no more XCO bike from Rocky Mountain then.....

 

Can’t confirm that.
Right now the element is 120r 100r with a 100/100 xco specific version
I didn’t inquire if they would still have an xco version for 2022 as that wasn’t my jam so had no reason to ask. I would be surprised if there was not.

 

That’s something to look forward too! No aluminum builds?

 

That's something to look forward too! No aluminum builds?

confirmed there will be alloy builds.
looks like late sept/early oct deliver in Canada at least

 

I was after a c50 slx build so didn’t inquire about alloy unfortunately
Apparently more info will be out before May to the public.

 

I already have mine on order. It's orange C50 is all the shop told me about it when I ordered.

Needing a XC+/Stage race bike. Looks like that may not be my ideal bike if the travel is that much..

 

I already have mine on order. It's orange C50 is all the shop told me about it when I ordered.

Needing a XC+/Stage race bike. Looks like that may not be my ideal bike if the travel is that much..

It's the same platform and efficiency in theory, so not sure if an extra combined 30mm of travel will make or break it. I'm more excited about updated geo vs the travel increase tbh

 

If they offer an A50 build, I might just want to go ahead and get one next year. I'm not too sure about carbon, and the price for a secondary bike would be too high to justify.
I am subbing to the thread for when more information about the bike gets released.

 

yes to the alloy 50.
wouldn't or couldn't give all the details. one shop said they were order only vs general store stock and had decent demand, the other shop i called had some on the way without deposits.

 

67 degree ha would seem a bit steep for a bike like this - it seems designed to compete directly with Ripley, Trail 429, Spur, Tallboy, all of which are slacker. I'm waiting for a new Ripley carbon with the 65.5 ha of the AF model. I'd get the Trail 429 but hate the idea of superboost wheel incompatibility. Spur doesn't have a rear pivot and Tallboy is pretty heavy. I'd also consider the new Element, but not if it is 67 ha - that's like the Epic Evo, and its not quite slack enough for fun short travel trail bike in my opinion, but too slack for ideal XC race handling. 69 is ideal for racing XC courses where priority is fast cornering and steep drops are uncommon and 66-65 is ideal for having fun on trails where you are willing to give up some cornering speed for a bit more confidence on super steep stuff and bigger drops (that rarely occur on an XC race course). In my opinion, 67-68 is a no-mans land that I'd rather avoid.

 

Since it's a Rocky It will have ride 9 I imagine, so 67* will be Neutral. I'd imagine it to have a 66-68* shift depending on where the chip is.

 

Any more news on this, what carbon builds will there be? I am looking for a replacement for my 2018 Element t.o for stage racing. I hope they will have a shorter travel version for racing, 130mm is a bit much for me.

 

I don’t have any more info atm sorry

 

@arca_tern Have you heard anything more on this? I have heard a little whispers too, but nothing definitive. This has high potential to be a top contender for a new bike for myself.

 

If you're looking for a great XC/DC trail bike, I'd suggest keeping it on your radar. Seems like its gonna be a capable rocket. Can't wait for mine to come in.

 

True, but I'd love information on what I'm getting.

 

What are you wondering about? An embargo exists on it, so I can't post specs, and I haven't even seen what it looks like, but if the hype is real, it's going to be great- like a mix of old Instinct and new Element.
Do you have a local Rocky Mountain dealer? They might be able to tell you some things if you promise to not leak any details, they're strict about embargoes, but information should be publicly released by late August, and the bikes should ship (fingers crossed) by October.
Since my Altitude was supposed to ship in August last year and didn't arrive until December, maybe they'll be here in March. However, if your shop has one in your size on its way, they can tell you the model tier, and if it's coming in your size. I pre-ordered mine because I know that by the time they are built up they will probably all be sold.

 

I chatted with my local shop, and they reached out to their rm rep. They said the earliest we will be able to get one is January 1st. I can get a deposit in for a c30 build, the base carbon model, which would be the one they can get the quickest.

No details on what it will look like geo etc..

 

I chatted with my local shop, and they reached out to their rm rep. They said the earliest we will be able to get one is January 1st. I can get a deposit in for a c30 build, the base carbon model, which would be the one they can get the quickest.

No details on what it will look like geo etc..

I wonder if my LBS told me an earlier date because they had already ordered a batch of them. I have my name on a A50 but that's all I know, I don't know how much it's going to cost either, I just know the name of the color and that's it.

 

Shop wont tell me anything other than it's Orange and a C50. They said October, but that was the end of Feb. I just want to see more info on spec, travel, geo. The shop is an hour away so it's not the easiest to get out and talk to the manager that set this up for me.

 

Looks from the thread that Geo will include an adjustable 66-67 or so headangle, i'd reckon a 75* or so seat angle from trends (Steeper than the current instinct)
130/120mm travel, so I'd imagine it would use a 34 of some sort, maybe a Pike.
As for build kit, that's up in the air given Malaysia and Japan have both shut down again. I'd hope 50=SLX, 70=XT, 90=XTR but who knows if they'll need to switch to SRAM (bleh) if needed.

I'd imagine there will be Maxxis tires (im curious myself what tread), but probably faster rolling.
These are all educated guesses, I think a lot comes down to the fact that they don't know what spec they will put on these bikes yet.

 

Travel is 130/120
Hta is ~67

 

Thanks for the info. Can you expand on how they gave you these geo numbers?

 

Chatted again with the boys. They don’t have spec sheets or geo charts or anything at the shop. Apparently Rocky wants this to be a big release and are being tight lipped. They only have model names, rough pricing, and colors of each build. Sept 1 is when they think it will go like to bike media, they have their first models (alloys, some carbon) scheduled for Nov 1

 

Shop doesn't have any more info, still quoted as October ship date based on their Rocky Rep.

 

So any news?

 

Nothing yet, fingers crossed we will know more by early October

 

My LBS said that they ordered their 2022's last fall. Asia factories are just reopening and at 60% capacity. Shipping containers were 5k to ship now at 20-25k.
So if you want one put in a deposit. Prepare to pay more than you were quoted. Be patient because they will be late.
If you get fed up and try another brand you will mostly be in the same boat.
RM probably wont release spec until the last minute as availability will change over time.
If one is for sale in the showroom don't think about it as it will be gone tomorrow.

I wonder how much manufacturing pull a small company like RM has. We think of them as big but compared to Spec/Giant/Trek they are small potatoes.

 

My LBS said that they ordered their 2022's last fall. Asia factories are just reopening and at 60% capacity. Shipping containers were 5k to ship now at 20-25k.
So if you want one put in a deposit. Prepare to pay more than you were quoted. Be patient because they will be late.
If you get fed up and try another brand you will mostly be in the same boat.
RM probably wont release spec until the last minute as availability will change over time.
If one is for sale in the showroom don't think about it as it will be gone tomorrow.

I wonder how much manufacturing pull a small company like RM has. We think of them as big but compared to Spec/Giant/Trek they are small potatoes.

They're usually late, that's just how it goes. The only time a RM has arrived on time for me it was three months early and since I was a student at the time I didn't have the funds to buy it just yet since I figured it would be late.

However that is nothing to blame Rocky for. I wasn't quoted a price for mine, I just picked the A50 trim. I'm hoping that they'll come with Shimano. I finally sold my last Sram bike this summer and I don't want to have to deal with those brakes ever again.

 

My LBS (Alberta, Canada) gave me the following objective info re 2022 RM Element. (I admit isn't much)
-They will order: specs A10, A30, A50, and C50.

The other info given to me which is not v. concrete:
-The LBS manager looked at the geometry and bike specs and thought it was a superb bike so had ordered "tons" of them. Sounded like put in as big of an order as the LBS was able to as the manager was betting on this bike being extremely popular
-Given that the Thunderbolt had been removed from the lineup, the new Element is a bit of a blend of the old T-bolt and Element
-"if you like bright colors, you'll really like this one" (I was in with my bright colored bike)
-RM is doing a press release in September
-My LBS wasn't going to attempt to give an ETA for delivery as there is so much uncertainty and the past year there have been so many delays

That doesn't add a lot but it's in line with the other info already mentioned

 

My LBS (Alberta, Canada) gave me the following objective info re 2022 RM Element. (I admit isn't much)
-They will order: specs A10, A30, A50, and C50.

The other info given to me which is not v. concrete:
-The LBS manager looked at the geometry and bike specs and thought it was a superb bike so had ordered "tons" of them. Sounded like put in as big of an order as the LBS was able to as the manager was betting on this bike being extremely popular
-Given that the Thunderbolt had been removed from the lineup, the new Element is a bit of a blend of the old T-bolt and Element
-"if you like bright colors, you'll really like this one" (I was in with my bright colored bike)
-RM is doing a press release in September
-My LBS wasn't going to attempt to give an ETA for delivery as there is so much uncertainty and the past year there have been so many delays

That doesn't add a lot but it's in line with the other info already mentioned

Cool! Thank you! Seeing the RM aluminium frames being a tad heavy (like all others'), I am wondering why there wouldn't be more carbon models? In the end, this model should appeal to the XC/DC customers, who usually look more at weight than the enduro crowd.

 

The 2020 A50 Instinct was 0.9 pounds heavier than the C50 FWIW. I'm guessing the Elements would be similar in weight difference.

The LBS in the actual town I'm in just picked up Rocky (after changing ownership), he dropped a 2023 preseason order since 22 is sold out, but he said Sept. press releases and end of Sept or Early Oct for shipping existing orders.

The shop my order is with is still hearing the same shipping date, they told me as we were doing some Fred related trail assessments in Pisgah. This was before I talked to the newest Rocky dealer in the area.

 

The 2020 A50 Instinct was 0.9 pounds heavier than the C50 FWIW. I'm guessing the Elements would be similar in weight difference.

Do you all think this will be the general rule of thumb for the new Element Alloy compared to Carbon?

I read 5.07lbs for the medium carbon frameset (w/ shock), so about 6lbs for the aluminum?

That seems too light, given that a medium Ripley AF frameset weighs 7.5lbs. I'd bet the new Element in aluminum is 7lbs frame.

It's impressive how light some of the new carbon downcountry/trail bike frames are nowadays, Spur, Stumpy, apparently this new Element. Makes me wonder if in three years we'll be seeing "new beefed up frame to address the flex you all complained about."

In the meantime, if the new Element's
aluminum frame actually ends up being pretty light, seems like a bargain to buy a cheap build, atrip and sell low end part for a couple of hundred bucks, and build with decent parts bin leftovers.

Or maybe even better, in a year or two when the alu 2022's start to hit used market, pick one up cheap and build it up fun.

 

TRIMS
I put down a deposit for a C30 model! Between my 2 LBS Rocky dealers there are the A10, A20, A30, A50, C30, C50 trims available. I am guessing RM would make higher trims as well.

COLORS
-My C30 model color code is: CB/BK. Store thought CB was gold based on other models.
-C50 was also available in color code: OR. We guessed that is orange
-A30 and A50 (I didn't ask about A10) color code was: BK
In retrospect, I think there is more to the colors. I was losing mental stamina with all the detective work with how limited info is. Looking online at the Instinct and Altitude those come in 2-tone colors.

Way more unknowns than known info right now. I'm happy to have one on refundable deposit and I'll wait for the press release to see the actual details! I took a screenshot of the order. C30 model price $5250.

 

 

View attachment 1945493

I went for the OR/OR A50. I remember the 2019? Element alloy was offered in an orange, and that colorway was one of my favorites.

I still don't know how much its' going to cost, or when I should expect to see it, but fingers crossed it's going to be "soon".

Honestly I've only been riding enduro bikes for the last 6-7 years. Slayer, Instinct BC, Altitude. This feels just like my Instinct BC, but lighter so it climbs faster and descends similar if it isn't to rough or step. I love the geo! I think the Spur is super light and flies, but I haven't rode any of the modern XC bikes to compare it too. I hope to get back into endurance racing/riding while still doing some enduro races next year and hope the Element fits the bill for the endurance stuff and I have the Altitude for the enduro stuff. If not I'll keep the Spur for the endurance stuff.

(there will be bosses for two water bottle cages- I know that much).

Otherwise, I have a feeling that the Element will be a good balance to the Altitude. While it will be more aggressive than the current model, it should keep the more efficient pedaling dynamics. rather than going the route of the Instinct. My ultimate hope is that it will be a spiritual successor to the original 29er Instinct. I had a 2016 Instinct that was great practically everywhere, but I needed a bigger bike for park riding, and sold it.

 

CB might be carbon
but that would be a murdered out look and not "bright colors "

probably Celeste Blue and Black

 

I got a C90 with my name on it! I went all out, have no idea on price, spec, geo, color. I would love to see some shade of blue on black! My LBS is saying late September it will debut and, at least mine, will ship late January. That works for me since I live in Montana and riding this bike will be late March or later anyway. The plan is this will replace my Transition Spur. Hoping for similar geo, better build, lighter weight and two water bottle cages.

 

The spur seems to be in super high demand and loved, but more "mini-enduro" than "king travel xc". Has that been your experience?

 

Does anyone know if it is roughly the same suspension layout? I put my name on whatever carbon Shimano one my lbs pre-ordered…