Rocky Mountain Vertex 950 (2014)

Own a Rocky XC race bike and keep the house

Pros

- Trickle down design from an esteemed range
- Affordable performance

Cons

- Only those associated with any 29er race hardtail

Review

After a bit of 29er hardtail lovin'? I have been a Rocky Mountain hardtail owner for many years so forgive any obvious bias in this impression of the latest affordable offering from the greatest maker of mountain bikes in the short history of the sport. (told you it would be obvious).

The Vertex 950 is the alloy version near the lower end of a range of impressive 29ers, with equally impressive price tags. You won't find a Rocky in a supermarket, nor will a supermarket bike, (or many bikes at all), ride quite like one either. The frame benefits from the well thought out design found in the top end carbon models and as a result achieves the same level of handling and speed on offer there. Ride reports talk about these bikes having typical 29er characteristics while retaining some of the fun factor usually associated with a smaller wheeled bike. In short: the big wheels don't hinder flicking the Vertex into a corner.

Components on offer here are more what you would expect on a trail, rather than race bike, but then it would be an error to think this bike has only one purpose. Sure the carbon versions with top of the line groupo's are weapons on a race track, but the alloy 950 is certainly not limited to this appeal. Many riders are after a sprightly, fast, singletrack trail carving machine - and that certainly describes the Vertex in all its incarnations.

Adopting Shimano SLX across the board (apart from chainset and BB) results in reliability and smooth running, perhaps a little extra weight but do you really care?

Overall this Rocky enhances the brands range. The Vertex 950 is a great 29er XC and trail bike with good manners and some versatility. It would suit an XC racer, a few fast laps at the 24hr or someone who puts uncompromising singletrack speed at the top of the priority list. Lovin' it!