Hello again! Check this out:
Got a new bike near to a year ago, a Rocky Mountain Altitude 730MSL.
Ran a 2011 Norco LT into the ground early last year; the dent in the top tube was the deal-breaker (once combined with the worn out brakes, sloppy shock pivot, sloppy front hub bearings, pretty much bagged drivetrain, seriously worn cranks... it owed me nothing). So looking at all that re$ource output, and checking out the new technology, I decided on a new bike. Obvious choice for true all-around capability was an up-to-date all-mountain bike, capable descender & still climbable. I believe they call this, an enduro-spec'd bike.
Platforms in contention with the Altitude were the Norco Range, and the Devinci Spartan. Just so you know. But the lines of the bike and the parts pick (for the price point of course) made it for me.
Here's a spec sheet if you're into that kind of thing: http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/altitude/2016#/models/altitude-730-msl
Carbon forward/alu rear triangle (that'll be the MSL designation) with a 'lower-upper end' (?) parts spec... SLX. One step below XT, which is a pretty decent place to be thus 'lower-upper end', per Shimano's component class structure. Naturally the rear derailleur is a step up to XT, but everything else is SLX. But for the hubs. At least they're Shimano though! Seriously, as an experienced mechanic, unless something's changed I'll take a Shimano hub any day for durability (maintenance a given).
The Manitou Mattoc Comp... maybe I didn't give it a chance. Maybe it was a heavier, tough to adjust fork. At any rate, the day I replaced it with a Fox 34 Factory was the day the bike got seriously lively up front. (And really, that right there is a good pitch to get the 750MSL...and it comes with a few other features that for the extra cost might just be worth it.) The fork is quite a bit lighter than the Mattoc Comp, and is surely easier to set up and get satisfaction out of.
One thing I like about the brakes is that it's pads are cross-compatible with XT, just in case there's some higher quality pad choice out there. The XT rear derailleur tips the hat to the tradition of making the best component on a bike the rear derailleur. Hubs are a 500-series Shimano set, using their centrelock technology for the machined (not stamped) brake disc. This needed I add a new tool to the box.
I'll use a series of enduro-style rides the Team Fish Bike Club did last year as my test bed for this report: our 'Prevost:Enduro Laps' ride series. For the heck of it (and to keep it honest) we ride up and down Mt Prevost (#longlivechainsaw) for at least three laps, preferably until we're done. It's a pretty stiff climb, and some of the most primal descending I know. Good stuff, and thus a great testing ground.
I compared it to a Spartan RR (alu frame, Rock Shox Pike, SRAM equivalent spec, http://www.devinci.com/bikes/bike_796_scategory_188 , an equivalent to my bike but for the frame material) on rides and what I found is that the Altitude is the better climber. Hands down, climbing I'm downright playful on this bike. The Spartan is in this arena a bit of a truck. Perhaps the extra weight of the Spartan RR (it weighs a real world 4 pounds more than mine, and I'm still running the 2x10 drivetrain) doesn't help, but it seemed it's steering angles tended to keep it tracking straight. Very 'get'er dun'. Which is fine, but the Altitude really helped me not mind the fourth, fifth and once in a while sixth climb back up.
On the descent, the Altitude MSL pretty much rocked Prevost. It's very nimble, and with a slacked out geometry using the Ride9 adjustable pivot, it's a very capable descender, much much better than my Norco LT, 100%. I'm almost happier to use my Altitude on Prevost instead of my Trek Session 8 DH rig (Boxxer, alu frame, 26x2.5, full-on DH truck) as it's quite a bit lighter, and very easy to loft when I had to. I've really improved in that department... so using it on Prevost has actually made me faster on my Trek!
A niggle is it's internal routing. Very clean, but it's a bit of a pain trying to feed the cable from one end of a 26" down tube to a small hole at the other end of it. The constant seatpost issues I've had made me figure out a technique to simplify this chore, but I am glad to see Rocky Mountain has built routing hatches into their 2017 models. (A thought I've had is to run full cable housing; that would ease the routing chore I reckon.)
Seatpost issues... Rock Shox Reverb: I like it! I wish that it worked all the time tho. Bit of a pain; as of this writing (January 2017) I can hardly wait for the weather to improve so as to give the next repair a chance to last, if you catch my drift. Overhaul on these suckers are a bear to pay for, and I've got the radar out for the best value in similar technology (limitless seat height settings a priority over hydraulic actuator.)
Another upgrade I did was tubeless tire technology. Again the new technology paid off, with a detectable influence on speed and effort. Reduced rotating weight (the weight furthest from your axles, so: tires, tubes, rims and spoke nipples) helps with quicker acceleration, which other than in racing helps the average joe in short sharp efforts where quick power is desired, such as riding up 20" vertical rock faces. As well, the ability to run lower pressures really helped me stick some evil climbs so I'm pretty much a convert. Still carry a tube tho! ...which has worked out for me. Put a big hole in the back tire once, running apparently 'too low' pressure in a rock garden; live and learn me boyos, live and learn. Use the Stan's conversion kit, it's the best.
Heel rub seems a thing from what I've seen on other MSL's and my own; word on the street Rocky's tweaked their frame design to attenuate that. Seems a minor thing, 'til I see that bare spot on the stays and the worn stitching on my shoe.
Personally, I replaced the chain once I wore it out with the Dura-Ace edition; they say 'not spec'ed for mountain bikes', but I've had no issues with breakage. Your personal mileage may vary.
I'm still pretty stoked with my new bike. It works very well, so well in fact that I'm sure I bought skills with the bike; I can more efficiently focus my power and energy with this unit.
I can only recommend it. Not heavy, nimble and a capable descender; your best bet for all-around performance and value.
Maybe I should have bought one step up, tho.... dang it!
