Hey guys, I just picked up an '02 (I think) Rocky Mountain RM7 frame last night for $80 bucks. It's in good shape, no cracks or dents, and all the bearings are smooth. I'm trying to build a bike park able bike on a budget getting used parts as I find them over the winter. I have a couple questions about this frame. The rear shock feels good and the damping works with no leaks which is a plus. For those that have owned or ridden an RM7, what spring did you run? It has a 700 lb. spring on there now. I weigh about 180 but like a softer ride. I don't do any huge drops or jumps but like to ride fast over the rough stuff. I ran a 450 lb. spring on my old Spec Team DH but I know the different linkage designs will play into different springs. My other question is about wheels. I found a page on bikepedia about the '02 RM7 DH and it said it came with a 24" rear wheel. Was this bike's rear end designed around a 24" rear wheel? The FR model came with a 26" rear wheel. I would really like to run 26" wheels front and rear with 2.35-2.5 tires. Can I fit a 26" rear wheel with a 2.35"?
Thanks guys for any help! It's not easy finding info on an older frame.
Ya I didn't think to test fit with a 26" wheel. I'll pull one off my wife's bike and try that when I get home. I just thought I'd ask it since I was starting a thread for the shock spring. Is there anybody out there that still rides one of these bikes?
Hey bullcrew, was your 7 a 24" rear wheel only? I'm not totally bummed about it except rear wheels are going to be harder to source, or I'll have to build one. Are the rear hubs just a standard quick release or some funky rear hub I'll have to track down also? LOL. And any insight on a rear shock spring?
Turns out the DH does fit a 26" rear wheel!!! I put one in off my wife's bike which has a 2.1 tire and there was plenty of room to fit probably a 2.5 back there. That just made my wheelset search so much easier!
Turns out the DH does fit a 26" rear wheel!!! I put one in off my wife's bike which has a 2.1 tire and there was plenty of room to fit probably a 2.5 back there. That just made my wheelset search so much easier!
Make sure to cycle through the suspension with the 26" tire to verify no conflict
I will double check and cycle the suspension just to verify but it fits as if it was designed around a 26" wheel but they sold it with a 24" because that was the fad at the time as Specialized was doing the same with their BigHits. The tire is centered in the swing arm so I'm pretty sure it will be fine. I'll post a pic of the clearance this evening.
I ran one of these for 2 seasons. A 26 with a generous 2.5 will fit fine. Only thing that could be a problem is the chain can get grabbed by the tire sometimes. Just run a Minion-ish sized tire and it's fine. In the last couple years I had it, I ran a 24 to get the BB height in check.
The reason the spring rate is sky high, is due to shock length. Did you happen to notice it runs a 2 inch stroke shock for 7 inches of travel?!? That's a 3.5 to 1 leverage ratio... My large came stock with an 850 spring!
Thanks for the insight Uncle Cliffy! Good to know info. I'm excited to get this thing built! I've ordered everything but wheels/tires, fork, BB, chainguide, and brakes.
I had am RM7 back in the day. It was 01 and it definitely fit a huge tire on a 26 inch wheel fine. I don't remember much about the rear shock but I had it set up with a Super T. Most of the parts that came on it were crap, but the frame and fork we're solid.