I'm thinking about buying a Slayer. I knew about the bike, and just looked at a few tonight at one of the local shops here in Idaho. Before putting anything down I decided to come on the board and check review. Strange, mixed reviews. Weird S_T like one reviewer saying the bike was "not very well balanced" and "too light in the rear".

Others saying the bottom bearings kept going out.
Others saying they love theirs.

I am 160lbs, A very aggressive XC rider, not a true freerider but will go for it, huck and jump. I like to climb technical and descend fast.

Is this a good long term bike with minimal service issues
Is the design solid (I think the 3D has been around for what, 10 years?)

Other bikes looking at would cost almost as much just for the frame

Thanks for your intelligent input

Think of the Slayer as a beefed off version of an Element... The Element is more likely to do cross-country as the Slayer is a more rugged trailbike. It has (as you surely know) a different tubing, the Easton 7005 FS OVAL RAD Taperwall Aluminum... So if you're an agressive rider that mostly do cross-country and also a few drops (let's say 3 or 4' high) and want to go up & down, it's the right bike for you... If you do more stunts & jumps & drops than cross-country, you should look elsewhere, like at the Switch, which is more suited to do that...

I went from XC, into aggressive XC, and then into light freeriding with my Slayer. This bike inspired me to ride more and harder, which took my skills from the weekend (maybe every other weekend as I think back) to a two, three or four day a week rider. I couldn't get enough, and my friends all commented on how far I'd come. The flipside of this, was that the Slayer took a bit of beating in the process. I ride the very rocky New England trails north of Boston, and the Slayer shined on many occaision. But I have to agree with one of the comments you made about the rear end being a bit on the light side. Sometimes the beautifully burly front triangle doesn't seem to match the trim rear. I haven't had problems with bearings, but I broke the main pivot axle, which resulted in the bending of the seatstay, and the 3-D link plates, a costly replacement. Recently, I noticed a crack in the chainstay, going from the hole for the der. hanger to the edge of the frame.

For me, at 210-220 lbs, maybe the drops (to flat) and jumps from 4-6 feet were a bit much for the Slayer, especially for someone just learning those particular ropes. That said, it performed outstandingly in that capacity for me, I never felt like it wasn't up to the task. If I were to get on a new one right now, I'm sure it would be in much better shape after 2 years. At 160, with already developed skills, I could see the Slayer being a great choice for you.

Appreciate the posts.
I looked at the posts from 2003 and there's a definite pattern of problems with the bike (stays, lower bearings, other issues and customer service)

For 2004 the ratings are still not consistent enough. Too bad cuz I dig the way the bike looks; and yeah the Rocky "Mystiqe".

Probably gonna go Kona Dawg or Coiler
a solid, well built bike with awesome ratings, good customer service
no issues

check out a new slayer-Unreal..I love mine

Since you are talking about the 3D link, are you looking at a 3 year old Slayer in the shop?

it's a 2 year old post.

Pretty sure the OP was referring to the last generation (2005) Slayer.