In this week’s Five Cool Things, we’re going to take a look at the Rocky Mountain Instinct, a bike rammed full of adjustment, as well as Giant’s latest cross-country ripper and Insta360’s latest 360 action camera. But there’s more, as we’ve also got some fresh colours from Tailfin and Cast’s handlebar.
But before we get into the cool things, let’s take a look at what happened on off.road.cc over the last week and, for me at least, things got rather exciting with the launch of Yeti’s MT. It takes the formula found on the brand’s latest e-mountain bikes and the LT, and whittles it down to fit a trail platform. I’ve ridden it, and it really lived up to my rather lofty expectations. Our Matt then dove deep into British Cycling’s first-ever Gravel National Championships while asking the question: Is it too late? Shane then managed to catch up with Ronan Dunne, another one of downhill’s most exciting prospects, to chat life after injury and how he plans to approach this weekend’s World Cup.
It’s been a fun week in news, too. Of course, there was the launch of the Yeti MT, but Alpinestars made the headlines for its MotoGP-style airbag system – one we’ve seen elite downhill riders using already. It’s interesting tech, too, as it uses special algorithms to detect abnormal changes in body movement to detect a crash as it happens, to then deploy its airbag in as little as 40 milliseconds.
As for reviews, Ty checked out Michelin’s more affordable E-Wild Front Performance Line tyre, awarding it a very respectable 4.5 stars, and Matt praised USWE’s Race 2.0 2L hydration pack for its comfort and ease of use.
Rocky Mountain Instinct C70
£5,499
Much like a few other brands, Rocky Mountain has made a return to the UK market, but having faced some internal changes, there have been some changes to the range’s specification, so the bike you see here, while readily available in the shops, isn’t listed on the brand’s website. However, true to Rocky Mountain form, the Instinct, as well as other Rocky bikes, is one of the most adjustable around. Thanks to its
Ride-4 adjustment system, the flip chip found at the lower shock mount offers four adjustments to the bike’s angles, and another flip chip at the chainstay offers chainstay length adjustment. There’s also a reach adjustment, but unlike some other brands, the adjustment cups are available straight out of the box.
Boasting 145mm of rear wheel travel combined with 160mm up front, the Instinct is available with both Smoothwall carbon and aluminum frames while running 29-inch wheels across the board. There’s Rocky’s Penalty Box downtube storage, internal cable routing, and a host of fully sealed cartridge bearings.
I’ve been waiting to ride a Rocky Mountain for a good while now, so it’s safe to say that I’m pretty excited about this one.
Giant Anthem Advanced SL 2
£5,299
Late last year, Giant updated its cross-country thoroughbred, the Anthem, claiming that it carries “the best stiffness-to-weight ratio on the market”. Well, Matt’s going to put that to the test. This bike introduces what Giant calls the ‘Low-Latency Speed Concept’, which is apparently about making the most out of a rider’s input, which is achieved through building a stiff frame that’s light.
The most notable change on this model from previous iterations is the shock layout. Rather than being mounted vertically, it runs in line with the top tube, a layout that we’re seeing increasingly commonly on modern cross-country bikes. Along with this new layout is a flex stay, which reduces weight and brings a firmer pedalling platform. Speaking of suspension, this new Anthem dons 120mm at both ends.
For more on Giant’s latest XC ripper, keep an eye out for a review coming soon.
Tailfin Top Tube Bag Flip Closure
£65
Tailfin’s kit always goes down well with the off.road.cc team, but until now, its whole range has been rather black. Just yesterday, the bikepacking kit brand made a change to that by introducing its Kentucky Bluegrass and Uni-corny Candy Mountain colourways. Pictured is that Candy Mountain colour, and I reckon that Tailfin’s done a good job here as it’s far from loud and subtle enough to work well with a range of bike colours, if you’re all for matchy-matchy styles.
This here is Tailfin’s Top Tube Bag with a rather smart flip closure. It does away with a zip (which is also available) in favour of a flap that clips in place with a magnetised clip. This should make for easy on-the-go grabbing of whatever’s inside. Even with the flip closure, it’s all built from waterproof materials, and it can be either bolted or strapped to your bike’s top tube.
Insta360 X6
£619
Insta360 has updated its flagship 360 camera, replacing the X5 with the X6, and it looks like quite a powerful bit of kit. Coming a little smaller than previous models, it can produce 8k 360-degree footage thanks to a larger sensor with more pixels, which lets in more light while achieving higher detail. It’s not just about 360 footage though as it can work similarly to a single-lens camera while producing 5k footage at 60fps with up to a 170-degree view.
As with all of the best things (apparently), this is loaded with an ‘AI Director’ which can edit footage for you, and with a new battery, it promises a 140-minute run time. Its microphone promises windless audio, and as with previous generations, there are replaceable lenses, which is very handy as these can be easily scratched. The features that I’m most excited about are its Smart Tracking, where it’ll focus on a single subject no matter where you point the camera, and it comes with internal gimbal tech, promising silky smooth footage without requiring an external gimbal.
There’s an awful lot more going on here, so watch out for a review coming soon.
Cast SFX DH/Enduro Handlebar
£69.99
Last but not least is Cast’s SFX DH/Enduro handlebar. This has been developed with a helping hand from Greg Minnaar and the Norco Race Division, and it’s built to offer the ‘perfect’ balance of strength and feedback. A lot of attention has been paid to the bar’s geometry, so it gets a six-degree upsweep and a nine-degree backsweep, and as standard, it’s 800mm in width.
The alloy handlebar is then available in 31.8 and 35mm clamp diameters and 25, 35 and 38mm rises. A really neat feature is that the bar is rife with markings, which should make cockpit setup really simple.
