Rode one of their large demo Rockets this morning, WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO. Awesome bike, no heavier than my 120mm Specialized FSR XC and rides far lighter. Nice slack head angle, even with 140mm forks but doesn’t handle slowly, still very easy to turn in and flick around, and in no way boring on flat trails. Superb climbing, no front end lift, lots of grip but it doesn’t bob, still nice and firm. The one I tried had 2×10 XT, didn’t feel the need for anything lower. Felt nice and stiff, didn’t notice any flex even on very rocky stuff. Loads of rear tyre clearance, and the pivot cap thing everyone was complaining about was fine, I didn’t notice any rub. Straight seat tube meant I could get the saddle right out of the way, which is definitely something I want. All in all a very good bike indeed, I’d love one. Any questions just ask.

How old are you? 😉

Younger than you 😉

Rode the medium Rocket too this morning!! – very, very nice. Big bike that does feel like a big bike, until you need it to on the downs. It felt very poised indeed and would encourage all to give it a go if you get the chance.

An excellent all-rounder IMHO.

Many thanks to Cy and Paul for setting up the day and especially to Paul for guiding.

That sounds great (have you bought one,am planning a test ride at Dales Bike Centre in a couple weeks. There are enough ups and downs from Reeth to see if it’s as good as you say.

Not bought one, out of my budget really, but I wanted to see what it was like, and I’d definitely buy one if one came up second hand. Want to try a Bandit 29, and there might be a Rocket 29 in the pipeline. Cy said it wasn’t worth making a short travel Rocket for a couple of reasons. He said it’d only be about 1/4lbs lighter, and I now agree with this, it pedals so well that there’d be no problem riding one all day everyday, really doesn’t feel like a 150mm bike until you need the extra travel, when it’s there to bail you out.

really doesn’t feel like a 150mm bike until you need the extra travel, when it’s there to bail you out.

Which other 150mm bikes have you ridden for comparison? Just wondering.

Scott Genius is the only 150 I’ve ridden properly off road. I guess what I mean is that it feels like it has less travel than my Specialized, until the extra travel is needed. Seems to hold itself up in the travel well, rather than feeling spongy and energy sapping.

Cool, I developed a hate/hate relationship with a Giant Reign due to its utter blandness and general plushness which I hated. I kind of like full suspension bikes that pedal like hardtails but are still active, hence the Ml7 and the Pace.

Recycler, what does this mean. I don’t quite get what you’re saying unless you mean it feels big until it goes downhill when it feels less big?

Big bike that does feel like a big bike, until you need it to on the downs.

I definitely reccomend you try one if you’re ever looking for a new full sus. I think Recycler means doesn’t rather than does, which is in line with how i feel about it 🙂

Sorry Dog I should have typed better – the bike does NOT feel big until you need it on the downs.
Sorry for the confusion – really enjoyed it.

Sounds ace, I really really really want one 😀 But don’t have the money 😐

sambob – Member
Cy said it wasn’t worth making a short travel Rocket

Shame.

Cannot wait got my demo booked at the Dales bike centre on the 21st.

Seems to hold itself up in the travel well

Stop reading MBR, they are idiots.

Druidh – You don’t need Cy to make one, simply buy one, fit a shorter shock and fork and you’d have a super low/slack lil pinner!! in all honesty I can’t really see you getting on with a bike like that tho.

If you try one Druidh you’ll see why, it’s very impressive indeed.

GW – I was actually referring to the fact that a few folk on that other Rocket thread seemed to have expressed a preference for a shorter travel version. Like you say – unlikely to be my cup of tea (I’d still like a shot on one though – you never know 🙂 )

I don’t read MBR, it’s true though.

Ok. pass on my comment, we def need more proper DH geometry shorter travel bikes around even if they are gonna be Cotics 😉

Thanks for posting guys, and so pleased you liked the bikes. Was a fun day.

I am going to look at a bunch of options for the next few FS frames this summer. However, as mentioned above, because the Rocket feels so much fun with 150mm travel I can’t really see what shortening it down will bring, but I will be trying it to see if I can figure out where it all fits based on riding rather than hand waving.

I will be trying it to see if I can figure out where it all fits based on riding rather than hand waving.

You have no place here. Mods please escort him from the website.

I did wonder if I’d blow my cover by admitting that [finds ticket and wanders off to cloakroom]

Cy – member

…as mentioned above, because the Rocket feels so much fun with 150mm travel I can’t really see what shortening it down will bring, but I will be trying it to see if I can figure out where it all fits based on riding rather than hand waving.

well…

speaking as someone who’s a bit slow and mincey:

1) i don’t need loads of travel, if i set forks/rears soft enough to use 150mm, it all feels too soft and divey.

(i set the pressure on my 140mm pikes so that it feels good, and it seems i use about 100mm, i’d be happy with shorter forks, but my blue pig wouldn’t)

2) you can make the chainstays shorter without the rear wheel rubbing on the seat-tube.

3) shorter forks are (usually) cheaper forks.

4) (a few) people are asking for short-travel bikes without the typical, scary geometry that’s usually found on 100mm bikes*.

but, i’m an idiot, feel free to ignore me.

If you’re a bit slow and mincey then you don’t need a frame as strong (or stiff?) as the Rocket, so aluminium alloy would make more sense to save you carting the weight and cost of 853 around.

Trust me on this, it’d be kinda pointless having a proper slack/low frame to ride slow and mincy too.

save you carting the weight… around.

I thought that the frame weight was about the same as an Alu one for the same travel?

As for an alu one of vaguely similar strength and stiffness, which wouldn’t be a frame for mincing! Something like an Intense SS2 or Alpine 160.

GW – Member

Trust me on this, it’d be kinda pointless having a proper slack/low frame to ride slow and mincy too.

you’re right, mincers like me don’t need “proper slack/low” but ‘steep and high’ is a bit scary.

(i need all the help i can get)

there is a middle ground that doesn’t seem very well catered for.

eg, short travel, but keeping this:

as an option.

i’m going to stick my neck out, and suggest that a giant anthem/speccy epic is probably not ideal.

Proper low or slack isn’t needed for hucking either

Trust me on this

Yeah right the bloke that needs a seat post that goes down more than 12 cm…

I’m in the I’d like a 100mm travel bike that doesn’t have such a steep HA. I don’t need 150mm rear travel, I just want a little more comfort sometimes. I’ve tried both superlight and anthem x which were great until pointed downwards and then they felt scarey!

Kind of like a full sus Soul would be nice. Ideally 140mm front compatible (like a Soul) so I could run Bos Devilles up front if I wanted…

Slammed saddles rule!

Dragging your brakes in fear down easy singletrack must suck

Dragging your brakes in fear down easy singletrack must suck

It does indeed however I’d like to compare my fast to your fast. And I don’t need a slam down seat post. See you at the trans vé then 😉

Remember, Cy gave people a choice with the original Hemlock of 100mm or 160mm travel.

I bought both rockers but settled on the 100mm both with 36 forks. More than enough travel for my riding style (or lack off).

So I imagine he also has gained a pretty clear idea, commercially speaking, of what people will buy.

“need” has **** all to do with it.

Just had a lecture on this subject from She Who Must Be Obeyed, because I said I was thinking of selling 2 bikes to buy a new one. ‘Why’ she says, ‘Because I have had ’em for 3 years and fancy a change’ This apparently does not qualify as a rational answer. Strange we can find shedloads of money to have a new crap kitchen installed by muppets but nothing for toys.

FOG – my SWMBO spat her tea out laughing as she can feel your pain!!!

@FOG – does your wife wear all her clothes and shoes till they fall apart or does she change some each season (ie 4 times a year) and buy something new for a special occasion ?

The thing with the short travel option is that I was right with you guys up until I got the Rocket prototypes. I figured out that the thing I liked about the short travel Hemlock wasn’t the lack of travel, it was the punchy, fun feel. By making the rate on the Rocket much more progressive (i.e. less plush and ‘wallowy’) you get that fun feel AND you have plenty of travel. This is why I’m interested about the shorter travel versions I’ll have a go with, but less convinced than I used to be. The ride feel is less about the travel and more about the way the frame/shock is set up. Most companies want their longer travel bikes to feel very soft and ‘suspensiony’, but having tried them it’s not something I particularly like. It might be the most efficient way to make the suspension get you down the hill fast, but it’s not as much fun and something you can work with, pop off things, move around a bit.

The key thing is that if you want ‘only’ 100mm travel, but still want to do fun things, you aren’t going to save any weight as a frame needs to be strong for what you do on it, not the amount of travel it has. One of the short options I have coming is literally a Rocket with a different shock mount for a shorter shock. It’ll be a few ounces lighter than the Rocket because of the little shock, but still needs that strength. The Soul-ish geo bike is aluminium (where you will save lots of weight) but is limited to 120mm forks because if they were any longer it’d end up getting all heavy and super strong again.

So that’s the hand waving. I’ll let you know how the riding goes once I’ve done some of that……