![]() ![]() My sponsor PNW Components makes the 200mm externally adjustable Loam Dropper post, which was a great upgrade from the stock 150mm post. ![]() So what kinds of problems did I have? Well, despite not wanting to ride any of the other bikes in my shed, I only had a few small component nitpicks.įirst up, with how jumpy this bike can be, I needed to go to a longer travel dropper post. The extra support helps get the bike airborne, and it also helps control those landings.Įnough about the love for this bike, everyone knows that complaining gets more clicks here on the internet. Progressive suspension is a jumper’s best friend. I just call it awesome, and I did a whole video about how I found the best setting for my own style.īeing able to get in the air, and then having the support of a slightly progressive suspension curve, combined to give me more confidence on this bike than anything else I’ve ridden to date. The bike has three geometry settings, as well as three suspension settings, which Rocky calls the Ride 9 system. ![]() It’s exceedingly easy to pop this bike off any and every bump in the trail. If you’ve seen my riding video, you’ve probably noticed that I waste a great deal of time and energy hitting all sorts of goofy jumps. The Horst link 4 bar is fairly traditional, and it pedals well, but it really shines when it’s time to get airborne. This thing handled air time quite well.Ī big part of why I like this bike so much is the suspension design. I had no idea that this would be what I want in a bike, but hey, you learn something new every day! I thought a long, sled like wheelbase would mean minimal aerial acrobatics. More like a freestyle kayak, but with a substantial safety margin. While I was expecting a “canoe with a row boat paddles” feel with the Altitude on tighter trails, it turned out that the bike rode phenomenally well. I think that’s due to the 29″ wheels along with the extra rear travel. I found that on the trail, the Altitude felt a TON bigger. Turns out a YouTube subscriber (thanks Dave!) asked about comparing it to the HD5, and sure enough, the Altitude has a 1217 wheelbase, and the HD5 a 1218. The geometry of the Altitude had me a little intimidated at first. Luckily, that hasn’t exactly been the case, so maybe I’m not such a hypocrite after all? I sure hope not! Notice how I’m always on the rear wheel? It’s just my style- but with the nice bit of progression, the bike feels very supportive when subjected to my style. This means you might have to go really extra fast and huck mega huge in order to have fun. They can “dumb down” trails and remove the challenge of riding some of our favorite technical singletracks. Long travel bikes can often end up being a real chore to get airborne. With a 170mm travel Fox 38 fork and 160mm of rear travel, I came into this expecting the bike to frankly be waaaay too much bicycle for my needs. This is the longest travel enduro bike that I’ve spent much time on. But with a full 170mm on tap up front, I ended up being able to find a good amount of grip in this stuff. Slick roots? Well, these can be dicey on the hardtail or the short travel rig. Even when ridden in less than extreme environments, it was still a canoe load of fun. But the Altitude quickly made my eat my words. The idea was to do more with less, and hopefully avoid any more hospital visits. After my huge wreck this past summer, I wanted to orient myself more towards shorter travel bikes and hardtails. This bike has made me a bit of a hypocrite. Big ol bike park style jumps? Sure thing! This bike was a treat in a lot of different scenarios. Long alpine rides with minimal oxygen and even less water? Not a problem. Jumping into greasy chutes, full o’ muddy roots? You got it. Before we do get into my review of the Altitude, I wanna let you know that I’m also supported by Industry 9, PNW Components, and Shimano. As always, I have an affiliate link over to Jenson USA, down in the youtube description below, where you can learn all about the various Altitude models. I had never before ridden a Rocky Mountain, so thanks to Jenson’s support, I was able to get this bike before it came out, do an unboxing video, and now Jenson has also supported me in bringing my review of this bike to all of you here. Long title, big wheels, and amazing.Īs most of you know, a key supporter of my channel in the online retailer Jenson USA. And now I’m so addicted to the long wheel base, balanced carbon layup, and sprightly suspension that I’m looking for any excuse I can find to delay returning this loaner test bike back to Rocky Mountain! This is it- the 2021 Rocky Mountain Altitude C90 Ralley Edition 29“. So, I just kept riding the Rocky, Mountain, and sure enough, found myself enjoying it more and more. When I should have been riding a bunch of different test bikes, from various other brands, I simply didn’t want to stop riding the Altitude.
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