If you want to learn more about the Rocky Mountain Altitude, visit my affiliate link here to Jenson USA: bit.ly/RockyMountainAltitudeatJensonUSAjkw. Thanks!!!
Thanks Gonzo! I never got into this to have a ton of subscribers, I just wanted to have fun making videos. My stuff is only really interesting to those that are pretty experienced in the MTB world, not so much newer riders, and as a result I don't have a big channel. But honestly, I feel like at 46k subscribers, this is more than enough! Hahaha that's not the attitude I should have, but it feels like it's fine!
Dude! Mad props to ya! In a vid posting on Tuesday AM I tell the story of a Whistler EWS, I think it was 2013, when you started a minute behind me. At the last stage (top o the world) my hands were spent and i was cooked- then you came BLASTING around like it was the first stage again! That was rad. We will have to link up once that border opens again!
Ok show of hands , who rests after a hard tecky uphill section standing on their pedals while balancing the bike and staring down the next challenge .. No one but Jeff ! Go get um cowboy and thanks for taking the time to do these bike videos , we really appreciate you man !
Hahaha thanks man! No one does that on a group ride, but I've never been able to get through that whole section before after a ton of attempts. I figured take a break, calm down, focus, and get 'er done!!!
Got to say I think this is one of the best videos I've seen you put out. Camera work, editing, talking points, and of course riding were all on point and really well put together. Cheers!
It’s really cool to see these reviews and seems like these bikes with longer back ends are starting to gain momentum. My own Megatower has an adjustable rear end to go +10mm, after watching all of these I’ve decided to give it a try this coming season, it’s a pretty cheap change as all you need is a new brake mount and derr hanger. Excited to see how it feels this spring.
Hi, thanks for the review. I'm on a 2021 A50 that has blown me away with it's performance. The rear suspension performs amazingly,. It's got a blend of support and comfort that I didn't think was possible. It's the best bike i've ridden (for me) by quite some margin. I had to put a smashpot in the fork so that the front would feel as good as the rear(it does now). I had high hopes for this bike after reading reviews but they were majorly exceeded by the bikes ability. The size large for me creates a balance in cornering that allows me to 2 wheel drift the bike while also making steering corrections during the drift. Today I felt like a (much slower) Sam Hill. Before this bike I had a 2020 Norco Sight and 2019 Transition Patrol, this bike blows them both out of the water. I thought bikes wouldn't be this good for another 5 or 6 years at least. In fact I'm thinking of selling my Kenevo because even that doesn't light my fire anymore. I'm actually not telling people I know about how good it is so it will stay as my secret weapon.
thanks for comparing, i bit the bullet and purchased a c50 and sort of in limbo if i regret spending that much money or not. i will get the bike soon. you dont see many reviews of this bike compared to most other brand enduro bikes.
@@imashankusobad I got the Altitude c50 a few months ago and had 2 minds about it as well. Love it though and it's worth every cent. Replacing the DT swiss 370 rear hub soon with something a bit sharper and tempted to get a fox 38 or a zeb but for no other reason than I can 🤷♂️
Fantastic edit. Camera work on point. Mind blowing drone footage (RIP drone at 7:00 ha). Whoever you are working with has upped the production quality like whoa!
Really? Call me crazy, but I can't stand mullets. The balance of the converted mullets just doesn't feel right to me. The ebike mullets have been better, but that's not really an apples to apples comparison.
Hahaha! I bought my first bike in a long time last year when I bought that Chromag hardtail. It's been a great addition to the quiver! I don't have the budget to buy a wonder bike like this though.
Dude, So glad a rider of your skill loves the Altitude as much as I do! I am biased as I do work for the Australian distributor of Rocky Mountain but I will say that everyone that spends any amount of time on an Altitude (being intermediate to advanced) tends to fall in love with it's versatility. Great review dude!!!!!
Rocky Mountain keeps getting more popular outside in PNW and nice to have some insight to the bike! We also need the name of the banger at the beginning of the video
Jeff, I LOVE your riding! You and Phil Kmetz are two of the most creative and skillful riders on RU-vid and I could watch you ride all day. Please keep the videos coming!!
Nicely done all the way around on this video. Super fun to watch throughout the whole thing too! I've been on a 2018 slayer 70 for a couple years and it truly took my riding to a new level and continues to push me further. Listening to you talk about the Altitude is like listening to myself about my bike lol!! Keep up the good times Jeff and thank you for the sweet videos. I hope something works out for you and you end up with an Altitude in your quiver.
It feels good to hear a valued opinion (yours Jeff) about the Altitude. I have an Instinct BC Alloy. Sort of the preecessor to your bike. I absolutely love it and am stoked to see Rocky making the next gen bikes even better.
See if you can find a demo version somewhere. I genuinely love this bike, but of course, it feels quite different than a lot of other rides. I'm running mine with 2.6 WTB tires, which I think really help it quite a bit. They've slackened it up a bit, and provide a great amount of sheer grip for looser conditions. The stock Maxxis tires are great for hardpack and bike park style trails.
Great vid as always! I'm loving my A50. Even with the 'lesser' spec it's stupidly fun and confidence inspiring, letting me smash through stuff I didn't feel comfortable on with my Capra
Glad to hear you're jiving with the A50! It'd be neat to compare the alloy to carbon models. With Ibis, the carbon model has a much better feel on the trail due to the stiffer front triangle. Wonder how different the Rocky models are. WOW, I'm surprised the Capra is less capable though! I was thinking about getting one of those just cause I see them all the time.
@@JeffKendallWeed Probably down to my crappy riding style :) But the Capra felt like it got in over its head from time to time, even with it having the X2 rather than the DPX on the Altitude
Great review Jeff. Maybe I missed it (I rarely get through a vid without 100 interruptions from the kids) but what size are you riding? This is one of those bikes that seems to be embracing the long chain stay trend right now... as opposed to something like the Evil Reckoning, Marin Alpine Trail or Cainfield Lithium.... with your riding style of being on the back wheel and popping so much, how did the long CS treat ya? Would you have preferred them shorter?
Thank you Matt! I actually did a whole tutorial about my riding style, it's up on my Patreon. And Yep, got a bunch more bike reviews in the queue! I probably won't do this voice over style for all of them, but it was fun to try this style out for once!
@@JeffKendallWeed ...For the way you did this review, I LOVED the voice over Jeff. You did a great job with it...better than many of the top recognized reviewers in fact. "More creaky than my pelvis on a rainy morning." Haha....nice. But on a serious note, and I think you probably know and plan this when COVID clears up, maybe look into doing collaborations. I really think you would benefit a lot from those, because people will see your style and easy going personality, and be inspired to subscribe to your channel. You gotta get your daughter through college!! :-) And believe me....blink twice, and she'll be there!
And you just added another bike that I have to put on my list for my next bike. Nukeproof Mega 29, Giant Reign 29 and now the Rocky Mountain Altitude. Thanks Jeff lol
Rocky Mountain’s weren’t even on my radar before you started riding one. I’ve only ever ridden a short travel hard tail that i thrash within an inch of it’s life. A big, long travel, monster like this intimidates me for sure.
You do have a pretty unique riding style! I ride a 170 mm bike on everything. I wouldn’t change anything. The added traction on techy climbs the neutral position in corners and chunk make it my do everything bike. And when it gets gnarly the bike only gets faster.
I would buy a tee shirt with you mid fall on that bridge with the caption, "I didn't think it would be that hard of a fall". LOL. Nice video! I recently upgraded from a 150/140 Trance to the pre Altitude RM Instinct BC. I was nervous it was too much bike and while my riding style isn't quite like yours I'm learning to love it. It's way longer than my old one, but I prefer that over shorter bikes.
@@tommy_d_4135 I'm 5'9" with a 32in inseam. I ride a medium and it's a perfect fit for me. Just took it down to lake leatherwood in AR and it was awesome! I had it in the middle ride 9 setting and short chainstay.
Very interesting comments on the bike...I have a yeti sb150 (which I love) and my boyfriend recently bought the altitude in an alloy frame... My impression was that the yeti is more stable at high speed, but the altitude is surprisingly poppy, jumps really well, corners really well and is still stable at high speed... A cool bike. If only the carbon versions weren't so expensive.
That's quite an endorsement! And also affirms my Instinct (now running 27.5 plus) purchase, despite drooling over Ibis carbon curves. Rocky Mountain is really finding the spotlight lately.
Great video! I think you found a new sponsor!...LOL. Interesting, what you were saying in the beginning about these bigger bikes taking the skill out of the ride. I feel that way on my V1 Ripmo compared to my Ripley. In the long run, I think it's better to have that extra support for a bit more confidence as you suggested.
Thanks Norbert! I actually chatted with Rocky a few weeks ago and there is no chance of sponsorship through them. It's looking like I'll have a lot more opportunity with Jenson, and then I'm not limited to just one brand to ride. Which is cool- I'm working on finishing up a review of the Niner right now as well.
I just enjoy watching you ride. The Hops/manuals bring to the excitement like when Chris Harris drifts every car... because he can and its fun to watch.
Dang Jeff, sad that you have to let a favorite ride go. But maybe your new favorite is coming in a box shortly! Sounds like whatever it is, it has a lot to live up to! I know that feeling though, once I made a few tweaks to my 2020 Niner RIP 9 RDO with swapping the shock to a DHX2, increasing the front travel to 160mm, new hand built wheels with i9 hubs and some PNW loam grips...the bike just feels like home. Can't get enough of it. My other bikes, which I love as well, just get mostly neglected.
Coil shock and 1.5 degrees angleset really helped with my AF. More climbing traction out back with a more attack style head tube angle. Otherwise I’d probably be looking at this altitude or maybe that new stumpy evo. Thanks for the review and your non-standard outlook on bike performance.
Interesting on the angleset on the AF. The 64 head angle on the Rocky felt great, but I think a big part of it was also the frame stiffness and that 38 fork up front. I may sell my Ripmo AF now while values are high, and go back to riding the carbon Ripmo V2. While not super bad or anything, the flex of the AF wouldnt match well to the 38. I haven't taken coil shocks seriously on Ibis bikes since usually the Ibis bikes are really easy to bottom out, thus requiring the volume reducers added to the air chambers.
@@JeffKendallWeed I’m not as aggressive as you, mid 40’s with a couple young kids, so I tend to back off a bit early. I will say though, I’m more comfortable with this setup than I was with my last bike that I kept for almost 3 years and I’ve started progressing again. Bike came with Jade X so bottom outs aren’t bad and dvo make a progressive spring for it, but that’s probably more weight on a XL with dh tires that’s already 37.5lbs 😳
I have literally never seen a riding video look this friggin cool. I mean, the manual action is just ridiculous. I really need to learn how to do that. I can shred but manuals and wheelies, I have never gotten good at. Time to learn.
Wow I am in the same boat. Injured both ankles last season and sold a Giant trance to get a short travel 29. Now I own a 2019 Capra pro race 29 w/ 170mm front and rear.
So good Jeff. Between your personality, skills and production quality you should have 10x the subscribers. Love my Ibis HD5, but that Altitude looks like it does a lot of things right. How about trading the 29er in on the 27.5" version and riding that for a while, Jeff? Nothing really out there about it...
Jeff I'd love if you checked out Banshee bikes. They are designed on the North Shore and are dedicated to premium, durable alloy frames. I think the Titan or Rune would be up your alley. Knolly bikes are another sweet brand based in B.C. you might be interested in.
Hey Ak, thanks for the note- the Banshee bikes have kinda led the way for geometry for a long time now. They used to be based in BC, but AFAIK they were sold off to a Taiwanese company a long time ago. But somehow the bikes are still kickin' tail. Everyone tells me to try the knolly but the opportunity just hasn't come up yet.
Great review! I've had the chance to ride this and a few slayers, and if you want a big travel monster truck, point and shoot bike, it will be the slayer for sure! I recommend riding it!
i've got one. while i don't disagree with you i'm shocked at how versatile the Slayer is. i am no big hucker and use the Slayer on all kinds of trails, from mild to wild. it's not much different from the Altitude.
I had a 2023 Rocky Mtn Altitude 4.0 . It required a lot more rider energy than a Brose, Bosch or Yamaha to get the most out of it. The biggest drawback was the battery charging system overcharged the battery and the battery exploded and burned everything in my garage to ashes. Rocky Mountain seemed to want to help, but in the end they just wanted to get the burned bike out of my possession and pretend it never happened. I feel a duty to warn potential buyers of the very real danger of keeping a Rocky Mountain bike indoors. The damage to my home and property is over 350k, and I am lucky to be alive. Don't take the risk with a Rocky Mountain E-MTB. It is not worth it.
I test rode one last year in Sedona it was Action Bike shop fleet BC edition...rode it at National and had a blast even though I prefer 650bs...it was an Awesome bike!!!
6:03 this is actually another benefit of the added stiffness, you can imagine the more bent your fork is, the more friction there would be at the interfaces of the uppers and lowers thus decreasing small bump sensitivity. So more stiffness=less flex=less friction=better small bump
And if you factor in the laterally sliding dropout, to ensure that everything lines up straight, along with the larger air volume chamber, it really makes sense.
I've ridden quite a variety of different bikes, own a Levo SL myself, but I felt right at home on every Rocky I've ridden so far. I really don't know what they infuse their bikes with but they for certain shouldn't stop any time soon. Overall great feeling rigs and the new Altitude is just a banger and has been for quite a while.
Nice man! Good to hear about the other positive experiences with Rocky. For whatever reason they haven't really been popular in California, heck, not even here in WA state either, so I rarely see them around. but holy moly, what a good bike this thing is!
@@JeffKendallWeed I'm a bike mechanic by trade and work at a Rocky (&2 other american top shelf brands) dealership and the Canadians take the cake in almost every aspect imo. It's actually a shame they don't gain the traction in the market they really deserve.
I can sit down peddle wheelie for a block...but can barely manual a puddle. Not the same at all haha. I've got a 2018 Altitude and beefed it up a bit more enduro and love it. The 2021 looks so sleek clean and simple in a good way. That top tube looks a lot smaller too...like maybe it's solid?
Awesome video Jeff! You inspired me to start tinkering with the ride 9 on my instinct. This is a dumb question probably but I should adjust both the drive side and no drive side flip chips right? Versus just the drive side?
4:09. He talks about with how jumpy the bike is he needed a longer dropper post. What that mean exactly? How does a longer dropper post affect jumping? Isn't dropper post sizing specifically your heigh/inseam and bike geo?
You just made me realize that after watching 100s of mtb videos that I never thought about this myself lol! If a short seat and a long seat both go all the way down, I'm actually confused now too why all the harder riders I watch immediately swap stock droppers out for 200mm droppers just to slam them down all the way. I feel like I'm missing some kind of information, like longer droppers going down further or something, but that doesn't make sense?? I'll have to ask elsewhere
Feel the same way about my Evil Wreckoning V3. Just can't believe how much fun it is and how nimble it rides for such a big big bike. Almost every time I ride it I try to convince myself it's not as good as it is. And at the end of the ride, I just look at it at and smile...soul mate
Good review brother I’ve always had fun on every RM I’ve ever tested. You should go try the new Guerrilla Gravity bike and go ride with there new rider you might have hear of the guy this crazy French guy who lives in BC I think his name is Yoann something or other. 🤣 All jokes aside I was kinda blown away he went with them we need the inside scoop from JKW... on scene live action 🇺🇸.
