[axcooper]

Sorry, another comparison thread. I've been looking at new bikes lately and it's come down to these two. I won't have a chance to take them out on any trails, so my only riding is around the streets and over whatever bumpy ground I can find. I've read every review and forum post and these bikes I can find. I can see pros to both, so I figured I'd put it to the crowd to help me decide.

Pros of the RM Altitude (in order or importance):
- Ride 9 technology
- $200 cheaper
- Sram X9 rear derailleur (vs X7)
- Internal cable routing

Pros of the Devinci
- Rockshox Pike front fork
- A little lighter
- Lifetime warranty on the frame
- I like the LBS that carries Devinci more than the one that carries RM
- It looks nicer

I'd love to hear from anyone that has experience on both bikes.

 

[Djg24]

For the Pike alone the Troy is worth it. A fork is one of the most expensive things to upgrade and such an important component for the bikes handling and performance.

 

[Mikecito]

I have a Troy, so I'm biased, but the Pike is a really great fork. Well worth the extra money.

 

[axcooper]

Thanks guys. I ended up going with the Altitude because the LBS offered to throw in a stealth Reverb dropper post, which was a deal that was too good to pass up.

 

[tokarsky268]

Congrats. I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. I have ridden both. You'll love the Altitude. I'd go with the Troy, but it's splitting hairs.

 

[babooski92]

Hey tokarsky why would you go with the troy?
I demoed an altitude and really liked it but the troy looks sweet and might be a better climber?
plus the troy xp carbon build looks like such a deal.

 

[BenHolloway]

I did not demo a troy... I rode a trek remedy 8,Yeti SB-75 and a RM altitude... I wound up with the Altitude 750, I think the bike was just better all around with the trek coming in second. I don't notice any poor climbing characteristics...

 

[tokarsky268]

I am biased because I bought a Troy. That being said, I got to ride my brother's new Altitude 750 MSL the other day. It was sweet. The Ride 9 thing was impressive. The STA was high to optimize climbing yet the HTA was slack to optimize descending. The bike was nicely customized with carbon wheels, 1x10 drivetrain and a couple more that escape me. The Troy's STA is 2 degrees more slack and the HTA was the same( with the Ride 9 setting it was in).Because of this there is a tendency to want to get out to the saddle on climbs on the Troy and sit and spin on the Altitude. I still do mostly sit and spin, and that's fine. Comparing the two, you can feel the difference in STA. The Altitude has more of an XC posture and the Troy has a more upright stance. Both have low slung top tubes which let you throw both around pretty effortlessly. However, the Altitude is a little lower.

They were about equally firm with the rear shock wide open under hard out of the saddle pedaling. I feel like there was a more immediate transfer of power with the Troy, but not a tremendous amount. The biggest thing that would make me lean towards the Troy was the suspension spec. The Alitude came with a Fox 34 and CTD evolution in the rear. I have a Carbon XP, so it has a Pike in the front and a Factory CTD in the rear. The smoothness of the suspension and all around performance was significantly better. The Troy had a more linear travel feel, which it should given that it's essentially a well executed single pivot. It's very similar to the Trek Remedy in design I believe. The Altitude has a more progressive travel. That's personal preference for sure, but I prefer the linear feel.

Aesthetics wise, I prefer the Troy. The bare carbon weave is freaking gorgeous. That being said, the Altitude fit and finish are really really nice as well.

Bang for your buck-wise, I give the nod to the Troy. Both are a good deal, but for $3500 MSRP with a carbon frame, Pike, and Factory RP23; its a tough package to beat.

Depending on where you live, they have boutique appeal. I get lots of comments and compliments on the Troy, which feels good from a vanity perspective.

One issue on the Rockys is creaking. I've heard from some others that there's an issue with it, and my bro is currently trying to diagnose his. The Troy so far is silent, but I've heard some people complain about it hear and there as well.

You could make a case for either being the better.

The Pros and cons about the Altitude are: Adjustability, slightly lower top tube, progressive suspension, firm under hard saddle efforts, sweet graphics, matte finish. Really the only cons are the suspension spec( still good but not as good as the Troy), and the creaking.

For the Troy the pros are the suspension smoothness, firm under pedaling, linear suspension( a plus for me), drop dead gorgeous, and the XP/carbon frame spec. The negatives are glossy finish(which I anticipate with show scratches more), more slack seat tube angle(which doesn't bother me).

My Troy doesn't have a dropper and the Altitude did, but I just need to shell out for it once finances line up.

As the inevitable questions about sizing come up after Bike Mag trashed the Troy because of sizing, I am on a medium with a 30-31 inch inseam and am 5'9.5.

I hope this was helpful for any one interested. Both are great bikes, so either way you won't make a bad decision. The Troy is getting more love on the forums, but the Altitude is a freaking sweet bike, and I'm surprised there isn't more buzz about it. Feel free to PM with any other questions. Have a great day everyone.

 

[axcooper]

I've taken the Altitude out for one ride so far, so I can't say too much about it yet. I will say it climbs way better than the Specialized Enduro I was on the last two years. I'll post more when I get out for a few more rides.

A thing about the sizing: I'm 6'3" with a 34" inseam. I went with an XL Altitude with a shorter (50mm?) stem on it. I found the stock stem a touch too long, but by shortening it a little, it fit great. The large model felt fairly small. For the Devinci, the large felt a little cramped, but not too bad. I tried it with a longer stem and it felt much better. Those Bike Mag people should have tried that. The sizing for both pretty much goes with what the geometry specs show for each bike. I really liked the idea of the Ride9 technology on the Altitude and being able to really dial in the bike, though how much I use it remains to be seen.

I had a really hard time deciding between the two bikes. When the store offered to throw in a stealth dropper post with the Altitude, I couldn't say no since I didn't see enough of a difference in everything else. Either way, I figured I couldn't go wrong with either bike, so I went with the slightly cheaper one so I have more money to spend on the inevitable maintenance (and beer).

 

[tokarsky268]

Hard to say no to a reverb stealth. I'm pining after one myself. Have fun with that sweet bike.

 

[fsrxc]

Hard to say no to a reverb stealth. I'm pining after one myself. Have fun with that sweet bike.

When you mentioned seat angle differences, since the Troy XP comes with a setback seatpost, just changing to a straight post will allow you to move the seat forward which can improve balance on steep climbs (much like the Altitude does with steep SA).

 

[beachbum1]

I would agree with everything Tokarsky268 said. Last week we tried out each other's bikes and had a blast. It was the first time we both had a decent amount of time on each other's bikes. I would agree that the Pike is buttery smooth, more so than the Fox 34. Both climbed and descended really well. I also agree that one of the noticeable differences was the tendency to want to sit and spin instead of stand up and mash when climbing. I would assume it is the seat tube angle. Being an old, out of shape old fart, I prefer the sit and spin, but both were very capable. The creaking I can vouch for personally. I didn't notice it until I rode the Troy, then got back on my bike and thought, " Man my bike is creaky." I am happy to report that with some cleaning and re greasing of the pivots that it is as quiet as a mouse. How long it will last, I have no idea. The Rocky dealer that serviced it told me the one other time they had to regrease the pivots for another bike due to creaking was done a year ago and the owner hasn't had any issues since. The ride 9 geometry is legit. It's pretty impressive that with one bike you can have a 68 degree HTA and a 75 degree STA for cross country endeavors and, in ten minutes, switch to a 66 degree HTA and a 73.5 STA for more downhill type pursuits. And you can tell the difference for sure. I started out in the neutral setting, then went all slack, and now I'm coming back a little but and have settled currently on setting 5(67HTA, 74STA) and it feels right to me. It's interesting how Rocky came out with their Straight Up geometry with the higher STA and now other bikes( ie new 27.5 Santa Cruz Nomad) are following suit. For me, it truly is a do it all bike.

UOTE=fsrxc;11156298]When you mentioned seat angle differences, since the Troy XP comes with a setback seatpost, just changing to a straight post will allow you to move the seat forward which can improve balance on steep climbs (much like the Altitude does with steep SA).[/QUOTE]