I decided to pick up mountain biking last summer. I needed to buy a bike but I had some specific requirements that had to be met. First of all, I was on a budget, I wanted something well made, and it had to last. I wanted to ride XC so it had to rally XC. After a lot of research (and a lot of bugging my friends who ride) I landed on the Rocky Mountain Vertex 10. With my budget I could get a lower-end full suspension or a nicer hardtail. I went the hardtail route.

Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 Features

Frame
• FORM 7005 aluminum
• ST3 geometry
• Marzocchi 33 LO fork, 100mm travel w/ lock out

Components

• Shimano XT rear derailleur
• Shimano Deore Rapid Fire 9 speed shifters
• Shimano Deore front derailleur
• Shimano FC-M442 crankset w/ Octalink bottom bracket
• Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
• RMB alloy stem
• RMB xc alloy handlebar
• Shimano 505 clipless pedals
• Shimano cassette

Wheels

• WTB Speed disc XC rims
• Shimano M475 front hub
• WTB ExiWolf tires
• MSRP: $1,500

Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 Review

First things first, I made a couple of changes as soon as I received the bike. I swapped out the Shimano hydraulic brakes for the Avid BB7 mechanical brakes and I swapped the Shimano pedals for some Crank Brothers Candy pedals. Everything else I left as stock.

Rocky Mountain makes a solid bike. The Vertex falls within Rocky Mountain’s “Cross Country” line of bikes. It does fall at the lower end of the Vertex line, however, upon component comparison upgrading to the Vertex 30 wasn’t worth the money in my eyes. The different components on the bike weren’t really worth the price difference in my mind. I don’t really watch weight and middle of the road or slightly better components work for me. I like stuff that works well but isn’t finicky and that’s exactly what I got with the Vertex 10.

The frame is burly, the components decent, and everything has held up so far after two seasons worth of use. I plan getting at least another season in before anything outside of brake pads and tires will even need to be considered for replacement.

The Marzoochi fork gives about 4″ of travel and can fully lock out. Locking out the fork is crucial for climbing and for any smooth riding that needs to be done.

The Shimano XT rear derailleur and Deore front derailleur and shifters fall right in line with how Shimano components perform. After a season worth of use I did need to adjust the rear derailleur but performance has remained consistent.

The bike rides very well, it’s super smooth, can definitely hold its own on the ups and downs. The Vertex 10 is meant to ride fast and you can definitely push it fast. So far I’ve been able to hold my own on XC trails riding with guys on full-suspension bikes.

I have done a comparison of the ’09 to the ’10 model and things really didn’t change all that much. There are some different component combinations but everything is equal.

The Good

• Solid build
• Fast Bike
• Pure XC Goodness

The Bad

• Of course being hardtail the super rough stuff can get tiring on the back & butt
• Could be considered a little heavy (if you’re a weight-nut)

Bottom Line:

Rocky Mountain makes solid bikes and Vertex 10 is no exception. If you are looking for a XC machine and want a hardtail, you can’t go wrong with the Vertex 10.

Buy Now: Pick up the Rocky Mountain Vertex 10

Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain rider, Geoff Kabush, continued his dominance for the 8th straight year after winning the Canadian National XC MTB Championships this weekend. Great work, yet again Mr, Kabush!

It would be easy to surmise that Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain’s Geoff Kabush, having won Canadian National MTB Championships for the last seven years in a row, would cruise to number eight without much difficulty. Those “in the know”, however, predicted a Battle Royale between Kabush and Max Plaxton, the winner of two US Cup races this season. Plaxton, who has finished second to Kabush at several national championships, was hungry to don his first ever national champion’s jersey.

Under sunny skies and hot temperatures, Plaxton and Kabush led the elite field out of the Canmore Nordic Center for the first lap, accompanied by Derek Zandstra and Rocky Mountain’s Marty Lazarksi following close behind. Kabush, Plaxton, and Zandstra built their lead steadily over the next two laps, each sharing the work to distance the rest of the competition. All three riders appeared to be riding within their limits and it was anyone’s guess as who would take the win.

On lap four, as the three leaders began the long climb, both Zandstra and Plaxton attacked, but neither could shake the other riders. When they reached the last steep pitch of the climb, Kabush launched a blistering attack that neither Zandstra nor Plaxton could match. As Plaxton chased Kabush, he dropped Zandstra and the three spent of the race riding on their own. Kabush came into the finish with a time of 1:45:15 with Plaxton 48 seconds back in second place and Zandstra third, 1:39 back.

“It wasn’t an easy win,” said Kabush. “Those guys are getting stronger every year, and pushing me a bit more. I waited until near the top of the steepest climb and then punched it hard, and was able to open enough of a gap to get away from them. I waited for the right moment to create some separation. I guess old school was able to beat new school for one more year.”

“He picked the right time to go,” Plaxton explained, “and he can put in such a powerful attack that I couldn’t go with him. Geoff’s won of the top guys in the world, so there’s no shame in being beaten by him.“

Like most mountain bikers, I’ve had a thing for Rocky Mountain bikes for many years. I’ve owned several of their bikes over the years and have always gawked at the way their factory freeriders have hucked their meat in style since the inception of “The North Shore”. Not only are their bikes top-notch, but their riders are excellent ambassadors of the sport. The kingpin, Wade Simmons continues as both a rider and global ambassador with the addition of several other talented riders.

Here’s the skinny from Rocky Mountain:

Rocky Mountain Bicycles is pleased to announce its 2010 Gravity Team roster with the re-signing of Wade Simmons, Geoff Gulevich, Dave Smutok, and the addition of rising talent Jarrett Moore.

Wade Simmons, known as the The Godfather of freeride mountain biking, is embarking on his thirteenth year with Rocky Mountain as a rider and global ambassador. “We couldn’t be happier than to have Wade back for another year. Wade’s one of the hardest working and nicest guys in the sport, and frankly, I can’t imagine him not being with Rocky Mountain”, commented Rocky Mountain’s Sports Marketing Manager, Peter Vallance. “Wade’s global profile is a huge asset to us in addition to his instrumental input to our bike development.”

Slopestyle and big mountain specialist, Geoff Gulevich rode for Rocky Mountain in 2008 and 2009 is back for the 2010 season. Vallance continues, “Geoff is one of the most professional slopestyle athletes we’ve worked with. If he’s not busy competing or filming, he’s working on his next new trick. Geoff has been closely involved with our R&D department and the development of a new frame that our slopestyle riders will be testing this season.” 2010 marks the premiere of the Anthill Productions’ highly anticipated film Follow Me, featuring Gulevich and several of mountain biking’s biggest stars.

American slopestyle crowd favorite, Dave Smutok is also back for 2010. Smutok, who is the head trail builder at Highland Mountain in New Hampshire, is also the man behind the Claymore Challenge, the largest slopestyle event in the U.S. “Dave is the full package for us. His slopestyle results, his presence at Highland Mountain, and his cult following make Dave an exciting part of our team”, Vallance adds. “His segment in the upcoming Black Box film, Antonym, is not to be missed.”

Rounding out Rocky Mountain’s gravity squad is Jarrett Moore. Hailing from Victoria, B.C., Jarrett made his international debut in Aaron Laroque’s film “What’s Next”, which profiled B.C.’s most promising new talents. Jarrett has been steadily making a name for himself at local contests and is poised to have a breakout year in 2010.

More Info: Visit Bikes.com

Heading into the fifth round of the UCI Downhill World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, Maxxis-Rocky Mountain’s Sabrina Jonnier had reason to be confident having won three of four World Cups so far in 2009. However, after Saturday when a torrential downpour soaked the track and delayed qualifications, Jonnier who prefers drier tracks, found herself out of her preferred element.

Floriane Pugin (Iron Horse-Kenda-Playbiker), the tenth rider down, set the first fast time of the day for the final, over 20 seconds ahead of the previous best time of Fionn Griffiths (Norco World Team). Pugin’s time was so fast that only two riders would beat her – Jonnier and Emmeline Ragot (Suspension Center), the fastest in qualifying.

Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing), the winner of round one was well back, after crashing near the top of her run, and Myriam Nicole of France came within 12 seconds of Pugin, but it took Jonnier to finally displace her young French rival, and she did it with the first sub-3:40 ride, at 3:39.59 . There was only one rider left by this time – Ragot – and the former Junior world champion came through the first intermediate timer two-hundredths of a second ahead of Jonnier. However, Ragot lost four-tenths of a second in the lower portion of the run, to finish 0.31 seconds down on Jonnier. Celine Gros (Morzine-Avoriaz 74) took fourth, while Mio Suemasa of Japan took the final podium spot, breaking the French stranglehold. Claire Buchar (Chain Reaction) was the only Canadian to race, finishing tenth, 27.53 seconds behind Jonnier.

“I wasn’t super happy about my race run,” revealed Jonnier, “because I made many mistakes, and didn’t really think that I had done enough to win. But I’m glad that I changed back to my favourite Maxxis High Rollers from the 2.5 Wetscreams after qualifying, because the track was drying out quickly and conditions changed in favour of dry tires.”

Jonnier’s win puts her at 1132 points, 197 ahead of Ragot and 322 in front of Moseley with three races remaining in the World Cup.

More Info: Visit Bikes.com

Unfortunately, no pictures of the bikes are currently available.  Gotta wait until Sea Otter. See any 29er’s in the pic to the right? It almost looks like one right behind the dude… oh well. The crew at Rocky Mountain assures me that pics are on their way, but I’ve got to wait until April 17. So, to whet your appetite, here’s the news release:

Rocky Mountain Bicycles announces its 2010 – 29’er product launch at the Sea Otter Classic, April 17-19th, Monterey California. Rocky Mountain will be exhibiting both of its proven platforms, Vertex and Altitude, both now available in 29’er.

Since 1981 Rocky Mountain bicycles has pioneered and pushed the limits of 26 inch wheel mountain bikes. Now we feel the time is right to launch our B.C. take on the 29er experience

The notoriously technical trails in our Vancouver backyard have always been our testing ground and we’ve used these same trails to test and develop our 29ers. Our new 29ers are just as suited to the treacherous trails at our doorstep as fast, flowy Marin County singletrack, or high alpine Swiss mountain passes.

Our new Altitude 29 puts a big wheel spin on our phenomenally successful Altitude platform. With our patented SmoothLink suspension and first of its kind StraightUp geometry, we have set a new standard for pedaling efficiency and suspension quality. The Altitude 29 with its 120mm of rear wheel travel is about covering big distances efficiently while having enough suspension to soak up everything in its path.

Rocky Mountain’s extensive World Cup racing heritage is immediately apparent in our new Vertex 29 platform. Much of the R&D for our Vertex RSL was also applied to the Vertex 29, resulting in a bike that handles like a race bike, but also showcases the best of the 29er.

Both bikes feature completely redesigned FORM™ tubesets, Shimano Direct Mount front derailleurs, and both represent the evolution of Rocky Mountain’s legendary ride quality.

UPDATE: I just got a first picture of the Altitude 29er… check it out to the right.

More Info: Visit www.Bikes.com

This past weekend marked the racing debut of the all new Maxxis-Rocky Mountain UCI trade team. After a successful training camp in Boulder City, Nevada testing their new bikes with Fox Racing, the team headed to Fontana, California to try out their new bikes and suspension before the start of the World Cup in South Africa on April 11-12.

Going into Fontana, Maxxis-Rocky Mountain star rider Geoff Kabush was the heavy favorite for the win, having won all three years of the event. The expectations were high and competition was fierce, as all the big names of North American cross country racing were in attendance.

From the gun, it was Kabush, Max Plaxton and Sid Taberlay of the Sho Air team, and Jeremiah Bishop of Monavie-Cannondale forming the initial lead group. Up against the strong Sho-Air team, Kabush rode steadily in his classic fashion waiting for the others to fatigue and on the final lap he launched his attack. By the time he came across the line for the win, Kabush had put 43 seconds on Plaxton and almost two minutes on Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski of Team Subaru-Gary Fisher.

Kabush commented on the race, “I was dealing with a bit of team tactics from the Sho Air guys but I felt pretty in control; I just wanted to ride a smart, smooth race, which is my trademark…I knew it would come down to the last lap”.

The DH riders didn’t disappoint either, with Sabrina Jonnier overcoming an eye infection to place 3rd in the Pro Women’s DH and Cameron Cole coming a very close 3rd to hometown boys Eric Carter and Kevin Aiello. Maxxis-Rocky Mountain team rider Luke Strobel sat out the race, still resting his fractured collarbone before the World Cup gets underway.

Rocky Mountain Bicycles is also proud to announce that Alison Sydor and her partner Nico Pfitzenmaier won six of the seven stages of the Absa Cape Epic Challenge on their way to capturing the overall victory. This is Alison’s second win in as many years, last year winning the women’s overall title with Rocky Mountain’s Pia Sundstedt. Sydor and Pfitzenmaier fought through scorching temperatures, flat tires, and tough competition to beat their closest rival, the team of Esther Süss and Marcel Bartholet of Switzerland by over 38 minutes. Alison rode her Rocky Mountain Vertex RSL, while Nico chose to ride an Element Team.

Alison plans to contest the 2009 TransAlp Challenge and TransGermany stage races with partner Pia Sundstedt. Stay tuned for the start of the UCI World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa April 11-12.

More Info: Visit Bikes.com

Source: Rocky Mountain Bikes

Rocky Mountain Bicycles (RMB) is proud to announce the new Rocky Mountain Bicycles Factory XC-Epic Racing Team.

Rocky Mountain Bicycles has been at the forefront of all facets of mountain bike competition; from early DH and XC victories (circa 1991*) to pioneering Freeride and most recently dominating epic stage racing.

With wins in almost every notable race on the planet, RMB decided to officially create a team dedicated to non-World Cup events. The new team will be attending epic stage races, all-mountain events, festivals, enduros and any other bike event that represents fun on two wheels.

Alison Sydor, Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member, three time World Champion, and Olympic Silver Medalist is returning to the Rocky Mountain team in 2009. Alison had an extremely successful season in 2008, winning both the Cape Epic Challenge and the Trans Alp Challenge. In 2009, she will be looking for more stage racing domination with confirmed starts at Cape Epic, TransGermany, and TransAlp.

A Rocky Mountain factory team wouldn’t be complete without cross country racing legend Andreas Hestler aka ‘Dre’, a Canadian Olympian and three time winner of the TransRockies. Dre had a successful 2008 season, winning a stage at both the BC Bike Race and the TransRockies. For 2009 he will be targeting various other races and epic single day events, such as the Downieville Classic and the Fruita Fat Tire Festival.

New to the factory team are Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski, formerly of the Rocky Mountain-Different Bikes squad. Both have several Canada Cup podium finishes to their credit and together finished 3rd overall in the 2008 TransRockies stage race.

Rounding out the team is Evan Guthrie, the 2008 Canadian Junior XC and Cyclocross Champion. Still with a year left in the junior category, Evan is poised for another stellar season.

Stay tuned for more Rocky Mountain bicycles team news as we find out where Marie-Helene will be piloting her Rocky Mountain for the 2009 season.

More Info: Visit Bikes.com

photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Bikes