Rocky Mountain Redraws the Altitude for 2021, With Size Specific Wheel Diameters

Photo: Margus Riga

Editor’s note: Read our take on the latest Rocky Mountain Altitude.

At some point last season we saw a couple of the Rocky Mountain RaceFace Enduro Team riders moving over to the brand’s longer travel 29″ Slayer model, with its 170/170mm of travel front and rear. That’s a significant bump from the Instinct BC Edition that has 160/155mm on 29″ wheels, and that move likely made the longer stages feel a touch more composed.

Today, Rocky Mountain has a fully reformulated bike for their three elite riders to slide around on with the updated aluminum and carbon fiber Altitude. The former 27.5″ platform now takes specific circle sizes to each frame size. Small bikes will still roll on 27.5″ wheels, a medium can take either diameter, and the large and XL frames will be on big wheels all day. All of the new bikes, regardless of wheel size, will have 160mm of rear axle travel paired with 170mm forks. Each frame size will receive a size-specific suspension tune to better dial the bikes for their perspective jockeys.

Clearly it’s coil compatible.

The frames can be set up in a slack, neutral, or steep position that adjusts the geometry for different trails or conditions via the Ride-9 geo system. Head tubes across the size run range between a deeply leaned 64.4° in the slack position, 65° in neutral, and 65.5° in the steep setting. The reach on a size small is a respectable 423mm, compared to a seemingly industry standard 449mm on the medium, 474mm on large frames, and a tall kid’s 504mm that stretches out to 516mm in the steep setting.

Moving rearward, the chainstay lengths on 27.5″ bikes are adjustable by 11mm, adding up to 428/439mm on the small and medium bikes when in the slack position, 427/438mm in neutral, and 425/436mm when the bike is set up in steep mode. The 29ers rear-center measurement is roughly 1cm longer across the board.

Above all that stretch, the seat tube angle on all of these new Altitude frames is 75.4° in slack, 76°neutral, and 76.5° with the bike clicked up to steep. While the tube is more than 2° steeper than the measurement on the prior iteration, it’s an average angle compared to the lion’s share of modern enduro bikes.

Carbon fiber models will use internal cable guides to ease service, and alloy bikes get large frame ports that should make internal routing fairly painless. Rocky Mountain says that the brake hose routing is “moto style” compatible. The new frames are well protected, with stock chainguides, shuttle guards and down tube protectors, and hefty ride-silencing chainstay protection.

Pricing for the full model run is as follows.

Altitude Carbon 99: $13,499 CAD / $9,999 USD
Altitude Carbon 90 Rally Edition: $11,499 CAD / $9,099 USD
Altitude Carbon 70 coil: $8,999 CAD / $6,999 USD
Altitude Carbon 70: $8,599 CAD / $6,999 USD
Altitude Carbon 50: $6,799 CAD / $5,499 USD
Altitude Carbon Frameset: $4,499 CAD / $3,699
Altitude Alloy 70: $6,699 CAD / $5,249 USD
Altitude Alloy 50: $5,499 CAD / $4,299 USD
Altitude Alloy 30: $4,299 CAD / $3,499 USD

Jesse Melamed and Remi Gauvin were both on the new bike at the season’s first Enduro World Series.

Top tier Altitude Carbon 99 builds come equipped with SRAM Code RSC 4-piston brakes, a RockShoxLyrikUltimateRC2 fork and SuperDeluxeUltimate shock, a SRAM X01 Eagle AXS wireless drivetrain and dropper post, Race Face Next R Carbon wheelset, and a Maxxis Assegai EXO+ up front to guide the classic DHR II EXO+ at the rudder.

At the other end of the price range, the Altitude Alloy 30 retails for $200 less than the carbon frameset, with a Marzocchi Z1 fork, Fox DPX2 shock, Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain and MT4120 4-pot brakes, a Rocky Mountain branded dropper, and a pair of Shimano hubs laced to WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0 Tubeless rims.

They call this little linkage fender the “Canadian Shield”.

Enduro racers might be interested in the Altitude Alloy 70 build that offers the chance to check out the new Fox 38 Factory fork and X2 Factory shock, a Shimano XT/SLX mixed drivetrain, XT 4-piston brakes, a RaceFace Affect R dropper, and a set of Race Face AR 30 rims laced to DT Swiss and Rocky Mountain hubs. That’s a lot of dependable race-worthy bike for $5,249 USD.