Solo 70
🛑 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Solo 70
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
© 2022 Gripped Publishing Inc. | 75 Harbord St, Toronto, ON, M5S1G4 | Tel: 416 927 0774 | Privacy Policy | Website Development by Sean Rasmussen
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
As gravel/adventure riding continues to grow in popularity, more and more brands are joining in and launching their own version of the ideal off-road road bike. Instead of coalescing around a common design, brands continue to push what can be done on a dropbar bike. This variety leads to a category of bikes that have very different functions and ride qualities while still being within the gravel/adventure category. Rocky Mountain’s focus when creating its Solo line of adventure bikes would best be described by two words: fun and capable.
Components SRAM Force 1x, Sram XG 1150 10-42 cassette, SRAM Force HydroR disc, FSA Gossamer Pro ABS BB386 EVO
Wheels Sun Helix TR25 SL 29 rims, SRAM 900 rear hub (12 x 142 mm), Rocky Mountain 15 x 100 mm front hub
Sizes XS, S, M, L, XL (tested)
Price $3,500
Rocky Mountain’s Solo 70, the higher spec of the two Solo offerings, is most definitely fun. This feature is partially due to the geometry, the bike corners off-road like its on rails, and partially due to the they way Rocky’s set the Solo up. There’s gobs of tire clearance, enough that 40c tires looked skinny, a 1x drivetrain, wide, flared bars and routing for a dropper post.
The Solo 70 combines the long wheelbase common among gravel bikes, 1,042 mm in a medium frame, with short 425-mm-long chainstays. Rocky Mountain has also put in a more relaxed head tube angle, between 69.5 degrees and 71 degrees based on size, with the XL being a slightly steeper 72 degrees. Compared with Trek’s Checkpoint, the Solos are a full 1–1.5 degrees slacker in any given size. As you might expect from these numbers, the Solo has a dual ability to be fast around corners and stable on rough roads at high speeds, especially when things point down. Good numbers don’t always lead to good handling, but Rocky has definitely made a bike where the numbers add up just right . The Solo carves corners off road and on trails, and feels like it is on rails through wide open long corners. Some of this could be Rocky’s pedigree building mountain bikes for rowdier terrain. I don’ know if a trickle-down theory applies to handling characteristics, but the Solo felt stable and grounded when I probably should have felt out of control.
The Solo’s testing period happened to overlap with the annual Stuckylife Easter gravel grinder, which rarely manages to take place on Easter weekend but always challenges those who show up to a selection of Victoria, B.C.’s best gravel, double track, decommissioned logging roads, and occasional single track connectors. The Easter ride thoroughly tested the Solo’s descending capabilities with slick trails, steep grades in both directions, and the occasional rock strewn, overgrown skid road. It was one of my first rides on the Solo, and the bike immediately inspired confidence where a more road-inspired gravel bike might have been outgunned.
On the other end of the off-road spectrum, the Solo and I took several trips on the local section of The Great Trail, Goldstream, B.C.’s gravel roller coaster. Tight, winding gravel corners give way to 20% grades on old, dirt service roads. After a couple hours out and back on gravel, it was clear that the Solo’s cornering was dialed. 40c Maxxis’ Ravager tires only add to the Solo’s cornering capability, with their aggressive side lugs that dug in to the dirt and held on in tight corners and through wide open, steep descents.
As you would hope from a bike that encourages riders to push the fun factor and test the bikes limits, the Solo 70 is capable of handling some abuse. The aluminum frame is solid and feels tough enough to take on cross country mountain bike trails with ease or to be loaded up with all the bags you have for a weekend, or week, off the grid. Rocky’s made the move to thru axles front and back, which adds welcome stiffness off road, and when loaded down. The Solo has the potential storage capacity to live up to its “adventure” designation, too. There’s three water-bottle mounts on the frame, rack and fender mounts on Rocky’s in-house carbon fork and rear rack mounts, ensuring you have the means to carry whatever you could need for long days of getting out there on back roads and forgotten paths. The top tube is even flattened subtly, which makes fitting frame bags a simple process.
All this fun and reliability does come at a cost, of course. The aluminum frame and reliability oriented build doesn’t lend to a light weight machine. It’s not weight that you feel too much while riding it, unless you’re pushing up an extended paved hill, but the Solo isn’t the lightest adventure bike out there. If you’re looking to win your next gravel road race, you may want to look at a more svelte, carbon-fibre based frame. If, like most gravel riders, you’re looking for a bike that will make your next gravel event fun, and survive whatever other adventures you want to get into, the Solo has your back. At $3500, and with a lower price Solo 50 available, the adventure-ready Solo is also a more approachable price point than some of the more boutique gravel bikes out there.
The SRAM hydro groupset does a good job of switching gears when you want, even under pressure, and the extra breaking power is appreciated. The tall and wide hoods, a long-time feature of SRAM’s dropbar hydro sets, don’t have the ergonomics that suit everyone. Giving the Solo a 1x drivetrain does make it more important to pick the appropriate gear for the terrain you’ll be riding. The 40 tooth chainring was great on flatter ground, but started to feel a bit steep for my skinny legs when faced with climbing extended double digit road grades. There’s an opening at the frame’s BB to make internal routing easier. It serves that purpose, but I can’t help but think this will attract dirt and grime in an off-road oriented bike.
Rocky Mountain clearly knows it’s made a very fun bike to ride, and has opened up the Solo for you to push the bike as much as you’re comfortable doing. With clearance for 27.5 x 2.2 tires, or 700 x 40c, there space for enough rubber to not just survive where a dropper post would be helpful, but to really have fun in those situations. By adapting your tire and gearing choices, you could make the Solo a very comfortable ride in a wide range of landscapes and riding conditions. You can make it perfect for where you usually ride, or tweak the Solo to make it suit your next adventure. With it’s elevated fun factor, the Solo is well suited to off-road touring, with fun angles capable of handling whatever you run into on trips when you can never fully plan what will be around the next corner.
For the Solo’s first ride, I had a short loop planned to match the rapidly setting sun. When I had the option to keep rolling home, or turn left for more dirt roads and another section of trail, the Rocky encouraged me to keep going and push on into the last available light. And that’s what you want from something called an adventure bike, isn’t it? A bike that makes you want to ride more . The Solo is a bike that wants to explore new areas, that wants to get into weird situations, and will make whatever you’re riding fun.
Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine
Deliver to
Russian Federation
Don't Change
Change Address
Books
›
Biographies & Memoirs
›
Arts & Literature
This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.
Share
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Learn more
Solo in the 70s: John, Paul, George, Ringo: 1970-1980 Paperback – December 2, 2013
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
4.3 out of 5 stars
39 ratings
Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Try again.
The decade after the Beatles’ split gets a second look… In 2010, Robert Rodriguez's Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles 1970-1980 told the story of the ex-band mates during the first ten years after calling it quits, detailing efforts to establish four separate artistic identities while laboring in the shadow of their glorious collective past; all the while facing the inevitable query, “So when are the Beatles getting back together?” But while 2.0 covered an enormous amount of ground, there were still more stories to tell: John's fight to stay in America against the forces of Nixon Administration; the lawsuits against their business allies—and each other; unreleased recordings; the promo films; album art; covers of ex-Beatle music by other artists (as well as covers by ex-Beatles of other artists' material); bootleg releases and many more subjects. In Solo in the 70s, you’ll learn about their people: producers and engineers they worked with; up-and-comers branded as “the new Beatles;” protégés; friends and associates, and a roll call of deaths in the “family.” Putting it all in perspective is a 30,000 word day-by-day timeline, contextualizing rock’s evolution throughout the 1970s, ending with the death of John Lennon. See for yourself the peers and artistic rivals the ex-Beatles worked alongside while crafting their art and how it all fit together. Solo In The 70s is a welcome addition to the Beatles' reference canon. Richly illustrated with period ephemera, it draws the reader into the world that fans inhabited back in the day. Whether you're seeking to learn more about the post-break-up era or want to revisit a glorious time when four ex-Beatles were creating new music worthy of their legacy, Solo In The 70s puts this unsung era into focus.
Award-winning Beatles scholar Robert Rodriguez has written five books on the subject. 2012's Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll, drew critical plaudits, as did his 2010 volume, Fab Four FAQ 2.0. A contributor to Beatlefan magazine, Robert regularly speaks at Chicago-area libraries, as well as the annual Fest For Beatles Fans. Check out his website at Revolverbook.com and his podcast at Somethingaboutthebeatles.com. FB: https: //www.facebook.com/fabfourfaq2 Twitter @Fabfourfaq2
Publisher
:
Bemis Publishing Group (December 2, 2013) Language
:
English Paperback
:
510 pages ISBN-10
:
0989255506 ISBN-13
:
978-0989255509 Item Weight
:
1.49 pounds Dimensions
:
6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
4.3 out of 5 stars
39 ratings
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Top reviews
Most recent
Top reviews
Hundreds of books have been written about the Beatles, ranging in quality, writing style, and accuracy from the exceptional to the downright awful. In trying to separate the wheat from the chaff, sometimes just the author's name is enough. If you see Marc Lewisohn, Bruce Spizer, John C. Winn, or Doug Sulpy (to name a few) on the spine of a Beatles book, you know you're in for a first-rate reading experience. In my opinion, the name of Robert Rodriguez can be added to this select list. Having devoured his first four Beatles books (Fab Four FAQ, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, Fifty Fabulous Years, and Revolver: How the Beatles Reimagined Rock `N' Roll), I snatched up this newest one simply because Rodriguez's name was on it. As I expected, it's an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable read with a liberal helping of Rodriguez' dry wit and original presentation of material. If you're a Beatles fan(atic), you may already know a lot of this stuff, but it's a likely bet you haven't seen it presented quite like Rodriguez does. I'd been waiting for this book ever since I began hearing rumors of it when his analysis of Revolver was published. Like that book and his three others, Solo In The 70s is continuing evidence of Rodriguez's masterful ability to add valuable and entertaining material to an already crowded literary field. As he did in his two Fab Four FAQ books, Rodriguez organizes his material into self-contained chapters that address specific aspects of the solo Beatles' lives and careers during the decade after their breakup. I particularly enjoyed his chapters on Proteges (although I admit to some slight disappointment at the exclusion of Mortimer, a three-man Beatlesque outfit that recorded an unreleased album for Apple before later releasing its one and only LP on the Phillips label) and John Lennon's fight to stay in the U.S. Rodriguez ends this book with a concise but fairly thorough timeline of the decade; it's a natural follow-up to Lewisohn's excellent The Complete Beatles Chronicle which ended with the 1970 breakup. Rodriguez is given to some sardonic yet very amusing turns-of-phrase, yet there is no question that he is a great fan of the Beatles. And an honest one at that: traditional Beatle "baddies" like Yoko Ono, Allen Klein, etc. are blasted for their sins but also praised for their better qualities, while the boys themselves are taken to task when circumstances call for it. This is not a "hero worship" book! If your interest in the Fabs extends into their solo careers, this book is essential - for the diehard as well as for the casual fan. No matter how much of an "expert" you think you are, I'd be very surprised if you didn't find something among these pages that you didn't know. If you're a fan of Rodriguez's other books, this is another can't-miss gem. And if you're not familiar with his work, read all five of his Beatles books. You will not be disappointed. Seriously. Personally, I hope Rodriguez is working on his sixth book -- even with John's death in 1980 there are still the 80s and 90s Threetles yet to cover. And there are few that could do it as well as he could. [NOTE: If possible, get the updated (Copyright © 2013, 2014) printing of this book. It corrects numerous typographical and grammatical errors present in the original (Copyright © 2013) printing. Your reading enjoyment will be well worth the search!]
While much in the news of important new Beatles books is centered (quite justifiably) on Mark Lewisohn's landmark tome, a slew of new and important Beatles related books are not to be overlooked. Immediately coming to mind are Kevin Howlett's excellent look at the band's BBC performance career, and on the domestic front, this new entry from noted author Robert Rodriguez. Like his Beatles "FAQ" books, this one serves less as a start-to-finish story, and more a collection of annotated lists. And like his acclaimed look at "Revolver" in his last book, it is immaculately researched. Moreover, it focuses on what we can now, in retrospect, view as the glory days of the Beatles solo careers, the 1970's. For starters, having all four members on this earth kind of makes that an automatic, but the string of chart successes and sheer volume of their collective output was staggering during the decade. As the 50th anniversary of the Beatles US invasion looms, Rodriguez reflects on the 40 years since 1974 ... what a great year for fans ! Paul and Ringo were coming off massive hit albums and riding strings of chart topping singles; John (for all the nonsense about the "lost weekend" period) was at his prolific peak including his first #1 single, and George even became the first Beatle to tour the US after the breakup. And a little gathering called Beatlefest was launched, which has developed into a prime outlet for keepers of the flame. Along the way, Rodriguez deftly evokes the spirit of fandom in those days, when NO conversation about them ever ended without the requisite "do you think they'll get back together?". Reading about the highs and lows of their artistic endeavors is a (to borrow a phrase from our favorite drummer's greatest hits album) "blast from the past", and conversely, turns bittersweet when examining those in the fold (Mal Evans, Pete Ham, etc) who we lost unacceptably too soon. So much younger than today, indeed.
Robert Rodriguez nails it again. As with Fab Four FAQs and Fab Four FAQs 2.0 Mr. Rodriguez writes books that read as the footnotes to all of the other books that follow chronological narratives. This is a good thing. Sub-plots, side stories, anecdotes and rabbit holes are one of the wonderful things that make the Beatles “story” so interesting…yet adding these elements and details can side track an author into never ending minutia and digression. This is where Robert Rodriguez shines (and “we all shine on” in our own ways, don’t we?). It has been said (by the author himself, no less) that you can simply pick up the book and start reading as there’s no real beginning or end (as it were). W
Sorority Orgy
Mommy Helps On Stepson S Stubborn
Married Couple Passionate Sex