Rocky Mountain Bicycle Company Solo CXR

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2007

Summary:
been riding this for a few months and got a few races under my belt. Peter Conn's review is remarkably accurate though i havent had any problems with the seatpost.
However the fork chatter is bad enough to make hesitate to recommend this bike. You need lots of toe-in and i hope this gets fixed cause this is one nice frame.

Strengths:
this is a wonderful frame- good fast geometry with great mud clearance and stability. the bike is spec'd with great parts making this a solid bike for the cross racer.
Feels road-bike fast while distributing bumps and tracking like a mountain bike. Spec'd with great components including a full 105 drivetrain & wheels and easton cockpit & fork. Make no mistake, this is a cyclocros race bike, but it transitions to the road easily to double as good winter bike.

Weaknesses:
the front brake/fork combo chatters like a mother, affecting stability and freaking me out. it is less of an issue while racing when you merely feather the brakes, but a real pain on the road/trails. The 105 is nice to have but is not as responsive. seems to have gummed up with water/mud, etc.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at The Cyclery - Ottawa

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
-

Bike Setup:
Stock except FSA Gossamer comact mega exo 34-50, 12-27 cassette,easton EA-30 seat post

Summary:
Bought this year and raced 9 times through the fall. The bike helped me move up about 5 places from last year (when I used an old road bike). Best thing about the bike is the frame, fork combo. Lots of mud clearance and sound handling. Swapped the crank for a compact one before I left the shop, also installed a 12-27 cassette. 39-23 just isn't low enough for my local series or my legs. I had three problems during the season. First, the front brake chatters excessively. The set up requires so much toe in that pads last 3 races maximum. The brakes are Shimano every thing - brakes, pads, levers, rims and still they don't work. Second, the carbon seat post lasted about a week. One blown mount and time for a new aluminum one. Finally the 105 ten speed does not shift well when dirty - which is all the time in a cross race. The cable bosses allow for easy cable cleaning - which is a good thing because the cables need to be cleaned every race. ( an XT setup is much less sensitive to dirt). Overall, I am happy with the bike and would recomend buying one.

Strengths:
Handling, weight, mud clearance, fit, cabling.

Weaknesses:
stock gearing, carbon seatpost, brakes, 105 ten speed shifting when dirty, no barrel adjust for the rear brake

Similar Products Used:
Marinoni steel road bike

Price Paid:  $1700.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Solo CXR Frame, Easton EC90X, RF Cadence 48/36, full dura ace, Shimano canti, 3TTT Less cockpit and seatpost, SLR Gelflow, Ksyrium SSC, Vittoria Corsa CX for fast dry courses and Michelin Mud 2 for muddy courses, Crank Bros C pedals. Sub 19 pounds in size 51.

Summary:
I just finished the local cross season on this bike and it was great. Last season and the first few races this year I raced on my mountain bike with 700C disc wheels. This was a good way to try out cyclocross with only a small investment, but I loved it and wanted to go the next step and this bike did everything I wanted it to. Light, stiff in the BB and almost the exact geometry of my road bike so I can ride it all winter long and transition back to my road bike no problem.
The shapes of the tubing is great, the downtube has a tear drop shape that is very easy to grab during run-ups and the top tube has a flattened area to rest on my shoulder for carries.
I used the custom build for the race season but will install all the stock parts (105, Shimano wheels, EA30 etc)back on for the winter ride.

Strengths:
Tubing shapes great for carries and shouldering
Light and stiff
Downtube is cable free
Road bike geometry great for winter bike

Weaknesses:
Easton EC90 fork shudders under hard breaking forces, but can be fixed by toeing in front brake pads a lot
Burned through 2 sets of front brake pads in 1 season, 2 months of training and 7 races.

Similar Products Used:
First real cyclocross bike