Yeah I think they really spec'd it nicely for it's intended purpose. Hopefully one of these years bike companies will figure out that we all want longer dropper posts haha
I have this bike as well, but I have the Fox coil build spec. I have ridden it with the DHX2, Float X and Float X2 with aftermarket off the shelf tune. I found the X2 with an off the shelf tune actually felt the best. The bike is still plush, but it’s a little more supportive. I have also found the steepest position to be the most well rounded, giving a slightly shorter wheelbase, less progressive kinematic and higher BB, these all contribute to better climbing. I found that shock settings made a huge difference in climbing. If the rebound is too fast, the shock will cycle endlessly. My favourite feature has got to be ditching the back pack for good. Two water bottles and inframe storage is a game changer for big rides!
Thanks for the info! I can definitely see how the shock settings could totally change the feel of this bike. Yeah the ride 2 and 1 positions lower the BB a ton and I definitely get more pedal strikes. Now that I’m done with racing and bike park riding I’m thinking about switching back to that ride 4 position again. So cool to have the ability to adjust geo for the type of rider and different terrain
Rode this past season on one. An absolute monster truck, rode it with the stock X2 and found the rebound was too fast:/ threw a Cane creek tigon and found it was even better with that. Trying the x2 again with 25% sag, thats where i was really happy with the tigon on the bike. Funny you ended up at position 2 because thats where i ended up with it too. My only complaint has been the headset creaks frequently, my best resolution has been tightly wrapping the press in cup with electrical tape where it contacts the carbon.
A monster truck for sure! Crazy how much shock swaps can change the feel of a bike. Oh that’s interesting about the creaking headset. I experienced some of that earlier this year but then it randomly went away 🤷♂️ hoping it doesn’t come back
Great review Mitch! I’m on the same bike, size large and also 5’10” and agree with your review. This bike hauls on fast trails, and just begs you to ride even faster. I’ve also ended up in flip chip position 2 most of the time as it seems to feel the best. But I do find the BB in position 2 very low, so will be experimenting to see if i can get position 3 or 4 feeling as good as 2. And agree that it’s a cumbersome bike on tight trails even with -5mm headset cups. There’s a few tight features that I can’t ride on this bike, that I could ride on my previous bike (trek slash that had a shorter wheelbase of 1243). Seems like Remi Gauvin who is the same height started on a large Altitude sized down to a medium for his race season. I’ve also ordered a 27.5 rear wheel to see if that improves the nimbleness on tight trails. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the Altitude vs Megatower you rode earlier this year? According to geo charts, looks like the large Megatower splits the difference between the large and medium Altitude. Might be the better all rounder?
Thanks for watching! For sure, that ride 2 position drops the BB and I definitely get more pedal strikes. I think I could’ve been fine downsizing on this bike! Yeah the megatower is still a beast of a bike but slightly less so than this one. I felt it climbed and maneuvered a bit better. I’m curious to try a smaller rear wheel too and see if that helps with cornering and maneuverability at all
The vivid tune was stock from Rockshox. I’m sure I could have got a custom tune for this bike to make it feel perfect. But the super deluxe was already tuned for specifically for the bike so it felt better than the vivid without a tune
@@MediocreMitchMTB if you can, please check your tune on the box, should be there. I have been waiting for my new frame altittude and I am wondering which tune should I choose.
Hey man great vid! Originally watched a few vids when you first got this, since I was intersted in the Altitude. But the importer in the country I live in went bankrupt, so we had no real way of buying Rocky Mountain, so I went with a Megatower V2 instead, which I do love. But you're always curious on what you dont have. How would you compare this to the Megatower (I saw you had a Mega before also)? I do quite a lot of pedaling, so the points about this bike not being very efficient makes me doubt getting it. And its probably so similar to the Megatower overall that it makes no point changing frames. But would be interesting to hear if you have any comparisons between the two from an owners perspective.
Hey man! Thanks for watching. The megatower is a great bike and I don’t think you can go wrong there. The megatower and altitude are very similar bikes. When comparing the two I felt the Megatower was just a bit more efficient climbing but not a ton. They’re both heavy enduro bikes after all 🤷♂️ Honestly the suspension designs are quite similar but I feel the altitude is a bit more plush and deep feeling. The megatower felt more supportive and responsive. But you could also change the ride feel quite a bit with how you setup your suspension and whether you’re running a coil or air shock
@@MediocreMitchMTB Thank you for the answer! Yeah from what i've gathered from reviews of both bikes, and some comparisons - Thats kind of exactly what my assumptions have been also. And I already think the Megatower is enough as it is climbing wise, so I might just stick with it. I run a coil+zeb currently. But I do have some Intend suspension on order, both their fork and shock. So will lose probably close to 2lbs/1000grams in weight, and have a much better lockout. And I got another wheelset which I will be putting some faster rolling/harder compound tires on for the longer "trail rides" - And have the agressive setup for bike park days. I still think the Altitude looks so good though. Lets hope they dont go bankrupt with the latest bad news, and maybe i'll get one in a year or two.
interesting, the in frame storage and these 2 pouches are veeeeeery similar to my santa cruz megatower. would be nice to know where you put your airtag because i don't know where i should put mine, although you probably not gonna tell me :D
I'm 5'10". I'm always between medium and large sizes. I went with the large for the extra length and stability. But because of that it's less maneuverable and playful. Sometimes I wish I would've sized down to a medium!
@@MediocreMitchMTB They pushed the fire line back because of the fires. Since Borderline and Bladerunner were on the edge of Post Canyon, they basically got gobbled up.
Haha yeah I suppose it might feel like a great climber compared to some other bikes like the range! I’d say it’s a pretty average climber for a big heavy enduro bike. But maybe my legs are just getting weaker as the years go by 😆
It’s awesome they send this build out with cushcore. If they spec’d a 200 mm dropper they really would have nailed it.
Yeah I think they really spec'd it nicely for it's intended purpose. Hopefully one of these years bike companies will figure out that we all want longer dropper posts haha
Great review! I bought this bike back in October! Love it!
Thanks! Awesome to hear you're loving it! It's been a great bike for me too
I have this bike as well, but I have the Fox coil build spec. I have ridden it with the DHX2, Float X and Float X2 with aftermarket off the shelf tune. I found the X2 with an off the shelf tune actually felt the best. The bike is still plush, but it’s a little more supportive. I have also found the steepest position to be the most well rounded, giving a slightly shorter wheelbase, less progressive kinematic and higher BB, these all contribute to better climbing. I found that shock settings made a huge difference in climbing. If the rebound is too fast, the shock will cycle endlessly. My favourite feature has got to be ditching the back pack for good. Two water bottles and inframe storage is a game changer for big rides!
Thanks for the info! I can definitely see how the shock settings could totally change the feel of this bike. Yeah the ride 2 and 1 positions lower the BB a ton and I definitely get more pedal strikes. Now that I’m done with racing and bike park riding I’m thinking about switching back to that ride 4 position again. So cool to have the ability to adjust geo for the type of rider and different terrain
The subscribe logo is looking CLEAN!
Thanks man! I had been messing around with different little logos for months and finally decided to just keep it simple with that one lol
Great review thank you!
No problem! Thanks for watching
Rode this past season on one. An absolute monster truck, rode it with the stock X2 and found the rebound was too fast:/ threw a Cane creek tigon and found it was even better with that. Trying the x2 again with 25% sag, thats where i was really happy with the tigon on the bike. Funny you ended up at position 2 because thats where i ended up with it too. My only complaint has been the headset creaks frequently, my best resolution has been tightly wrapping the press in cup with electrical tape where it contacts the carbon.
A monster truck for sure! Crazy how much shock swaps can change the feel of a bike. Oh that’s interesting about the creaking headset. I experienced some of that earlier this year but then it randomly went away 🤷♂️ hoping it doesn’t come back
Great review Mitch! I’m on the same bike, size large and also 5’10” and agree with your review. This bike hauls on fast trails, and just begs you to ride even faster. I’ve also ended up in flip chip position 2 most of the time as it seems to feel the best. But I do find the BB in position 2 very low, so will be experimenting to see if i can get position 3 or 4 feeling as good as 2. And agree that it’s a cumbersome bike on tight trails even with -5mm headset cups. There’s a few tight features that I can’t ride on this bike, that I could ride on my previous bike (trek slash that had a shorter wheelbase of 1243). Seems like Remi Gauvin who is the same height started on a large Altitude sized down to a medium for his race season. I’ve also ordered a 27.5 rear wheel to see if that improves the nimbleness on tight trails.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the Altitude vs Megatower you rode earlier this year? According to geo charts, looks like the large Megatower splits the difference between the large and medium Altitude. Might be the better all rounder?
Thanks for watching! For sure, that ride 2 position drops the BB and I definitely get more pedal strikes. I think I could’ve been fine downsizing on this bike!
Yeah the megatower is still a beast of a bike but slightly less so than this one. I felt it climbed and maneuvered a bit better. I’m curious to try a smaller rear wheel too and see if that helps with cornering and maneuverability at all
Nice review! What kind of tune do you use in your vivid?
The vivid tune was stock from Rockshox. I’m sure I could have got a custom tune for this bike to make it feel perfect. But the super deluxe was already tuned for specifically for the bike so it felt better than the vivid without a tune
@@MediocreMitchMTB if you can, please check your tune on the box, should be there. I have been waiting for my new frame altittude and I am wondering which tune should I choose.
Hey man great vid! Originally watched a few vids when you first got this, since I was intersted in the Altitude. But the importer in the country I live in went bankrupt, so we had no real way of buying Rocky Mountain, so I went with a Megatower V2 instead, which I do love. But you're always curious on what you dont have.
How would you compare this to the Megatower (I saw you had a Mega before also)? I do quite a lot of pedaling, so the points about this bike not being very efficient makes me doubt getting it. And its probably so similar to the Megatower overall that it makes no point changing frames. But would be interesting to hear if you have any comparisons between the two from an owners perspective.
Hey man! Thanks for watching. The megatower is a great bike and I don’t think you can go wrong there. The megatower and altitude are very similar bikes. When comparing the two I felt the Megatower was just a bit more efficient climbing but not a ton. They’re both heavy enduro bikes after all 🤷♂️ Honestly the suspension designs are quite similar but I feel the altitude is a bit more plush and deep feeling. The megatower felt more supportive and responsive. But you could also change the ride feel quite a bit with how you setup your suspension and whether you’re running a coil or air shock
@@MediocreMitchMTB Thank you for the answer! Yeah from what i've gathered from reviews of both bikes, and some comparisons - Thats kind of exactly what my assumptions have been also. And I already think the Megatower is enough as it is climbing wise, so I might just stick with it.
I run a coil+zeb currently. But I do have some Intend suspension on order, both their fork and shock. So will lose probably close to 2lbs/1000grams in weight, and have a much better lockout. And I got another wheelset which I will be putting some faster rolling/harder compound tires on for the longer "trail rides" - And have the agressive setup for bike park days.
I still think the Altitude looks so good though. Lets hope they dont go bankrupt with the latest bad news, and maybe i'll get one in a year or two.
interesting, the in frame storage and these 2 pouches are veeeeeery similar to my santa cruz megatower. would be nice to know where you put your airtag because i don't know where i should put mine, although you probably not gonna tell me :D
Yeah I agree the in frame storage and pouches are super similar to the megatower. Haha yeah I’d better not mention on here where mine is stashed 😆
Ancient Lakes?
Mitch, how tall are you? How was the sizing?
I'm 5'10". I'm always between medium and large sizes. I went with the large for the extra length and stability. But because of that it's less maneuverable and playful. Sometimes I wish I would've sized down to a medium!
RIP Bladerunner, Post Canyon
Such a great trail!
@@MediocreMitchMTB One of my favorite Post Canyon trails. Definitely will miss it now that it's gone forever.
@samdoan Was it due to fire damage? Or why is it closed down?
@@MediocreMitchMTB They pushed the fire line back because of the fires. Since Borderline and Bladerunner were on the edge of Post Canyon, they basically got gobbled up.
Man, I thought this bike was a great climber. Maybe that’s because my normal ride is a Norco Range.
Haha yeah I suppose it might feel like a great climber compared to some other bikes like the range! I’d say it’s a pretty average climber for a big heavy enduro bike. But maybe my legs are just getting weaker as the years go by 😆