The MOST POWERFUL eMTB: riding the Rocky Mountain Instinct

[@JeffKendallWeed]

The Rocky Mountain Power Play line of eMTBs is currently the most powerful on the market, featuring a whopping 108nm of torque. Check them out here at Jenson USA: bit.ly/RockyMountainPowerPlayatJensonUSAjkw Any purchase from that link will directly help support my channel- thanks in advance!

[@BramBiesiekierski]

Thats bullshit. My dengfu e22 has 160nm, 1000w nominal, 1500w peak.

[@LastAphelion]

Oh yeah well my reverse ion fusion core 9000 has 6969 tango cats

[@ehk8029]

Sachs motors have 112nm, NOX bikes for example

[@Cosmin910]

No my dude its not even close to beeing the most powerful.. Haibike XDURO Nduro Flyton engine has 120nm

[@bstevens7647]

@@JeffKendallWeed having owned a Rocky Mountain I can tell you that my newPivot with a new Shimano 801 motor is a far more enjoyable bike to ride. You do t have to pedal 85 RPM to get things moving.with the new Shimano 801 motor I pushed my grandson 5 miles up a gravel road in Flagstaff so he can ride back down on an unpowered bike, I could never have done that on the Rocky Mountain.

[@bstevens7647]

I had a 2023 Rocky Mtn Altitude 4.0 . It required a lot more rider energy than a Brose, Bosch or Yamaha to get the most out of it. The biggest drawback was the battery charging system overcharged the battery and the battery exploded and burned everything in my garage to ashes. Rocky Mountain seemed to want to help, but in the end they just wanted to get the burned bike out of my possession and pretend it never happened. I feel a duty to warn potential buyers of the very real danger of keeping a Rocky Mountain bike indoors. The damage to my home and property is over 350k, and I am lucky to be alive. Don't take the risk with a Rocky Mountain E-MTB. It is not worth it.

[@FWCaptain-kv6sm]

sure it was the bike?

[@bstevens7647]

@@FWCaptain-kv6sm I had two and fire investigators, one hired by Rocky Mountain the other by my ins co.They both stated it was obviously the bike battery that blew up and burned the garage down. As soon as that happened to Rocky Mountain lawyered up and cut off all contact with me

[@Eric.V.]

Jeff prefers small back ends 😆

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Tight is right!

[@Eric.V.]

@@JeffKendallWeed 😆😆😆

[@FWCaptain-kv6sm]

love watching you ride shredding

[@jaysmallen3067]

Thanks for the awesome riding and review Jeff! And huge thanks to Logan for the badarse editing 🙌🏻. You guys make a great team. Stay stoked and Merry Christmas to you and your families!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Jay! Logan helped a ton with this one, he even included himself hahahaha!!! We each did a fair bit of editing though.

[@wbee01]

Much respect to you Jeff for your honest appraisal of this bike. I have the Altitude and to be honest i have had no end of trouble with the electronics. Always getting error messages and Rocky dont seem to be able to fix it. Apart from that which is a deal breaker for me. The bike itself when it is going is amazing to ride. Cheers and thanks again for your honesty.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Wow! Sorry to hear about your troubles- I had a great experience with the warranty, and replacement parts have been solid. Are you on the 2022-2023 generation or the prior? Almost all eMTBs I've tried have had some sort of problem with the electronics at some point, so it's not a deal break for me.

[@allenleclerc7878]

Same here. Sold my 2020 for a 2022 and the new Dyname has been a huge disappointment for me. The guys at my shop rebooted a new software update (3rd attempt) at the end of last season and I'm praying it fixes the "error" problems. The "overheating" warning is the worst of all. When it shows up it sets the motor in an automatic max power setting that just feels terrible. Never happened on my 2020 and I peddled the shit out of that thing. Also on the old Dyname, I never had to run it more that 80% and used ludacris setting in very rare situations. When engaged on the old motor you could feel that bad boy explode off the trail. The new version of power settings has made that boost much less noticeable. Praying this is a better season. I put over 2700km on that old bike and really hoping it wasn't a bad idea to sell. Still I'm a huge Rocky fanboy. Other than the electro stuff, my 2022 i a monster. Great vid BTW. Stoked to get riding again.

[@micheandmikey]

Thanks Logan! 🥑Curious about how you compare the WTB tire to the Maxxis. You rode WTB for so long and now you're ONLY Maxxis. Cheers Jeff!!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Oh man I still ride WTB tires! I absolutely LOVE the 2.6 tough casing tires for backcountry and/or desert stuff! I will say the Maxxis MaxGrip is better on wet roots, but the WTB 2.6 is better in the drier stuff.

[@martibtube]

Just bought a RM Instinct., had a Merida E-160. Remi G is a family friend so I was sold. This video double sold me.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Awesome Martin! I just met Remy a couple weeks ago on the trail, super cool dude!!! They'd come down to escape the Squamish snow- and it promptly snowed here a week later!

[@High_Octane]

Rocky’s are the best!

[@martibtube]

@@JeffKendallWeed that's so cool, you are both awesome riders ! I've known Remi since he was a little fella and watched his career. Your style of riding is my favorite, it's all about the fun and having the capacity to handle anything the trail throws at you.

[@JeepingNet]

Thanks so much for this! I still haven't figured out what my next bike is going to be but this video once again has Rocky Mountain near the top of my list. I did just pick up a Norco Bigfoot VLT 1 for our winter season and boy is it a fun bike to ride.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Enjoy the Norco! Thats a cool bike as well. Thanks for watching!

[@Yoda-em5mt]

Cool vid Jeffe and Logan glad you still favour a normal bike one thing no one ever mentions is you can get the same power advantages without a motor buy getting fitter stronger i call it real xc ie riding moto single track on a normal mtb because in aus all mtb trails are super flat with no tech .😁

[@alexisonbike3652]

Thank god I have snowboarding and Jeff keeping me out of depression during winter

[@zakkane2814]

Damn, maybe I should start snowboarding then

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Probably!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Alexis! I'll be up at Mt Baker on the board and skis a bit in Q1 2023!

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

That is exactly my setup, I've got a full squish Giant E-bike and my Norco hardtail! So much fun slamming the difficult climbs!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Awesome quiver! That's a great way to go. I like them both, and it's funny how much less $$$ the hardtail is, but still so dang fun!

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

@@JeffKendallWeed ain’t that the truth, think I’ve got like 3200 into the Norco Torrent, now the e-bikes are bank breakers, so it evens out.

[@railsofwesternwashington6877]

Great video Jeff! Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks! You too!

[@blairburton1234]

I think of all the current eebs, the RM is at the top of my list. Probably the Pivot Shuttle after the RM.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Right on Blair!

[@SylvainLasnier]

I was waiting for this one since a long time 😄 Many thanks Jeff for your feedback about this bike 👍. Better understanding why Altitude geo will be probably better for me than Instinct. A bit anxious about the motor.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Yeah the Altitude is the one to get, but the Instinct has still been fun. I haven't had any more issues with the electronics, and to be fair, every eMTB I've ridden has at some point had some sort of issue. I feel like we need another 5 years for eMTBs to get more reliable in general- and that goes for ALL of the motor systems currently on the market.

[@DonnieBond2]

Great review! My 2015 instinct had the same problem with rear rotor! My mechanic solved it with glue on the screws 😅

[@chrisb222]

you got crazy trials skills - I have an A30 Altitude with a coil coming on tuesday

[@andersonsridebikes]

Motor tune is a very important aspect on these “full power” EMTBs. My previous Brose equipped Levo felt much more powerful than my current Shimano EP8 equipped Shuttle LT even with very similar power specs.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Yeah motor tune is significant on rough, gnarly stuff, but it doesn't matter much on actual MTB trails IMO. It's usually just spin up a fire road, then plummet back down.

[@andersonsridebikes]

@@JeffKendallWeed I would add that it also matters when towing your friends (who claim to be purists) with analog bikes back to the top! 🤣

[@MrPeterson294]

Liked and subbed!! Loved the front wheel up in the air!!

[@markalarcon1366]

Nice you ride here in Victoria. Hartland 😊🤘🔥😱 too bad didn’t see you hehe

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Hahaha yeah we stopped in to check it out! Those trails see TONS of traffic, I wasnt expecting that! I've ridden a bit on the island, have been 3 separate times now, and will certainly be back in the spring!

[@TamMal1]

Hey Jeff! The standover height seems much higher than most. At 5’8” did you have any issues on the medium? Awesome video and review as always. Thank you

[@charlieharper4975]

I'm sure it is a great bike but I'm also sure it helped that you are a great rider, an athlete at the top of his form.

[@MarioXcore1]

Awesome! Haha, I don’t even like e bikes but love this format. Bonus intend fork appearance

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Mario, I just want to go ride cool places and make fun videos, and adding in a bike review on the side is a way to "validate" it for the channel!

[@zwingler]

Bit of a dystopian comment but i really despise the whole "warranty" thing. Some companies's warranty is "Hey guys, look at the picture, i snapped my frame." You get a new one for free in about 2 weeks or so or its "yeah, thats isnt covered in warranty and you have to haggle for spare parts, pay 50% or 100% yourself and you have to wait half a year." Those experiences might be few and far between but when i hear warranty i kind of cringe.

[@glitchman3194]

I'm doing great. Have a super Merry Christmas. Enjoy the ride

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks, you too!

[@markklimaszewski3399]

Dude , your the best bike tester ive come across / great info.I just cant understand how you ride without eye protection .

[@urbanmtb3984]

Love to see Jeff collab with remy metailler

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Hahaha thanks but I am scared he will just bring us to giant cliffs to jump off hahahaha!

[@Dream-season]

Excellent video as always!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Travis!

[@daxvolle3432]

Sick intro! Very well edited.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Logan put that together- he's a pro!

[@SlayanicDoom]

Jeff you came to Victoria, rode Hartland, and only went down the end of green ribbon near the main parking lot four times in this video!!! What!!! Please tell me you rode prybar and namasteezy, maybe some of the Partridge hills trails too?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

We rode a buncha trails, including snakes and ladders, 90s jank, hot cherry, organ donor, orange crush, dive, and more. It was OK, but wasn't as technical as I was hoping. Clearly those trails get a ton of traffic. I'll get back to the island again in the next few years, so many more places to try out!

[@jaycarneygiants]

Now they need to develop a way to change the position with a bar-mounted button so you can quickly change for climbing and descending.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Uffff, I've ridden bikes with that sort of a system before, it's super limiting. Not that many trails are straight up, straight down, so you end up compromising a ton for lots of mileage that could be great with a good singular setting.

[@grizzbull]

Awesome video, what brand is that front fender on that Instinct?

[@scottk.8494]

Rocky Mountain or Jenson need to get you on a Growler. I'm curious to see how you might like it. Merry Christmas 👍

[@JeffKendallWeed]

For 2023, I'm really hoping to try a Growler, a Honzo, and some slightly more XC oriented hardtails. Thanks for the note, merry xmas!

[@Crunk0091]

i wish Rocky Mountain bikes came with a yamaha motor, i really want an E instinct but the problems are to much on the RM

[@stephenbarradell4043]

Green ribbon!

[@chrish8871]

Great video as usual, but I’d like to have heard more about the headline “most powerful motor” characteristics and the high pivot point looking drive train. With almost double the torque of the rise, that could of been very different in comparison of power to weight ratios. No?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

The bikes have different intentions and uses, we go over more of the differences here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJWmia1qfdegndk

[@chrish8871]

@@JeffKendallWeed perfect thankyou👍 I was not expecting the rise from the headline. Good demonstrations on those climes. I own an h30. Seat post options available when ordering. It does drop lower with correct length not sure what happened there. But…. As a rise owner, the niggle is “am I missing out” on the unkind description of a full power “tank” eMtb? Well it seems yes, but only on a very steep climbs. But I’d pay in those rare occasions by carrying all that relative weight around all other times. Very very interesting when you touched on the weight of the rider v the bike. I am 6’2 tall xl frame and 120 kg off the couch. I like a light poppy technical bike so I can pick the wheels up and put them where I want. Hence I got the rise, which I love, but that part of the video suggested to me at least, that maybe the “synergy” as orbea put it, is better to match bike weight to the rider weight to make the clime or whatever,as the balance point moves for and aft as you climb or descend. Light rider on a heavy bike on a climb won’t get so much traction. Heavy rider light bike will tip back easier. Perhaps? Interesting thank-you for the link and quick response. Wow 🤩👍🙋‍♂️

[@NDemanuele1]

Happy Holidays to All!! 😀 Awesome review as always! I'm very tempted to get an AF Instict or Altitude to go along with my Ripmo. I really like the price point and the feedback on Social Media regarding the powerplay tech! I been refraining bringing this up but can't help myself!..LMAO: What about the OSO?!...LOL. Can we expect even just a few words on it in the new year? 😉

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Howdy Norbert! I still have not yet ridden an Oso. They are hard to get (expensive), and none of my eMTB gets many clicks, so it's not much of a priority at the moment.

[@boatbikemike8571]

Jeff, could you talk about your recovery from injury? I’m going to be be hopefully making a similar comeback, I think a lot of people in similar situations could use the motivation.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Mike, sorry to hear about your injury! I've been broken many times, but most folks remember the big pelvis break from 2019. I've broken my pelvis three times- in 2006, 2016, and 2019. '19 was by far the worst (inferior and superior ramii both snapped, my pelvis was completely separated into two pieces). For all of them, by far the hardest part was going from laying down to standing up. That'll suck, no ways around that bit of it. For rehab, getting on a spin bike ASAP was always helpful for me. With the ramii, after 2 weeks of doing almost nothing, I'd sit on my butt cheek that wasn't broken and would gently turn the pedals around. After a few days of that, I was able to spin with a tad more gusto. I'd do two spin sessions a day- one before breakfast, one before dinner. Each one was ~45 mins long, and I'd generally do 3 minute intervals with 2 minutes to recover. The intervals keep it from getting too boring. I also went to the gym as soon as I could- just to do upper body stuff, but it was a good way to be healthy.

[@boatbikemike8571]

@@JeffKendallWeed thanks Jeff! Great advice! I have a bunch of micro fractures in my spine I need to heal, so a few more months to get that squared away. I have a spin bike and a erg rower, so I’m hoping to get there soon.

[@cloud6074]

Haibike is 120nm I have a road version of it and it’s absolutely insane

[@apatriotofhopedanjohn4781]

Jeff you REALLY need to take the POLE VOIMA for spin, this is my latest purchase and it is Truly a Freaking MASTERPIECE. Would love your feedback Thanks and Merry Christmas ✝️

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Dan, it'd be fun to try one briefly, but I do not like long rear ends. My style is to basically ride the rear wheel and corner a lot, and the long back ends make both of those a real challenge.

[@DooDicky]

Would you recommend RM powerplay Fusion 10 bike over Merida OneSixty, Head Durango and Cube Stereo Hybrid 120 Pro

[@Andy-co6pn]

Have you ridden the Ibis Oso yet Jeff ?

[@JPTHRICE]

i love my altitude so much

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Such a good bike!!!

[@calebwonhas8880]

Jeff, you've been all over the country when it comes to riding mountain bikes. Would you say Bellingham is the place to be when it comes to overall trail riding? Does the city sit on top of th podium?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I’d say Revelstoke and Squamish are better. PNW has some good spots. Bellingham is mostly pedal and plummet style riding, not much variety here outside of that and the bike parky stuff on Galby. CO near Durango has a good variety and diversity. Sedona is amazing, but doesn’t have many downhills or much elevation. I’d locate myself Somewhere that allows for east travel…

[@robertgifford1678]

I didn't stay to watch the video because of all the ads

[@8664antonio]

sweet🧨💯🔥

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks man, fun bike!

[@isaacbrooks5999]

I'm getting overheating messages more and more frequently as well, but I'm only riding a hardtail. Getting old sucks!!🤣

[@JeffKendallWeed]

LOL fair enough!!! Hardtails rock, though!

[@gordonkohl9083]

Nice beard!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

First beard in 37 years 😂 🧔‍♂️

[@gordonkohl9083]

@@JeffKendallWeed As you can see from my profile pic I know a few things about having a beard.

[@casper18795]

That's such a loud bike. It sounds like it's getting ready to rattle apart.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Loud?! It’s not bad at all in real life. I don’t notice it making any noise when I’m riding. The popping headset is the loudest thing.

[@BramBiesiekierski]

Thats a false claim. Dengfu e22, Wattwagon Hydra, Luna Z1, just to name a few, are way more powerful production full suspension pedal assist eMTBS.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Nope, all those are not Class 1 eMTBs.

[@BramBiesiekierski]

@@JeffKendallWeed you video is titled : "The MOST POWERFUL eMTB"

[@malanalan1]

How much do you get paid by the manufacturer? Bosh CX, Brose and few other motors are in practice better performers, pal!

[@frohrers281]

First

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Howdy Fred!