Review: The Bike - Rocky Mountain Element 70
The Element will make you a Faster, Better, Stronger Bike Rider
Rocky Mountain Element 70 is the truly rare breed of bike that actually improves a riders ability to ride; that was the overall consensus among test riders, riders felt as if they were a notch better while on top of the Element.
A majority of riders said, like the six million dollar man, on the Element they were 
faster and better riders. On the Element riders were able to conquer and ride trail sections and obstacles they were unable to do on other test bikes. Riders times were also just a hair faster and they were able to create more separation between themselves and the rest of the pack of test riders. It quickly became obvious that the Element was the bike everyone wanted to ride. The bummer was we only had one Element to share.
The beauty of the Rocky Mountain Element 70 is easily unearthed when you point it one direction and it goes precisely in that direction; Rocky Mountain must have had that goal in mind as the Element is one of the best tracking bikes made. Pin-point accuracy in steering is a hallmark of a cross-country bike - light weight is another.
Our 19 inch Element weighed in at 25 pounds, light for an XC full-suspension bike with 100ml of front travel and 5 inches of rear travel.
One of the things you'll notice when first straddling the Rocky Mountain Element 70 is how wide the handlebars are - this seems to 
be a bit of the creeping effect from Free Riding into the Cross-Country (XC) world. We were a bit disconcerted about the width as most of the test riders, myself included, have tight, narrow bars that allow navigation through trees. The wide handle bars took a few days to acclimate to but in the end it worked out fine; if you don't like the width your local bike shop can trim them down.
Test Rider 1: Shed Weight - Ride the Element
Sure the Rocky Mountain is light, it weighs in at 25 pounds, but I expect a cross-country bike to be light. What I didn't expect was The Element to make me lighter. I lost 5 pounds in 3 months of riding the Element.
Why? I rode more. I wanted to ride the Element every chance I could. I loved that bike so much I actually rode more and rode more off-road. Yup, the Element caused my road bike to gather dust. I ended up riding the Element off-road every two days. The Element was so flawless off road, so silky smooth on the roughest trails, and so kind to my 40 year old body that I could ride off-road every other day.
And that is the hidden gem here, the Element got me to ride off-road more, which worked my body harder and caused me to lose 5 pounds in 3 months. So I went out and bought one (my wife wanted me to as she liked me minus the 5 pounds from my mid-section.) You can't put a price on loving a bike, I love what the Element did to me, to my wife and to my body.
Test Rider 2: You Too Can Date a Super-Model
Riding the Element 70 is in some ways like dating a Supermodel; you know they are out of your league but you are more than happy to have your shot. Dating a Supermodel will teach you things about life and make you grow as a person. This is what happened with the Element, only it made me a
better rider.
Riding the Element 70 was a learning curve for me. I ride hard-tails almost as a rule and had low expectations for a full-suspension bike. Within 10 seconds of getting on the bike I knew I was in a bit over my head - the bike was too much for me. I couldn't believe what a difference there was between the Element and my hardtail.
The Element was precise, so accurate, so nimble - and the rear shock worked perfectly, only helping me in the rough stuff, not hurting me on the climbs and allowing me to go so much faster than the my hard-tail. The difference in my speed was amazing. I never considered myself a "fast" rider, rather I took pride in my climbing ability and loved it when peers said I was "strong", or "technical" but no one ever said fast. The Element made my tortoise days disappear, I was now flashing over trails and obstacles. I learned to love riding fast, the Element brought speed back into my game. If the Element is a Supermodel, she is a Supermodel I can easily live with.
