Submitted by
tim
a Cross Country Rider
from idaho springs, CO USA
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2007
Strengths: this bike rides like a dream. It is more comfortable than any bike I have ridden to date. The suspension is smooth and easily adjusted. this bike climbs like a wild ape with the rear shock active or not. I actually prefer it active while climbing. I've rode the crap out of this bike and really have had no problems other than normal wear. I just purchased a 2000 from ebay and can't wait to get it.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
If you are lookin for an xc bike with full suspension, buy one of these bikes and you will not be disappointed.
Similar Products Used: This is my first full suspension bike and I don't think I could have made a better choice. I rode a schwinn homegrown before and this bike is soooooooooo much better in every way.
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
KG
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2004
Strengths: High end part spec, quality of finish.
Weaknesses: Sid Race fork sucks. At least it doesn't work for this 170 lb guy riding mainly XC with some moderate North Shore descents thrown in. Had it rebuilt twice since getting the bike last May and just replaced it with a Fox Talus. Talus makes the bike about a pound heavier, but the variable travel and extra beef is well worth the weight. Split the underside of the FSA stem after a year, but it was warrenteed that day by a local shop. Lots of chain breaks, but that may just be me. Blew the rear shock this winter, but North Shore terrain can be pretty tough on equipment - that too was warranteed by a local shop.
Bottom Line:
I'm not a seasoned racer but I do about 7 or 8 like the Test of Metal each year. This bike has made me better on technical descents and more efficient on bumpy climbs. Just a beatuiful bike, riding it pushed 2 of my friends into unplanned XC bike upgrades. More breaks and maintenance than I expected.
Similar Products Used: Kona Kikapu, Santa Cruz Heckler
Bike Setup: XTR / XT, FSA, Race Face, Ritchey Scuzzy Logic, Fox Talus.
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Submitted by
Anthony Hope
a Downhiller
from Costa Mesa Ca/ Uk
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2004
Strengths: Really strong climber, light agile and really easy to get used to. Stands up to a lot of abuse on fast technical decents .
Weaknesses: A lot more flex than I am used to ..but I suppose comparing it to a Foes Mono is a tad unfair Hit my knees on pivot points during technical decents I currently have the SID forks set up for a 120 person n they still feel too hard.. I'm 175..
Bottom Line:
have been riding dual salom and Dh bikes for the past few years, decided to get back in shape . Took a while to choose a new ride n the instinct was the best choice ...Not only price but ride quality. Straight out of the gate this bike is really good fun.. goes up hills like there's no tommorrow and smoother than anything I've ever ridden, eats up technical decents. Pretty much feel like I can pin it through everything ...have really put my XC friends through their paces .. Although have crashed on numerous occassions, getting used to skinnies ..again ...
Bike Setup: Thompson Seat post / stem Flite titanium seat Maxxis Larson tubeless Crossmax xl monkey lites
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Submitted by
shane
a Cross Country Rider
from colorado
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2004
Strengths: Great all around bike. Can really handle the long rides in the saddle. I suppose for FS it's fairly light.
Weaknesses: I'm fairly old-school, so the weight compared to a hard tail is noticeable, but then again so is the comfort! Stock Hutchinson Pythons were horrible, but that's personal preference.
Bottom Line:
It's a great bike, and for what I paid, considering it was complete, I have nothing to complain about. The FS really does make a difference, I have gotten to the point where I leave the rear active on technical climbs and just motor over anything in my path, it's worth the extra weight in most cases. It feels a bit tall until you get used to it, once you are dialed in though you can rip.
Similar Products Used: Nothing really close, lots of road, cyclocross, hardtail, rigid, this-n-that...
Bike Setup: XT/XTR, Rock Shox SID Race, FSA, Race Face
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Submitted by
Dennis
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2003
Strengths: Design that RM has been using for years. Proven Performance. Sure there are are others that may have a better suspension design for this or that but RM has invested a lot of resurces in building quality--not just the latest fad. Welds are perfect, fit and finish is smooth, nice hand-job paint, awesome geometry (for me).
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
I waited a few hundred miles to put in my 2 cents worth. I bought just the frame and swapped over all my old goodies and sold my previous frame on E-bay. I ride aggressive cross country with lots of roots and ups and downs. This bike is the bomb! Just love it. I do lock out the rear on medium climbs but I found on steep long fire roads I only lock out the front and I feel more comfortable than on my last Litespeed. I did take a few rides to dial it in but now I enjoy riding much more. Having full suspension really allows one to ride longer and clear technical sections better. I do not feel that this bike would help me a lot on the downhills since I set my own limits for myself regardless of the bike. It is nice being able to drop stuff and not worry about slamming the seatpost up my ass. THE BOTTOMLINE..... For the riding I love like Skookum Flats, this bike is perfect. It has a high bottom bracket and great mild angles. Try one today, you may just need one.
Similar Products Used: Litespeed Ti Unicoi (2 years)
Bike Setup: Fox Vanilla 100 RL front, Fox Float RL rear.
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Submitted by
Henry Jacobson
a Weekend Warrior
from Life, Hour, Peanut Butterville
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2003
Strengths: I think the main strength of this product would have to be the big v8 underneath the hood. This engine might be heavy but you gain it all back when you peddly the %&$^ out of this thing! It has amazing pick up and top speed, i have been 540 m.p.h. on this sweet modular device! Kick a$$!
Weaknesses: I think the main weakness is definatly the extra tire mount on the front of the car, i think that this gets in the way when you are going at high speeds(540m.p.h. for instance) and you can hit a rock or something that you don't see and loose control and scrap your elbow pretty bad. I did. Im still recovering?
Bottom Line:
the bottom line is that this boat is so fast that sometimes you dont even know you are alive? Man i love this horse and i wish it didn't have to be feed every five hours! man i hate coming home from the Mount Everest Trip just to feed this mo fo! But i guess that is what you get when you buy a house. Oh man, Remember to ride as hard a as a rock and have fun and don't forget to feed your horse! Sometimes it dies, but just feed it some rocks and then it will come back to life. OK. Bye. Love henry Jacobson
Similar Products Used: I have owned a pawn shop before?
Bike Setup: The setup on this bike is that it has a front shock mounted on the rear and a rear shock mounted on the front. This is because the front shocks these days are just lame?
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Submitted by
Will Morgan
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodside, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2003
Strengths: Sweet climbing, SWEET downhill, nice mix between hard-core full suspension and the wimpy stuff...
Weaknesses: Front forks blow (Rock Shox stock), stock tires are slippery, have significant rubbage on rear rotor.
Bottom Line:
Great ride. Really. Better each time I use it. Climbs really well, and the downhills are ragin'! Test ride it a good bit, though-- top tube length and reach is shorter than I thought originally.
Bottom line-- a good hybrid between the ridiculous hard core downhill bikes and the traditional two triangle setup. I do the long, technical climbs and the rear suspension really makes a difference.
Similar Products Used: First full suspension bike and my ass feels great.
Bike Setup: All stock except for front forks, which were really no good. Switched 'em out for some bomber Marzocchi. Saddle hard at first, but my arse likes it just fine now.
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Submitted by
Adrian Harding
a Racer
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2003
Strengths: Extremely durable and light weight frame, great stock set-up, Canadian paint, handbuilt in a size specific jig so it doesn't get cold worked (bent to fit the size like slomst everyone else does)
Weaknesses: This bike has no major flaws. Little things like suspension deactivation under braking (which you get with just about any FS design before 2002) or bushing wear out are to be expected on any ride.
Bottom Line:
I'm a shop wrench, my personal vanity and total lack of modesty says I should know what I'm talking about so give'er a listen and hopefully this honest opinion will help you out:
The whole thing down to the wheelset (from the factory) is HAND BUILT but the price is pretty darn close to a mass produced ride from other companies. A handbuilt bike (especially Rockies) feel incredible and the ultralite frameset actually facilitates a tiny bit of bending during riding so it feels even better while maintaining stiffness.
Look at the stock spec, the freakin' tires alone are $80 bucks a piece. XT/XTR, Float RL, ultralite frame, Ritchey scuzzy logic pro HS, RacefaceXC BB. Rocky doesn't chince out on any of the stuff you don't see at first glance.
The suspension is super smooth and very efficient and the bushings feel great as long as you maintain them. Some people might take issue with the fork's tight seals but its always worked great for me. It does not suck up munchkin sized bumps but the front end doesn't get sloppy like some other forks that were designed for racers who are going to get new ones tomorrow or tech nerds with too much money.
I've banged this bike around and taken it on stuff it probably wasn't meant for. Never had a problem with it, it seems to me a lot of the problems people have talked about on this bike are b/c they're not maintaining their rides enough. You buy a race car, you marry a mechanic right? High end bikes almost always could use some tweaking, no matter what you buy.
The Instinct is the perfect blend of quality, weight, handling and components, I can definately say I'll be riding Rockies for the rest of my life. Bottom Line? IF YOU CAN, BUY ONE, they're fan-freakin-tastic!
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Element To, GT i-drive XCR1000, Gary Fischer Sugar, Specialized fsr xc comp
Bike Setup: In addition to stock mine has my own handbuilt DT champion spokes on X317 rims, XT casette, dura ace chain, kore/easton elite flatbar, wildgripper XLs meats, '03 959 pedals, custom machined Ti pivot tubes in suspension, '03 raceface signature FS BB
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Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2003
Strengths: Great Geometry, Great Climber, Predictable Compression on both shocks for downhill, Light For A Full-Suspension Bike, Great Looking Maple Leaf Fade Paint Job, Bomb-Proof Frame
Weaknesses: A bit beefier than my Blizzard with the same componentry. This bike weighs in at 24.8lbs where my blizzard was 22 pounds with these same components. Bushings wear out with heavy riding.
Bottom Line:
This bike is an all-around performer. I'm the type of rider that likes a bit of everything and this bike more than met my expectations. Before I bought this frame and built up this bike I had been a hard-core hardtail rider and swore that I'd never change. Now, I can honestly saw that I'd never go back. In the same ride this bike will see major climbing, technical rooty single track, a few 3-4 foot jumps, and some hair-raising high-speed downhills. This bike handles it all. I am so impressed with the overall response of the bike. It is a fantastic climber with almost no pedal bob at all. Its a very very nimble riding machine and I find that the bike follows wherever I point my hips. The compression is so damn buttery-smooth that I can ride through some horrific mistakes... (whoa...woops..LOG!) The compression remains predictable even after the shock takes a beating through a long downhill (where most air shocks will heat and lose performance).
This is the best bike I've ever ridden, bar none. If you're an all around rider that likes a bit of everything, this is the machine for you. Rocky does it again. Fantastic bike!
Similar Products Used: Ellsworth Truth, Specialized Epic, Santa Cruz Superlight
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z2 Atom Race Front Shock, Fox Float RC Rear Shock, Chris King Headset, Chris King Front/Rear Hubs, Mavic 517 Rims, Marwi Titanium Spokes, XT Rear Casette, XT Rear Der., XT Front Der., XT Rapid-Fire Shifters, Thompson Elite Stem, Thompson Elite Seatpost, Race Face Next LP Cranks, Shimano 545 Pedals, Avid SD 2.0 Brakes, Race Face Low Riser Bar, Odi Lock Jaw Grips
Strengths: Just a flat out solid bike. Great climbing bike. Smooth. Aesthetics are cool. Components are terrific. If you tele ski, this bike is the equivalent of the Atomic TMEX -
Weaknesses: The stock tires were terrible. Some type of Hutchinson designed for mud - why RM would stock a bike like this with such a use-specific type of tire is beyond me.
Bottom Line:
Didn't want to spend this much $, but I road the bike and that was that. I would buy another one in a heart beat.
Similar Products Used: Checked out Specialized, Kona, Marin and Gary Fischer
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Zach Alpern
a Weekend Warrior
from Crested Butte, CO
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2003
Strengths: Great frame, solid construction, beautiful setup.
Weaknesses: Only the cost of spec'ing your own custom bike, well worth it
Bottom Line:
The money and effort to setup a custom bike were well worth the effort. I got some amazing components on a spectacular frame... The frame makes it all worthwhile. It performs beautifully on downhills, and isn't too much to haul up the hills, either. Sure, it ended up pricey, but with those components, who am I to complain? You won't regret purchasing one of these babies. Mine had to sit in the shop for a solid month until I could pick it up, and everyone wanted to buy it right there. Be the envy of.. everyone. I demoed other bikes, but this one's my baby. Anyone who rides western singletrack and craves dual suspension will love this bike. I'm on a 19" frame, and I'm 6' 170lbs
Similar Products Used: Bontrager Hardtail, Gary Fisher Advance (turned into single speed)
Bike Setup: Marzocchi MXR Fork, RaceFace crankset and BB, RaceFace XY Post, Easton Bar, Shimano Pedals, XTR shifters, derailleurs and cassette, Salsa stem, Chris King NoThreadSet, Avid Mech Disk Brakes, Avid levers, Mavic disk rims on Shimano hubs
Strengths: Light stiff frame, great paint job and lockout
Weaknesses: Jacks a little under hard braking with v-brakes. I just gotta quit braking so much. Also disappointed in RM customer service on website. E-mailed them twice with no response.
Bottom Line:
This is my first (and probably last) dedicated XC racing bike. I bought it specifically for racing and enjoyed it the whole season. It made me a better rider all around, especially climbing. This bike feels more nimble on the road than my road bike. It has kinda ruined my Giant AC1 for me. Now that bike feels loose, heavy and sloppy. My only other complaint is that I have marred the beautiful finish on both sides of the top tube from ramming brake levers when crashing.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi MXC-ECC, Chris King Headset, Thompson post and stem, XT drivetrain except XTR rear der.
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Submitted by
Philip
a Cross Country Rider
from Vilvoorde
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2002
Strengths: Probably the stiffest full suspension XC frame around right now.
Weaknesses: None so far. But Rocky should make an intermediate frame size between 16.5" and 18". 16.5" was too small for me but 18" just a very little bit too large. A 17.5" would have been the top.
Bottom Line:
I have owned this bike for almost a year now and have made 5500 km on it. It's pretty light for a full suspension (12kg). It feels very light when riding, especially uphill. Great climber. Extremely stiff full suspension frame.It came with a Fox Float RL which has been great for me. Rather expensive though, especially here in Belgium, Europe. No troubles so far. Normal yearly maintenance of front/rear shock. If you are looking for a strong, light full suspension bike but you don't dare to buy one because you've always ridden a hardtail, then go for the Rocky Instinct!!!
Bike Setup: Marzo Marathon S 2002, Hope Mini disc, XT front/rear, SRAM Rocket shifters, Shimano 575 disc wheelset, rest is all Race Face (goof stuff).
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Marquette
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2002
Strengths: Awesome bike, will take as much abuse as you can handle to throw at it. I've beat on mine for almost a year now, and not one major breakdown. All things that were my fault, and not Rocky's.
Weaknesses: Magura Disk Brakes
Bottom Line:
This is the best bike I have ever owned. Rocky is one of the best bike manufacturers around. They may be a little on the pricey side, but it is well worth it for quality.
Strengths: Fairly light frame, decent standover hight, very versatile. Despite its light weight, the ability to absorb reasonable amounts of punishment is there.
Weaknesses: Not enough travel, noticeable flex around the bb when you are really leaning into it. The geometry is a little too aggresive for some.
Bottom Line:
I've had this bike for close to 2 years now and its been good to me. For a first FS bike it was great and allowed me to take my riding to new levels. In order to keep a movin' on up I need something with more travel that can take more punishment. I still want to keep this ride so I can use it on those nice easy type rides or long distance type stuff. All in all another great product from RM, highly recommended.
I am quite confused as to which bike to purchase. I am looking to get a HT bike for road and easy trail riding. I am not planning to do any jumps or drops. I wanted something more Read More »
Hey all, I asked this in another thread, but maybe that way a hijack, I'll ask in a new thread. Does anyone know if Price Point plans to sell the Instinct as just a frame?
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I'm 5'6 and the medium looks a little long, 23.3" ETT. What happened to the small/16" settes?
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