In a move that nobody saw coming Rocky Mountain have embraced an entirely new frame design with the latest version of their super popular ‘Altitude’ model.
A quintessential all-mountain bike at heart, the Altitude runs a 170mm travel fork which is coupled with 160mm out the back via the brands all-new ‘virtual pivot’ LC2R suspension system. Rocky used a similar suspension layup on their ‘Slayer’ model way back in 2006 but we haven’t seen anything like it in their range for a very long time. Beyond the striking new frame design the latest model to roll off of Rocky’s production line also boasts a stack of fresh features and build options. First up the bike is going to be offered with the choice of either a full carbon or full alloy frame, and then you also get to choose your wheels preference with a mullet mixed wheel set-up or as a full 29”.
Being a Rocky Mountain of course the bike boasts a sh*t load of geometry adjustment which allows the riders to tailor the fit and nature of the bike to perfectly suit their preferences. Located in the forward shock mount is a ‘RIDE-4’ geometry adjustment system and out the back in the rear shock mount is another flip chip but that one is only used when switching between a 29” or 27.5” rear wheel. Then, similar to what we’ve seen Specialized do for a few years, the Altitude also features an overall shaped headset with press-in cups that allow you to easily adjust the bike’s reach by 5mm forward or rearward from the neutral position. This adjustment doesn’t affect any other geometry in a significant way, so it’s purely to dial in the bike’s fit.
Undoubtedly the biggest news on the new Altitude is its low-slung LC2R linkage, which stands for “Low Centre Counter Rotating”. The upper link cleanly attaches to the seat tube, and the machined lower link stealthily rotates around the bottom bracket, compressing the horizontally-mounted shock residing atop the BB shell. As you can tell by the photos the bike’s rear shock has been positioned as low as possible in the frame, and this helps to provide a low centre of gravity. Rocky also claim that the design allows the bike to achieve a linear feel while improving upon everything: small bump compliance, mid-stroke support, bottom-out resistance, and pedalling efficiency.
In terms of frame sizing the Altitude is offered 4 options: small through to XL. And what’s really cool is that each frame size features size specific rear chainstays which, again, really dials in the bikes ‘fit’ to match the rider. Reach numbers for the four sizes are as follows: 430mm (S) / 455mm (M) / 480mm (L) / 510mm (XL). Those are the figures with the Ride-4 in the Neutral position, and with the headset adjustment in the central setting. The Ride-4 can change reach by +3mm or -5mm, and the pop-in headset cups offer +/- 5mm of adjustment.
Surely you’d have to agree that the new Altitude look pretty f*king cool and all of its specs and features certainly sound pretty cool too. Whilst we haven’t had a chance to test ride one just yet we’re told that the first shipment will be landing in Oz and heading out to their dealer very shortly. And yes, Rocky have already earmarked one of those bikes for us to get dirty so watch this space as we’re pretty bloody exciting to see how the new bike handles!
2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude Key Specs:
- Alloy and carbon frame options
- Sizing: S to XL
- ‘Size specific’ rear chainstays
- 170mm front travel
- 160mm rear travel
- Wheel size: 29/MX compatible
- Low Centre Counter Rotating (LC2R) suspension layout
- Ride-4 flip chip adjustable frame geo
- Reach-adjust headset cups
- Geometry in neutral position: 63.5º head tube, 77.5º seat tube
- Carbon frames feature in-frame storage
- For more info and to find your closest dealer visit: www.bikes.com/en-intl