Rocky Mountain Bicycle Company Rail

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at Fresh Air Experience

Favorite Ride:
Anywhere with hills

Bike Setup:
Stock except for the second set of wheels and the Brooks saddle.

Summary:
I have read the other reviews on this product and am really surprised. I now have in excess of 4,000 km on this bike and have had none of the problems people are taliking about.

Yes I got a flat yesterday, glass on the road.

This is the first bike I have ever had with Shimano gear and am pleasantly surprised though I will swap out for Campy as replacement time comes around.

I think the bike itself is tremendous, the frame is solid and responsive and plenty light. The components work well, though I have put a Brooks Team Pro saddle on it. Much better.

I also have a second set of rims I swap out when I want to go riding on the road and have skinny tires. The stock Michelins it came with were actually pretty good but I swapped them out for Vredesteins.

A VERY GOOD bike, made even better by the fact that my bike store set it up properly before I took it home.

Strengths:
All said above, a pleasure to ride.

Weaknesses:
None to speak of.

Similar Products Used:
MAny bikes over the years, prefer steel but this is pretty darned nice.

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Colorado Cyclist

Bike Setup:
Stock (105, Ritchey cranks, hubs, post, stem, and bars, Sun rims.

Summary:
I will have to agree with the others here about the quality of build. CC or RM did not do a good job. Same problem with flats (6 before I swapped to tape), crank bolt, and stickers that are just about worthless. I did NOT have the brake cabling problems that others mentioned.

I have now got it dialed in. Torqued that one pesky crank bolt, replaced the crap rim strips with tape.

Overall, I like the bike. I have put on some conti grand prix tires and have been riding it on the trainer and road. It handles well, and is fairly light. Off road was good, but the flat problem really caused headaches. I am a mountian biker and this is my first road bike so I am no expert.

The bike it self is good. CC and RM need to be flogged for the quality control problems. The bike is a 4, The companies are a 2.

Strengths:
Good (not great) components.
Frame

Weaknesses:
QC! Big one..
Stickers
Color (for some)

Price Paid:  $1250.00 at Fat tire farm

Favorite Ride:
The one that takes you somewhere

Bike Setup:
105 Group (Shift and Derail), Raceface Crank, Time pedals. Richey bar and seat post.

Summary:
Sounds as though a few riders in Colorado have some issues with thier local shop. (I have heard nothing but good about Colorado Cyclist, you guys get a newbie or something)

Strengths:
Stiff, fast ride. Climbs well. Brightens my day on the rainiest.

Weaknesses:
Braking: No chance at stopping the squeeeellling.
Paint (Red with Gold flakes)
Weight 22lbs.
May switch fork to carbon for weight issues.
Cable Placement: Try tossing it over your right shoulder and running with it. (ouch) difficult to place frame mud flap.

Similar Products Used:
Bianchi, Cannondale, Kona, Kelly, Gunnar, Ellsworth.

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Colorado Cyclist

Bike Setup:
Stock

Summary:
I couldn't resist the deal from The Colorado Cyclist on the Rail (desite the color). I've been eyeing up 'cross bikes for a few years now.

I too, experienced the brake squeal, the self-extracting chainring bolt (the one behind the crank) and the short leash on the rear brake cable. My bike also came without pedals, but Colorado made good and sent me a set via next day air. These are relatively minor annoyances, but I didn't expect them on a purchase from Colorado.

The bike itself is great. It handles so well I'd love to slap some smoothies on it to see how it carves. It sprints and climbs like a scalded cat, but don't expect any coddling over the bumps.

Off-road, I'm happy so far but I haven't hit it real hard yet. It's got enough BB height to clear pretty big log jumps (especially if they are built up).

Strengths:
Great handling, sprinting and climbing. 2 water bottle mounts, rear rack mounts, front fender eyelets.

Weaknesses:
Shoddy QC work by either Rocky, Colorado, or both. I'm not crazy about the Ritchey seatpost - I'll probably swap it for a Tompson.

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Colorado Cyclist

Bike Setup:
Basically stock.

Summary:
I, too, got this bike on sale at Colorado Cyclist because it seemed like the best value out there in a decent 'cross bike. On the whole, I really like the bike. It handles excellently off road, even on moderately technical single track.

However, there were several flaws that should not have been there in the first place. When I first got it, the cable going to the rear derailleur was touching the frame, making a loud noise with every shift. Why? Because the cable stop on the drive-side chainstay was misplaced. I was able to fix this by putting a shim (three thicknesses of water-bottle material) under the cable guide under the bottom bracket, which gives the cable adequate clearance.

Second, when I tried to take the rear wheel off, I found that this was impossible without unbolting the brake cable from the brake caliper. Why? The location of the rear brake cable hanger was so close to the straddle cable that even when the straddle cable was unclipped from the quick-release side, the bolt-down side had nowhere to go and thus the brake shoe wouldn't let the tire out. Solution: grab an ancient straddle cable from my oldest bike in the basement.

And, yeah, I've already replaced one of the rim strips and will replace the other as soon as I get another roll of Velox.

If I had paid the full list price for this bike I would not be too pleased, but at $999, even with a few hassles, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.

Strengths:
Sturdy construction, mostly nice component spec, great handling.

Weaknesses:
See above. Plus the Ritchey Bio-Max handlebars are not too comfortable--the ergo bend doesn't match my ergo.

Similar Products Used:
None.