2018 RM Instinct

PB Forum :: Rocky Mountain Bikes
2018 RM Instinct
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flag ddean
O+
Posted: Feb 26, 2019 at 18:25 Quote
I’m debating between a BC Instinct, Slayer and Altitude. Any of them would work for my purpose but I’m primarily looking for a bike to handle nasty steep trails that also pedals pretty well. I have a new Maiden for these trails when I shuttle but I also like the pedal to those trails, and a 2014 Sworks E29, which I love but has a 67.5* hta, which is a little steep for me in some of the places I ride, but it’s an awesome trail bike on all but the steepest stuff.

I’m thinking Slayer is what I want but all the reviews and reports show that an Altitude would be good and the EWS gods are all on Instincts. I prefer 29rs but 27.5 is fine. If the slayer wasn’t such a good reported climber it would be an easier decision, I’d get either of the other two.

Anyone have any advice? I guess I’m looking for an Enduro to ride on DH big bike trails. I’m finding it unusual that one manufacturer makes three bikes that would work! And I love the Maiden so much I just want to stick to Rocky.
flag Svinyard
O+
Posted: Feb 26, 2019 at 18:58 Quote
You'd want to demo the Slayer and Instinct. Slayer is apparently a pretty good pedaler. Instinct def is too. Malamed is just lightening fast on his Instinct with the fork at 170mm now. You'll prob have to just decide on which side of the wheelsize debate you are on. That Yeti SB150 looks pretty fast down and pedals well I hear, hta is slacker side. I saw all of the rear wheel rub issues from the flexy backend tho... makes me wonder for that much money.
flag Rockyrdwarrior
Posted: Feb 27, 2019 at 14:29 Quote
I’m here in NC still waiting for rain to stop so l can demo an Instinct a couple hours away but would love to checkout the Slayer. I’m 6ft and 270 and looking at the Kona Process 153 CR (not s fan on the color/builds), Ripmo, and maybe Slayer after marking off the Rallon, Mach 5.5/6.

Curious to know from others which bikes would pedal or feel as stable with a bigger guy like myself.
flag DonLopez
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 6:06 Quote
If you get that test ride, see how much PSI is required in the rear shock for proper sag. My Fox Float X CTD on my 2014 Altitude runs about 210-220 PSI and I weigh 190. In climb mode, I still get some pedal bob, but the bike climbs great. At 270, my rear shock would probably require the limit (I think 300 PSI) for the right sag. My forks only require 45-50 PSI and totally lockout in climb mode.
flag hbbdiesel
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 6:16 Quote
spend 2 seasons on a altitude c70 2018
ride the slayer many time ,lot of my riding buddy have slayer.
current bike is a 2019 Instint BC.
the altitude and slayer are in the same league in my book,lot of fun and very supple and compliant
the instinct is a very different animal suspension-wise, it a very fast bike more precise and nimble fell lot smaller and light and stiff(rear end)compared to the other 2.climb like a goat.(30% sag is the sweet spot).
test the 3 of them before you made your choice.
it very difficult to give advise because it will depend on the terrain you ride, style and fitness .
you are in the right way whit any of those 3 bikes.
cheer
flag eastsidecycleworkswa
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 7:35 Quote
hbbdiesel wrote:
spend 2 seasons on a altitude c70 2018
ride the slayer many time ,lot of my riding buddy have slayer.
current bike is a 2019 Instint BC.
the altitude and slayer are in the same league in my book,lot of fun and very supple and compliant
the instinct is a very different animal suspension-wise, it a very fast bike more precise and nimble fell lot smaller and light and stiff(rear end)compared to the other 2.climb like a goat.(30% sag is the sweet spot).
test the 3 of them before you made your choice.
it very difficult to give advise because it will depend on the terrain you ride, style and fitness .
you are in the right way whit any of those 3 bikes.
cheer

I have ridden Instinct, Altitude and Slayer too.

I think you nailed it by saying "the instinct is a very different animal suspension-wise, it a very fast bike more precise and nimble fell lot smaller and light ".

Thats exactly how I would have described it
flag Svinyard
O+
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 8:54 Quote
Another thought is to try the Instinct 140mm. It's a very sweet bike. Last time I traded messages with Malamed, he had switched to the 140mm rear link/shock and was running a 170mm 36 fork lol. Said he loved it and BB height was a non-issue. Mine is a mini-BC custom build with 140mm dpx2 and Fox 36 grip2 at 150mm. Pretty dang capable. Hta is around 65.7 or something like that. If that Enduro was half-way working, the mini-BC would be awesome and pedals EXTREMELY well.
flag ddean
O+
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 11:11 Quote
Thank you all!

I think that I had come to the conclusion that a Slayer and a slacked out Altitude would be similar, with the exception of travel (which isn't a big factor for me) and perhaps the Altitude would be more flexible. The Instincts sound like theyre FAST bikes that in the right hands can handle nasty terrain, but theyre less forgiving than the other two, which would impact me as Im no EWS god.

My terrain? This would be a bike to pedal up Cypress when I wanted to pedal up but ride down 5th or Dirty Harry or other steepish trails that I shuttle on my DH bike. I don't really come across terrain anywhere else on the Shore that is a problem (and I live on Cypress so I spend most of my time there) and the DH bike is my Park bike. I end up skipping the nasty parts on the grossest trails when I pedal up with my E29 as its hta is a bit too steep for me on those and it had a 125 dropper which wasn't nearly enough (recently replaced to a 170), so basically Im looking for a bike that will pedal up to DH trails. And when I say DH trials, Im talking about DH trails on the North Shore - NASTY!!!!

Since Im not going to be racing this bike, and speed isn't a factor, Im leaning towards the Slayer because it will enable more terrain than an Instinct...Altitude is the wild card...but even then the Instinct would probably work too - but maybe less so. Theyre all awesome bikes, probably no bad choice. Itll come down to what bike I find the best deal on, but Im thinking slayer is the BEST choice of the three good/great choices.
flag howie286
FL
Posted: Feb 28, 2019 at 22:42 Quote
ddean wrote:
Thank you all!

I think that I had come to the conclusion that a Slayer and a slacked out Altitude would be similar, with the exception of travel (which isn't a big factor for me) and perhaps the Altitude would be more flexible. The Instincts sound like theyre FAST bikes that in the right hands can handle nasty terrain, but theyre less forgiving than the other two, which would impact me as Im no EWS god.

My terrain? This would be a bike to pedal up Cypress when I wanted to pedal up but ride down 5th or Dirty Harry or other steepish trails that I shuttle on my DH bike. I don't really come across terrain anywhere else on the Shore that is a problem (and I live on Cypress so I spend most of my time there) and the DH bike is my Park bike. I end up skipping the nasty parts on the grossest trails when I pedal up with my E29 as its hta is a bit too steep for me on those and it had a 125 dropper which wasn't nearly enough (recently replaced to a 170), so basically Im looking for a bike that will pedal up to DH trails. And when I say DH trials, Im talking about DH trails on the North Shore - NASTY!!!!

Since Im not going to be racing this bike, and speed isn't a factor, Im leaning towards the Slayer because it will enable more terrain than an Instinct...Altitude is the wild card...but even then the Instinct would probably work too - but maybe less so. Theyre all awesome bikes, probably no bad choice. Itll come down to what bike I find the best deal on, but Im thinking slayer is the BEST choice of the three good/great choices.


Hey Dean,

I've been on a 2018 altitude C70 for about 14 months, and I've had a slayer c90 for the last 3.

I've started racing a few enduros, ride a lot of mellow trail but get out to big mountains whenever possible. Slayer takes the cake for me. I loved my altitude, tried it long shocked as the EWS team had it, but liked it better with a dpx2 in 210x55.

I ride the slayer in the steep setting (65.8 HA and 74.8 Sa Or thereabouts) and it's a great all round bike. I actually like it a lot more for enduro - I disagree above with the comparison of the altitude and slayer both being composed and the instinct being a firmer, faster and efficient ride. The difference between slayer and altitude is big - bigger than alot of things I've read and I've got good understanding on both. After riding both I'm baffled the team doesn't race the slayer more often. For how good it pedals (in the steep setting it's every bit as good as the altitude) it's a weapon downhill. My local loops are best suited to a 130ish mm 29" and the slayer still is more than OK to play trail bike for those.

Ive also raced DH on it, and with it in slack mode I can keep up with buddies who are just as fast enduro riders, yet have V10s, Demo's etc. For dh.

The altitude on the other hand... Holy smokes that's a good bike. I've had no troubles riding it on all the rowdier trails around the locations I've been, and it is a boat load of fun. It's light, poppy, playful, has INSANE traction, especially when set up right (volume spacer is critical and cush core all the way - turns it into a full.on traction factory). I don't think it's any more efficient than the slayer, nor quicker even on mellower trails. It just gives a different experience.

I'd opt for the slayer as a one bike/everyday ride for an aggressive rider. As said, it pedals unreal for what it is, has quite a jump in frame stiffness and is super versatile between aggressive everyday bike and double duty as a DH or park rig should it need to fill those shoes for a day or 3. I just did 2 weeks in NZ, and every ride I did was over 1k in vert incl. 2k at the Christchurch ews Oceania round. It can pedal all day and is more than capable of back country missions, particularly with lighter casing tires and a small ring up front.


Hope that all helps, feel free to contact me if you need more help
flag ddean
O+
Posted: Mar 1, 2019 at 8:14 Quote
Thank you so much for taking the time to type that out Howie - that is super helpful.
flag eastsidecycleworkswa
Posted: Mar 7, 2019 at 14:52 Quote
I have a C70 on order.

I am going to get a meatier rear shock for this bike. What shock size does the 140mm version use?

I see 210x55 ... but on another forum there were a few references to 210x60.

Can someone confirm for sure
flag Svinyard
O+
Posted: Mar 7, 2019 at 15:47 Quote
I built a C70. The dpx2 I have is 210x55
flag eastsidecycleworkswa
Posted: Mar 7, 2019 at 16:00 Quote
Svinyard wrote:
I built a C70. The dpx2 I have is 210x55

Thank You very much
flag Rockyrdwarrior
Posted: Mar 9, 2019 at 9:57 Quote
Is anyone buying just the (BC) frame with shock to make their own custom build?

I’m heading to a RM demo in a cpl weeks and most likely want to build up my own with a fox Factory 36/DPX2.
flag Svinyard
O+
Posted: Mar 9, 2019 at 11:27 Quote
Yeah I did exactly that. It's freaking awesome. One of the special things about this bike is that it's really light, pedals super well (especially 140 version) and with a 36 jacked up to 150mm or so with dhf 2.5...becomes a pretty amazing all-around bike thats awesome. My custom XL with dpx2/36 big dhf/dhr2 and 170mm dropper it's literally 29lbs. It's freaking nice. Lots of XL are pushing 32lbs with that.

I don't think it's an insane 170mm Enduro sled, however this bike has gone faster on nasty terrain than perhaps any other bike, all at the hands of Jesse Malemed. He's got a custom 140mm with 170mm 36 up front. If you haven't seen him fly on it recently, you are missing out.

Part of me also likes that it isn't longer, but isn't short. It's kind of inbetween the new bikes like Ripmo/Yeti and older bikes like a Switchblade/Hightower. I'm not an Enduro racer but am tall at 6-4. With 29in wheels and a 36, it's plenty capable but the somewhat moderate geo it's more fun and poppy.

 


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