ROCKY MOUNTAIN Bikes Introduces 2014 Instinct MSL 29″er: by c_g

And the news keeps on coming … This time we hear from the boys of ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIKES from the north shores of Vancouver B.C. who will be bringing the Instinct 29″er bike with a carbon frame. I have had the chance to ride this bike during the Garda Festival in its 950 alloy,(here), version and came away deeply impressed, so the next iteration in carbon sure got me exited.

As usual with ROCKY MOUNTAIN the more mid range alloy models came first (introduced here during Eurobike 2012) and now we see the upper end carbon models and some may be happy to read this- even another B.C. Edition bike. ROCKY MOUNTAIN (or more precisely their German distributor BIKE ACTION) have introduced us to the bikes and got us to ride one for a couple of hours. According to RMB the Instinct is designed to be the perfect Do-It-All, All-Arounder Bike, be it a marathon race, epic outing into the unknown, or the next Alpine traverse.

Here a few words by ROCKY MOUNTAIN on the new Instinct MSL:

Our prime target to hit when developing the Instinct has been to build a frame that is unbelievably versatile. Incorporating the RIDE-9 definitely helped, because it allows the rider to tune the geometry and handling and alter the suspension characteristic all according to his/her preferences. Thanks to RIDE-9 you can make changes to the head angles, bb height and the suspension rate changes accordingly (the slacker the angles, the more progressive things get).

Our engineers have executed RIDE-) with a steeper seat angle to make the bike a true mountain goat. Combined with the comfortable and maneuverable cockpit you get an agile handling that we call unbelievably versatile“. The goal when designing the chassis has been to grant a forward efficiency by using all the energy put into the drivetrain, but still be able to swallow every obstacle big or small without hesitation – up and down. The Instinct is the right bike for a 4hr long marathon race Richtige Bike on Saturday, some challenging trails on Sunday and an epic back country trip on Monday (… granted it is a long weekend of course!)

By utilizing their own development center for prototyping and testing and by having those spectacular trails right out their backdoor, ROCKY MOUNTAIN has the perfect resources to execute and evaluate their ideas immediately.

Of course the new Instinct MSL features the elaborate Smooth Wall technology to manufacture the carbon frame, the equally effective as active SMOOTHLINK suspension, the stiff and durable ABC-angular bushings. As mentioned above one core element of the Instinct is the RIDE-9 adjustment (first introduced on their Altitude last year – here) … and as I dearly hope it will come with that special „ROCKY MOUNTAIN Ride Feel“ I have come to love so much.

It was interesting that during the presentation, and talks after, wheel format was no issue, because the rider, his/her usual trails, and riding style and preference dictate the ride. Consequently, by following the ROCKY MOUNTAIN RTC („Ride Tunes Concept“) introduced some years ago, it is the rider that is in the focus, so the claim.

Such are big words and easily said, but hardly ever executed in full consequence, so I was more than eager to see how much truth they hold when I put one of the new Instinct bikes on one of my home trails – something I will be reporting on in the following days.

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Additionally to the two existing Instinct models, that makes another three regular Instinct MSL models – the Top-End 999 MSL, the 970 MSL, the 950 MSL and the somewhat different 970 B.C. Edition – with the 999 MSL being the only one with a carbon rear end as well.

As usual, all models have an 142x12mm E-thru axle, internal cable routing (incl. the Stealth dropper post and easily accessible entry/exit ports), an ISCG-05 mount, BB92 Pressfit bottom bracket. And all that now has lost considerable weight with a claimed frame weight of only 2350 g for the frame (incl. shock & hardware).

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Here are the three „regular“ models:

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The Instinct 970 MSL B.C. Edition is a more trail oriented interpretation of the Instinct MSL getting the following specials:

• Wider bar for even more control when going fort he more aggressive lines.
• Wider and tougher rims (and tires) for more traction and reserves.
• FOX suspension with Kashima front and back – a 140mm F34 fork and a Float CTD shock with a special tune for more performance on drops, aggro obstacles and sketchy terrain.
• Avid Four Piston Trail brakes for improved power and modulation.
• An alloy chain guard to protect the drive train.

Prices are still not fixed but we were told the bikes should become available by September 2013. We will bring to you our first ride impressions on a ROCKY MOUNTAIN Instinct MSL bike … stay tuned.


RIDE ON,
c_g