I’ve got a RM Slayer from 2006 that I really like. It inspires loads of confidence on anything technical or rocky, and descends as well as any DH bike (at my moderate speeds anyway). But it’s just not getting as much use as it should be as it seems to be much harder to climb with than any of my other bikes.

I’ve gone some way to cutting the weight – suspect it’s around 30lb now. My next thing will be to replace the Minion 42a tyres with the MaxxPro version (62A I think?), and go tubeless, which should hopefully shave some weight, but my question is – will this make much difference and is there anything else I can do to make it a bit quicker on the climbs*?

Would a shock tune help? It has a Fox RP3 with a firm PP tune. Or are there other similar 150mm frames that can descend as well but climb better?

* I appreciate that losing weight from myself will be cheaper, more rewarding and better in the long run, and this is a work in progress. My query relates to the fact that the Slayer is much slower up hills than any of my other (or previous) bikes, even those that had similar travel…

Build is:

RS Lyrik coil U-turn, Hope Pro II’s with Flows, Easton EA70 bars, Thomson seatpost, stock saddle, XT chainset, X9 shifters and rear mech

(Edited for clarity)

You will find a HUGE difference ditching the ST minions. I tried them and after 2 rides binned them, they just sap your energy. The Maxpro 60a folding are superb. I recently changed to tubeless using sealant and used the existing tyres I had 🙂

Thanks Aldomac, that’s encouraging. I’ve got the new tyres sitting in the garage. I was waiting for the ST’s to get shredded, but I’ll maybe not bother holding off now.

Any rotating weight loss is great, as not only do you loose weight from the bike but forces to get these parts moving is also reduced.

Wheels are one of the biggest things that can change the feel of the bike so swapping tyres and making the wheel setup lighter would be best. Max Pro’s are great tyres – ideal for all round use just be careful as the grip isn’t quite like the 42s!!

In terms of shock, does the bike bob or feel like the suspension is taking any of the pedalling forces away from moving the bike forward?

Thanks Jackass. To be honest, when the pro-pedal lever is in the middle position, it does feel like there is some loss of energy to the shock, but I’ve kinda learned to get round this by just sitting and spinning as smoothly as I can. Out-of-saddle efforts are avoided at all costs, as the suspension goes mental, and must take quite a chunk of energy away from forward motion.

With the PP lever on max, the shock bearly moves, but somehow seems slower on this setting than it does on the middle setting. Not quite sure why that is, or if it’s just an illusion.

I wouldn’t worry about weight too much, it’s not the weight of the bike that is slowing you down. With your forks wound down to 115mm it should climb reasonably well for what it is.

Draggy tyres are usually noticeably worse on tarmac, so maybe there won’t be a massive benefit to climbing off-road, but I haven’t ridden either of those tyres.

It sounds like you know how to pedal it so the rear end isn’t sapping all your energy, sounds a lot like my SC Bullit to be honest, you can’t stand to climb that at all!

What’s your fitness like? That’s probably the best way to improve the way the bike climbs.

When I had my Marin Wolf Ridge with an RP3 on it, if I was doing a more pedally ride I would add a little more PSI in the shock to firm it up and set the PP to 3(MAX), then when I got to the exciting stuff, flicked the PP lever to off and gave it a good hammering. Felt that was a good balance.

If you just chuck a Maxxpro on the back you will get a good compromise of grip and wear. Then when your front wears out you can replace it with the other 42a.

My fitness is moderate(ish). I’m a bit cautious about upping the PSI in the shock any more, as it’s already at around 300psi just to get the sag at 15-20%. Seems to be something to do with the large volume air can and the leverage ratio that makes it need ultra high pressures. I’d like to try a coil shock, but I don’t think they’ll fit through the split seat tube.

I reckon you might be surprised if you acually weighed your bike, based on my own recent experiences rebuilding my full-suss bikes. I’d have thought that getting to 30lbs for a bike with Lyrics would need a fair bit of cash spent elsewhere on the bike. For comparison my BFe weighs bang on 30lbs with XT wheels, Purgatory/Storm tyres, Talas forks and an SLX drivetrain.

I rebuilt my old S-Works Enduro at the weekend in order to save weight and make it into a more general purpose bike. That involved ditching the coil shock and Pike forks and replacing them with an RP2, 120mm Floats and also switching the wheels to some quite light (1500g) American Classic wheels with Eskars fitted. Previously the bike had been 32.8lbs however the changes brought that down to 28.2lbs (it was 26.6lbs when the wheels were still shod with Speed King Supersonics, but I thought they were a bit fragile). It’s certainly noticeable better climbing but I’ve not ridden it on anything challenging enough to tell how much it’s downhill prowess has been compromised yet.