Rocky Mountain in trouble

Seems like there is no end to the bad news

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rocky-mountain-files-to-restructure-in-attempt-to-avoid-bankruptcy.html

I’ve always wanted to own a Rocky Mountain, love the look of their bikes and having demod an altitude before really loved it. However, they’ve completely priced themselves out of the UK market whenever I’ve looked and waiting for the end of a season to pick up a random discounted bike isn’t how I shop for bikes. Still a shame and hope they manage to survive.

@GolfChick word.

I knew when I bought my 2020 Slayer it was on the high side of pricing, but I was happy to take that hit because I really wanted the bike.

Full XTR and Fox Factory spec, I was a happy chap.

However 2 years later the price had increased by £2500 quid and the spec had drastically reduced and the frame had simply had a paint change. They’ve not helped themselves at all sadly.

Yep, their UK RRPs have been almost laughable in recent years.

Don’t know if they are more competitive in North America though?

Hope they can stay in business somehow obvs.

I am on record in saying my sons Rocky Mountain Altitude is the best bike we have ever owned. Great handling, bombproof, the straightest and smoothest running FS frame we have ever had, some lovely design touches for avoidance of mud or servicing cables etc. It is three years in of Alps, Scotland, DH and Enduro racing. Just this week has put 180km of uplifted riding in Queenstown on it…

As others are saying though, the RRP’s are crazy money. Any Rocky we have seen the UK has been Pauls Cycles sold and was half the RRP…

It would be a shame to see Rocky go.

I bought a Pauls-discount Instinct in September and it is a lovely thing. The price I paid was the ‘correct’ price for it and the RRP was laughably high.

I have no regrets and I hope they stay in business…partly for my warranty but mostly because I like their bikes.

Need to pull my finger out and find a replacement mech hanger now…

Yeah, would be a real shame to see them go. The company that took the BIKES.COM domain name! My old Instnct was fab. I’ve owned a 1999 Instinct, 2002 ESX and 2009 Instinct. Loved em and they are all still being ridden (only the latest one by me.)

Was yearning for one of the latest Elements, but yeah, not at rrp

I’ve always admired Rocky Mountain bikes from afar. They are unattainable for me financially.

It feels like Santa Cruz really won this slice of the market in the UK. They’re still an expensive brand, but they’re ten a penny on UK trails.

Setchfield Cycles is a good shout for RM spares @lister

Awesome tip-off Mando; what a quality chap on the end of the phone at Setchfield Cycles! Just had a great, and reassuring, chat with him and he’s pretty confident about RM’s future. I’ll definitely pop in next time I’m in N Wales.

Also had a mech hanger in stock (for an eye-watering amount – I assume it’s made of gold) so that’s been bought as it’s always good to have one.

Thanks!

Awesome tip-off Mando; what a quality chap on the end of the phone at Setchfield Cycles! Just had a great, and reassuring, chat with him and he’s pretty confident about RM’s future. I’ll definitely pop in next time I’m in N Wales.

Andy & Leah are top humans, I got my Slayer through them (both veterans) and he’s kept me running smooth for the last 4 years with maintenance and spares.

Glad to share the love.

completely priced themselves out of the UK market

urr, I think we priced ourselves out of our own market, didn’t we?

My Rocky Mountain dream was the Scandium Vertex, from about ’02 I think maybe?

Not surprising given the Rrp especially in Europe/uk

Also a note they don’t really have any ebike options so are missing out on that huge market at the moment

im genuinely starting to be concerned that e-bikes are gonna take over completely and dwindling down companies that don’t make them, and that any one wanting a new analogue bike in the future is going to be screwed other than the offerings from Spesh etc the market is shrinking as companies just aren’t shifting analogue bikes much anymore at all, sad sad times we live in

My 22 Altitude is the best bike I’ve ever owned and I love it. Agree with the comments about retail pricing & I got mine from Pauls at a sensible price.

I don’t think about buying another bike, but if it all went horribly wrong & I couldn’t get parts in a couple of years time then I’d have to.

Zero cycles in Ledbury have been great for spares, I have also heard good things about setchfield.

Also a note they don’t really have any ebike options

They have a few eeb models, called “Powerplay” and use their own motor system.

Not cheap either though.

That’s sad, always wanted one. 🙁

Dropping like flies, grim times. In a couple years’ time I can see the number of bike companies operating halved at this rate. It’s not going to be good for consumers, R&D, non-proprietary parts etc.

Rather like GT; another brand that you have fond memories of but never see out on the trails. I wish the staff all the best and sincerely hope that ’25 brings them a new lease of profitable life.

https://www.setchfieldcycles.co.uk/shop/2024-Rocky-Mountain-Altitude-C90-p647344695

Sorry but pricing like this and no where near the back up of some brands its hardly a wonder why consumer confidence my be lacking.  And thats across the whole industry I fear. Over the last five years pricing has gone silly.

@stevedoc – Jesus Christ. £12 grand is a bit much innit…hard to see who even buys that outside of pro privateer enduro types.

Sorry but pricing like this

That’s an almost identical spec to my 2020 C90 Slayer, but is £4,500 more. Holy Shit.

Pauls cycles have some Rocky Mountain power plays with some hefty savings on the list price, I was thinking of getting one in the New year, hopefully things my be a bit clearer by then.

You could probably get 2 Honda C90 for 12 big ones and have cash to spare !

last Rocky i owned was back in 2018. Altitude C50, it was a great bike. I moved onto other bikes and did look to return recently, but to echo many comments, they have priced me out of owning one. Silly money. Which is a shame, as they are lovely bits of kit.

I wonder how companies can ‘realign’ in situations like this. As without a serious price reduction across the range (which seems unlikely), i cant see many buying them.

This is how I felt in the 00s when loads of rider owned BMX brands went to the wall, but worse.

I wonder how companies can ‘realign’ in situations like this.

I would be interested in the comparison of £12k today with £3k in say 1999.

I’m also wondering if there realignment will be a move to see better low range stuff. A Boardman with a Suntour and Microshift is way, way better than the 1999 bike, even the 2014 bike…

Maybe we all need to spend less ride more…

I wonder how Yeti is doing? Boutique, owned by an investment group, premium pricing, no e-bike in their range.