Rocky Mountain took the bold step of launching their own eMTB earlier this year. The Canadian brand developed their own motor and drive system, and set the new bike loose in Europe (in other words, it's not currently for sale in North America). We attended the press camp back in May and presented a First Ride article. We held onto that Rocky, while we came to grips with the machine, rode it against its competitors and saw how it stacked up.
You can learn more about the details of the Powerplay in our
First Ride, but the basics of this bike are that it has a whopping 632wh battery (for the 70 and 90 models), Rocky's own motor, which boasts instant engagement and torque sensing, and some quite short chainstays. We tested the mid-tier bike (there are three build options), which came specced with Fox E-Optimized Performance suspension, SRAM EX1 drivetrain, RaceFace and SunRinglé parts. The price, €7,345.
Altitude Powerplay 70 Details• Intended use: all-mountain / enduro
• Travel: 150mm rear / 160mm front
• PowerPlay drive system
• 500 or 632-Watt/Hr battery
• 27.5" wheels
• Ride-9 suspension/geo adjustment
• Smoothlink suspension
• Weight: 22.21 kgs (Carbon 70, size large, actual)
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L
• MSRP: €7,345 (slight variations between terrritories)
•
Rocky Mountain Build The build kit is heavy duty, with plenty of eMTB specific branding, like SRAM Guide RE brakes, SRAM EX1 drivetrain, and Fox's E-Optimized 36 fork. Other chunky components come from Raceface with their 35mm-diameter bar/stem combo, Sun Ringle 40mm wide rims, and 2.5" Minion Wide Trail tires from Maxxis.
Carbon, Aluminum and Battery OptionsThere are three models of Powerplay to choose from, starting at €5700 and heading skywards to €9700. The top of the range Carbon 90 is the only model with a full carbon frame. The 70 and 50 models feature the same carbon mainframe, but use an alloy chainstay and seatstay. The higher-end 90 and 70 models will come with the 632-Watt/Hr battery, the 50 will have a smaller–but equal to its competitors–500-Watt/Hr unit. Currently, aftermarket batteries are not available. The Powerplay drive unit, geometry, wheel size and travel numbers are consistent throughout the range.
Rocky have gone with a 48v system, which allows quicker charging times than is generally the case with lower voltage systems. You can't remove the integrated battery to charge it, but if you are in a pinch for an electrical source, you should be able to get 80% of power topped up in two hours – 80% of the 632wh battery is 505wh, so compared to a 500wh battery from other brands that can take four hours to recharge, the Powerplay is way ahead on charging times.
Powerplay DriveBy designing and building their own motor system, instead of working with an existing product, Rocky was able to create space for a water bottle mount, integrate a 632wh battery into the downtube (claiming to save 250 grams of weight), and build the back of the bike with super short, 426mm chainstays to duplicate the geometry of their existing, naturally-aspirated Altitude.
The Powerplay drives from an axle in front of the chainring, with a torque sensor between the two. As the cranks are pressured, the tension on the lever will tell the motor how much power is needed – harder pedal strokes mean more power assist. This is said to give a much quicker motor response than anything else on the market. Some systems use torque sensors that only read a few times per pedal stroke. Rocky says that this quick response should help to make the ride more intuitive and
learning to ride an eMTB won't be necessary.
A standard Raceface crankset is used with a PF92 bottom bracket. The only difference being the Spragg clutch bearing in the chainring spider, which allows backpedaling without turning against the drive of the motor. Rocky say that this will help with ease of maintenance, as you won't be forced to open the motor casing in order to change bottom bracket bearings.
The Powerplay doesn't use a computer screen display on the bars. Rocky decided to keep things simple with a thumb button remote on the left side of the handlebar. Here, riders can turn the bike on and off, change power modes and see battery life displayed by LED's. Three power modes are set as standard: Eco, Trail and Ludacris, which deliver 40, 60 or 100% of available power. Riders can also use the remote to activate walk mode and navigate the app if your phone is connected, instead of using grubby mitts to scrape the touchscreen.
The Powerplay is also backed by a mobile app called Ebikemotion that works with Android and iPhone systems. The program allows riders to easily change the power modes as a percentage of complete output using sliders, use GPS maps to plan rides and determine how far they can ride (judging by current power level and elevation). You can even plug your device into the USB port to keep it charged from the main battery.
Geometry One of the main driving forces behind Rocky creating their own Powerplay system was to achieve the geometry and kinematics they wanted. The Altitude Powerplay's geometry is identical to the conventional Altitude. Using the Ride-9 system, you can adjust the head angle from 65º - 66.1º, which also changes the seat angle by +/-1º and the bottom bracket height +/- 14mm. Creating the Powerplay system also allowed Rocky to make the chainstays a super short 426mm – the shortest by far of any current eMTB.
Specifications
Specifications
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Price
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$7345 |
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Travel |
150 R - 160 F |
|
Rear Shock |
Fox Float DPS EVOL Performance Elite |
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Fork |
Fox 36 Float EVOL Grip Performance 160mm |
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Headset |
FSA Orbit NO.57 Steerer Stop |
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Cassette |
Sram XG-899 11-48T |
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Crankarms |
Race Face Turbine Cinch 34T |
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Bottom Bracket |
Race Face BB92 |
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Rear Derailleur |
Sram EX1 |
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Chain |
Sram EX1 |
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Shifter Pods |
Sram EX1 |
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Handlebar |
Race Face Chester 780mm |
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Stem |
Rocky Mountain 35 AM |
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Grips |
Rocky Mountain Lock On Light |
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Brakes |
Sram Guide RE 200mm. |
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Hubs |
Rocky Mountain Sealed Boost / DT Swiss 350 |
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Spokes |
WTB 2.0-1.8 |
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Rim |
Sun Düroc 40 |
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Tires |
Maxxis Minion DHF WT EXO 27.5 x 2.5 |
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Seat |
WTB Silverado Race |
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Seatpost |
Fox Transfer Performance Elite |
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Climbing The Altitude Powerplay is a trail riding conundrum. On the positive side, the instant engagement of the motor, combined with a little extra rotation from the chainring after you have stopped pedaling, makes technical climbing very easy and intuitive. Momentary pauses to avoid rock or terrain strikes with the pedals and using little quarter cranks here and there to pop over things and to maintain momentum feel very similar to a normal MTB (with the added power, of course). Also, the quick engagement of the torque sensor means that the Powerplay is the easiest system I have found so far to feed the power in at the right time to keep the back wheel gripping on loose or slippery surfaces. Rocky's advantage may be short-lived, however, because Bosch and Shimano are also tackling this feature with their latest power modes via free software updates.
The downsides of the Powerplay's trail bike geometry are its very short, 426mm chainstays and the slack, by modern standards, seat angle. Both make for a wheelie machine when ascending, which leads to extra fatigue on climbs as the rider must constantly battle to keep the front end down. Luckily I have good hip flexibility, but many riders suffer here and will struggle to keep the front wheel on track and the bike on-line. It is easy to float the front wheel over obstacles, but much more easy to start to loop out or simply stray off the track. The light front wheel can be remedied slightly by using the Ride-9 adjustment chip on the shock linkage, but there are some disadvantages, namely, lifting the rear of the bike and steepening the steering geometry. The difficulty found in climbing this bike is trail based, if you want to shuttle yourself up a road to pin the downhills, then what I'm describing here is almost a moot point, but climbing
and descending challenging trails is where the eMTB fun begins.
The huge, 632wh battery is currently the biggest available, with Shimano and Bosch maxing out at 500wh. But, things are changing rapidly. BH just launched their Atom-X with a 720wh battery, and some bikes like the Focus Jam are starting to appear with secondary battery options to boost power up to, and over 800wh. Some serious eMTB riders may be interested in an extra battery (for an eye-watering price) so they could swap out the battery and double their ride times, but that's not an option on the Powerplay, as the integrated battery cannot be removed (which can also be a problem if you don't have a power connection in your bike storage or hotel garage on a weekend away). That said, if you can find an outlet, its 48-volt charger is claimed to be able to restore power up to 80% in only two hours.
Using the 632wh battery, I squeezed out six runs on a track that descends 300m vertical over three minutes, in around a kilometer's distance. That's 30km of riding in total, 1800m of climbing, two hours of riding time, and back home before you could say "Bob's your obese e-bike riding uncle." That was in full power mode up a steep and loose climb. You can expect more range if your "shuttle route" is a gentle road climb. Are eMTB's for lazy people? That was my morning warm up, more than some people ride in a week.
The continuous rumble from the multi-sprocket setup of the Powerplay drive does get frustrating. A generous slathering of wet lube helps to quiet things down, but then you are left with a filth-attracting chain in dry conditions. Dry lubes seemed to last only minutes, due to the extra torque on the chain and the fact that you'll be coasting far less on an eMTB. The chain entering into the enclosed multi-wheel system can also drag grass and foliage inside, and if you are unlucky enough to drag a really tough weed in there, you could find yourself having to remove the guard whilst trail-side in order to clear things out.
Descending The build kit is just what an aggressive bike deserves. The Guide RE stoppers took some time to bed in, but combined with the 200mm rotors, they have ample power. The tire and wheelset is a good choice for aggressive riding in most conditions, leaning towards the dry end of the spectrum. Steep and muddy can overwhelm the Maxxis Minion tread pattern.
After finally getting to the top of a trail (with a couple of wheelies into the foliage), the Rocky took charge on the downhill. The suspension did a great job of planting the bike into the ground, the EVOL-based Fox Suspension was superb, and there was plenty of sensitivity and support available to charge into the rough.
I found the rear end of the bike made it hard to find traction on rough and uneven corners, but driving it into smooth hardpack turns generated great grip. I ended up using more sag than I wanted in the shock (nearly 40% seated) to get more grip, but this left me with an excessively low bottom bracket height (meaning, plenty of pedal strikes). The Ride 9 chip is useful to fine-tune the ride characteristic including the shock progression, but in reality does not offer a massive range of adjustment.
Thoughts Would I buy a Powerplay? Well, there's only a handful of bikes I
would spend my cash on, and no, I wouldn't spend it on a brand's first eMTB. One reason I wouldn't buy one is that I am currently based in Finale Ligure, one of the most popular riding spots in Europe – and the nearest dealer, according to Rocky's dealer locator, is one and a half hour's drive away in Nice. Go away on holiday and break the control unit (as I did), and you will lose your hard-earned riding time. Stick with a Bosch or Shimano system, and there will be a good chance that at least one of the bike shops in town could help out with repairs or parts. Of course, this is location dependent.
The Rocky does have some advantages over existing systems, but nothing that blew me away, or would make me think it's the Powerplay or nothing. If the performance was mind-blowing, I might take a punt on the unique system.
If you want your eMTB as a fashion statement, the Rocky could be for you; there was no other bike that had so many people stop me on the street since I was riding the Canyon Sender. Sure, the bike looks pretty (for an eMTB), but the feel of the Altitude Powerplay doesn't reflect its price tag. The cheap feeling iWok control unit, the noisy drivetrain, the FSA Head Block headset that spins in the head tube when hitting the stops, and finally, the gloss finish paint was soft and was showing plenty of scuffs and scratches after a few month's riding.
I think that making the geometry identical to an equivalent mountain bike is not the direction for eMTB to move towards. Without starting a comment-war "an eMTB is not an MTB," and as such, it requires different characteristics. On an eMTB, you will spend more time climbing and challenging steep terrain that you would simply push with a normal bike. Combine that with the additional power from the motor, and the chassis requires a more climb-focused configuration. If you want a Powerplay purely to replace a car-shuttle, then it could be a good choice.
Technical Report
FSA Head Block: The FSA Head Block works along the same lines as the Acros Block Lock headset. Inside the headset are bump stops that prevent the handlebars turning too far and potentially damaging cables, controls or the top tube. A good idea, but, our headset could be easily rotated inside the carbon head tube after reaching the stops.
PowerPlay iWok Control Unit: The iWok control unit feels cheap, the opposite of this bike's price tag. On my second ride, I snagged my glove on the fascia of the iWok and ejected it into the undergrowth. No worries, it should function without the fascia, I thought. Nope. I had to traipse through brambles for 20 minutes to find it. On the third ride, it just gave up working. Rocky nicely sent one from Canada, after which, my girlfriend rode it downhill a few km's to the beach and it gave up again, that was a tough ride back up the mountain for her. The third one has been working for months now and appears is going strong.
Fox E-Bike Optimized Fork: The E-Bike optimized Fox 36 features a thicker gauge steerer tube and stanchions, along with a solid instead of hollow crown. This is to handle the extra weight of an eMTB, especially under braking. The 36 performed great, but developed a nasty sounding clunk that is currently under investigation.
Pinkbike's Take: | The Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay is a conundrum. It is loaded with fantastic performance features, which are diluted by some glaring shortcomings. As a result, it doesn't feel like a bike that matches its massive price tag. I also have long-term concerns about after-sales, service, and parts from a smaller bike maker going solo with a proprietary motor and battery system, instead of pairing up with one of the big players.— Paul Aston |
About the Reviewer Stats: Age: 31 • Height: 6'1” • Ape Index: +4" • Weight: 75kg • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram:
astonatorPaul Aston is a racer and dirt-jumper at heart. Previously adding to the list of non-qualifiers at World Cup DH events, he attacked enduro before it was fashionable, then realized he was old and achy. From the UK, but often found residing in mainland Europe.
Btw working for one of the biggest international corporations, I work 4 days x 10 hours. The best thing about it is that I work Wednesday to Saturday, thus I can ride on Mondays and Tuesdays when there are no people in the forest.
Are the rest of your friends and family also working only 4 days a week at big international corporations? No need to answer.
Anyway, that's a discussion for another e-bike review.
wow.
also, its the least ugly ebike i've seen yet so I guess thats good?
Way more than usually found in normal bike reviews.
Would be great to raise the level of scrutiny for 8000€ bikes!
If someone's new bike is perfect, how could the next one be even more perfect? Of course they'd say so, after having spent 3-5k on it!
Th fact is, there are poorly designed bikes! The fact is some bikes are a lot more durable than others. Some ride way better than others.
There was a thread with broken Kona frames some time ago. An older version of the Enduro had weak chainstays, Google it. Plenty of them broken.
Some cars are made better quality than others. Some suck at the crash tests. Cars have been around for some time, and have plenty of smart engineers working on them.
A friend of mine works on wind turbines. There's this brand that has shitty gearbox design that breaks every couple of months. Costs more to maintain then purchase over a few years.
I happen to be a skier. I test more skis than bikes. Some skies are shit! Even if they are a top model from a reputable brand. They don't suck on their own, they are skiable, they suck compared to other brand's top models. Which means there are better designs, material and manufacturing processes.
Why should bikes be an exception?
I like my current bike, but it's flawed. It developed play because of stupidly designed rocker link.
I did demo bikes I didn't like. GT Force for example and I had high hopes for it.
You start with the proposition that this is a bike industry which adopts disparate micro-parsed standards like many change socks then has little compunction in orphaning those standards.
Couple that with a small company producing a new first-gen ebike using proprietary standards (not just for bike but for a battery). Throw all those "firsts" together, mix in a dose of proprietary and wonder why consumers would have lack of confidence in long - term support for the bike
Not furtively peeking out from behind the curtains, but "glaring".
Glaring. Like "staring" only with more malevolence.
If Paul Aston can find 'glaring' shortcomings from an e-bike, there is a very important takeaway from this:
"Don't jump on the bandwagon in the (supposed) name of progress without first asking yourself if you want to end up where it is heading".
The wise man knows to think about long and hard before taking the decision to jump on board.
Thing is, if there are "glaring shortcomings", how are we, the lambs to the marketing slaughter, meant to deal with statements like this from the RM website, and I quote:
"The result is an e-MTB that actually rides like a proper mountain bike—perfect for everything from self-shuttling all mountain trails, finding flow between the descents, and squeezing in power lunch rides."
There is a reviewer here who begs to differ apparently. "Glaring shortcomings" was the phrase. That doesn't square with "rides like a proper mountain bike" no matter which way you cut it.
And let's not even get into the semantics of the choice, by RM themselves, of the word "proper". Can. Of. Worms.
Since, as you say, e-bikes are in their infancy in their developmental stage, can the marketing gurus and "get with the future grandpa" commentators spare us all the bullshit marketing please. It may well be that in 5 to 10 years time everyone wants one. Fine. But that time is not now, so stop telling us it is. Now is not the time to jump aboard the bandwagon.
For that is what it is, a bandwagon, as are all new developments until something really sticks, and as ever, the illusion of consumer choice will remain ever that, an illusion that we choose to believe.
What happened to consumer choice about wheel size? Matt Wragg had his opinion on the matter back in 2013:
www.pinkbike.com/news/26-vs-275-vs-29-Wheels.html
...where he said, and I quote:
"Yet this is all personal - the truth is that what I want from my bike and a ride might be very different from what you want or enjoy. I can't sit here and honestly say 27.5-inch bikes are bad, just that I prefer 26 and 29-inch bikes. Maybe a 27.5-inch bike would mean you can have more fun out on the trail, or maybe the stopwatch says it's faster for you in a race. If I'm going to make big statements about what I think mountain biking should be I can't deny you whatever you think is fun (unless it involves braking through corners, in which case - stop it). What I don't like, and what I think we should be wary of, are the suggestions you hear from time-to-time that 27.5-inch wheels will replace 26-inch wheels. As another option I can live with 27.5-inch wheels, even if I don't want to ride them myself. But, if we get down to nut-cutting time, if we were forced to make a decision between 26 and 27.5, that's when I could not accept them. That's when I think they should be rolled back into the ocean."
....and I couldn't agree more. It is personal choice. And you may well be unlucky in the future if your preference is not available.
All of us will experience that at some point.
It would be a wise person who remembers that, and acts accordingly.
I'm sure we'll see in the future as standard for all e-bikes: Fully auto electric shifting, traction control, wheelly control, ABS, built in computers with infotainment, connectivity, and navi, run-flat tyres, adaptive dampers, integrated lights, fenders and fairings. No reason why eMTB buyers wouldn't want all that cra... ...stuff.
...and i'll still be happy grinding to the top on my pedal bike
Just for the sake of argument, has F1 become less exciting and less fun since the adoption of high tech?
It's just a question, I know nothing about car racing but it seems like a fair analogy.
Wait, Formula E is even worse since it lacks the engine sound.
I don’t get this whole busting out runs ideology it’s all about the chase. Everyone needs to eat slowly chew their food.
The young guys at the trail/bike parks however are a weird bunch!
Minde you: I like Ebikes, but for now I stick to my "normal" bike.
Speaking of Finale, will you be there this weekend?
Just a thought on the "is emtb for lazy people ". Sure you did 30km, more than some people's weekly riding. But that's distance, not effort. Like you said this was your morning warmup, I bet 2 laps on a normal bike would require same effort as the 6 on the E.
So yeah, e-bikes are indeed for lazy people!
With the rate that battery capacity deteriorates over time I'd be a little concerned if it was the first. Also, how much is a replacement? I keep my bikes a long time and that could majorly destroy any resale value when that time comes...
I'll be staying away from electric cars for a good few more years for the same reason.
Id never ridden an ebike before after 5 minutes was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, it was major fun.
No way am I likely to go and buy one any time soon but I won't be knocking anyone for getting one, especially if it keeps them in the game.
Unless of course I'm riding with them under my own power.
Create ePB and move it all there.
Why we still haven`t seen a review on the E-Go kit?! It`s probably the best e- around thing outthere, it`s Martyn Ashton`s pick, it packs 2500-3000W motor, replaceable battery, etc, etc..An extremely high end bike on the outside with crappy parts like the Iwok system does not make sense!
Great and honest review !
To me, the E-Go kit crosses the line of the law into the motorcycle* world – a throttle, no speed restriction and it moves without pedaling. It doesn't meet EU laws and others for cycling use.
I'm sure they are a blast though, in the right place!
*awaits "eMTB's are motorcycles" comments*
I'm sad now...
RE the bike in question, I'm surprised Rocky would go to he trouble and expense of developing a proprietary system when there are already viable systems available off the shelf. Maybe they are betting big on the high end markets where people with tons of cash are willing to buy the latest cool toy on the block. One thing I've heard though is that pretty much anyone who throws a leg over one of these things comes away with a smile on their face. At the end of the day that will be the deciding factor that dictates whether eMTB's will gain a foothold in N.A.
Where regs will matter is on trail use. A number of local jurisdictions have by-laws banning the use of motorized vehicles on parkland, but they where written long before ebikes were even on the radar and obstensibly geared to gas powered and throttle operated dirt bikes - a distinctly different machine than a pedal assiste eMTB. I think it would help the conversation a lot if the local land managers came out with clear regs that stipulated if and where eMTB's are allowed. Squamish is a good example, where they have trails that are designated ok for eMTB's.
That's right everyone, the focus group has deemed those of us outside North America to be worthy marketing targets for this type of article, but our Yank and Canadian friends will never see it.
(Cue comments from the US hitting the screen arriving as I type this!)
So it's likely that one supposed American is not based there and thus sees this
1. We’re going to cover some eMTB tech and eMTB stories on Pinkbike, but not everything—only the best content and most significant news
2. We celebrate the diverse opinions of our staff and the Pinkbike community—we won’t shy from criticism
3. We’ll start by focusing most of our eMTB coverage on regions where they’re most popular
4. We are considering several ways to minimize eMTB coverage for people who aren’t interested
5. We acknowledge the potential for eMTBs to cause trail access issues, and will monitor those developments closely—we won’t hesitate to hold eMTBs or eMTB riders accountable
6. Mountain biking continues to evolve, so we will regularly re-evaluate our positions on issues like eMTBs
I´ll will still prefer cranking even in the Alps. But for the fast sundowner on my home trails and for commuting the eMTB ist perfect.
But wait. Maybe for the next trip to the Alps I´ll have to prepare two bikes :-)
*goes straight to comments*
You say there's only a handful of bikes you'd spend your own money on, I'd be interested to know what they are?
They are the only bikes I have bought in the last four years. The most expensive bike I ever bought was a Specialized E29 when they came out, £2400 at trade price from the local bike shop, I nearly made my money back on it after two years. I don't think I could ever spend over £3K on any bike, and would only buy alloy or steel again.