After 20+ years of riding Specialized Stumpjumpers and Enduros, I just bought A Rocky Mountain Instinct C30 from Jenson, and it is the best Bike I have ever owned. Rocky Mtn. really pays attention to detail with their builds and frame production. Great review and great riding as usual. Some of those rock rolls were sketchy. Buying from Jenson was a great experience... I was on the bike 30 mins after delivery.
Stoked to hear about your new bike. I totally agree about the production quality and builds. My Nomad showed up with a huge hole in the box, but Jenson’s packaging kept everything scratch free.
@@NICADV The uncanny thing is the Jenson mech had everything set like I gave him/her my physical dimensions. Just a few twists on the handlebars, lowered the dropper a few mms, put the wheels on, and ready to go. Shifting was spot on and just a brake bedding needed.
This bike is LIT! Tried for first time @ garda bike festival (ITALY), after a nice tech talks with the staff of Rocky, we hit an ultra bumpy and fast trail who's our test trails for all the bikes we tested. First thing i noticed, the bike is SUPER SILENT, no rattling no sounds nothing! It's also impressive how smooth and "pop" is the bike under fast trails, it's like a dh-mini-bike, but reactive as a trail bike. It also climb very good, but with cush-core inserts it's not its best, better stick to DD tires, with no inserts (personal opinions). Very important info, beside "sag" we diddn't add or remove compression/rebound on shock and fork, this bike is easy to set-up. I'd buy it asap! love RM!
Great review, thank you! What are your thoughts on Rocky Mountain vs. Transition Spire or Santa Cruz Megatower? Is Rocky as confidence inspiring in chunky and steep trains as those two? I am looking for something that plows through the rough bits and trying to figure out if I should consider the new Altitude beside the Spire and Megatower. Thanks!
I would say the Altitude is probably the best at high speed chunk. I went with the Nomad because I wanted the more maneuverable, agile, and quickest to get off the ground. I would say the Altitude is in between the Spire and Nomad for maneuverability, but the Altitude wins out for traction and all out confidence.
How does this compare to the nomad ? I am im the market for an enduro bike I can climb 2k vert and doesn't feel long or sluggish in the corners. Guessing the altitude is a better descender and more stable but nomad is hopefully close and more fun in corners and they climb about the same? Thanks in advance
They’re very close in the corners but the Nomad wins for jumps and maybe even slow tech. It’s definitely a better climber are far as efficiency and is great in corners. I would only give the advantage to the Altitude in eating straight lines and maybe high speed stability. Have ridden any recent SC or Rockies?
I am a huge rocky fanboy I'm on the old altitude, and element. I like the altittude for shuttles or bike park but it bobs so much when climbing and feels like a water bed at slow speeds. Only santa cruz I have ridden was the old full 27.5 5010 which felt damp and a bit overbuilt which I wouldn't mind on a bigger bike. Lastly for context I am moving out to boulder co and plan to ride the northern front range like lefthand, Maryland mountain, horsetooth. I am on on the lighter shorter side I typically ride a medium at 150 lbs and 5'8".
@@ts-rf7er I'm pretty familiar with those trails expect for Horsetooth, I haven't ridden there in years. The Rocky is a great bike, like I mentioned before its definitely moves more on the climbs. It will be great for those trails just a bit slower to the top than the Nomad. I would say you'd probably like it setup as a mullet, and it is nice that you have so much reach adjustment. The new Altitude I would also say is more damp than the Nomad which gives more feedback through your feet. I don't think you can go wrong with either bike.
can you talk a bit about how the bike feels as mullet vs 29er? Ive been wanting to mullet mine but havent made the switch yet and would love some info!
Yeah, if you have any specific questions let me know. As a mullet it makes the bike feel smaller and the rear wheel easier to place. It also helps a bit with body position on jumps and steeps. You do sacrifice traction at speed, which is most noticeable on lower angle, fast and rooty trails. It also seems to make it slightly slower climbing, but that may just be in my head.
Owner of this exact bike, have ridden both mx and 29. I honestly think I can't hardly tell the difference riding between the two and I'm a fairly seasoned rider/bike shop owner. I can however say that the bike kind of looks off with the mixed wheel size, i know this is personal taste but it looks as if it was almost a 26 or 24" rear end haha i love the look of the 29/29, hate the look of this bike with 29/mx. (and i ride bikes like the levo that are permanent mullet sooo... idk haha. point is dont waste your money, if you want a quicker turn in, just use the shorter reach headset cup to make the actual wheelbase smaller.
It’s greatly improved, especially the body position with the steeper seat tube. It’s still more active than some and while I generally don’t use the lockout, I did on longer climbs with the new Altitude.
Nomad review video is coming soon! I just cracked some ribs so it maybe a couple weeks. I've already gotten some good riding on the Nomad in Moab, but wanted to ride it at home before a full review.
I have a 2022 norco range,2018 instinct and a ibis ripley 4.0. Tested the new and ended up buying the prior version because in my opinion its a better allrounder. This bike new one is closer to my norco range, big burly bike that likes to be on the ground and comes only really alive on fast steep trails. Great bike but i think they made a mistake taking the old altitued out of their bunch. The 2023 altitued is the best bike i ever ridden for my purpose
@@scrutch666 I’d probably agree with most of that. I think the new bike does a better job of competing with bikes like the Norco Range or Specialized Enduro. I do want to checkout the new Instinct as I have the suspicion it took over as the do anything, allrounder that the old bike was.
Enduro is a race format that requires a very capable bike on the downhill and often uses full on downhill race tracks. Stability and traction are probably the most important aspects of the bike, but it also needs to be efficient enough to ride all day. Freeride is more about riding gnarly terrain and features. You may shuttle the bike or pedal it but that's not the point. You want the bike to be stable if you're hitting big jumps or drops, but generally you'll want the bike a bit more maneuverable as all out speed is not the point. A shorter rear end and maybe smaller wheels are also preferred as that can help with tricks.
A number of companies have done it before and it increases the size of the bearings and axle so it should make for a stronger and stiffer system, but we’ll have to see.
After 20+ years of riding Specialized Stumpjumpers and Enduros, I just bought A Rocky Mountain Instinct C30 from Jenson, and it is the best Bike I have ever owned. Rocky Mtn. really pays attention to detail with their builds and frame production. Great review and great riding as usual. Some of those rock rolls were sketchy. Buying from Jenson was a great experience... I was on the bike 30 mins after delivery.
Stoked to hear about your new bike. I totally agree about the production quality and builds. My Nomad showed up with a huge hole in the box, but Jenson’s packaging kept everything scratch free.
@@NICADV The uncanny thing is the Jenson mech had everything set like I gave him/her my physical dimensions. Just a few twists on the handlebars, lowered the dropper a few mms, put the wheels on, and ready to go. Shifting was spot on and just a brake bedding needed.
I'm holding out for the Enduro update whenever that happens. 😂
Cool storage! Wish I had it on my bike!
It’s a nice feature
Great review! That climb...oof.. I'd love to see you review the Revel Rascal V2 on your channel. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! I got to ride V1 a bunch so I would love to check out the new bike.
This bike is LIT! Tried for first time @ garda bike festival (ITALY), after a nice tech talks with the staff of Rocky, we hit an ultra bumpy and fast trail who's our test trails for all the bikes we tested. First thing i noticed, the bike is SUPER SILENT, no rattling no sounds nothing! It's also impressive how smooth and "pop" is the bike under fast trails, it's like a dh-mini-bike, but reactive as a trail bike. It also climb very good, but with cush-core inserts it's not its best, better stick to DD tires, with no inserts (personal opinions).
Very important info, beside "sag" we diddn't add or remove compression/rebound on shock and fork, this bike is easy to set-up.
I'd buy it asap! love RM!
I think I agree on all accounts. Specifically on the suspension it’s one of the most active platforms out there, and definitely has a DH feel.
Great review, thank you! What are your thoughts on Rocky Mountain vs. Transition Spire or Santa Cruz Megatower? Is Rocky as confidence inspiring in chunky and steep trains as those two? I am looking for something that plows through the rough bits and trying to figure out if I should consider the new Altitude beside the Spire and Megatower. Thanks!
I would say the Altitude is probably the best at high speed chunk. I went with the Nomad because I wanted the more maneuverable, agile, and quickest to get off the ground. I would say the Altitude is in between the Spire and Nomad for maneuverability, but the Altitude wins out for traction and all out confidence.
How does this compare to the nomad ?
I am im the market for an enduro bike I can climb 2k vert and doesn't feel long or sluggish in the corners. Guessing the altitude is a better descender and more stable but nomad is hopefully close and more fun in corners and they climb about the same?
Thanks in advance
They’re very close in the corners but the Nomad wins for jumps and maybe even slow tech. It’s definitely a better climber are far as efficiency and is great in corners. I would only give the advantage to the Altitude in eating straight lines and maybe high speed stability. Have ridden any recent SC or Rockies?
I am a huge rocky fanboy I'm on the old altitude, and element. I like the altittude for shuttles or bike park but it bobs so much when climbing and feels like a water bed at slow speeds. Only santa cruz I have ridden was the old full 27.5 5010 which felt damp and a bit overbuilt which I wouldn't mind on a bigger bike.
Lastly for context I am moving out to boulder co and plan to ride the northern front range like lefthand, Maryland mountain, horsetooth. I am on on the lighter shorter side I typically ride a medium at 150 lbs and 5'8".
@@ts-rf7er I'm pretty familiar with those trails expect for Horsetooth, I haven't ridden there in years. The Rocky is a great bike, like I mentioned before its definitely moves more on the climbs. It will be great for those trails just a bit slower to the top than the Nomad. I would say you'd probably like it setup as a mullet, and it is nice that you have so much reach adjustment. The new Altitude I would also say is more damp than the Nomad which gives more feedback through your feet. I don't think you can go wrong with either bike.
I tested the Altitude on that same trail! Small world. I actually wanted a shorter wheel base bike for RA. Altitude felt too long and floppy for me.
Yeah, after that ride I shortened the reach and set it up mullet. That helps a bit
can you talk a bit about how the bike feels as mullet vs 29er? Ive been wanting to mullet mine but havent made the switch yet and would love some info!
Yeah, if you have any specific questions let me know. As a mullet it makes the bike feel smaller and the rear wheel easier to place. It also helps a bit with body position on jumps and steeps. You do sacrifice traction at speed, which is most noticeable on lower angle, fast and rooty trails. It also seems to make it slightly slower climbing, but that may just be in my head.
Owner of this exact bike, have ridden both mx and 29. I honestly think I can't hardly tell the difference riding between the two and I'm a fairly seasoned rider/bike shop owner. I can however say that the bike kind of looks off with the mixed wheel size, i know this is personal taste but it looks as if it was almost a 26 or 24" rear end haha i love the look of the 29/29, hate the look of this bike with 29/mx. (and i ride bikes like the levo that are permanent mullet sooo... idk haha. point is dont waste your money, if you want a quicker turn in, just use the shorter reach headset cup to make the actual wheelbase smaller.
How does it climb vs the outgoing Altitude?
It’s greatly improved, especially the body position with the steeper seat tube. It’s still more active than some and while I generally don’t use the lockout, I did on longer climbs with the new Altitude.
got one yesterday it’s so sick, plan is to mullet it 🤙
Nice! I’ve been loving it as a mullet!
Would love to know how this compares to your Nomad, which you like better.
Nomad review video is coming soon! I just cracked some ribs so it maybe a couple weeks. I've already gotten some good riding on the Nomad in Moab, but wanted to ride it at home before a full review.
@@NICADV Good luck with the Ribs. That hurts
What trail system is this ?
Most of the riding is from around Bellingham
Wish they had another color for that frame
@@philrob4468 I kinda like the green and the purple is cool, but I wish they had another bright offering.
I have a 2022 norco range,2018 instinct and a ibis ripley 4.0. Tested the new and ended up buying the prior version because in my opinion its a better allrounder. This bike new one is closer to my norco range, big burly bike that likes to be on the ground and comes only really alive on fast steep trails. Great bike but i think they made a mistake taking the old altitued out of their bunch. The 2023 altitued is the best bike i ever ridden for my purpose
@@scrutch666 I’d probably agree with most of that. I think the new bike does a better job of competing with bikes like the Norco Range or Specialized Enduro. I do want to checkout the new Instinct as I have the suspicion it took over as the do anything, allrounder that the old bike was.
Just got my c50 build. While not the lightest or best climber she gobbles up anything you throw at her when she is pointed down.
@@pcasso87 🤘
Nice review🎉 hopefully you could do INTENSE Tracer 29 one day !!!
That would be a good one. I haven’t seen Intense at an event in a while, but it’s probably worth reaching out.
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Enduro und Freeride?
Enduro is a race format that requires a very capable bike on the downhill and often uses full on downhill race tracks. Stability and traction are probably the most important aspects of the bike, but it also needs to be efficient enough to ride all day. Freeride is more about riding gnarly terrain and features. You may shuttle the bike or pedal it but that's not the point. You want the bike to be stable if you're hitting big jumps or drops, but generally you'll want the bike a bit more maneuverable as all out speed is not the point. A shorter rear end and maybe smaller wheels are also preferred as that can help with tricks.
@@NICADV Thanks for the Info.
Main pivot point sharing the same location as BB makes me worry about durability. Pretty strange system.
A number of companies have done it before and it increases the size of the bearings and axle so it should make for a stronger and stiffer system, but we’ll have to see.
2:33 okay Mary Poppins
😂
Couldn’t have said it better myself! 😂🤯
@@izzesplace 🤦🏻♂️
You should compare it to the Santa Cruz Bronson
I am hoping to get a Bronson for review in the near future as well, but a Nomad review is currently in the works.
Where is the alloy version? Oh. Right. This is UA-cam. Only carbon and any frame over ten grand, is allowed.
@@CopperCityPatriot it’s a few grand below 10k but it all the shop had to demo. 🤷🏻♂️
Thats Santa Cruz 😂😂
The suspension looks almost the same, but it's surprising how differently they ride.