I really fancy an 18″ Rocky Mountain ESTX50 but am afraid it will be a tad too big. I currently ride a 17.5″ Trek HT that fits perfect, both have the same 580mm virtual top tube length.
Now I’m 5’9″ 31″ inside leg, your standard ‘average’ man. Are the Rocky’s quite compact or are they big for there size?

Any comments on the ESTX ride etc welcome.

I’ve only ridden one once, but it was fantastic. Possibly the nicest bike I’ve ever ridden (not that I’ve ridden hundreds). No idea about sizing though.

I’m about the same height as you and ride an 18″ ETSX so it should be fine for you. I was on a 16.5″ Giant NRS before that and it “feels” about the same length, although I haven’t measured it.
It’s a great bike by the way, climbs like nothing else and very confidence inspiring on the way down. I just need to spend a few quid to save a bit of weight here and there! Enjoy!

I’m also about the same size as you MrFanny I’m 5′ 10″ with a 32″ inside leg. I currently ride an 18″ Stumpy HT but I also have an 18″ ETSX50. The HT is more XC so head down @rse up. The ETSX is more all mountain so slightly more upright as you would on a FS, however I have changed to a 80mm stem and an OS high rise handle bar cos I prefer it that way.

The ride is awesome with the 4, 4.5 or 5 inch adjustable travel front & rear. The spec is great with Fox TALAS forks & RP23 shock, Raceface kit, Formula K24 brakes etc. It climbs very well & descends even better I just need to learn to trust the bike & stay off the brakes more. I was apprehensive about spending the money on this bike but I haven’t been disappointed 😀

I would recommend that if possible you ride an ETSX before splashing the cash as it may not be to your liking. Good luck & I hope you get one soon.

Nice comments fella’s, I rode a META 5.5 last year and couldn’t believe what I was getting away with so I want an FS but I love the adjustability of the Rocky…..
Just need to hide the price from MrsFannay and jobs a goodun!

five eleven here 32″ inside leg, with a 18″ with plenty of seat post showing! Great bike can’t praise it highly enough.

Oh good another chance to post a pic of Roxy…

Enjoy 😆

I am 5 11 with a 32inch inside leg and ride a 18inch ETSX, I think if I was any taller I would have gone for the next size up. I have the same bar setup as Crispy bacon as this gives the bike a more AM feel. At 5 9 you may want to fit a shorter stem than the 90mm it comes with but it wont affect the handling.

The bike really is a lovely ride and it’s amazing how different it feels when you adjust the suspension travel. Shame they are not making it anymore.

I’m 6′, I used to have an original type in 19″ & I found that short.
As others I snapped mine, but got a replacement, sold it ASAP, I always found it flexy & to ‘racy’, but if pure XC is your bag I think it would be a great choice.
They are sexy frames, whats not to like?

Right, second attempt at posting a picture (I miss the preview button!)

and

Well, I’m sorry to inject a dour note into this ETSX love-in but here’s my 2p worth 🙂

I had a 2006 ETSX-50. It was a good looking bike for sure. But if you really looked close, actually the quality of finish was not as good as you might expect for over £2k. The lacquer was blemished in a few places and the paint burst off the disk brake mounts leaving quite a lot of bare metal. Also the finish was uneven on the swingarm linkages. Still, not a deal breaker.

I swapped out a lot of the Race Face Evolve components, in fact I swapped out all the components for more light weight ones and I got the weight down to 27.75lbs. It cost me about £700. Ouch. Still I got some of that back flogging the old parts on ebay.

The ride: This is just my view. I am 5’11” and 32″ IL. During demo I fell in love with the “bottomless travel” feeling but didn’t ride for long enough to get to know the bike thoroughly.

I found my 18.5″ (they are all ” + half an inch sizes” – note) to be very very tall and quite short. I had to run a 110mm stem in the end which made the steering very slow. I had almost no standover on this bike. I found the wandery, unstable low speed handling very hard to get used to, so went faster and this did work: it was very capable over rough stuff, drops etc, but still very poor at low speed, regardless of tyres, pressures etc. I tried shorter stems which helped a bit but compromised both climbing and sprinting. I found it was OK on general climbs but so tall that on steep stuff the bars were popping up all the time. I also had a persistent problem with the swingarm squeaking.

Also, and I know I am showing my age here, but I couldn’t dab my feet down while sitting on the saddle at any respectable height, which made getting on and off the bike at times rather dramatic, when a forward slide onto the top tube (ouch) was not possible.

Basically I couldn’t make this bike fit me. I had a Spesh FSR120 Pro before and it fitted fine. I now have a Yeti ASR-SL which fits like a glove. Perhaps controvercially I would suggest that 95% of riders will be overbiked 95% of the time with an ETSX in the UK.

Incidentally, finish is better on both the Spesh and the Yeti. The finish on the Yeti is in fact quite amazing. I have never seen anything like it.

In the UK we really put RM on a pedestal because they are seen as a badge brand and are very expensive (so they must be worth it – right?) but actually if you look at them, the suspension systems are (or at least were) very out of date (old Element anyone? utter joke, and yes ETSX – so much effort for 4.5″ now 5″) or very contrived (Slayer?); they are heavy across the range, and frankly they are just not all that.

Oh yeah, did I mention the frame fouls the valve on the shock so you have to put the shock on 5″ of travel to get the pump on, then the connector scrapes the paint off the frame as you tighten it? Don’t put the frame back to 4.5″ or 4″ without taking the pump off though, or sit on the bike with the pump on the shock, or you will knacker the pump, valve, shock mount or some horrible combination of the three. Nice work RM.

And did I say the lacquer was like butter and scratched just by looking at it? No? Well, I did now.

I’d have to agree with the comment that they are rather short and tall, but I haven’t found that to be a problem. Too much bike for uk riding? You could be right, certainly I don’t think i’ll ever reach the limits of what it is capable of – but then you could probably say that about tons of other bikes too.

I must admit I was pretty impressed with the finish on mine – it certainly compares well with any other bike i’ve seen, but yes they are pretty expensive – although I bought an ’07 last summer for about 1200 quid which I thought was pretty good.

Each to their own I guess!

Not that I have a problem with RM you understand 😀 Just my first hand experience. Overpriced, underdesigned and over weight. Bah humbug…in my day…

Yeti why was the old Element an utter joke?

TheYeti, because you went to such lengths, then I feel obliged to reply…
And I agree, I have owned two ETSX’s, & a slayer, I have never fallen in love with any of them, my brother even said my Alu hardtail with suss post was more compliant than the slayer, & he rides once a decade!
The Azonic propulsion & Burner on the other hand, although shorter travel (3.5″), are stiff as, & still feel ‘bottomless’. I know which I would rather own, but never underestimate the OP, 99% of the time they have already made their minds up 😉 (sorry OP)

Yeti why was the old Element an utter joke?

Well, forgive me, I’m overstating the case for comic effect but (and this is just my opinion as a cyclist and professional design engineer) I think it’s a visually unattractive bike with an over-simplistic suspension design that places the centre of gravity of the bike unnecessarily high and makes no attempt to reduce standover height. Let’s face it, it’s a cut-and-shut hardtail! It’s a scandal that RM knocked out this design for so long in world where suspension design had moved so far ahead.

No desire to offend any Element purchasers of course 🙂

I know which I would rather own, but never underestimate the OP, 99% of the time they have already made their minds up (sorry OP)

Yup, he is so on his way to splash the cash on that “effortless climbing ability” so often quoted in the press. I understand. I did the same. It climbs well for an overweight overtall mountain marathon bike, at which I am sure it excels.

And another thing…one of the bike mags did a long term test on the ETSX-70, MBR? I forget. The classic quote from that was “…I’ve had the bike nearly a year and it’s all really starting to make sense now”. This was accompanied by a photo of the reviewer labouring to propel the behemoth along…wait for it…I shit you not…a deceptively flat and unimpeding timber pier! You have GOT be having a laugh. If your bike isn’t making sense by “nearly a minute” then man, you bought the wrong bike.

I’m 5.9 and 34 inside leg and the frame is 19.5″
The ride is great and its all that I meed.