We launched the new Altitude back in September 2020 - but I’ve been lucky enough to have been riding this bike since last April. My name is Stephen Matthews and I’m the Brand Manager for Rocky Mountain. I look after our content, athletes, and in general, play a role in how our brand shows up in the world. I’ve also been lucky enough to help out our R&D team by logging trail time on pre-production frames and supplying my feedback.

 

When I first built up my Altitude, I knew it would become the go-to bike in my stable, and after 13 months (and 3 very different looks), I can comfortably say that’s true.

 

 

When we first built up the new Altitude frame’s, I knew that our enduro team, The Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team, was keen to take these bikes to the world’s stage before we were ready to launch to the public. We partnered with RideWrap to come up with custom vinyl wraps that allowed the bikes to be ridden in the public eye but hide the paint schemes until we were ready to launch.

 

Build highlights

Frame: Altitude, size XL, RIDE-9 Position 3

Suspension: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate 170mm / RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate

Cockpit: Chromag Cutlass 31.8 770mm / Chromag Ranger 40mm stem / 1.5 Angleset

Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle AXS, 170mm cranks w/ 34T chainring, 10-50t cassette

Brakes: SRAM CODE RSC w/ 200mm rotors

Wheels: Zipp 3ZERO MOTO

Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF MaxxGrip EXO / Minion DHR 2 MaxxTerra EXO+

Seatpost: RockShox Reverb AXS

 

 

 

Jurassic Park came out in 1993 when I was only 5 years old, and my parents took me to see it in theatres which left me completely mind blown. In the years that followed, my grandma only had 3 movies at her house for when we visited; Jurassic Park, The Neverending Story, and Fawlty Towers (taped from TV, of course). By the time we were teenagers we’d worn out the VHS tapes. Now, I’m under no illusion that painting a bike like a Jurassic Park Tour Vehicle was a good idea - but in my defense it was a better idea than buying a Ford Explorer and painting it that way. The guys at Fresh Paints of Whistler entertained my 5-year-old self’s dream…so, ”hold onto your butts”.

 

Changes from previous build

Paint scheme: Jurassic Park Tour Vehicle (1992 Ford Explorer XLT)

Wheels: We Are One Union / SRAM X0 hubs

Tires: Maxxis Assegai MaxxGrip DD / Minion DHF MaxxGrip DD

 

After 8-months of Dino DNA, I’d had enough. The joke had run its course and I just couldn’t stare at the ridiculous paint scheme any longer as I climbed the North Shore mountains in my backyard. Once again, my friends at Fresh Paints of Whistler were there to help make a change (they were surprised I lasted as long as I did). This time, we went with a metallic jade wordmark on a gloss black frame, keeping the T-rex on the top tube in honour of the previous design.

 

Changes from the previous build

Paint scheme: Gloss Black / Metallic Jade

Suspension: FOX 38 170mm / FOX DHX2

Cockpit: OneUp Handlebar 35mm rise / OneUp 50mm stem

Wheels: Race Face Turbine R

 

 

In what was a challenging year for the world, this bike was with me on so many great rides and left me with unforgettable memories from the trail. To this day, it remains as the go-to bike in my quiver and with a fresh coat of paint, it’s ready for another season.