Jan 02 2010
I took delivery of the Altitude 90 carbon frame in the first week of June 2009 and had some opportunity to get the suspension settings dialed in and some miles on the bike. Total weight is 26.4 pounds with the last year’s model of DT Swiss EXC150 20mm axle fork on the bike.
This thing does climb like a mountain goat with a JATO bottle strapped to it. In comparing it to my Vertex and ETSX on a couple of very steep middle ring climbs, it actually climbs more easily than either, the front end stays planted and doesn’t wander. On one particular steep climb I have to be waaaay forward on the Vertex and as low as possible to keep the front wheel planted. The ETSX is extremely light on the front and near wheelies or wandering off the trail are possible. The Altitude just climbs straight and doesn’t require a lot of fuss to keep the front wheel planted.
On flatter trails the Straight Up geometry makes it feel like a pursuit bike, a 175mm set of cranks feel like 165mm long it is so easy to get a fast pedal cadence going.
It really handles nicely and the long front centre (almost 40mm longer than my ETSX) makes this bike feel almost as stable as the SXC when rolling into things. It is very well balanced, like a taller ETSX on rough stuff. It doesn’t have any noticeable bob, and feels quite happy flying along over root drops. It doesn’t have as much BB clearance as the SXC so when I approach big roots and logs, I’m mostly thinking of the replacement cost of the XTR big ring.
It really feels like the ETSX’s bigger brother and might be a better match to my riding style/ability than my SXC. I like this bike a bunch.
I’ve since added a Blackspire C4 bashguard to the Altitude and given up the 44T ring, that takes a lot of stress off of tackling roots, rocks and logs in the neighbourhood trails. Every time I approached a large log, the cost of an XTR 44T chainring flashed into my mind. This also does give more clearance for tackling log piles and I’ve yet to smack the downtube since making the change.
I’ve replaced the 2009 Fox RP23 with the new Fox RP23 with the Boost Valve. Some would call it crazy upgrading a rear shock on a bike less than 6 months old, but when I was reading about the new 2010 Fox Shock Boost Valve version of the RP23 I was thinking about the stutter bump harshness I noticed on the Altitude. A conversation with Jeff in West Van, and his conversation with Rocky snagged the RP23 spec for new Altitude, and I ordered a new shock.
The shock arrived, I set it up with the same basic pressure and rebound settings and slapped it on the bike and went out for a ride on a familiar stretch of rough chattery trail surface, and wowzer! smooth as butter. The Boost Valve does a nice job of providing a supple ride on washboard and cobble, and maintains great platform and big hit performance.
Anyone who has felt they needed different pressure settings for comfort versus speed on their altitude, your plaintive cries have been answered. A Fox RP23 with aftermarket product code FX-972-90-045 gets you a smoooooooth ride when going fast.
