Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 2021 first ride review

With the new Rocky Mountain Instinct 2021, the Canadian brand rolls its previous Thunderbolt and Instinct trail bikes into one. We have had the exclusive test of the € 6,500 Instinct C70 2021 with adjustable geometry and size-specific wheel sizes and kinematics. Is the new Instinct the perfect trail bike?

Rocky Mountain combine their previous two trail bikes, the Instinct and Thunderbolt, in the new Instinct 2021 and, in the process, simplify their range. In doing so, the Canadian brand promises to offer the perfect all-round bike for varied trails. With 150 mm travel at the front and 140 mm at the rear, the Instinct offers more travel than its predecessor. The geometry has also been updated and, as is typical for Rocky Mountain, can be adjusted just like the bike’s kinematics. The new Instinct is delivered with 27.5″ wheels for XS and S frame sizes and comes with 29″ tires for sizes M to XL. For the German market, five different builds including both carbon and aluminium frames alongside a frameset only option will be available. Depending on the model, the prices will range between € 3,700 and € 11,500.

The new Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 2021 in detail

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to recognise that the new Instinct and its bigger brother, the Altitude, look very similar. There’s a good reason for that: swap the shock mount of the new Instinct with that of the Altitude and you’ll end up with… an Altitude. But that’s not the only smart feature the Canadian brand has come up with and the new Instinct boasts a whole range of practical and thought-through features.

The bike has sufficiently large chainstay and seat stay protection to ensure quiet running when it comes to the chain. Just the cable routing produces some noise with the runs not clamped tightly enough, though that’s easily remedied with a little tape. An optional Shuttle Guard for the down tube is provided with the bike. An aluminium head tube badge sits proudly at the front and the frame is resplendent with its high-end paint job and tidy details like the Canadian maple leaf on the top tube.

RIDE-9 flip chip, geometry and sizes of the Rock Mountain Instinct 2021

The Canadian brand offers its new trail bike in five different frame sizes from XS–XL, with numerous size-specific modifications across the range. That means the XS and S sizes are offered with 27.5″ wheels while sizes M to XL come with 29″ wheels. Likewise, the two smaller sizes have a slightly modified frame shape, shorter shock and tailored kinematics, all intended to make the same amount of travel better suit lighter riders. As is usual for Rocky Mountain, the new Instinct has a RIDE-9 flip chip on the shock mount and by changing the position of two chip inserts, the geometry and suspension characteristics can be modified, It also allows for precise adjustments for sizing the bike, as different settings allow small changes to the reach. Likewise, a flip chip on the chainstays lets their length be adjusted by 10 mm. No additional parts are required, with only the brake mount needing to be turned around – great! If you ride the chainstays in their longer setting, the new SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) can be used. Unfortunately, riding the shorter setting requires Rocky Mountain’s own derailleur hanger.

The geometry of the new Rocky Mountain Instinct 2021 with the neutral and short setting

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Top Tube	549 mm	577 mm	608 mm	636 mm	670 mm
Seat Tube	355 mm	380 mm	420 mm	445 mm	480 mm
Head Tube	90 mm	100 mm	95 mm	110 mm	125 mm
Head Angle	65.9°	65.9°	65.7°	65.7°	65.7°
Seat Angle	76.9°	76.9°	76.7°	76.7°	76.7°
BB Drop	19 mm	19 mm	36 mm	36 mm	36 mm
Chainstay	427 mm	427 mm	437 mm	437 mm	437 mm
Radstand	1133 mm	1162 mm	1209 mm	1240 mm	1277 mm
Wheelbase	414 mm	439 mm	462 mm	487 mm	517 mm
Stack	581 mm	589 mm	615 mm	628 mm	642 mm

The spec of the new Rocky Mountain Instinct 2021

Rocky Mountain put stock in clear build descriptions, with the letter in the model name designating whether the frame is carbon or aluminium and the number identifying the specific build. As the number increases, so does the level of the components and the price. As such, Rocky Mountain offer the new Instinct in C99, C90, C70, C50, C30, A50 and A30 models and as a frameset. There are also two models specifically for the German market, just as there are for the Canadian one.

The German-market Rocky Mountain Instinct C50 Tour und A50 Tour

The special Instinct Tour models will only be available in German-speaking countries and are equipped quite conservatively – shame on us ;) They come with low-profile Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires in puncture prone Super Ground casings. Braking is handled by similarly weak Shimano XT two-piston brakes. For the suspension, Rocky Mountain fit a RockShox Pike Select RC and Deluxe Select+. The Instinct A50 Tour will be offered for € 3,700 and the carbon C50 Tour for € 4,900.

The new top-of-the-range Rocky Mountain Instinct C99 2021

For their top-end C99 model, Rock Mountain have fitted a RockShox Ultimate RC2 fork in combination with a Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. Race Face Next R Carbon wheels are fitted, though they are shod in thin-walled MAXXIS Minion 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ tires. At the very least, we recommend fitting a tire with a sturdier casing or an insert on the rear wheel to avoid the unnecessary costs of replacing a broken carbon rim. An electronic SRAM AXS XX1 groupset and matching RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post are also fitted. Unfortunately, the SRAM G2 Ultimate brakes are paired with too small 180 mm rotors on the € 11,500 expensive C99. In our experience, they also offer less power than the Shimano brakes of the more affordable C90 and C70 models.

The new Rocky Mountain Instinct C90 2021

Rocky Mountain offer the C90 model of the Instinct for € 9,900. This is equipped with a Kashima-coated FOX 36 Factory fork, though unfortunately, it comes with a FIT4 damper. Instead of the lockout, we would much rather have the better GRIP2 damper. The fork is combined with a FOX DPX2 Factory shock. For the drivetrain and brakes, Rocky Mountain rely on Shimano XTR parts. Unfortunately, here too they rely on small 180 mm rotors front and rear. Like the top-of-the-range model, you’ll also find a combination of carbon wheels with thin EXO+ casing tires.

The Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 2021 – Our test bike

For our test, Rocky Mountain delivered an Instinct C70 with a FOX 36 GRIP2 Performance fork, which isn’t actually available to customers in this configuration. For the series model, Rocky Mountain fit a FOX 36 with a FIT4 instead of GRIP2 damper. That’s a pity because we’d much rather sacrifice the unnecessary lockout in favour of better damping performance. If you want to upgrade to a GRIP2 cartridge, that will cost you around € 580 when sending your fork to FOX for servicing. That aside, Rocky Mountain deliver a solid spec. A sturdy Race Face AR30 wheelset and Race Face Turbine dropper post with 175 mm travel (size L) are fitted. The FOX FLOAT DPX2 Performance Elite shock delivers the same performance as the Factory model even without the added bling. Shifting and braking are taken care of by the current Shimano XT groupset. Only the Shimano XT four-piston brakes with their 180 mm rotors are quickly overtaxed – we would upgrade to 200 mm rotors here. For the tires, MAXXIS Minion 3C MaxxTerra rubber with the thinner EXO+ casing is fitted, which we would swap out for something sturdier at the rear. That said, a dent in an aluminium wheelset is more tolerable than a broken carbon rim. The series bike will be available to buy for € 6,500. However, the “Ice Ice Baby” colourway of our test bike won’t be available to customers for this build.

First ride: The new Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 2021 on the trail

Swing your leg over the saddle of the new Instinct and you’ll immediately notice the comfortable and balanced position. This makes the bike well-suited to longer rides. Venture up technical trails and the Instinct offers sufficient efficiency and traction. However, on forest tracks, we did use the easy-to-reach climb switch to eliminate the slight bobbing of the shock.

Tuning-tips:200 mm disc rotors | upgrade to a GRIP2 damper when your fork needs a service

With the RIDE-9 and chainstay flip chips, the Rocky Mountain can be ridden in numerous different settings. We spent the majority of our test in the slack and progressive setting with short chainstays. Like this, the new Instinct requires an active rider who knows how to load the front of the bike through corners. On fast and technical tracks the suspension and non-series GRIP2 damping convey a sense of security and calm. With the series FIT4 damper, the bike will no doubt have to accept some compromises. Nonetheless, as the trails get more demanding and akin to rough bike park trails, the Instinct requires a lot of attention and input, reaching its limits. Spot a small ramp or something to jump off and the rear end of the bike offers good support, with the Rocky willingly getting airborne. That means the Instinct delivers a whole lot of fun on the trail, even if the small 180 mm disc rotor generates too little power and the XT brakes often struggle with their wandering bite point.

Conclusion

The new Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 2021 is a successfully conceived all-rounder! Its main area of application is technical singletrail, allowing it to shine on steeper and fast trails. It also cuts a fine figure uphill. The numerous thought-through frame details and high-quality construction and finish are of the highest level. However, the apparent carelessness in the spec results in several compromises, with the brakes and FIT4 damper limiting the potential application and performance of the bike.

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More information: https://www.bikes.com/de

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Words: Peter Walker Photos: Valentin Rühl