Rocky Mountain 2008 Flatline Reviews
Reviews of Rocky Mountain's all-new for 2008 downhill and big-hit freeride bike, the Flatline.
Pause time. It's that moment when your tyres grab perfectly and the berm hooks and pulls you around efforlessly: you've crossed the line from good to great. Whether you're hitting a corner on your favourite local trail or squeezing seconds off your personal best, live in that moment with the Flatline, Rocky Mountain's innovative new race-ready downhill bike. With versatile suspension configurations (from 7.3ins to 8.5ins rear travel and room for single or dual-crown fork options up front) and a low-slung, laterally stiff frame, the Flatline rails corners, sails massive jumps, and raises heart rates.
 The Flatline 3 2008: £2795 SRP |
Media Reviews:
MBUK Magazine Preview Issue 2007
It's taken 26 years but Rocky Mountain have finally launched their first true downhill race bike, granting MBUK exclusive access to paw over it...
So it's taken a while - 26 years to be exact - but Rocky Mountain are at last on the cusp of releasing their first true downhill machine. And it's already won the perhaps dubious accolade of having the most distinctive downtube in history, kinking and flaring as dramatically as it does. But there's more to it than pure looks and hydroformed quirkiness. It's a ground-up machine that's built for speed, tutored under the guidance of Scott Beaumont and Thomas Vanderham, and grown from the seed of many years of R&D. But why has it taken so long? "Well, we've been busy making other bikes," deadpans D'Arcy O'Connor, the Flatine's designer at Rocky. "I've been working on many downhill bike designs over the years, so the Flatline is the apex of many years of research." Using the old RMX - a big hit freeride machine that was honed on the North Shore's gnarliest terrain - as a starting point, together with the feedback from key test riders, D'Arcy drew up a hit list of what a DH race bike needs: a linear rising rate suspension, laterally stiff back end, an 5.2kg (11.5lb) target frame weight with a steel spring to allow a fairly easy 18.5kg (41lb) complete bike weight, a low slung centre of mass, and geometry and travel adjustability to aid the rig's versatility. The bike shown, Scott Beaumont's, is a prototype but weighs 19.5kg (43lb). The production version will be lighter - around 18.2kg (40lb).
After working through several ideas, Rocky finally settled on a scaled up Slayer SXC LC2R (Low Centre Counter Rotating) design, essentially a swing-link activated single pivot where the swing link drives the shock, allowing for the manipulation of the shock's compression curve. D'Arcy wanted a more linearly rising rate, with the first portion (35 per cent) being rising rate to optimise pedalling and pop off the ground, before becoming more linear and predictable during the mid- and end-stroke portions. Yet the suspension still allows for being active and sensitive to low speed hits - even taking into account Scott Beaumont's soft shock set up with low compression damping and medium speed rebound, the Flatline soaks it all up elegantly. There'll also be the option of running a carbon floating braking arm to combat brake jack.
The geometry is still being finalised but we expect it to feature a reasonably low BB height to maximise the low centre of gravity, together with a slack head angle for stability and steering confidence for downhill racing. The static geometry will be adjusted by moving the shock between one of two holes - go back one notch and it steepens the head angle and raises the BB height, then the third back position gives you the options of using a shorter shock to bring the travel down to 7in and running a shorter or a single crown fork such as a RockShox Totem to keep the front and rear balanced and to make the whole rig more versatile. Then there's the chassis itself - a massively manipulated frameset with barely a standard circular tube on it is topped out by the down tube with its integrated fender and front wheel well. Inspired by the Stealth Bomber, its angular lines have so far elicited love it or hate it reactions, but it's certainly bold and allows for a lower shock position within the frame and so greater standover and a lower centre of mass to aid carving those turns. And long, flat welds at the tube junctions at the top and lower headset cup areas, with minimal welding in-between, optimise strength and minimise weight. The final version will include recessed bolts, scalloped out areas to save precious grams, and everything better finished and polished. We'll have to wait until early 2008 but it's sure to be worth it.
1: Machined aggression
The dropouts are angularly aggressive like a meat slicer, and are works of industrial art: but the simple concept ensures that the 12x150mm back end is kept tight and stiff, and also facilitates the option of the floating carbon brake arm.
2: Adjustable shock position
Stick the Flatline in the forward position for the full (216mm) 8.5in travel, move back to steepen the head angle and raise the BB. Replace the shock with a shorter length unit in the third hole to reduce the travel to (178mm) 7in and shift geometry accordingly.
3: Swing Link single pivot
Rocky Mountain's Slayer SXC evolved Low Centre Counter Rotating design controls the shock stroke for a linearly rising rate. It certainly works on the Slayer SXC, and with the cartridge bearings keeping things smooth it's got the pedigree all ready. We'll be putting it to the true test as soon as we can: stay tuned for the results.
4: Hydroformed down tube
With an integrated front wheel well that doubles a little as a mudguard - although it's really more for show - is a dramatic use of hydroforming, with a kink that allows a lower shock position and greater standover.
5: Lightning up
Looking as powerful as a prowling panther, the Flatline is also slimmed and trimmed wherever possible to minimize weight. The bulk of this is in hidden machining in the chainstay yolks, shock shroud and dropouts.
6: 1.5in head tube
With the versatility of the bike increased by using both a full DH shock length as well as a shorter travel unit, the front end must be similarly capable. The use of a 1.5in head tube allows for the use of the new crop of 1.5in burly single crown forks, such as RockShox's Totem.
MBUK Verdict: Muscularly distinctive, the new Flatline should set hearts racing. Just make sure you keep a defibrillator handy...
Published Tuesday 27 November 2007
