This spring Rocky Mountain Bikes released their redesigned 2024 Altitude, featuring an old-but-new LC2R suspension linkage. Initially introduced almost 20 years ago, the modernized LC2R linkage (and this model’s coil shock) gives the Altitude bump-eating capability that bests other RMB bikes I’ve tested.
I’ve been riding the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil since late Spring, and it’s proven to be a capable descender. The shock and linkage suck up all kinds of impacts nicely, and the geometry offers adjustable reach and slack steering angles. Despite some bobbing from the coil-equipped linkage, the Altitude’s pedaling prowess was surprisingly good on the trails.
Rocky Mountain Altitude C70 Coil – Key Specs
Check out my launch article for all the details on the new Altitude lineup, but here are some key specs: Built for enduro riding, the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil has a full carbon frame with 160mm of rear travel. All models come stock with 170mm forks.
For the 2024 Altitude, Rocky chose to revive the LC2R linkage they first debuted on the Slayer back in 2006. The linkage has seen a significant update, now featuring a concentric lower link around the BB and a much cleaner overall look. The linkage is a dual-link, VPP design.
While RMB runs MX wheels on the small Altitudes, the medium and larger frames come stock on 29” wheels. On the larger frame sizes, an MX setup is still possible with a flip of the chip in the rear shock mount. The flip-chip maintains the bike’s geometry (save for some slight variations) with the smaller rear wheel.
One addition for the 2024 Altitude was an FSA Orbit reach adjust headset. The bike comes with a neutral cup and a +/- 5mm cup, allowing the reach to vary from 445mm to 463mm (depending on cups and Ride 4 chip position).
RMB’s Ride 4 chip allows riders to fine-tune the bike’s geometry and shock rate. You can choose from a slacker/more progressive position or a steeper/more linear setup. The new Altitude’s head tube angles are quite slack, varying from 63° to 63.8°.
Carbon framed Altitudes offer RMB’s PenaltyBox 2.0 down tube storage compartment. RMB has also added an accessory mount to the bottom of the Altitude’s top tube. Keen eyes will notice there’s no accessory mount on my test bike – early frame samples didn’t include the mount but all production models do.
The new Altitude frame is UDH compatible, and RMB has removed the chainstay flip-chip the previous Altitude included.
The size medium Altitude Carbon 70 Coil tested hit my scale at 35.85 lbs (with pedals).
Ride Impressions – Climbing
I started riding the Altitude with the Ride chip in position 3 (neutral) and the headset in neutral position. That put the reach at 455mm, the head angle at 63.5°, and the seat tube angle at 77.5°. The Altitude’s BB drop is 31mm, stack height is not super low at 630mm, and standover height is also not particularly low at 796mm.
At 5’10”, the reach provided a comfortable ride at 455mm and kept me sitting a bit more upright than usual. The bike never felt too short, but I did feel the front end getting a bit light on steep climbs in this position.
Aside from the slightly conservative reach, the Altitude has typical modern geometry. The steering angles are nice and slack, and the seat tube is steep. I found the medium frame’s 440mm rear end (there are three different chainstay lengths across the size range) just long enough to provide great climbing traction, particularly on steep uphill bursts.
After a few weeks, I switched to the +5mm headset cup. At 460mm the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil’s reach immediately felt more familiar to me, being closer to most of the recent bikes I’ve ridden. I noticed my body leaning a bit more forward in this position, and I felt more equally balanced between the wheels on steep climbs. The longer position has a more ‘performance’ feel to it, while the neutral position feels a bit more ‘recreational’.
For my last few rides, I switched the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil to its slackest Ride chip position (1). This only changes the head tube angle from 63.5° to 63° (and reduces the seat tube angle by 0.5°), so there wasn’t a huge difference in handling or climbing agility. I’ve found a slack head tube angle isn’t a big detriment to climbing, but now that bikes are reaching around 63° degrees that front wheel does start to feel a bit floppy. I still had no issues navigating the tightest switchbacks in my area.
I can’t really say why, but the Altitude is an impressive climber. Its weight, wheels, and angles are similar to my personal bike (except for its slacker head tube) but it seems to shoot uphill with little effort. I always use the firm mode on the rear shock, but it’s not anywhere near a lockout – the shock still offers good bump absorption and provides a comfortable ride. The bike somehow feels about 3lbs lighter than the scale indicates, and it’s surprisingly easy to crank those pedals around. Perhaps the Altitude’s low center of gravity helps. This bike just seems to claw its way uphill easily!
Despite a noticeable degree of pedal bob, partially from the Fox DHX2 Factory coil shock, the Altitude pedaled quite well on the trails. On paved surfaces, even with the shock in Firm mode, each pedal stroke produces noticeable movement from the rear end. Left open, the shock will bob freely on roads and pathways (even with a bit more low-speed compression than I’d usually run). However, on trail, the Altitude 70 Coil climbed better than expected.
The rear shock’s Firm switch does a good job of limiting dive when pedaling over dips in the trail. Fully open the coil will dive into its travel quite easily, but in Firm mode it resists slow-speed compressions much better. On this bike, I’d use the shock’s Firm mode for climbing any trail, but it’s especially helpful on smoother terrain. The Altitude offers very good climbing traction even in Firm mode, as the coil’s sensitivity keeps the rear wheel glued to moderately bumpy terrain.
Descending
In the Ride 4 chip and headset’s neutral positions, the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil was already a very competent descender. The 63.5° head angle is slack enough for anything, and with the reach at 455mm, the bike still felt long enough to offer good stability. If anything the Altitude just felt a bit more playful at 455mm versus 460mm.
I did prefer the longer reach setting, as I am a lanky guy and I like a roomy front end. Even at 460mm, the Altitude isn’t a huge bike, and it feels like my weight is better centered over it with the extra 5mm up front.
I find 440mm is a good length for a 29er rear end. It’s long enough to provide a solid, stable ride but not so long that the bike feels sluggish in corners. Lifting the front wheel for a short manual or over an obstacle is still easy, so I’d say RMB nailed it with the Altitude’s newly fixed rear-end length.
When I moved the Ride 4 chip into its slackest position, the bike got just slightly more comfortable on steep terrain. Again, there’s only a 0.5° difference between the two settings I rode, but on back-to-back test laps, there was an appreciable difference. I took the Altitude to the steepest trail in my area and it made the descent a bit easier than most bikes do! The steering feel didn’t change much between these settings, but in slack mode, the front wheel reaches out a little further on the steeps.
The first thing I noticed about the new Altitude’s LC2R suspension was that it plows through medium-sized bumps very well. After many laps of fast, rooty trails, I’d say the Altitude absorbs impacts better than previous RMB bikes I’ve tested. Of course, the coil shock is a big factor here, but the linkage seems to be very willing to suck up big impacts.
Smaller chatter was easily smoothed out by the coil shock, but the Altitude handled all kinds of bumps well. I rallied down one of my roughest local trails and aside from one bottom-out the bike took the harshness out of impacts from the big, sharp rocks quite capably. At no point did I feel a big hit come through the frame or smash the rear wheel. I wouldn’t say the Altitude ‘rounds off’ nasty impacts as well as some bikes can, but it feels highly active and keeps the rear wheel well-planted through fast, rough terrain.
In the slackest Ride 4 chip position, the shock rate is at its most progressive. It’s a fine-tuning tool, but on a nice rough run I could tell the bike was resisting bigger impacts a bit more than in the neutral setting. Fortunately, this setting wasn’t overly progressive for a lightweight rider like myself.
I like to jump, so I was pleased to find the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil was great in the air. Even with the coil shock the linkage provided predictable and lively pop, and with that ‘lighter than it is’ feel whipping the Altitude around in the air was fun and easy.
RMB says the Altitude’s short suspension links and one-piece rear triangle should offer good lateral stiffness, and I’d have to agree. I’m not a heavy guy, but this is not a flexy frame. Pinning through rough rocky trails, the bike held a line nicely and felt more solid than squirmy. I’d also agree the low center of gravity on this frame contributes to a stable feel, especially at higher speeds.
Noisy Cables
One irritating issue I had with the Altitude was noise. The cables/hoses rattle inside the frame quite easily, and they do it constantly. I removed the tool roll from the frame, and even tried stuffing some rubber behind the cables inside the frame storage compartment, but it made no difference.
The noise was obvious enough that I checked over the bike after my first few rides, making sure nothing was loose. A second opinion from my local bike shop backed up my suspicions – even with the frame’s internal guide tubes, the cables/hoses are creating the rattle.
Frame Storage
The 2024 Altitude Carbon 70 Coil features RMB’s PenaltyBox 2.0 down tube storage, and the bike comes with both a tool roll (pictured above) and a tool bag. I’ve found rolls do a better job of preventing things from rattling inside the frame, so I used it instead of the tool bag.
I easily fit my c02 inflator head, a large c02 canister, a plug tool, spare plugs, and a multi-tool in the tool roll. The roll will slide deep into the down tube as you ride, so you’ll want to make sure the pull strap is on the top end. The tool roll did keep things quiet in the frame, and the storage door latch worked perfectly and was easy to operate with gloved hands. I was also thrilled to find a large water bottle fit in the medium frame with enough room to remove/replace it easily.
Components
Finally, some notes on components. The 170mm Fox 38 Float EVOL GRIP2 Factory fork performed great; it provides a stiff front end that blows through rough terrain in a commanding fashion.
The Altitude Carbon 70 Coil’s Shimano XT shifting provided near-perfect performance, and the XT Trail 4-piston brakes on 203mm rotors offer more than ample power and good modulation.
If you’re tough on wheels, you’ll appreciate that all carbon Altitude models and the Alloy 70 coil include Cush Cores front and rear. Race Face’s AR30 rims have proven to be quite strong on previous bikes I’ve ridden, and both are within 1-2mms of perfectly true after three months of test riding.
The Maxxis Assegai/Minion tire combo is proven and welcome on any bike I ride. RMB stocks an EXO+ casing on the front, and a DoubleDown DH casing on the rear wheel.
The Race Face Turbine R dropper post got a bit sticky a few times but generally worked well. Its 150mm travel is OK but 170mm would be great for a medium frame. It would be nice if I could drop the saddle a bit further than I can. WTB’s Volt saddle agrees with my anatomy nicely.
RMB stocks its own 40mm stem and 780mm handlebars. I like the 40mm stem length, but with longer arms, I’d prefer an 800mm bar width.
MSRP for the Altitude Carbon 70 Coil is $7199. Frame color options are UD Carbon/Still of the Night/Black Dog (as tested) or Across the Universe/Sweet Leaf.
