2018 Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 50 Bike

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Rocky Mountain Instinct

The Rocky Mountain Instinct is a great full suspension mountain bike for a trail and cross-country rider, because of its frame, wheel size, and suspension.

First, Rocky Mountain makes five frames for the Instinct. There are two aluminum models that Rocky Mountain offers. One model that has a carbon fiber front triangle and an aluminum rear triangle, and two models that have a full carbon fiber frame. The difference in weight between all of the frames is only a couple of pounds. This is because on a carbon fiber frame, they have to beef up certain parts of the frame so that it is strong enough to withstand the power that a rider puts out. Whereas with an aluminum frame, they don’t have to beef up the frame because aluminum is a thicker material. The only down side about aluminum is that it weighs a little more and it isn’t as strong. With the new 2018 frame, they were able to completely change the design of the frame. That made it so that they could have less pivot points on the frame which made it so that they could cut out a little bit of weight. They also were able to put a small compartment in the downtube of the frame so that it can hold a battery for Shimano di2 components.

Next, the Rocky Mountain Instinct has 29 inch wheels and is also compatible with 27.5 plus wheels. The 29 inch wheels are the largest sized wheels which makes them great for climbing and descending. They roll over roots and go through rock gardens extremely well. A 29-inch wheel is also good for jumping because it gives you a bigger wheel to land on and provides for better control. When it comes to climbing, a 29-inch wheel is ideal. The large wheel size will get to the top very fast and it will role-over any obstacles smoothly. The 2.3 inch Maxxis Minion DHR II tires on the front are nice and wide enabling a lot of grip on loose and hard packed trails. The 2.35 inch Maxxis Forekaster tire in the back is just slightly bigger making it so that the bike has plenty of traction and can get through muddy and wet trails without a problem. The front and rear hubs are both boosted, and completely sealed. The rear DT Swiss hub is loud and has multiple points of engagement.

Then, the Rocky Mountain Instinct comes with 140 millimeters of travel and uses Fox’s new suspension. Instead of using the factory fork, they made a new performance fork that doesn’t have as many adjustments but it is still just as smooth. The fork can completely lockout making it stiff and good for climbing. Then when the fork is completely open, it soaks up all of the bumps and rocks that the bike goes over. The rear shock is also Fox’s new performance shock. It does not come with a remote lockout switch but it does have a lever on the shock with three different positions for different types of riding. It is a called a CTD lever which stands for climb, trail, and descend mode. The climb mode completely locks out the shock so that all of the power goes to the rear wheel making the bike stiff and great for climbing. The trail mode on the shock doesn’t completely lockout the shock. This makes it so that the shock still absorbs the bumps, but when it is time to put power to the pedals it spreads the power evenly through the shock and the rear wheel. The descend mode completely opens the shock. This mode is specifically for descending. The shock will absorb all of the big and little bumps, along with all of the big jumps and drops. Having the shock fully opened will make the bike more stable and smooth on the descents.

In conclusion, the Rocky Mountain Instinct is a good bike for a rider that likes a little bit of everything. With the light weight frame, big wheels, and outstanding suspension the bike will get the rider to the top of the climb efficiently, but then it will be a fun and capable bike on the descents.