Mileage: 2590 km | 47,600 altitude metres
A potent trail/all-mountain bike under 13 kilos is a rarity these days, even in this price range. In this respect, the choice was not difficult for me, especially as I ride my bikes a lot on the flat Isar trails in everyday life. The Pipeline was a real pleasure to ride, especially in this area. The potent rear end provides a lot of counter-pressure - important when accelerating and when you want to pull away over a small ramp. In order to collect kilometres and metres in altitude, the Rocky went on trips with different riders. It had to prove itself on long Alpine tours as well as in the shuttle area of Latsch and on the material-massacring Lake Garda trails. Whoever had the Pipeline in their luggage came back with a big grin on their face. However, the standard tyres with the super grippy but heavy Maxxis Minion DHF and DHR II had to make way for a faster Conti combination. The ideal choice proved to be the very good rolling Cross King at the rear and the grippy Mountain King at the front. Both tyres were fitted in 2.6 inch widths and are similarly high and stable on the wide 35 mm rims - which is not insignificant in view of the rather low bottom bracket. In addition, this tyre combination saves around 300 grams compared to the standard tyres. This pays off on flat trails as well as on long tours.
Incidentally, the low bottom bracket is the only thing that can get in the way of a Pipeline rider in battle mode. The Ride 9 adjustment on the rear shock mount can be used to select different flat geometries. If you don't just want to hurtle down the valley in downhill mode, but also want to pedal over trails, you should definitely avoid the flattest/deepest setting.
And the durability? There were problems with the braking system: Shimano's XT had to be bled twice and always had a somewhat spongy pressure point. In addition, the pads wore out at a rapid pace: they had to be replaced every 600 kilometres. A few injuries were more due to the carelessness of the various riders: The derailleur hanger had to be straightened after contact with rocks, the rear rim showed a small dent, and the dip tubes of the 34 mm Fox were a little scuffed.
CONCLUSION on the Rocky Mountain Pipeline C70 by BIKE editor-in-chief Josh Welz
Light, powerful and reliable: The Pipeline in the expensive C70 version covers a huge range of applications and scores highly in terms of reliability.
Defects / maintenance
- 180 km: Bent derailleur hanger After a crash, the Sram GX Eagle could no longer be shifted cleanly. The derailleur hanger was bent, but could be repaired.
- 600 / 1200 / 1800 / 2400 km: Replacing the brake pads The brake pads wore out like in fast motion and had to be replaced approximately every 600 km, once even on tour.
- 800 / 1700 km: Bleeding the brakes The pressure point of the Shimano XT was always a little spongy. The brakes were bled twice - without any lasting improvement.
- 1850 km: Changing the chain After a week of touring Lake Garda with plenty of metres in altitude, the Sram chain had worn down. The replacement cost 22 euros.
details
The bike: Rocky Mountain Pipeline C70
Material / Size Carbon / M
Price / weight 5800 Euro / 12,92 kg without pedals
Suspension travel (front / rear) 142 mm / 134-153 mm
Wheel size 27.5 inch
Fork Fox 34 Float Performance Elite
Damper Fox Float Performance Elite
The tester: Josh Welz, BIKE editor-in-chief
Age / Height / Weight 51 years / 1.83 m / 80 kg
Driver profile Tours with crisp trails; tame bike parks
Favourite areas Isar trails, Alpine foothills, Saalbach, Livigno, Willingen, Lake Garda
You can find this article in BIKE 7/2019. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
