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So, having got all excited about the Occam AM before discovering they’re all sold until next year, I went back to the spreadsheet and then did some digging, which led to Rocky Mountain and the Altitude as an apparently similar bike.
Not a brand I’ve ever really paid any attention to, but obviously they’re one of the big old names.
Singletrack reviewed one recently on The Beast by Ladybower and liked it. Looks like UK demos are possible although I’ll probably need to drive a bit for one (looks like Ride in Ulverstone may be nearest/most practical) and looks like a few of the dealerships on the web list are defunct too (Escape seems dead and TriUK seems (unsurprisingly?) uninterested in mountain bikes).
Any comments on Rocky Mountain or the Altitude particularly?
I have a soft spot for them. I had an RM Element until a few months back and wanted an Instinct in 2017, but would have had to wait too long for shipping from Canada in my size. I briefly looked at the Altitude - nice bike, although some of the builds are a bit underspecced for the high cost. However, check-out eBay - there a few Altitudes at a reduced price.
The UK distributor is Greenover Sports, based in the SW. They have a website, although not great.
Debz rides a RM Altitude , nice bike , nice build.
Had various altitudes over last 4 years, really like them, if buying again would think about the instinct. They said really like the altitude and handles everything ridden in uk and Europe. Greenover have been great when dealt with them for spares.
Throw the spreadsheet in the bin and go swing a leg over a few .plenty of demo days around at this time of year .
As for the RM join there fb group it's a good place to start and find out
Dunoo what bike Debz has, but I personally have an Instinct 29er, the older one. Love it. I’d grab the newer model in a heartbeat. Pretty sure the Altitude has the same frame, 27.5 mode. Slightly more “Enduro” than mine, with bearings instead of bushings, so reckon its damn good. Sizing (not sure if thats changed with the newer update ones) will need to be checked out - mines a medium, always had mediums and its a tinsy bit too small, have to run a slightly longer stem than i’d like, but the large felt too big.
All useful stuff, thanks. Esp the heads up on sizing, DezB. I’ve always tended to medium too, but the size picker is putting me on a large. I’ve noticed quite a few of the bikes I’ve been looking at this time doing this while some that I know are still showing me at top of M where I used to be. A lot of the bikes I’m looking at this time are manufacturers I’ve not bought from previously so I was assuming it was like the ‘size up for Santa Cruz’ thing.
Point taken on demos, bigbud... I’ve got some queries out for a few bikes. Riding or at least sitting on them is the only way to be sure, but when a lot of the things you’re interested in aren’t available locally, planning is useful. It’s just a collection of thoughts and random facts really, not a decision making tool, although it is getting quite handy for quickly assessing frame only vs full build ... 😅
My Element is a L , where as every other bike I own is a M.
Running a 50mm stem on it tho
I am only 5,11 and have a 32" inseam .It is very comfortable and capable with 120/100 travel
Not sure where abouts you're from but I grabbed a demo altitude from ZeroBikes, a properly decent bunch of guys and super helpful, even letting me drop off in the evening and no charge for the demo.
I can't comment on the support etc from the brand or distributor and can only comment on the weekends demo of it I had. I flippin' well loved it! Really playful and agile so if thats what you like from a bike I'd definitely recommend trying it. I tried an Ibis HD4 as well and found it really dull in comparison. I like my bikes to be fun, agile and chuckable rather than bottomless and all about riding in a straight line fast. Took the altitude to my local riding spot and having only ridden it the day before I managed to reQOM a trail I'd had since 2016 I think it was. Really loved it.
😁 The Distributor is further away than I really want to go for a demo - but with a bit of map and google I’ve found one a couple of hours away at the south end of the Lakes.
They’ve got a permanent Altitude in Large and an Instinct in Medium showing up for a while at some point so if the stars align around work and demos I may get to play with both and settle wheel and frame size at once (or possibly decide the RM way of doing things doesn’t work for me). Generally I prefer bikes more playful than monster truck which is why I’ve been trying to stay away from big travel 29ers so I’ve got high hopes... (watch me end up with the BC! 😂😈)
Found this thread about Instinct sizing - https://forums.mtbr.com/rocky-mountain/2018-instinct-sizing-1070183.html
Starts out sounding like they've improved the sizing, but then appears that most have gone for a size up. Hard to fathom really, so slinging a leg over has to be the way.
Cheers Dez, yep I’d read that thread and a couple of others with obvious RM staff present and commenting. The impression I’ve come away with is that it’s like the ‘nu skool’ geo movement in the UK, the company have done the work and are sure what makes a successful bike for a given type of riding and how it should fit, but they’re up against a market full of preconceived notions who insist on second-guessing their work for basically conservative reasons. I think it’s that thread with the RM employee comments about BC terrain demanding a different style, fit and position to SoCal too, which makes sense to me.
I’m going to arrange to go and play with the Large Altitude for sure and hopefully the Medium Instinct and take it from there. My preconceived ideas tell me the Medium will be better but the charts say I should be on the Large. We’ll see... 😁