Mountain bikes that have the ability to run plus tire sizes have continued to be the buzz over the last year. Skepticism of a bouncy sluggish ride similar to fat bikes seems to be what riders are most apprehensive about when considering plus tired bikes or as some call – mid fat. I was definitely one that shared these thoughts, but the more I ride plus tires, the more I see their value in adding big fun to my ride with minimal negative traits.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles introduced the 2017 http://www.bikes.com/ at Sea Otter this year and we had the opportunity to take a couple out to see how they compared to the other plus bikes we’ve ridden. The http://www.bikes.com/ is targeted at trial riders with 130mm of rear travel and 150 mm of front travel.
Looking at the geometry numbers, there’s nothing too exciting going on – throw a leg over the bike and the shortish top tube and longish seat stays aren’t immediately apparent. The lack of agility didn’t seem to hold back this machine though.
FUN was the one thing that was most noticeable. The ability to take bad rutted lines, brake way too late and compress the oversized tires to spring off and over roots and rocks is impressive. The 2.8″ Maxxis Rekon tires rolled fast, yet had tenacious traction in the corners and while pedaling up dusty hardback trails. The suspension both front and rear appeared to be very well balanced as well and plusher than a normal 130mm travel bike with normal sized tires.
The build on this http://www.bikes.com/ is one things that definitely stands out at $4799 – Carbon mainframe, XT drivetrain and brakes along with Fox Factory 34 and DPS Evol rear shock impress. The Rocky Mountain Pipeline offers a great package as long as you don’t look to close at the geometry numbers. The value in a smartly spec’ed package and fun factor are impressive.
