# Flatline...



## Kevin G (Feb 19, 2007)

So what do y'all think of this upcoming rig from RM? Here's the link to download the '08 catalog with details. Saw the write up in last month's Decline on the prototype. Did anyone check it out at Interbike? The Flatline is up there with the Maelstrom [Corsair] for my '08 "keep on dreaming" bike. At first I thought the bent frame design looked odd, but after studying it more; seems to make sense. Thoughts on the "LCR2" suspension design? I do like the apparent "low-slung concentrated mass".


----------



## The Tod Says What?! (Jan 20, 2007)

the frame is funky but the supsension system is really plush and made the Slayer a rode feel like a 10inch bike:thumbsup:


----------



## Guest (Dec 24, 2007)

Funky design, but at least it comes in rootbeer:thumbsup:


----------



## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

the front triangle reminds me of the new norco, only not as geriatric postured


----------



## ryan_daugherty (Oct 8, 2006)

The Tod Says What?! said:


> the frame is funky but the supsension system is really plush and made the Slayer a rode feel like a 10inch bike:thumbsup:


Agreed 100% .. i rode a slayer sxc last year on a few rides.. it was really squishy

decline did a write up about it a few issues back.. it sounds cool for the most part beyond the lcr2.


----------



## Rb (Feb 28, 2007)

I definitely don't see any flat lines.....


----------



## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

very funky....hate the color


----------



## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

The owner of my local shop took a spin on one and was impressed. 

The chainstays are a bit long, (still shorter than RMX) but this thing is built for speed anyway it seems. The interesting thing about the bike is it's many set-up possibilitys. You can run almost any size rear shock to change rear travel and geometry, and the bike is single crown or dual crown ready. There is even a floating brake option. The frame only weighs 11 pounds I read somewhere... (Looks like 15 pounds  )

We ordered the Flatline 3 which comes with a 888rcv and DHX 5.0 with 8.5 inches of travel. Quite a sled! The one pictured is the Flatline 2 which is set-up like a 7 & 7 bike. Rocky has never been one to design ordinary frames and this one is no different. Quirky, but I like it's looks. Wade sure threw one around just fine in NWD 8. :thumbsup: 

Too bad Rocky's having them made in Tai. I always admired their "everything made in-house" philosophy. :sad:


----------



## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

Not sure if I like the odd tubing shape: not just on RM but also on the new Yeti 575.. It's just aesthetic differences but it takes some getting used to..


----------



## bigEhit (Aug 14, 2007)

*input from a fabricator.*

i can say sure the frame me look catchy but there is no way that thign will ever last heavy abuse for very long. any time you get to busy with your tubing you add odd stress points and weak spots. every bend becomes a potential site for failure and that thing has got way to many point less bends. the other thing is that bent squared tubes tend to fail more then round tubes as the corners of the tubing becomes so distressed that it will be the first portion of the frame to let go of its integrity. with that said it might be a good bike for a smooth flow rider but for anyone who loves just getting stupid and mow over the trails i think the frame would not take kindly to the abuse after long.


----------



## dogonfr (Jan 6, 2005)

Leave it to RM to make something different. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

bigEhit Spec copies the crazy bends.


----------



## Rover Nick (Jul 13, 2006)

bigEhit said:


> i can say sure the frame me look catchy but there is no way that thign will ever last heavy abuse for very long. any time you get to busy with your tubing you add odd stress points and weak spots. every bend becomes a potential site for failure and that thing has got way to many point less bends. the other thing is that bent squared tubes tend to fail more then round tubes as the corners of the tubing becomes so distressed that it will be the first portion of the frame to let go of its integrity. with that said it might be a good bike for a smooth flow rider but for anyone who loves just getting stupid and mow over the trails i think the frame would not take kindly to the abuse after long.


I completley agree. They probably had no input from real engineers, they just had designers draw up some crazy tubes. Its just like those losers over at Yeti who want to cut off the right chainstay. They have no idea what they're doing and have probably never even taken any engineering classes in their life.


----------



## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

Looks like a horses ass and it appears to have been designed by chimps on reefer.

At least it's unique.


----------



## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

Well their hardtails are definately no slouches in construction and egineering...


----------



## LoozinSkin (Jun 29, 2004)

I like it


----------



## Kevin G (Feb 19, 2007)

Other photos I found:


----------



## mtb_biker (Jan 27, 2004)

http://www.sicklines.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/674


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

aaaargh


----------



## dogonfr (Jan 6, 2005)

CrustyOne said:


> aaaargh


That was some quick deletion. 

RM has plenty of experience with long arms.


----------



## The Tod Says What?! (Jan 20, 2007)

Kevin G said:


> Other photos I found:


this is the only one i would consider riding, the rest of the colors are ugly:thumbsup:


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

dogonfr said:


> That was some quick deletion.
> 
> RM has plenty of experience with long arms.


Hehe.....I posted before I saw the shots of those massive droputs:blush:


----------



## RYAN E (Jan 11, 2006)

bigEhit said:


> i can say sure the frame me look catchy but there is no way that thign will ever last heavy abuse for very long. any time you get to busy with your tubing you add odd stress points and weak spots. every bend becomes a potential site for failure and that thing has got way to many point less bends. the other thing is that bent squared tubes tend to fail more then round tubes as the corners of the tubing becomes so distressed that it will be the first portion of the frame to let go of its integrity. with that said it might be a good bike for a smooth flow rider but for anyone who loves just getting stupid and mow over the trails i think the frame would not take kindly to the abuse after long.


WTF! are you talking about. Rocky did every type of testing possible for that frame. They also had Simmons,Vanderham, and many other Pro's test the bike for several months.


----------



## steez (Jul 24, 2004)

looks like a dare on acid.


----------



## Septentrion (Jan 21, 2006)

I like RM (my son just ordered a Slayer SS) but this one is just too ugly...


----------



## creyc (May 24, 2005)

I somewhat agree with bigEhit on this one.

On the other hand, it IS possible that they invested the big $$$ into really testing and calculating the strength and failure points of that frame over repeated abuse found on typical trail and jump situations.

Sure, it looks funky but there's a _slight_ chance there's a method to their madness. Unfortunately most of the time its just madness for the sake of marketing, and then a large margin of just "overbuilt", to cover their butts for lack of engineering. Who knows.

It's definitely more complex than need be, and to me looks like its trying too hard. The back end looks sweet, simple. Make the front the same style and im sold.


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

creyc said:


> there's a _slight_ chance there's a method to their madness. Unfortunately most of the time its just madness for the sake of marketing, and then a large margin of just "overbuilt", to cover their butts for lack of engineering. Who knows.
> 
> .


Thats about my thinking too, I can see why they had to have a curvy downtube to accomodate the rest of the design, but the whole seems like it may end up being LESS than the sum of the parts...if you get my drift

Coming from 2 years on a Patriot frame, and a single pivot super8 before that.....really makes something like this look like a case of trying too hard
all just conjecture ....maybe its brilliant:skep:


----------



## Nick. (Dec 19, 2003)

internet armchair-engineers are funny.


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

Sorry bout dat....... But personaly speaking Engineering is my work and hobby...I just cant help but comment..its like some mad "hows that work?" gene or something...glad your entertained tho


----------



## carbuncle (Dec 9, 2005)

Since I haven't been on one I can only give my opinion on what it looks like: crap. I hate the tubes and the freshly-run-over look. The silver with green stickers color scheme isn't too bad...


----------



## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

i dont get whats so special about that l2c pivot or whatever it is. they say it lowers center of gravity, right? im mean thats nice and all, but its still just a glorified hyped up single pivot....looks crazy, but im not a big fan


----------



## LoozinSkin (Jun 29, 2004)

Wish I had access to a scanner... Decline did a really great review a couple months ago on it and made really solid cases for the funky tubes (somehow a product of computer stress analysis) and the complicated rear linkage (somehow based on the opposite effect of the thrust-link technology).

Also the floating brake arm design is pimp it's hella-adjustable in the geo dept.


----------



## The Tod Says What?! (Jan 20, 2007)

LoozinSkin said:


> hella-adjustable.


Bwahahahahahahaha. gotta love california


----------



## LoozinSkin (Jun 29, 2004)

Mid-west born and raised actually. (recent Northwest transplant as of the last 6 years)


----------



## 545cu4ch (Aug 11, 2005)

i really like it...
I dont like rounded tubes much (v10, nomad, etc)


----------



## Rover Nick (Jul 13, 2006)

Nick. said:


> internet armchair-engineers are funny.


True dat. If you are an engineer and you do know what you're talking about then thats awesome. But I find most armchair engineers on the innternet are full of crap. For any newer members on this board, do a search for "vsuro". I guess what drives me nuts about most arm-chair engineers is most of seem to think they are superior to all others because they are engineers, if that makes sense.

EDIT: To save y'all the trouble, I found the thread. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=202806&highlight=vsuro


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

Rover Nick said:


> . I guess what drives me nuts about most arm-chair engineers is most of seem to think they are superior to all others because they are engineers, if that makes sense.
> 
> EDIT: To save y'all the trouble, I found the thread. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=202806&highlight=vsuro


Dont want to ruffle you furthur, but....... if the subject is engineering...surely an engineers arguement is generaly superior to someone who can barely read...No?

(im not calling YOU illiterate BTW)

How about the standard retort of "they are bike designers they know more about bike design than you" ...?????

Yep they know what they are doing.........but its not always design for performance, whatever the marketing blurb says

anyway if you have a problem with some armchair engineers post....just dissprove his theory...easy eh?


----------



## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

It looks different enough to be interesting :thumbsup:

Is the engineering solid? How would anybody here know  
We see weird shapes but we do not know all the tube and plate thickness profiles, etc. For all I know, it might work. Besides, the TT looks nice for a standover-challenged guy.

Can it be built into something I'd really, _really_, want? Haven't got a clue yet.


----------



## mandown (May 20, 2004)

most ironic name for a frame ever, considering the tubing choice.


----------



## rep_1969 (Mar 25, 2004)

Not a fan. Too funky


----------



## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

I won't get into the aesthetics of the frame since that is pretty subjective, but the proof will be in how well it rides AND how durable it is after several seasons of abuse. If it does as they promise, people will likely look past the "I just rammed it into my garage when it was on top of my car" look.  

Did Rocky put the Flatline through a bunch of FEA tests? Yep. Did they also put it through real world testing (via the hands of Vanderham and Simmons) and make tweaks accordingly? You bet. I talked to Vanderham about it late fall and he's poured his heart and soul into this bike since he's all about riding the big stuff. Does that mean the production models will end up lasting in the "real world" - especially with moving production to Taiwan? No one can really say that until us average joe's have enough ride time on them in various conditions.

All I can say is that obviously Rocky felt it was good enough to abandon the RMX thrust link design (which was proven, but pretty tired). If it rides as well as the new Slayer design, then they'll have a winner on their hands. Lower weight, lower center of gravity and ability to run different shock lengths/travel settings sounds pretty good to me. I assume Summit Sports in Whistler will be using the Flatline for their rental fleet since they used the RMX in the past, so that will give folks a good indication of how well they hold up in an abusive environment.

Cheers,
EB


----------



## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

ebxtreme said:


> I won't get into the aesthetics of the frame since that is pretty subjective, but the proof will be in how well it rides AND how durable it is after several seasons of abuse. If it does as they promise, people will likely look past the "I just rammed it into my garage when it was on top of my car" look.
> 
> Did Rocky put the Flatline through a bunch of FEA tests? Yep. Did they also put it through real world testing (via the hands of Vanderham and Simmons) and make tweaks accordingly? You bet. I talked to Vanderham about it late fall and he's poured his heart and soul into this bike since he's all about riding the big stuff. Does that mean the production models will end up lasting in the "real world" - especially with moving production to Taiwan? No one can really say that until us average joe's have enough ride time on them in various conditions.
> 
> ...


Yeah, what he said. :thumbsup:


----------



## MountainMafia (Aug 12, 2007)

Any rig that Thomas Vanderham helped design and is riding gets my humble approval... its a sick ride!


----------



## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

dunno if you remember the crud catchers of old but thats my theory behind the downtube.

and i would be more inclined to like it if it were not for the price.


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

konut said:


> dunno if you remember the crud catchers of old but thats my theory behind the downtube.


Huh?????.....I remember them...but how on earth is a curvy downtube comparable to a 4"x12" flat plastic mudguard ?


----------



## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

designed a crud catcher in to the downtube.


----------



## CrustyOne (Oct 29, 2007)

I see what you mean, it is sorta wide in that area


----------



## 317000 (Mar 2, 2007)

I think it's one of the illest DH frame out there, especially raw. Not really a fan of the brown. 

There was an article in Decline about it a while ago, had some FEA and explanation of the frames' tubes' shape. Seems like a pretty solid design to me.


----------



## dizzyfromtheheat (Feb 28, 2008)

I had a chance to ride it a few times. It feels great, loves to get flicked and stiffer in the back than the old RMX. Bike weighed 43 pounds on my scale with a pretty hefty Saint build so getting under 40 pounds should be no problem. As for the engineering, Darcy's is a great engineer and has my faith. Anything he's worked on has been solid, unique and well thought out. I can understand the asthetics opinions but it looks better in the flesh. Put my order in last week for a Flatline 3. Summit Bikes in Whistler will have 45 Flatlines for rent this summer. Try before you buy?

Peace


----------



## 317000 (Mar 2, 2007)

Rover Nick said:


> I completley agree. They probably had no input from real engineers, they just had designers draw up some crazy tubes. Its just like those losers over at Yeti who want to cut off the right chainstay. They have no idea what they're doing and have probably never even taken any engineering classes in their life.


I was about to say something mean until I noticed that this was sarcasm


----------



## suicidebomber (Feb 10, 2007)

is it lower than the RMX? if so, is it safe to say that this a more DH-race oriented machine compared to the extreme freeride orientation of the RMX?

any guys race RMXs by the way?


----------



## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

dizzyfromtheheat said:


> I had a chance to ride it a few times. It feels great, loves to get flicked and stiffer in the back than the old RMX. Bike weighed 43 pounds on my scale with a pretty hefty Saint build so getting under 40 pounds should be no problem. As for the engineering, Darcy's is a great engineer and has my faith. Anything he's worked on has been solid, unique and well thought out. I can understand the asthetics opinions but it looks better in the flesh. Put my order in last week for a Flatline 3. Summit Bikes in Whistler will have 45 Flatlines for rent this summer. Try before you buy?
> 
> Peace


Dizzy, you seem to have a lot of knowledge of the Summit rental fleet (great shop, btw!), so I'm guessing this is Greg, Christian or Caleb (but I think he's traveling right now)?? Either way, you guys have taken care of me and my manipoo MANY times. :thumbsup:

Cheers,
EB


----------



## downhiller12345 (Jun 4, 2007)

Killer....i think all the colors or batshit crazy!!! Damn!


----------



## hab1b (Jan 15, 2007)

i like the bike a lot.


----------



## AKRida (Feb 26, 2004)

oh i think i vomited a little~


----------



## Rover Nick (Jul 13, 2006)

There was a decline article about it awhile ago Thomas Vanderham said he designed it to have pretty standard race geo. TV's theroy bedhind it is that big freeride bikes(read: not 'slopestyle' bikes) and race bikes don't need to be that different nowadays becuase alot of the stuff he does requires him to stay low and fast to keep his speed up to clear somehthings.


----------



## RYAN E (Jan 11, 2006)

suicidebomber said:


> is it lower than the RMX? if so, is it safe to say that this a more DH-race oriented machine compared to the extreme freeride orientation of the RMX?
> 
> any guys race RMXs by the way?


Hell yeah I race my 07' RMX Team!


----------



## carbuncle (Dec 9, 2005)

This thread's so old I forgot I had already posted! To sum up: fugly. Fug-l-y, fugly.


----------



## gratiflying (Sep 21, 2006)

i did a lap on pre production flatline last fall and have ridden the RMX a number of times, here's my .02:

looks are personal preference. i think it's cool and unique but not really easy on the eyes - pictures don't do it justice... kind of like modern art.

engineering/strength - rocky builds sweet bikes and has done so for 20 years, i'm sure this frame will not be an exception.

ride (what matters to me) - it's longer, lower and slacker than the RMX. i actually found it VERY long (47-48 inch wheelbase long) which was super stable but not all that nimble IMO but i'm sure you'd get used to it. i'm used to a smaller (46inch wheelbase) and lighter DH bike so that could be why i felt it was so long and not as nimble. front end was nice and low and the head angle felt at least 2 degrees slacker than the rmx which was an improvement IMO. the bike is at least an inch lower than the RMX which i also thought was a nice improvement. the suspension characteristics felt similar to the RMX (very good IMO) but it was difficult to compare as the bikes were setup very different but both with ROCO WCs. if i got one, i'd think about getting a smaller sized frame. i'm 5'10" and probably would have preferred a small frame.


----------



## dizzyfromtheheat (Feb 28, 2008)

The bike has many configuration options. Out of the box the Flatline 4 and 3 will be about 14.5" bb height and 64.5 degree front. Depending on the different shock and hole options, it can be lower, slacker and longer than the RMX but it can also go the other way if you so desire. It'll make a killer dh specific rig or slopestyle, Shore bike. No front derailleur option on this one though which I really enjoyed on the RMX.

Ebxtreme... don't know what your talking about... Stop buying prototype forks by the way. It's easier to find replacement cartridges 

Peace


----------



## dogonfr (Jan 6, 2005)

dizzyfromtheheat said:


> Ebxtreme... don't know what your talking about... Stop buying prototype forks by the way. It's easier to find replacement cartridges
> 
> Peace


Thats impossible Manitou destroys them so they never get found out.


----------



## ronny (Apr 2, 2004)

*Marin has competition in the ugly contest.*



Kevin G said:


> So what do y'all think of this upcoming rig from RM? Here's the link to download the '08 catalog with details. Saw the write up in last month's Decline on the prototype. Did anyone check it out at Interbike? The Flatline is up there with the Maelstrom [Corsair] for my '08 "keep on dreaming" bike. At first I thought the bent frame design looked odd, but after studying it more; seems to make sense. Thoughts on the "LCR2" suspension design? I do like the apparent "low-slung concentrated mass".


Just nasty looking.


----------



## AW_ (Jan 3, 2006)

slack
low cog

looks good to me


----------

