There's been a lot of talk about how cross-country courses are getting rougher and more technical, basically a lot more trail oriented. To suit those increased demands, XC bikes are shying away from their super steep, borderline delicate ways and dabbling in what was the trail/all-mountain category just a couple years ago.
- Dropper post vs. fixed post: Which is faster for XC racing?
- Best XC race shoes: buyer's guide and recommendations
- Tire volume: Which is the fastest for XC?
For 2017, Rocky Mountain has distilled over 20 years of knowledge into its Element 999 RSL T.O. to make it more capable than ever.
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Rocky Mountain offers five complete Elements and one frame, and all models feature the same full carbon frame and updated geometry — only the specs differ. As with other bike lines from Rocky Mountain, a rowdy BC Edition is offered with super wide 800mm bars and full-on enduro-ready 2.3in Maxxis Minion tires.
Rocky Mountain Element 999 RSL T. O. highlights
- Travel: 120mm (F) / 100mm (R)
- Intended use: XC, XC-Race
- Sizing: S/M/L/XL
- Frame: Smoothwall carbon C13
- Fork: Fox 34 Float Factory
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory
- Rims: Stan's Valor carbon
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate disc
- Dropper post: RockShox Reverb Stealth
- Tires: Maxxis Ikon 3C MaxxSpeed 29x2.2in
XC and marathon machine
"This new Element is a full-on XC marathon weapon, but with the confidence of a trail bike," says product director Alex Cogger. To that end, the new Element features an updated geometry with an adjustable head angle of 69 to 70 degrees. The seat angle is very pedal friendly at 74.5 to 75.5 degrees. Rocky Mountain's Ride-9 geometry and suspension adjustment is located at the bottom shock eyelet. It offers nine positions to fine tune both the geometry and the suspension curve, so most riders — whether wispy light and smooth or smashing clydesdales — can find a setting to suit.
The suspension follows the new ethos of leaning towards trail ripping with Rocky Mountain choosing to spec a bigger stanchion Fox 34 fork, rather than a 32, to handle the 120mm of travel.
The team's specifications
Rocky Mountain Element 999 RSL T.O. pricing and availability
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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