Price: $4,695
Weight: 26 lbs.
Components: XTR, RaceFace, Hayes, MavicFrame
Fork: Easton Custom RAD Oval, Marzocchi Marathon S
Geometry: 71? head tube, 73.5? seat tube, 580mm top tube
Sizes: 15″,16.5″,18″ (tested),19″, 20.5″
Comments: “Old school is out for summer!”
www.rocky-mountain.com
Canadian Pride: All Rocky Mountain bicycles are completely made in Canadawith the exception of their low-end hardtail frames.
A competitive cross-country full-suspension bike? It's a dream. It willnever work. Hardtails will always have a weight and pedal-efficiencyadvantage! Go to any epic cross-country event and 90% of the bikes on thestart line have one thing in common -no rear suspension. Rocky is about tochange all that!
Veiled in secrecy for more than a year, Rocky has finally released themuch-rumoured-about ETS-X70, formerly known only as Project X. The ETS(Energy Transfer System) takes endurance cross-country dual-suspensiondesign to a new level of efficiency and sophistication. With the hugesuccess of Rocky's 3D linkage system, it's hard to believe that Rocky wouldattempt to fix what wasn't broken, but thanks to a flash of ingenuitywithin the Project X team, the ETS is now a drool-inducing reality. Notonly does this unique suspension design eliminate the energy-sappingsuspension bob inherent to many rear-suspension designs, it also actuallyuses suspension forces to drive the bike forward!
How can this be? It's all about projected pivot points, a concept that iseasier to feel than it is to explain. The bottom line is the rearsuspension moves down slightly on pedal strokes, unlike most suspensionsthat arc up around their main pivot. This downward movement not only drivesthe rear wheel into the ground for traction, it also puts a slight tensioninto the chain by increasing the chain length during compression. Therelease of this chain tension on decompression then drives the rear wheelforward!
Along with the radical design of the new ETS-X70 suspension, Rocky hasproduced a totally new kind of endurance cross-country frame with a dreamlist of features including a 100mm Marzocchi Marathon S and Fox Air FloatRL front and rear shock; a set of Hayes Mag Disc brakes; and XTR, RaceFace,and Mavic components. Also, every single pivot on the ETS usessuper-smooth cartridge bearings-every one! And not only did Rocky increasesuspension travel by 25% more than its much-loved 3D-link design, it alsomade it three-way, no-tool-required, on-the-trail adjustable, with 3.5-inch(race), 4.0-inch (epic), and 4.5-inch (all mountain) options.
The frame itself is a world premiere, as the ETS-X70 is the first bike tomake use of Easton's innovative BI-OVAL RAD tubing. Rocky claims that theETS-X70 has 30% more lateral stiffness, due to special wall thicknesses, adowntube ovalized at the bottom bracket, and incredible frame strengththanks to a patented joining method that drastically increases the weldfootprint at the head tube.Include CNC-machined upper and lower suspension arms built onto a Fox FloatRL rear shock and a welded seatstay with CNC'd dropouts, strut plates, andseatstay yoke, and you have the makings of one hell of a tough,energy-efficient bike.
Now for the test. The ETS-X70 was amazingly smooth when pedaling on the3.5-inch setting. Other riders commented that the suspension looked like itwas locked-out, but it wasn't. When climbing or ripping it up along theflats, the ETS-X70 felt very much like a cross-country machine, even withthe riser bars, long-travel suspension, and the high bottom bracket. Therear Fox was in easy reach for on-the-fly lock-out during climbs orflat-out singletrack, but on the 3.5-inch setting, I really didn't need tolock-out. The 4.0-inch and 4.5-inch settings were naturally a little morebobby than the 3.5-inch setting, but, overall, on any setting, the ETS isone of the smoothest-pedaling full suspensions I have tested. Rocky'sinnovative quick-release suspension adjustment was perfect for fasttransitions between lung-searing climbs and eye-watering descents. Thechange from 3.5 inches to 4.5 inches took approximately 10 seconds! On the4.5-inch setting, the ETS-X70 is a whole new bike, ready to eat up thenastiest huck sandwiches a trail can dish up.For endurance competition, where you can be climbing for more than twohours and then descending on nasty gnarly bits for just as long, theETS-X70 is the perfect survival tool, with maximum durability and minimum energy sap.