Introducing the Rocky Mountain Pipeline
Rocky Mountain dropped one of the first plus-sized bikes on to the market with the Sherpa last year. This year they’re following up the Sea Otter tradition by re-releasing a classic (the Pipeline) with a twist (chubbt rubber) Billed as an aggressive trail bike, the Pipeline is staying somewhat true to its roots…until it comes to the shoes.
Propaganda and details from Rocky after the break.
The confidence of plus-sized tires in raw, technical terrain is now available in an aggressive trail chassis. The new Rocky Mountain Pipeline plows through greasy roots and square-edged chunder with authority, while providing near limitless traction on rocky, slippery climbs.
Wade Simmons aboard the new Rocky Mountain Pipeline.
Wheel Size: 27.5+
Intended Use: Aggressive Trail
Front Travel: 150mm
Rear Travel: 130mm
The Godfather and Pipeline in their natural environment.
“Early on in testing I realized I could take the ‘stupid lines’ on our local North Shore trails and the big tires would just flow straight through them,” said product manager Ken Perras. “The more technical a line, the more I felt like I was cheating.”
Wider tires for some extra traction on tricky terrain.
Details
● Smoothwall carbon front triangle, FORM alloy rear triangle.
● Fits up to 27.5 x 3.25 tires.
● 1x specific.
● Lightweight bolt-on axles save 50g per bike compared to a Maxle.
● BC2™ pivots feature grease ports for easy maintenance.
● Stealth dropper post equipped.
● Internal cable routing.
● PressFit BB92 bottom bracket, IS42/IS52 headset, Boost axle spacing.
● Sizing: S/M/L/XL.
Geometry
The Pipeline is based on our much-loved Instinct platform. Like the Instinct, the Pipeline is stable and balanced, with a massive range of adjustments available thanks to RIDE-9. A neutral bottom bracket drop and plus-specific fork offset contribute to an intuitive ride feel with excellent steering dynamics.
All the angles you need to know.
Wheels
Riders attacking technical, choppy terrain will immediately feel the benefits of high-volume plus tires. Their large contact patch and lower pressures improve traction, mud shedding, and small-bump compliance for more on-trail confidence.
Extra volume for those tricky bits of trail that catch you out.
Models
Pipeline 770 MSL
Frame: Smoothwall™ Carbon C13 Front Triangle. FORM™ 7005 Series Custom Hydroformed Boost 148mm Rear Triangle. BC2™ Pivots & Grease Ports. Press Fit BB. Internal Cable Routing. ISCG05 Tabs. Ride-9™ Adjustable Geometry + Suspension Rate.
Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory 130mm
Fork: Fox 34 Float Factory 150mm
Headset: FSA Orbit C-40
Brake Levers: Shimano XT I-Spec II
Brakes: Shimano XT 180mm
Cassette: Shimano XT 11-42TChainShimano HG-700
Cranks: Race Face Turbine 28T
Bottom Bracket: Race Face 30mm BB92 Press Fit
Shifters: Shimano XT
Front Derailleur: N/A
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT Direct Mount
Front Hub: Rocky Mountain Sealed Boost 15mm
Rear Hub: SUNringlé SRC Boost 148mm
Spokes: WTB 1.8-1.6 Butted
Rims: Alex XM35 Tubeless Ready
Tires: Maxxis Rekon EXO 27.5×2.8 Tubeless Ready
Handlebars: Race Face Turbine 35 760mm
Stem: Rocky Mountain 35 AM
Grips: Rocky Mountain Lock On XC
Saddle: WTB Silverado Race
Seatpost: 2016 RockShox Reverb Stealth
Pipeline 750 MSL
Frame: Smoothwall™ Carbon C13 Front Triangle. FORM™ 7005 Series Custom Hydroformed Boost 148mm Rear Triangle. BC2™ Pivots & Grease Ports. Press Fit BB. Internal Cable Routing. ISCG05 Tabs. Ride-9™ Adjustable Geometry + Suspension Rate.
Shock: RockShox Monarch RT Debonair 130mm
Fork: RockShox Yari RC 150mm
Headset: FSA Orbit C-40
Brake Levers: Shimano M506 I-Spec
Brakes: Shimano M506 180mm
Cassette: Shimano XT 11-42T
Chain: Shimano HG-600
Cranks: Race Face Aeffect SL Cinch 28T
Bottom Bracket: Race Face 30mm BB92 Press Fit
Pedals: N/A
Shifters: Shimano XT
Front Derailleur: N/A
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT Direct Mount
Front Hub: Rocky Mountain Sealed Boost 15mm
Rear Hub: SUNringlé SRC Boost 148mm
Spokes: WTB 1.8-1.6 Butted
Rims: Alex XM35 Tubeless Ready
Tires: Maxxis Rekon EXO 27.5 x 2.8 Tubeless Ready
Handlebar: Rocky Mountain AM 760mm
Stem: Rocky Mountain AM
Grips: Rocky Mountain Lock On XC
Saddle: WTB Volt Race
Seatpost: 2016 RockShox Reverb Stealth
Technologies
● The RIDE-9™ system allows riders to adjust geometry and suspension rates to specific riding styles, terrain, and rider weights. Nine configurations are possible thanks to two interlocking chip inserts that move on two separate axes.
Rocky’s Ride 9 system allows you to adjust the geometry and suspension rates to your liking.
Are you ready to dabble
Comments
james
8 years ago
this could all be totally valid, i'm sure they are good bikes. i do wonder if a full 160mm bike front and back, like say, oh, about 10 bikes any of us could name in a second, wouldn't be just as good though. thick 'enduro' rubber or even dh tires, why not. would the overall riding experience be similar?
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Morgan Taylor
8 years ago
A shorter travel, larger-tire-volume trail bike trundles through technical terrain much more efficiently than an enduro race bike designed mostly for downhill dominance and propped up by platform dampers for climbing. More of an everyday bike for the everyday mountain biker. Keep in mind the Shore of yore is far from the experience of the everyday mountain biker.
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JohnnyV
8 years ago
Ehh… plenty of 160mm bikes have great climbing platforms with their shocks wide open. You can't make broad assumptions about how a bike climbs based on travel anymore. Only argument might be geometry, but trail bikes are chasing "enduro" geometries so hard now that even that doesn't amount to much. At best, a trail bike might get a lighter fork and shock and maybe a degree steeper HTA to recommend it as a more efficient bike. But then toss that handful of grams out the window with the big tires and call the slack HTA a wash against the slow-steering plus tires, and what have you got? I'll tell you: 30mm less travel traded for undamped tire suspension.
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t.odd
8 years ago
I'm still trying to figure out when my non-plus sized tires stopped being able to handle 'technical terrain' or 'stupid lines'?
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CoilAir
8 years ago
They've NEVER been able to handle technical terrain or stupid lines. It's just been sheer dumb luck all along that's allowed us to ride the unridable.
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Kenneth Perras
8 years ago
It's not that regular tires cannot ride technical or stupid lines, it more that the plus tires offers a level of security that doesn't exist with a smaller volume tire. You cannot deny that the increased volume run at lower PSI offers more traction via an increased contact patch and lower deformation point of the tire casing over a regular 2.3 or 2.5 tire. The effects are evident when going from a 2.3 to 2.5 tire as well but the jump here isn't as big as going to 2.8 or 3.0.
When riding big rubber, I often find myself laughing at the ease that I can climb or descend rough or even unrideable terrain without any wheel spin or skidding up and and down trails. It's certainly more sure-footed than a regular wheel setup.
Everyone, from beginner to expert, can benefit from trying bigger rubber.
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Vik Banerjee
8 years ago
I've had the opposite experience with 3″ wide plus tires. The lower tire pressure means the knobs [generally smaller, but more numerous to keep weight down] don't push down as hard or as deeply as a 2.4″ knobby tire.
This only matters for wet slippery condition, but that's half the year in coastal BC and the only half of the year traction is an issue.
I'm just one data point so I'm interested to see what folks that pay for their bikes say as more plus bikes roll out of LBS.
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Kenneth Perras
8 years ago
I agree with the smaller knob tires or the strange hybrid tires. Not a huge fan of those for aggressive riding. I found the Rekons rode like a High Roller II so still a good tire. Maxxis showed 27.5×2.8 Minions at Taipei Show which should be available sometime this summer. Those dig in like the 2.5 version and weigh the same as a WT DD casing Minion. Once available it will be the plus tires to run.
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Lee Lau
8 years ago
It's all about creating perceived need Todd
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t.odd
8 years ago
marketing hyperbole overdrive
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colin
8 years ago
but isn't every piece of our current bike, whatever it is, at some time, part of some marketing nonsense? 29, 27.5, 2.1, 2.35, 2x, 1x, VPP, DW, sram, shimano, 74 degree, whatever-the-fuck. why is what you are riding right now cool, but this isn't.
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Jerry Willows
8 years ago
how many of the top Enduro riders are running plus size? just as I thought…
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Morgan Taylor
8 years ago
Yawn
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Asher
8 years ago
Good thing I'm not a top enduro rider
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Kenneth Perras
8 years ago
Wrong tool for the job.
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Tehllama42
8 years ago
It's an Instinct that's been dragged through the 'boost' parts bin.
The 150mm fork out front is a brilliant choice.
FWIW I've been running an Instinct with a 150mm Pike for quite a while, and the bike is absolutely excellent in that setup running 2.4″ 29er tires. At this point, I simply feel vidicated for having ran this setup for the last couple of years, because it's that good.
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Geof Harries
8 years ago
I too ride an Instinct and love the bike. I've been on the lookout for some wider tires (I currently ride Nevegal 2.2's front/rear) but there's not a lot of options. What 2.4″ers are you using?
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Tehllama42
8 years ago
I'm in the desert southwest, so I'm able to get away with Ardent 2.4 EXO's. I still want to move to Goma 2.4 Sticky's, or 2.4 DHR2's in 3C for a bit more grip and thicker casings though.
If mud clearance mattered, I'd be looking at the Conti TrailKing 2.4's, Goma 2.4's, and DHF 2.5 in front of 2.4 DHR2's. Bigger tires, a better fork, and obviously dropper post turned my Instinct into a full-on all mountain bike
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Geof Harries
8 years ago
Mud clearance definitely matters to me, plus of course traction on wet roots and rocks. I'd not heard of the Goma tires before, I'll check those out (I used to own Geax tires back in the tire; I think they used to be the same company).
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Tehllama42
8 years ago
They are indeed - Vittoria used the Geax name for their MTB offerings until a year or so back - same tire, same really good TNT casing (for my style of tire immolation by cactus or sharp rock).
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