Rocky Mountain's new Instinct for 2018

140mm trail bikes, the Instinct and Pipeline updated

Rachael Wight

Aug 24 2017

Canadian company Rocky Mountain has updated the Instinct, their 29er trail bike and the 27.5"+ Pipeline.

The latest version of the Instinct claims improved stiffness, better pedalling efficiency, and also better small bump sensitivity. This latest bike makes use of 140mm travel (was 130mm in 2017) and 29er wheels. The Pipeline uses 27.5" plus wheels and the same suspension platform.The bikes are available in carbon and aluminum and will feature Rocky Mountains Ride-9 flip chip, where nine different configurations of two interlocking chips provide nine different geometry settings.

New Instinct Geometry

Slacker head angle by 0.6 of a degree in low position
Steeper seat tube angle by 1.9 degrees in low position
Longer reach across the range by between 41 and 50mm
Longer wheelbase across the range, between 29 and 36mm
Seat tube length the same on all but Small size

Instinct Carbon 70

Instinct Carbon 70 - $5,299 USD

Instinct Carbon 50

Instinct Carbon 50: £3,999.99

Instinct Alloy 70 / 50

Instinct Alloy 50: $3,199 USD / Instinct Alloy 70: $4,199 USD

Instinct Carbon 90 BC Edition

There will also be a long travel 'BC Edition' of the Instinct which features a full carbon frame, wider rims, wider bar and shorter stem and more travel - 155m at the rear, paired with 160mm forks.

Instinct Carbon 90 BC Edition: £5,499.99

Pipeline Carbon 50

Pipeline Carbon 50: £4,199

Pipeline Alloy 50

Also new for 2018, the plus sized Pipeline shares a frame with the Instinct and therefore very similar geometry. This bike will also be available in carbon and alloy in a range of specs as per the Instinct above.

Pipeline Alloy $3,249 USD

Pipeline geometry

In the UK the bikes are available from Greenover Sports who will be stocking the carbon versions of the Instinct but unfortunately not alloy versions. Check out their site for more information on the models available. Pricing shown above for the bikes available in the UK.

Visit Rocky Mountain at www.bikes.com for more info

Author block

Previously Editor here at off-road.cc, Rachael is happiest on two wheels. Partial to a race or two Rachael also likes getting out into the hills with a big bunch of mates. In the past Rachael has written for publications such as, Enduro Mountain Bike Magazine, Mountain Biking UK, Bike Radar, New Zealand Mountain Biker and was also the online editor for Spoke magazine in New Zealand too. For as long as she's been riding, she has been equally happy getting stuck into a kit review as she is creating stories or doing the site admin. When she's not busy with all the above she's roasting coffee or coaching mountain biking in the Forest of Dean.