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My New (to me) Rotec RL9

K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
Well I went and picked up a Rotec RL9 today. This is my first DH bike, and I currently have a 2007 Kona Coiler

I'm not 100% sure on the specs, but here is what I know:
Frame: 2006 Rotec RL9 - Large; Gloss Black with Orange decals
Fork: Marzocchi 888 RC (I believe, Rebound on right stanction, Compression on left stanction).
Shock: Marzocchi ROCO WC w/ 500 pound spring (seems to get good sag, I weight 230 w/ gear, whatcha recommend?)
Bars: Planet X (?)
Wheels/Hubs: Front-Mavic 321 rim/not sure on hub; Rear-No idea on rim/Hadley hub
Rear Derailuer: SRAM X9
Shifter: SRAM 9.0 grip shift
Brakes: Avid Code 5 w/ 8" rotors (need a bleed pretty bad, still stop well though)
Chain guide: E.13 SRS
Cranks: Truvativ Hussefelt
Tires: Kenda 2.7 front, 2.5 rear
Seat post: Syncros, cut shorter
Saddle: No idea, but has "girls" on it

Everything seems to be in good shape, other than the rear wheel, which has some dents, but I think I'll just run it for now.

Yes, I know the saddle is really far forward, that's how it was when I got it, just didnt change it yet.

I was concered that is would be too big, but it seems to be fine. Standing it doesn't seem too long, and sitting, the saddle seems as if it's too far forward, so moving it back will help.

Riding it around the street, if feels great. I'm going on vacation for over a week so I won't have a change to take it out on the trails until the first week in June, so I'll let everyone know how it rides then.

Here are the pictures:








 
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K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
Why do you think it's a medium? The TT is longer than my L Coiler and it has a longer WB than my brothers L Sunday. It there a way to easily tell the size?
 
K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
It seemed to shift fine, but I'm not that used to the twist shift. In the highest gear it was skipping and trying to go to the second from lowest gear but that seemed to be the only one that did it. It's an 8 speed BTW.
 
Secret Squirrel

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
KillerSloth said:
It seemed to shift fine, but I'm not that used to the twist shift. In the highest gear it was skipping and trying to go to the second from lowest gear but that seemed to be the only one that did it. It's an 8 speed BTW.
Click to expand...
Yeah...the chain looks 2-3 links short...rear der is pretty stretched as is.

Also, the X9 is designed for a 9sp cassette so that probably has something to do with it...nothing a little tweaking with the derailleur limit screws and cable tension couldn't almost cure...

And it does look kinda like a medium to me too...you can kinda tell by the gusset at the top tube-seat tube junction...

For a 230lb rider you might want to find a 600 or 650 lb. spring. I'm pretty sure I'm running a 750 ti spring on my Avy DHS......there's a formula out there to determine what spring rate is right for your weight and the bike's leverage ratio, but I have no idea what it is...


Super nice find for the moola. Have fun!
 
K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
Yeah, I went and looked at the derailuer this morning and the chain wasn't even touching the upper "wheel". It is in the lowest gear in that picture though, so it makes it worse.

I think I may go to a trigger shifter, and a 9 speed cassette anyway, so once it's adjusted for that, it may fix the issue with the highest gear.

Also, TFTunedShox.com recommends a 513 pound spring for my weight, so I may try this spring out for a bit. I read somewhere the RL9 runs a softer spring, but I think I also read that someone said it needs a heavier spring... soooooo... I have no idea. lol

If this is a medium, then I couldnt imagine how big a large is!
 
O

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
KillerSloth said:
Why do you think it's a medium? The TT is longer than my L Coiler and it has a longer WB than my brothers L Sunday. It there a way to easily tell the size?
Click to expand...
I usually go by the size of the gusset at the seattube. Looking at yours, it looks smaller then a large, but on second look, it looks larger then a medium. So I'm really not sure. I had an 07, not sure if the 06 where different or not. If your effective toptube is over 25", then its a large and I stand corrected.

Reason I asked about the shifting is cause of your obviously short chain. Thought it might have been an attempt to make it shift better. Rotec's can be tough to get to shift well, due to the fact that the derailleur hanger is so much lower then the axle. Not much chain wrap around the cassette and the chain doesn't get as much angle as you shift. 8speed definitely works better then 9spd, due to the increase throw with each shift. They normally shift fine from small to large cog, but large to small is a PITA. I actually design a little do-dad that attached to my derailluer and it made it shift perfectly.

The new swingarms and derailluer hanger are supposed to improve shifting, but I haven't tried one.
 
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Leppah

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
Killer bike for the price.

you should take that kickstand with you every time you ride it.
 
Secret Squirrel

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Apparently, Shimano ders are a better fit for the older hangar design (more wrap around). But my X9 der works alright with the right amount of tweaking. Just takes a little patience...which I don't have a lot of... heh...

513lb. spring eh...huh...I suppose the butt test will be the deciding factor.
 
K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
If I have enough time when I get home (leaving for SoCal today), I'll try to find out what the saddle is.

I didn't even look at what was on it when I bought it, just thought it was some sort of design lol.



The spring weight seems low, considering I run a 600 pound on my Coiler that has a lower leverage ratio (2.66 vs 3.0), but I guess it has to do with the ammount of travel? I'll see how it feels on the trails, and get a new spring if it's too soft.
 
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Leppah

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
Yeah, that seat is cool.

I had a picture of Tera Patrick on the top tube of my DH bike last season. IT was laminated and taped on. Some guy asked if she was my girl friend. I said, "hehe, sometimes."
i gotta get me another hot girly pic for the bike.
 
K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
I checked out the saddle and its a Planet X saddle... Doesn't look like they make it any more, and it looks like a UK company...
 
goodgrief

goodgrief

Monkey
Aug 13, 2008
104
1
Innerleithen, Scotland
i run a 450 spring and i'm 74kg if that helps.
i couldn't get it to shift down to the smallest cog due to the mech stopping on the swing link so now i run a 6sp cassette with a few spacers on the inside and outside.
 
K

KillerSloth

Chimp
May 15, 2009
54
0
Quick question... Is there an easy way to determine if I have the "new" rearend? When I measured from BB to axle it was 17.25" (I think the old was 17") and there is NO tire rob marks on it. It also has the Roco WC on it, which I have no idea if that fit the old one or not, but I thought the old came with a 5th (maybe just upgraded?)

It seems to shift fine, but I need to add some links to the chain... I snapped the first one (I don't think it was because it was too short, just old) and when the LBS installed the new one, they didn't put it through the roller on the chain guide, so it's even shorter now...
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,061
5,970
borcester rhymes
Honestly, if they installed it they should fix it, it's their mistake....take it back to them and they'll either add the links or they should give you a new chain.

but I have no idea which rear end you have.
 
Secret Squirrel

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Just from a sight comparison between the picture of yours and the picture of mine...looks to be the "old" (original) rear end.

The only thing that changed were the seat stays. They got longer by a quarter inch (or something) I believe. It didn't affect the wheelbase of the bike (or negligibly...).

Also, you may not be getting any tire rub because of the tires you're running. I barely get any when I run my Kenda's.

Roco fit with no mods.
 
O

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
KillerSloth said:
It seems to shift fine, but I need to add some links to the chain... I snapped the first one (I don't think it was because it was too short, just old) and when the LBS installed the new one, they didn't put it through the roller on the chain guide, so it's even shorter now...
Click to expand...
Actually, that was the main problem I was having with mine.

What happens is the derailleur does NOT always carry the chain all the way down to the cog you shifted to (i.e. you shifted to the smallest cog, but the chain only got carried down to the 2nd or 3rd smallest).

Then what happens is, is the derailleur is sprung down to the lowest cog, but the chain is still riding a cog or 2 up. This creates a cross chain effect and puts a lot of stress on the derailleur when you're in the rough or hit a drop. It often results in either a snap derailleur or chain.

Not saying this is what happened to yours, but something to keep an eye on if it happens again. Happened to me more then once, until I came up with a fix.
 
S

Sonic Reducer

Monkey
Mar 19, 2006
500
0
seattle worshington
rotecs are so sick, just burly and unstoppable. You should rig up some kind of mud flap for that shock since it is in the line of fire from the back tire. a piece of inner tube would suffice.
 
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