the bigger jumps on it. I was finding that the bike wanted to carry alot of speed around bermed corners and as a result I needed to lean it over more to exit the corner and the best angle.

Climbing:

I started out with my seat quite froward on the rails and the nose cone up 15deg but started to find that even with the forks wound to 90mm I was getting a very laid back and light front feel. I moved the seat back on the rails to bring it forward and also dropped the cone down and it made a huge difference to my seated climbing ability. 

I was progressively generating more drive threw the rear wheel for longer periods and started to climb with ease. Like most XC/Trail bikes it was fine up fire road and even when it got steep you had sufficient traction and there was no peddle bob throwing you off balance.

When it came to rougher rocky climbs the bike did float over quite allot more than I thought how ever it did have it's limits and I did get stopped in my tracks resulting in some rather awkward dismounts. I found that I was moving my body position forward on the bike from most of my climbing. The shorted top tube was working in my favor also as it was assisting me to get forward and back faster meaning I could bounce, lift, pull, push over tougher sections of the climb. I was out with friends on other 26 dualies and there was a noticeably different in how easy the 29 climbed steeper rocky climbs

Descending:

My first real technical decent was off the charts fun! I was grinning from ear to ear as I simply got off the brakes and put the bike where I wanted it to go. Some times it had other ideas but we sorted out our differences and had one hell of a ride. The bike in 120m mode with the post slammed gave me all the confidence in the world to fly down the decent. With the frame running bushings in all the linkage except for the lower pivot it runs sealed bearing.
You can feel the stiffness in the harsher descents giving you confidence the bike wasn't going to turn into a noodle mid decent. The shorter top tube adds to the bikes over all  "radness" and simply puts you in control with out even trying. Open it up and let eat up your decent or pop from side to side to take the smoother line with plenty of style.

 Remember your ABC's Rocky Mountain have remembered theres in a rider smiling way!

Suspension:

The U-Turn for me makes this bike a weapon. It simply goes from a xc race bike to a weekend of fun and smiles bike with a few turns.

Make sure U-Turn the fun on for the Descents!

The Final Verdict
The Element 950 is a bike that has had alot of man hours put into the design and it shows in the build and ride quality. The Design team at Rocky Mountain have delivered a bike that will make you grin from ear to ear with excitement as you re discover your new and old trails. It wants to climb and feels right at home on the decent and technical terrain. If you do get out of the saddle and crank hard you will feel peddle bob on hard packed climbs but get it onto technical climbs and you are going to be pleasantly surprised. Do take time to change your set up and explore new set ups to get the most out of the bike and any bike for that matter. I have ridden the bike hard in all types of terrain and it has ever let me down.