First Impression: Slingshot Farmboy
July 10th, 2007 by Tim GrahlWhile at the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo I got a chance to spend some time riding the Slingshot Farmboy.
If you’ve ever come in contact with one I’m sure you did a double take. Where the hell is the downtube? On closer inspection you find it’s a wire.
Before reading any further please click here to read about the technology. They explain it way better than I can and the rest of this post will go on assuming you read that.
Pre-ride, the impression I had (besides the missing downtube) was the bike is heavy. If you’re looking for a big weight savings, the Farmboy isn’t for you. From there I decided to trust the Slingshot guys that the bike is really up to the singletrack task, threw a leg over it and headed out.
With the spring and tension I was riding the Farmboy is supposed to give approximately an inch of rear travel, however you aren’t supposed to lose any energy when it’s compressed because the spring is supposed to “slingshot” the bike up the hill and help you climb.
But how does all this technology play out on the trail?
On the first decent climb I geared to a hard stroke so I could really feel the compression of the rear “suspension”. I felt the usual loss of power as the suspension caught, however when it released I felt like the rear wheel snapped immediately back underneath me. It was a very odd feeling… I’m used to the suspension lagging a bit and causing that loss of energy we are all familiar with. Instead I felt that tire going immediately back under me and it felt like I was climbing with the efficiency of a hardtail.
Other aspects of the ride were hard to pinpoint. I could tell the bike was handling differently in different terrain, however couldn’t put a finger on what was going on in the hour or so I spent on the bike.
In talking with another attendee who also tried out the Slingshot for the first time but got to spend more time than I did on it, he made the observation that the bike wheels will track differently around turns or over obstacles. Almost as if the wheels aren’t in a direct line. This sounded a bit scary to me however he observed that it gave him better control.
That’s my initial impressions of the Slingshot Farmboy. I think the climbing is definitely aided by the technology but is this a bike that would serve a rider well longterm? I can’t make that call with the limited amount of time I spent on the bike.
Have you spent anytime on a Slingshot? What are your thoughts?
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I have one of these in the shop that is scheduled to be built and ridden this week.
It has certainly gotten a lot of comments so far, including some positive feedback from folks who had owned one “back in the day”.
One of the attendees has bought a Farmboy as a direct result of those test rides. After spending some good time on one there too, I concur with the tracking of the front and rear wheels. Especailly on the slipperyer (is that a word?) trails. Front and rear seemed to follow different paths on the trail. Once I got used to it, I found its another aspect of making the bike ride ‘faster’ or smoother. This deflection really isn’t all that much though. The BB area is stiffer than you’d think.
Interstingly, the old school guys that have these claim the “sling power” works even better with a rigid fork up front. Might be a candidate for a Willits WOW fork, or a nice carbon fork like the White Brothers Rock Solid.
i have ridden the farmboy on all terrain in newyork from hyper technical rocks and superfast swoopy singletrack to 1200 foot uphill grinds i find the bike verry efficient (more suspensio0n would be nice in the real tough rock sections) but it is doable a little better than a hard tail in that stuff. it has held up well under my 200 lbs and it is fast as hell in the single track i think it is a great bike . Plus it looks cool johnyk
They had a medium with a rigid fork at the BWB. It either had a Origin 8 or the White, can’t remember for sure. I ride it on the grass, gravel and up that really steep dyke. (i love that word) I can see how it would make a great singltrack bike as it felt short. Not just the tt but possible the wheelbase too. I was also surprised at how stiff the front end was, torsional. Not much flex at all. It also climbed like a goat.
Yeah, I concur with all the posts thus far. Its more soft than a hardtail, but its still not full suspension. Good to ride on the long distance trails where you need the efficiency of the design. Stiffer than you would expect.
The negatives are that it is a little on the heavy side and my version has tire clearance issues, so you are limited to 2.1 or less.
I rode a farmboy at a recent demo in Michigan. My initial impression was that it was heavy, but once on the trail I really did not notice the weight. The other bikes I rode that day were a C-Dale f29, Salsa dos-niner, ventana el-patron and a trek 69r. The salsa and ventana had higher end builds on them so the bikes were pretty light. I defenitly felt the slingshot was quicker than the f-29. I cannot quite explain the bike, but it felt good. I did not notice any slingshot effect or any flexing or unever front and rear wheel tracking like others, but the bike felt different and not in a bad way. Its like you have to ride one to experience it and see if you like it. The demo trail did not offer much in terms of technical terrain — I really want to see how the bike handles there. I will probably demo another one and see if it makes my list.
The inventor of the Slingshot, (Mark Groendal), left Slingshot in 2000 to work with a retired aerospace engineer, and together they created the Energy Return Bicycle System. His new bikes are said to be “even faster, smoother and now very light weight.” So the weight issue (and ride) is apparently being addressed in his new bikes.
Here is a link from the ERB site that includes a dynamometer video proving the Energy Return Bike actually returns pedal energy:
http://www.erbbike.com/index-1.html
As a result of the test rides at the BWB at Decorah(soon to be a world famous venue) I bought a Slingshot Farm Boy(that’s a 2-9er to the uninitiated). I’m stoked on the bike. It’s super efficient up hill. Instead of mashing as you get to the harder climbs, the slingshot effect is felt as it allows you to sit and spin away. It’s uncanny. You think it’s time to stand and grind it out and the bike just says, HEY STUPID, sit your ass down and spin-and away you go. The slight rear suspension it gives you is really appriciated as well. Compared to the Dos Niner, it’s more hooked up in the rear and doesn’t feel as vague. I’m 6′2″ and 210#. This is the first mtb that I have ridden that fits me well and is super efficient. And that’s from the first one I bought in the early 80’s(a Trek-850?).I sense no loss of power going to the ground as a result of the slingshot approach. Just a wonderful bit of rear suspension and the recovery of the downward power from the pedals into forward motion at the top of the pedal stroke. It just doesn’t get any better than this. Is it a bit heavy? Yes-compared to the Niner’s. But this baby goes down the trail like it’s on rails. No constantly correcting your line, no nervousness, no problems whatever. Just nail your line and lower your times on your favorite singletrack. Even downhill it just wants to go faster. Again, super stable. And it builds up really solid as well. Highly recommended.
The ERB bike is roughly 7 tenths of a pound lighter than the Slingshot Farmboy…but, I don’t think the ERB is a 29er frame, so, this is NOT an apples to apples comparison.
The Slingshot Ripper is only about 2 tenths pound heavier than the ERB…so the weight issue comparison seems *negligible*. I believe this is more an apples/apples comparison between the frames.
Slingshot Farmboy 29er 16 inch 5.5 pounds.
Slingshot Ripper 26er 16 inch 5.0 pounds.
ERB 15 inch 4.6 pounds
ERB 17 inch 5.0 pounds
Slingshot (email reply from them today) will spec out a complete Farmboy to ones requested component level. Farmboy seems like a wonderful bike. Thanks to all for the reviews.
email reply from Slingshot:
Yes this is very possible. We do it every week!
Let me know your budget and component requirements and we will build you a quote around this criteria. Keep in mind because we are a manufacturer we receive better than dealer cost on all items. This savings we pass along to you. Let me know how I can assist further.
Aaron Joppe
Sales Manager
SLINGSHOT BIKES
888-530-5556 ph
616-233-9330 Fax
http://www.slingshotbikes.com
http://www.myspace.com/slingshotbikes
Having worked with Aaron at Slingshot on the spec of my bike, I can say they are wonderful to deal with. He really goes out of his way to get you the best deal on any part their suppliers have that you may covet. And the best part is you get the fastest 29′er on the planet. OK, I’m biased. But this bike just makes you go faster and faster. What a confidence builder. It’s really rock solid in every situation. I now fly down stuff I previously found fairly sketchy. It turns and corners like it’s on rails. I can’t say enough good about it. IT’S DAMN FAST! The wheel base on my 20″ frame is just under 43″. The wheelbase on my 26″ wheeled Fetish SS is 43 1/3.