ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTINCT ALLOY 10 2022 – BLUE/GREEN

Rocky Mountain’s latest Instinct is a 150 front and 140mm rear wheel travel trail-bike. The sorta bike that is a jack of all trades. It climbs so efficiently and descends with utmost stability, giving you the confidence to really progress your skills and riding – safely.

Although the Instinct A10 is the stepping-stone into the Instinct family, the premium Canadian brand doesn’t do cheap quality.

So, if you’re considering the Specialized Stumpjumper Alloy, Trek Fuel EX5, Polygon Siskiu T8, Giant Trance X 29 or the Giant Stance 29 then the Instinct A10 has to be on your short list.

In this preview, I’m going to explain who should be considering the Instinct Alloy 10 (or A10), and exactly what components come standard on the Alloy 10 level build.

KEY FEATURES

• Designed For: Trail Riding
• Front Travel: 150mm
• Rear Travel: 140mm
• Wheel Size: 29” (S, M, L, XL) and 27.5” (XS, S)

WHO IS IT FOR?

Severely overused in the bike industry, but in spite of that, the best word I can use to describe the Instinct is versatile.

Yes, it’s that good.

So, here are the types of riders who should seriously be considering the latest Instinct:

• You’re currently riding a beat-up hardtail. You love mountain biking but riding the hardtail is too uncomfortable.

• You ride a lot at Lysterfield Park or Red Hill on your tired and worn out dual-suspension mountain bike.

• You’re already riding an entry-point dually and need an upgrade.

• You want a dual-suspension mountain bike that can climb efficiently and that’s comfortable and confident descending technical singletrack.

A SHAPE SHIFTER

It’s also worth noting that the Instinct Alloy 10 is the most affordable build in the range.

But, it makes it far from inadequate.

Even though the Instinct A10 doesn’t have the features that the Alloy 30 and above models do, it shares exactly the same frame and suspension kinematics.

The Alloy 10 build is where the cost of entry is relatively cheap into a premium mountain bike brand – that;s why Rocky offers it. Otherwise the range would start with the Instinct Alloy 30.

Over time as you wear parts out or out-ride those parts, you would upgrade them as you go along. Ending up with a unique build that has exactly the parts you want on it.

But:

It’s so much more than this.

You see, the Instinct’s geometry (the way the bike physically feels under you) can be altered in 9 different positions.

This is called Ride 9.

Riders can totally nerd out on Ride 9, but on the flip-side, if you like to set and forget then that’s fine too.

Example:

Your new Rocky Mountain Instinct A10’s Ride 9 is positioned in Neutral or Position 5.

But you’re getting better – faster and smoother. Or you’re starting to do bigger jumps and ride technical lines.

At this point most of our customers would buy another bike. Because what the bike is lacking is called stability.

But you can tune your new Instinct to be more stable.

Change the Ride 9 chip-position to Position 1 (the most stable), 2, 3 or 4 and any of these will be more stable than 5.

And it takes 5 minutes.

A NEW FRAME

The usual high-end features that we’d expect from the premium brand are all present on the Instinct A10 build.

Internal cable routing with large ports makes changing cables a breeze.

A new waved chainstay protector helps keep the new Instinct quiet and smooth. So all you’re focussed on is the trail.

Extra downtube protection protects the paint when loading onto tailgate pads.

And premium Enduro Max bearings at all pivot locations ensure the rear shock isn’t struggling to absorb impacts.

FORM Alloy(™) is the manufacturing method behind their alloy frames.

But what does this mean?

Simply, Rocky does not cut corners with aluminium manufacturing.

Their FORM Alloy(™) tubing has been engineered to deliver the best stiffness to weight ratio.

Material has been removed where it’s unnecessary and when you look at the frame in person, the cross-section of each tube varies drastically to best suit the load demand on that area.

Rocky has also focussed on a concept called Frame Tune.

Every frame size gets its own specific tune. The logic being that a person riding a S frame is going to be lighter than a rider on a L or XL.

Taking the Frame Tune concept further, Rocky Mountain has also used 2 different size shocks. XS and S frames are equipped with a 45mm stroke rear shock while M, L and XL frames get a longer 52.5mm stroke.

No one else does this.

Smart.

Lastly, Rocky has ensured short seat tube lengths across all sizes. This allows a longer-travel dropper post to be used.

In the past, a 125mm dropper post was used on large frames. Now it’s 170mm. This means better clearance for your sensitive area and better bike mobility under you.

THE COMPONENTS

SUSPENSION

In the suspension department, the Instinct Alloy 10 floats on RockShox.

Upfront, the Recon Silver RL delivers 150mm of travel and features key adjustments for amateur riders. These include:

Air pressure. One of the most important metrics and something that the majority amateur and intermediate riders overlook.

Rebound adjusts how fast your suspension responds to an impact. Lots of rocks or tree roots? Speed the rebound. Smooth and flowy, or landing a jump or drop for the first time? Then slow it down.

And lastly, lockout on the Recon adjusts how firm the suspension is.

Out back there’s a suitably matching RockShox Deluxe Select. It also features air pressure and rebound.

GEARS

11-speed Shimano Deore components are scattered across the Instinct A10 build. That’s a very good thing.

Because:

11-speed Deore gets riders a massive 11-tooth to 51-tooth range. This means easier climbing gears and smoother gear shifts compared with 10 and 9 speed systems.

And Deore 11 gets most of the tech that the upper-end groupsets do.

It also means that if you break something, it’s not going to cost a fortune to replace.

WHEELS AND BRAKES

Rocky Mountain TR30 rims that are laced to Shimano hubs.

The rims are tubeless ready and 30mm wide – perfect for smooth or aggressive trail riding.

WTB have updated their Trail Boss tyres. The knobs are deeper and more spaced out. Improving cornering grip and grip under braking, but without losing the efficiency factor they are known for.

Tektro hydraulic disc brakes provide plenty of stopping power for riders starting out. But as you get more comfortable with speed, this is an area worth upgrading. Shimano or Magura 4-piston brakes are always great options to consider.