Submitted by
mavis mofo
a Cross Country Rider
from B.C.
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2001
Strengths: Climbs great, descends singletrack with precision. Bombers are plush and hard to bottom out.
Weaknesses: Replaced the Formula discs-they are junk
Bottom Line:
Apart from the brakes problem and the pivot bolts loosening once, this has proven to be just an awesome performer that makes me faster over rougher terrain than I ever have business doing. My best bike yet and my third Rocky.
Bike Setup: XTR vees plus replaced shock with a Fox Float RC
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Frank
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterford, Mi
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2000
Strengths: Great Ride Not a cookie cutter frame Zokes Forks
Weaknesses: Formula Brakes Formula Hubs
Bottom Line:
If your looking for cookie cutter frames (Specialized...Trek...Schwinn...etc) and bikes that everyone has then Rocky isnt for you! Rocky makes a great frame and this bike rides impeccably. I have had the chance to ride this bike in various locations. I lived in Boston for 3 years and have recently moved to Michigan. As far as the East is concerned this bike is in its element. New England trails are slow and very rocky, very technical... the bike excelled. In Michigan the trails for the most part are fast and loose not so technical but the Rocky still performs adequately. But for all-around riding this bike is hard to beat. I have used it in (2) 24hr. races and it was great. Both races were very technical with many ups and downs and very wet conditions.And I have also used it in Moab and So. Cal. and bike was outstanding. The only major change and it was somewhat expensive...was to dump the Formula products...brakes and hubs.. I switched to Shimano Discs and Hayes hubs and have had no problems since. It is difficult to find a full-suspension bike that will do it all. The Rocky Instinct is definetly a TRAIL bike and not a race bike but when its in its element you will not find a better bike!
Strengths: handleing, ride, comfort, and little lost in weight gain or power loss to a hard tail.
Weaknesses: reliability, brakes, and whats with all the squeaks
Bottom Line:
i bought my instinct as a left over this year three months ago. i read a few of the existing reviews here and hoped the problems others had would not plauge this bike. when i first rode it i thought it was awful. it felt slow and heavy, the rear bobbed like crazy and the front end always wanted to be 2 inches to the left or right from where i wanted it. but, after tightening the the headtube adjusting the fork and playing with the shock's airpressure the thing turned into a trail rocket. i am wickedly impressed with this bikes handling and the suspension works very well at both ends. my climbing ability was not hindered at all comepared to my hardtail.
what im not impressed with is the fact that the stock formula discs are terible, the smallest ring wore quickly and chainsucks like mad. Worst of all the main pivot bolts dont like to stay in! they didnt look as if they had been lock tited so the first time i just snugged em back in. the second time i applied blue lock tight. they still came out!
in my first race with this bike i made it about 9 miles in before the right bolt worked its way out and jammed up my crank. That did it for me considering i was leading with 6 miles to go. i wont tell you what i did(to the bike) so i could finish with a respectable 4th (second start endero)but i am now really ticked at myself for not solving this problem earlier.
without formula brakes more compatible drivechain components and the renagade bolts this is a excellent bike and a good investment for racing.
Submitted by
Cory Gillard
a Racer
from CAMPBELL RIVER BC CANADA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2000
Strengths: Raceface rules!suspension kicks ass!shimano is awesome!
Weaknesses: BRAKES, formula sucks!!!Rear chainstay snapped twice(under warrenty)occasional chain suck
Bottom Line:
This bike is sweet for uphill, downhill, singletrack, racing and weekend riding . not too great for drops and a bit clumsy, formula brakes suck!. haven't broken anything race face...yet. Shimano parts are holding up good too. Rear chainstay snapped twice, but it was a maufacturing defect and was replaced both times for free. overall AWESOME bike!!
Similar Products Used: Giant ATX990, Fisher, other rocky's
Bike Setup: stock except for rhyno lites and continentals,shimano 636's
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Submitted by
Liam
a Weekend Warrior
from B.C., Canada
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000
Strengths: Killer frame, climbs well without any bobbing, screams down singletrack with aplomb. A great all day ride.
Weaknesses: Stock Formula brakes
Bottom Line:
With above mentioned changes this bike has provided me with nothing but reliable, trouble-free jaunts on some killer singletrack. Saves my old arthritic back and makes riding a truly spiritual endeavour.
Similar Products Used: Trek, Specialized, Canadian tire
Bike Setup: Stock except replaced discs with XTR v's.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from AnnArbor
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000
Strengths: Frame Overall Performance
Weaknesses: Formula Brakes Formula Hubs Race Face Rings
Bottom Line:
Rocky makes a great frame and a great frame makes a great ride..I just abused this bike at 24hrs of Adrenilin in New Jersey and the bike performed flawlessly..Great ascender and even better at descending...loves twisty singletrac.. The Key for me was to junk the Formula crap especially those crappy brakes...Makes me wonder if Rocky really tested those things... I also added Shimano discs after my Formula rear hub went..and what a difference..brakes that work...no more noise...and no more chain suck....grat bike..great ride
I was looking to move up to XC full-suspension without a significant weight penalty (and without having to enter the flesh trades to pay it off - a pretty tall order). Most of the bikes I looked at weighed in around 28 pounds. The fully stock Instinct was also a tad heavy for my tastes, but I was able to make the changes noted above thanks to the accomodating nature of the dealer. Biggest weight savings were dumping the disc brakes (which I'd heard were pretty stinky anyway) and swapping the 'Zocchi for the SID. These changes brought the weight down to around 26lbs. The SIDS aren't quite as plush as the Marzocchi's, but they're a helluva lot lighter and perform great. Fox Air Float R collapsed one day - fixed under warranty. Haven't had a problem with it since. Hope it stays that way. Have yet to fix the niggling squeaking. Haven't had a chance to do a lot of off road yet, but several hours on Burnaby Mt. have me yearning to get riding up at Squamish & Whistler once the trails clear. "I'm not getting older, I'm getting better - bikes." P.S. -one more important thing to mention - if you do any technical riding where you'll be needing to drop your seat down in the frame, you should be wary of interrupted seat tube full suspension frame designs. Many of these designs won't allow you to drop your seat any significant degree. This factor had me dismiss the Specialized offerings out of hand.
Similar Products Used: Minor poking around with similar Fisher, Brodie, GT, Specialized & Giant products.
Bike Setup: Stock, except: Shimano 434 platform pedals, Race Face flatbar, bar ends, Rock Shox SID XC, Bontrager 'cutaway' saddle,XT V-brakes
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Randy DeLandro
a Weekend Warrior
from New York
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2000
Strengths: Quality craftsmanship Great value Race Face components Shock ajustability Stunning good looks
Weaknesses: Formula brakes
Bottom Line:
I finally got this bike in April after paying for it for several months. At first I was going for the less expensive RM Element and later upgrade to Race Face components but took the salesperson's advice and got the Instinct instead. He told me it would cost more to upgrade later as opposed to getting it all at once and he was right.
I got the grey/black frame and changed the pedals to 636's and I love my bike. Sometimes I just stare at it and smile. This bike rides really great. The only problem I have is brake rub from the Formulas but the dude from the shop said it would eventually stop. The brakes stop me so I won't complain.
I set the rear shock fairly stiff because I ride in the city but it still doesn't bob excessivly when set up softer. I am yet to take it off-road so I will post another review later.
Submitted by
bernd Clemens
a Cross Country Rider
from germany
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2000
Strengths: the look, the weight and the fitted components
Weaknesses: not easy to servicing (the rear suspension..)
Bottom Line:
although the disc have made little problems with adjusting, I've never had driven a better bike than my RM. But I must wondering that I had going to smeared the rear suspension already after a short distance (50km) because the bearings are without of grease.(bit a "genuine" BALLbearing would be the best) I mean the Magura Disc is a lot better than the Formulars. I think therefore my opinion about the bike is better than the other postings. The rest (the stiffness, the fork and the rest of the parts) is more than okay. (please excuse my bad english). greating vom germany
Similar Products Used: just HT like Marin and Scott, and some Fullys as a test
Bike Setup: Race Face, XT comp. and Magura Louise Disc (v/h), Bam Z2
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Eric B
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2000
Strengths: it's aluminum so at least it's recyclable.
Weaknesses: does not get the advertised travel frame is a flexy noodle pivots suck limited fork selection - 3" and under nose dives dramatically under braking.
Bottom Line:
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! i bought just the frameset after being told by my local Rocky dealer how great they were. at first i was stoked, but that faded very quickly. the rear shock pivot blew - warrantied. then the dealer called me in to warranty another pivot, this time it was the main one by the bottom bracket. the bike is sooo flexy i can rub the chain on both sides of the front derailler cage just by cranking hard in the saddle. i can literally feel the front triangle noodle around when i stand up and crank. the nose dives so severely under braking, it makes a 3-inch stroke fork worthless. the website nor my dealer failed to tell me that i could not run a 4 inch stroke fork without ruining the warranty. WHAT A JOKE! that's because the real travel of the rear is only 3 inches, NOT 3.6 like rocky claims - this is false advertising. many people on the trail have asked me about the bike because they were going to buy one, but i have convinced them otherwise. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND BUY THIS P.O.S. BIKE!! save up and go with quality, not this junk. i just hope i can sell it and get some of my money back to buy an intense.
Strengths: Everything( except the now defunct brakes).
Bottom Line:
You negativity purporters are really starting to get my hemorrhoids to flare. Give me a break, at least my dealer made every effort to remedy the brake problem, you guys are just bashing for the sake of being nasty. Go stick your head in a blender.
Weaknesses: don't own the bike...only ridden it a couple of times
Bottom Line:
Mark and Pistol Pete have got this bike down to a T. Anybody who compares this bike to a FSR really has no idea what they are talking about. The brakes may suck, so what, get a pair of vee brakes. Thats what the frame bosses are for. Or for about $1000 cdn. get Hayes hydros. I will be getting this bike unless I get a job, in the near future, then I'd get an RM6. The Instinct, has a trail bike feel to me and would excel at pretty much everything. Trials, 6ft drops, log rides, ramps. Pretty everything I'd ride. Don't believe me do ya?
I bought this as a lightweight XC racer (like a Specialized) The hype behind it had "light, FS XC" written all over it. Sadly the bike cannot hang with my fellow racers' more efficient suspensions. I am amused that people always invoke the "North Shore" buzzword to convince me that a bike is good. Maybe it is because we have waaay too many "freeriders" now. Lightweight bikes have a different mission. I guess Intense and Turner would've licensed RM's link if it was indeed superior to the FSR design. Going back to my review. yes the disks suck. Hayes please. The perfect racing RM would have an FSR linkage.
Submitted by
Pistol Pete
a Weekend Warrior
from B.C., Canada
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2000
Strengths: Great build, excellent suspension, handling, sturdy, built in b.c., not a wimpy, breakable FSR.
Weaknesses: None now.
Bottom Line:
Interesting that such a legend as John Tomac, who is getting excellent reviews on his line of bikes uses a swing-link, rising-rate suspension set up, like Rocky. Hmmmm...you'd think that he has the resources and the knowledge first hand of what suspension design he prefers. Also, you rarely see any Specializeds around the North Shore, and read about how easily they break. Lightness at any cost, eh? If you need an honest appraisal about how a bike works and how it holds up, ask yer bros from B.C.
Strengths: Awesome suspension design, great uphill, smooth and straight tracking through the rough stuff downhill. Changed the awful Formula discs to xtr v's and couldn't be more pleased. This is definitely the best bike I have owned of 17 bikes.
Weaknesses: Not marketed right, no r&d on discs before release, in other words Rocky blew it and ended up with a tainted product. Talk to anyone who owns one like mine and you'll see how good it is.
Bottom Line:
I read stupid reviews from people who don't know what they are talking about or from Chris from Charlotte and I have to scratch my head and wonder...if you have a problem, go to your dealer, get it fixed to your satisfaction and stop complaining. I totally agree with the review prior to mine, you will not find a more balanced suspension set up for xc or all day riding. I have thrown a lot at this bike in the last year and it keeps impressing me every ride.
