Ol' Reliable

[rockyrider]

So here's the very first Rocky Mountain I bought for myself, a Vertex purchased new as a frame only in spring 2000 and built up by myself. It's been through more iterations in components than I can count. It also has more miles on it than all the other bikes I own combined. Up until I bought the scandium tubed Vertex Team, this was my fave bike. All of my bear encounters have been on this bike. :eek:

The frame is Easton Ultralight HBO tubing, super stiff and abusive on chattery trails. It has a Fox F80RLT fork that I painted to match the frame. This is the most current build. It began life as a V-brake guide equipped frame, but with a disc brake tab so I Dremeled the guides out to fit hydro hose.

Currently sits at 23.3 pounds when clean and without the lights.

Race Face Deus cranks, headset and stem
Race Face XY seatpost
Crank Bros SL pedals
Syncros 24" wide 5 deg flatbar
ODI lockjaw grips
Selle Italia Flite Ti saddle
SRAM X-0 rear derailleur and trigger shifters
XTR FD-M960 series front derailleur
Magura Marta brakes
Hope XC/Mavic 317 wheels
Conti Explorer Supersonic tires

It still gets used a lot this time of year, as I like to leave lights installed on a bike so it's ready for a night ride without a lot of fussing about, so it will have lights on it till March or April.

[Mo0se]

That does not match the other 4...
you are hell on my ocd. :eek::D

[robcycle]

That does not match the other 4...:eek::DThat is exactly what I was thinking. :p

Nice bike, Rocky:cool:

-Rob.

[north20]

Another very nice bike.

I like the paint jobs on all your bikes; but I have a real fondness for the "understated" look -- great job on the fork :cool:

[Mo0se]

I digress.. that one does not match the other 3... you have two black sheep! time to cull the herd. ;):D



The 3 red and white, the maroon, and now
a grey.. :eek::p

[rockyrider]

Well you see, it's like this.... I've been a silver, grey and black kinda guy all my life. My old Sube wagon is dark grey, I have grey and black clothes, the hair's starting to go that way now too. As recently as February, the bike family would have soothed Mo0se's OCD. A Symphony in silver and black. And my 2000 Instinct that I sold when I bought my first ETSX in 2003 matched the silver/black scheme to.

At least I was able to flip the silver/black Slayer 70 and ETSX 70 quickly when I sold them this year. They were both in big demand out in this part of the world, and I sold them both when Rocky was out of the 2007 production runs.

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I can only attribute the sudden colour shift to Red Corvette-itis, that mid-life being 50+ thing. Or it's just because my LBS handed my red/white Vertex Team frame to me for safe keeping about 40 days before it was scheduled for a custom paint treatment to have a one-off GM silver/Black Vertex Team paint job. After a week I knew I wasn't getting that red/white bike repainted.

And then I test rode that Slayer SXC this summer and knew that my silver/black Slayer 70 would soon be replaced. And then my Virgo induced OCD took over and now I have the red/white bikes and Ol' Reliable in past life GM silver and Holo black. I won't flog it, it is full of sentimental value.

And Mo0se, all three wet painted scandium Team bikes are the same shade of deep candy red (gold base coat), they only look maroon because of the blue shift in the digital camera. The SXC is transparent red powder coat over brushed aluminium so it looks much brighter. Here's a close up well lit colour correct shot of my Vertex Team paint, not so maroon. :D

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[rockyrider]

Another very nice bike.

I like the paint jobs on all your bikes; but I have a real fondness for the "understated" look -- great job on the fork :cool:This is the thing that got me hooked on them, the paint is gorgeous I still wince when I get chips or scratches in the paint.

[RepublicanSS]

Rocky Mountains are nice looking bikes, you really see them in FL, I don't understand because Konas are popular here?

[rockyrider]

I think the reason is entirely practical. Jake Heilbron (http://www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/inductees.cfm?page=99&mID=122) was one of the founders of Rocky Mountain Bikes back in 1981, after he started Kona in 1988 he established a corporate office across the border in Washington to make it easier to distribute in the US. He also took production of frames overseas long before Rocky finally did, so he kept the Kona bikes affordable while Rocky was still in the "boutique-ish" category. That also meant that Kona could scale production up to meet demand more easily than Rocky could (the downside of handbuilt bikes with a smaller production staff). Because Kona has a US office, the distribution doesn't involve brokerage, so it's easier to set up a dealer network and reps. More history of The British Columbians (http://www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/inductees.cfm?page=99&mID=94) here.

[Upchuck]

Mmmm...silver, black and grey. You and I have similar tastes in understated paint jobs. Nice herd!

[K-Man]

Hubba, hubba... what a bear magnet. :D

[rockyrider]

And I can only say that understated silver/black has always been just right until this year. The fun thing about having several different bikes with the same paint scheme is that often when I ride with other people they aren't immediately aware I have different models of bike. That's amusing.

The Kona A with polished aluminium and candy blue is OK as it's a completely different animal.

At least I haven't ordered up a set of Team stereo speakers (from the Eurobike show)

[ironspoke]

Red and white and silver, grey and black. Hmmm... I'm curious of the color of your helmets. Are there some wild shades of yellow, green or blue thrown in there or are you keepin' it real?

[rockyrider]

I was afraid someone would ask that question. The Bell Sweep XC helmets are both new as the 2 X-Rays are on towards 2 and 3 years old and have spent many days being baked in the sun in the back of the wagon so are destined for retirement next season. The Old maple leaf Bell is setup for use with a winter toque on my noodle, and is kept around just for winter riding.

[K-Man]

Show us your shoe collection next, Imelda. :D

[rockyrider]

The shoe collection is much smaller, just a pair of Lake MX-165 for summer and MX-301 for winter. No colour coordination. I could never bring myself to wear chrome or other crazy colour shoes, even though they'd end up grey and mud caked after a few rides anyway.

[Upchuck]

Show us your shoe collection next, Imelda. :D

I love it! :D

[K-Man]

I only mention the shoes coz, aside from a certain ex-editor who shall remain nameless, I've got the biggest shoe collection that I know of. I'd take a picture, but don't have a lens wide enough. :o

Guess I need to post my "Inner Imelda" in that Alter Ego post that's kickin'. ;)

[rockyrider]

Set the wayback machine for 2000 Sherman... fire the retro rockets.

Since I acquired the high zoot Rocky Mountain Vertex Team prototype frame sprouting scandium and carbon fiber, and moved most of that spiffy carboniferous build over from ol'reliable, I was left with ol' reliable as a pretty frame and fork.

In the parts bin were the V-brake bosses, the Avid Ultimate V-brakes (Ti tuned to the max), 7 speed thumbshifters, a shiny new XTR 8 speed cassette, a Race Face Turbine 5 bolt crankset (ISIS not square taper), XTR rapid rise derailleur, the original Wheelsmith XT/517 wheelset that I originally used to build this bike (had to rebuild the rear wheel as it had some other hub wired into it).

So there it is ol' reliable is back to an older version of itself.

[RepublicanSS]

Flight saddle, still one of the most comfortable out there. Along with the old WTB Ti with slanted nose.

It's amazing a 2000 bike considered retro, LOL, man we're getting old.:eek:

[mimbresman]

Flight saddle, still one of the most comfortable out there. Along with the old WTB Ti with slanted nose.

It's amazing a 2000 bike considered retro, LOL, man we're getting old.:eek:

My "new" bike is a 2000. :eek:

[rockyrider]

If you look at the movie industry, they're recycling titles and story lines that have barely cooled off from the last time they ran the original through the 35mm projectors.

My 2000 Vertex is the oldest bike I have now, since I gave my old 1988 Mongoose IBOC Pro away.

[RepublicanSS]

Was that IBOC a Tomac model. They were sweet bikes in their time.

[rockyrider]

The Pro was two notches down, the Team was the next one up and the shop I bought the bike at had a Ti Mongoose IBOC frame, I just about threw it through the ceiling when I picked it up.

[real_ss_budgie]

Flight saddle, still one of the most comfortable out there. Along with the old WTB Ti with slanted nose.

It's amazing a 2000 bike considered retro, LOL, man we're getting old.:eek:

word up ginger....my old wtb is still going..its adorned a gaggle of bikes since the mid 90's

[RepublicanSS]

my 90's era wtb ti saddle is on my new spot 29er.


word up ginger....my old wtb is still going..its adorned a gaggle of bikes since the mid 90's

[davkatreb]

7 speed thumbshifters, 8 speed cassette
Umm, what?:confused:

[rockyrider]

The phantom 8th click on the 7 speed shifter gets it into the 12T cog

[davkatreb]

Oh, okay. My barcons do that. Didn't know thumbshifters would too.