ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELEMENT ALLOY 10 2022 – BLACK

Rocky Mountain’s latest Element Alloy 10 is the first stepping-stone and the cheapest option in the brand new Element range.

In this case, cheap price does not equate to cheap quality from the premium Canadian brand. We’ll explain why in this preview.

If you’re considering comparable bikes like the Polygon Siskiu, Giant Stance 29, Trek Top Fuel 5 or Giant Trance 29, then the Element has to be on your shortlist too.

It’s not often we say “brand new” and if we do, it has a heavy dose of marketing on top of it. But Rocky Mountain’s 2022 Element is really brand new. Ground up new. We promise.

This is why:

The old Element was a cross-country (XC) mountain bike. Sharp handling, super efficient to pedal and comfortable over long distances. It was one of the first trend setters for long-travel XC mountain bikes.

But it needed an update.

The Slayer’s new frame design (model year 2020) set the standard and design cues that would trickle down into the new Altitude (29, 170mm/160mm) and Instinct (29, 150mm/140mm).

These design features included stuff like new aluminium (and carbon) frame construction, dual-row bearings in high load areas of the frame, bigger internal cable routing ports and updated suspension behaviour.

THE STORY

Thus, Rocky decided to move away from the typical XC race bike – low, aggressive and frighteningly fast. Don’t get me wrong, the new Element is still fast just without the frightening bit.

That’s because Rocky is a brand that specialises in bikes that don’t fit the mould. Their long travel bikes pedal better than most other short travel bikes. Rocky’s short travel bikes descend better than most long travel bikes.

The Element is a mini Trail bike, rather than an over-forked XC bike – sliding into the Down-country category perfectly perhaps?

It’s designed for riders who still need the addictive speed and excellent pedalling manners.

But – this is important – who would rather have far more stability (and fun) when speeds and the trail gets a touch faster and technical.

If your home trails are Plenty Gorge, Lysterfield Park and the Kurrajong side of the You Yangs, the Element is going to feel at home.

THE FRAME

Rocky has done so much to the Element. So, we’ll break it down:

MORE TRAVEL

It now uses 120mm of rear wheel travel and is paired to a 130mm front fork.

Why?

To make the Element more forgiving in the tech stuff and keep it stable at speed. This means you crash less. All without sacrificing the bike’s pedalling efficiency.

RIDE-4

Rocky gives the Element 4 different geometry (think DH versus XC modes). These 4 setups help the Element stay versatile; allowing you to tune the bike to the types of trails you ride most.

HYDRATION

Long rides need more hydration. The new Element is designed for endurance experiences with provisions for 2 water bottles. Mount the bottle high or low.

SMOOTHLINK(™) SUSPENSION

Smoothlink(™) controls how the rear end behaves depending on where the shock is in its travel.

It’s supple initially to smooth out impacts.

It gives the shock loads of mid-stroke support to stop it from feeling sloppy in corners. And lastly, built in progression towards the end of travel ensures you have a ride that feels like it’s got more travel than it actually has.

THE ELEMENT ALLOY 10 BUILD

The Alloy 10 is the entry-point bike into the new Element range.

It floats on a Rock Shox suspension package, front and rear. The Judy Silver front fork has 130mm of travel. It’s built with 30mm straight wall tubes to maintain stiffness.

An air spring allows riders to adjust the suppleness to their weight – there’s a little bit more to this but we do a suspension set up in store and go through the details.

A Rock Shox Deluxe Select rear shock handles the impacts out back. This also has air spring and rebound adjustments.

Shimano’s Deore 11-speed drivetrain is exceptional value and packs a lot of tech. The massive 11 to 51-tooth rear gear sprocket allows plenty of range climbing steep inclines and descending.