Good suggestion, I'll see what we can do. -Brian

And put probably quantify efficiency in terms of the product of watt hrs x sec required to complete said climb. Lower number = higher efficiency. Or at least publish power data so that we can see how much variance between attempts, really difficult to nail constant power without fluctuation.

LOL that is the one thing they will never change. It is like asking Mercedes to compete on price with Toyota. I would settle just for Rocky Mountain not to need special tools to get the bearing out of the rear shock mount. My local Rocky Mountain dealer does not even have the tool either.

That Carbon 50 spec level seems fairly reasonable as far as value goes.

I’m fine with the price. The press fit bb is the only issue I see.

​@@steviedingledangle7982 same, as a dealer I was expecting BSA :( just glad they otherwise pretty much moved away from it.

@@T8T- Same with the alloy models.

And the Revel Ranger!

and intense sniper!

I am thinking of getting the Element C70. Hopefully, the bike showed up for you. What are your thoughts on it?

Agreed on this - looking to see how you guys like it. Picking one up Friday this week on a solid deal. @@CptnBly9

It’s like an XC version of the Mondraker Foxy…but with prettier paint.

That was something I was going to mention. How will these more capable descending bikes hold up over time when the geo pushes you to ride things the suspension can’t handle.

Agree, interesting to know how these compare to bikes reviewed previously in the same category and were favorites.

I'd love a showdown between these two. Very similar.

I agree, spur vs. element: FIGHT!

@@kfcnotthechicken The Element is quite a bit lighter, has two bottle mounts, adjustable geo, full internal routing, an actual rear pivot, lower stl and a 130mm fork. Pretty sure I know what I'd pick.

The Tallboy is much heavier and the Rocky climbs better than the Blur. My guess, maybe the Tallboy is faster on the downs.

Sounds like they are reviewing the Tallboy literally.

I have the Tallboy, prob around 700 miles on it. I think it’s an excellent climber. The bike likes to climb fast, my fastest club times by far. It also likes to haul as* down hill. Very capable, trail bike.

@@jben4807 Just to help put these comparisons into perspective. I also have a Tallboy, and it is a good climber if you consider how good it descends. But, I come from cross country, I used to have a Scott Spark RC WC. The Tallboy feels like a snail compared to that.

@@ivocolombo6917 Crazy that the Rocky Race team are using the Element. Agree on the Tallboy. It rides like a 140 bike. Climbs like one too.

Those older XC racer type bikes were so fast going up hill. Not sure what it was, but it still accelerates so well when you give it the gas. I have a 2010 Pivot 429 that to this day still pedals better than anything else I have ridden. But going downhill on the 429 is not nearly as enjoyable than on a more modern steed.

@@lazylearner967 Agreed. It was able to ramp up to high speed rapidly and it made for very fast flowy rides with very little effort. Steep techy downhills were a bit sketchy with the steep head angle, but for the time period, it was manageable. My 2015 Thunderbolt is also fast uphill and super fun downhill, although it is limited to 120mm of rear travel. Big tires with low pressures made it a fun ride. Unfortunately, both of my bikes are two or three generations old when it comes to modern geometry. I'm building up a 2021 Revel Rascal and hope to bridge the gap and bring it in at 28lbs. All the reviews say it's a capable bike which is fun to ride. The supply chain issues are making some parts hard to get. TG for PB buy/sell and eBay. I miss the 24lb flickyness of my Element. Fun to have options and to be able to tell the difference. Stay safe!

I did the same thing. Extremely fast in the tight twistys. Not so much on tech downhills though. Also, at 2400g for a large, the new element frame isn;t exactly light compared to an epic evo, blur tr or oiz tr.

Right? I have the non enduro version and it pedals like the Mach4SL.

It is sort of odd what bike manufactures do today. My Ripley which at the time was Ibis' most conservative trail bike came spec'd with 35MM wheels. I think the more narrow rims on the Element make more sense than the 35mm wheels on the Ripley. It seems wheels are the first place manufactures cut costs.

@@lazylearner967 I would think that at least a 30 mm rims would be placed on these bikes especially since they’re setting them up to take much wider tires and they have in the past. I noticed that the trek top fuel has 30 mm rims. I’m definitely in the mood to buy a new bike in the spring and have been doing a lot of research on KZfaq and on the bike manufacturers sites. All things being even it’s going to be something along the lines of whatever is in stock in April will determine what I get.

I bought one last week. Two shops in Utah have them in stock.

@@gfowkes Congrats! What model did you get? Any initial thoughts?

@@lazylearner967 I really just wanted a frame, but couldn't find one so I bought a C30 build, stripped it down to the frame, and rebuilt it with parts I've been collecting for a Spur build. Had my first shakedown ride today. Totally blown away. Incredibly fast and efficient climber, but plush and poppy on the way down. Kept expecting to bottom out the rear shock but it sucked up even the biggest hits. Stoked!

Trek for sure

Right? I had 2 pot Deore on my last bike that had way more power than my current 4 pot SRAM joke brakes. Carbon frame will translate to a stiffer ride and better acceleration IMO. Apart from that and the weight the Alu would be great.

I switched from 4 pot Sram G2R brakes to XT 2 pot. I will admit I am a Shimano fan, but the XTs seem to stop far better than the G2's. This is on a Ripley AF.

So the 2 piston shimano brakes are great if you buy anything between the really cheap ones and the xtrs. The slx and xts are much better because they feature shimano's servo wave lever, which makes them way way more powerful.

@@Nickubus99 I ride a V1 Ripmo as my one and only bike and been thinking of getting a 2nd bike as backup. This bike would be a good candidate unless I get a Ripley AF...LOL.

@@lazylearner967 I'm a big Shimano fan too and had them on all my bikes. I did have some Level Ts on my Ripmo and upgraded them to 4P SLX - they were ok. I know Levy complains about the bite point on Shimano brakes. I've also heard of people switching to Magura. I don't want to do something that drastic. I wonder how good 2 P XTR brakes are?

I'm Curious too. A LBS in Utah who carries both told me the Spur would most likely climb better but the Element would be "easier" on the downs. Granted he didn't have the Element in stock yet, so take that with a grain of salt.

I'd go the Element.

Can't get a 9.7 in Oz until March next year I was told. Cemented the decision for me - getting the C50. Has better fork and lighter wheels so goes some way to matching price.

I would highly recommend the element

@@technovelodos what fork was on the 9.7 for you? Spec sheet shows Fox 34 “Rhythm” for US. Not sure if that is different from 34 Performance on Element.

@@kevinclark9176 The Rhythm is one step down from the Performance in the Fox line-up. Actual performance differences are debatable but the Rhythm is a bit heavier.

Absolutely, I’ve had a D7 and now considering an Element A30

The crew does some more in depth comparisons in a podcast we launched today, and there's still a roundtable coming up as well. www.pinkbike.com/news/the-pinkbike-podcast-episode-95-field-test-down-country-bike-debrief.html

I wondered that too. I ended up getting an epic evo last year cause Rocky delayed the new element until 2022 but I’m still curious.

Mate has a Ripley with Formula Forks on it, best bike I have ever ridden, its awesome and a fantastic climber.

MTB YumYum loves his Ripley, but said the Element is better.

@@gfowkes cant find a review of the Element on his channel, when did he do it?

@@shaun1900 it was during the Firebird live stream. He starts talking about the Element at around 49:00 and continues for about 20 mins.

@@gfowkes cool ill take a look

It’s much lighter and the tallboy gets out climbed by many other bikes.

Is press fit really that bad? Have you had any experiences with it?

The Ghost review drops next week. IIRC on the 15th.

@@pinkbike thanks man

look into direct to consumer bikes like polygon, fezzari, canyon, etc.... awesome value!

Same as a 130 +10mm

Following....(not the bike, I'm just following this)

No answer

The Element has 4 different geometry positions and internal cable routing. Spur does not. I think the Element should have a 120 fork. My 2 cents

Found the transition fanboi... Similar geo doesnt make a bike a copy. Ride4, internal routing, an actual rear pivot, lower STL and 130 fork are some notable differences.

@@johnr5001 yes those are differences. I don't mean a carbon copy. Its intended purpose is the same and has very similar silhouette. It looks like the transition. Fanboi, no I just really like the bike I bought. If the rocky came out first I would have said the same thing about the Transition.

RMB team racer is running the 34 SC. It's plenty slack enough to handle the steepening. The BB height gets crazy low though.

@@johnr5001 he's running it in steep mode with the SC34. I'm planning to do the same.

@@brianrowbotham4010 same here. Just took delivery of a frameset. Pretty stoked for the build.

Would be the ~first one I’ve seen up for resale

Well, your Spur will sell in less than 10 minutes. However, don’t sell it before the Element arrives.

I think the brakes on Orbea Laufey has two pistons on 180 mm disc, and I love those brakes. About the rims. I think rims on a bike like the Element should hawe width optimized for ca 2.35" tyres.