Rocky Mountain Instinct C70: First Ride Review

Rocky Mountain Instinct at a glance: longer chainstays, steeper seat angle, longer dropper posts plus adjustable reach and chainstay length.

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By timnwild

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Rocky Mountain Instinct C70: First Ride Review

RM is definitely a brand I’d love to own, I demoed an altitude before its overhaul and on its first ride it retook some QOMs I already had. I think (this particular colourway aside) they have some amazing looking bikes. However, I will never own one, the reason? (and why I think this is missing a big ‘con’), the price. There’s no way this build is worth £7k and the other builds are just the same. They’ve completely out-priced themselves in the UK market, the only way to own one is wait until those few that have made it here get massively reduced and you just hope there’s one in your size.

Have to agree those colours are yuck!

Rocky’s 24 models just aren’t there. The 2020 onwards overhauls and updates were great, the colourways were on point and the lack of frame storage wasn’t really an issue.

They’ve made some compromises in seeking ‘improvement’ for 2024 that I think will put them on the back foot.

I have have a 2020 Slayer, my buddy and 2020 Altitude and both can’t see the evolution in this year’s bikes.

It might seem a bit abstract, but Rocky Mountain design and build their bikes in Vancouver. Where it’s wet, and muddy, and the roots are the very slipperiest known to man. So to my mind, that gives their bike an edge over its many similarly-specced and priced competitors, because they know it’s going to get covered in filth, and designed it accordingly. Not so with every brand out there. Just a thought.

I think this is a thing. Eldest_oab has a ’21 Altitude and there’s great mud clearance and lack of places for it to hide. There’s a wee cover to access cables on the front of the chain stay – but shield them from crap. Etc.

Best riding bike he’s ever owned, he doesn’t want to change it even though it’s really wearing out after 3+ years of Alps and Highlands riding and racing.

Agreed that some of the colours are ‘challenging’ and prices are not the most VfM, but they’re often in the sale.

Oh, and getting hold of mech hangers is also difficult at times.

Its a mountain bike. With some average kit on it. Which costs £8000. Pass.

I was thinking Rocky Mountain have gone a long way to copying a Stumpjumper Evo. Nothing wrong with that and I want to like Rocky Mountain as a brand. Except they’ve arrived late to the party, with something that by some reviews doesn’t pedal so well and is £650 more than a Stumpjumper Pro. Factory suspension, X01 AXS and carbon cranks/wheels on the Stumpy.

I saw a computer image of a new Altitude the other day. Looks a awful lot like a Intense Tracer…VPP and all

“Agreed that some of the colours are ‘challenging’ “

I bought an Instinct in 2021 and love the bike, but other than the colour scheme I got, I don’t think I have liked any of the colour schemes they used that year or any year since.  But colour is a very individual thing I guess. It’s kinda low key on the front as the Rocky Mountain logos are black on black so other than the head tube badge it’s not easy to identify what brand it is from a quick glance. Prices were a little more favourable in the US however (until you get stiffed for local sales tax!)

endoverend
Its a mountain bike. With some average kit on it. Which costs £8000

Inflation eh!? My carbon Instinct 970MSL was less than £2K in 2016! Still going strong… I’d love a new model, but way out of my budget.

I was thinking Rocky Mountain have gone a long way to copying a Stumpjumper Evo.

Except they’ve painted it turd brown!

I probably agree with the first ‘Con’ but the second doesn’t seem right.?

The rest of the review states you can leave the bottle cage in-situ while you access downtube storage.?

“Cons:
Only two colourways, one of which looks like Liberace’s puke
Forced to choose between downtube bottle mount or frame storage access”

Nice review

The rhubarb and custard colourway of the 2022 model was the least offensive of RM recent Instinct offerings. Its as if they go out of their way to use the “unpleasant” end of the RAL numbers

What Rocky Mountain used to do really well was a nice simple colour with a few maple leaves, nothing weird. They seem to avoid maple leaves like the plague nowadays. Not sure what the selling point of a Rocky Mountain is, until they pop up on Pauls Cycles for half price.

The selling point for me was that they were solid bikes with a tonne of adjustability…

… And they were on Paul’s Cycles for half the price…

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/rocky-mountain-instinct-a50-trail-mountain-bike-orangeblue__13154

Anyone got any views on this? Looks like a bit of a bargain…