On smugglers' trails from Garmisch to Lake Garda, from Nepal to Tibet, across Arizona or through the Rockies. The Rocky Mountain Sherpa describes a very unique type of mountain bike: "Bikepacking" is what the Americans call this category, while in Germany it is known as adventure biking. The Rocky Mountain Sherpa aims to be the bikepacking bike par excellence. The fully will be launched on the market in May 2015 with a rather unusual concept. However, the adventure principle remains the same, as you probably won't win a World Cup in the saddle of the Sherpa. But if you want to ride for days on end through the wildest regions of the world without a backup, safety line and equipped only with a GPS, then a bike like the Rocky Mountain Sherpa is just right for you.
The Rocky Mountain Sherpa follows an unconventional concept
29-inch carbon frame with a wider rear triangle, 27.5+ inch tyres, 120 millimetres of travel at the front and an unusual 95 millimetres at the rear: that's the Rocky Mountain Sherpa. And for anyone who missed the small +, here it is again: 27.5+. This corresponds to 2.8 inch wide tyres that are mounted on a wider 27.5 inch rim and thus achieve a tyre circumference of around 29 inches. They therefore fall somewhere between normal mountain bike and fat bike tyres. It all sounds a bit of a mixed bag.
The new adventure bike from Rocky Mountain: the Sherpa.
But you're not really used to inconsistent concepts from Rocky Mountain. And the Sherpa is no exception. Several years have gone into the development of the bikepacking carbon donkey. A concept of the Sherpa was already presented at last year's Sea Otter Festival. Apparently with a good response. According to Rocky Mountain, they worked closely with Manitou and WTB to fulfil the special requirements of the 27.5+ format.
27.5+: Another new tyre size?
The industry has already taken 26-inch bikes almost completely off the market and replaced them with 27.5-inch bikes. 29-inch tyres have long been established and fat bikes are currently in vogue. But why a new tyre size now? BIKE has already in BIKE 11/2014 about the advantages and disadvantages of plus sizes reports. Rocky Mountain itself says: "We don't just develop a bike around a tyre size, we use the tyre size as a tool to make the bikes behave the way they do in the end."
According to Rocky Mountain, the reason for the new Plus format is quite simple: it fits the bike best. To prevent teething problems, Rocky Mountain has developed both the tyres and rims of the Sherpa with WTB. The result should be a high-traction, relatively light bike that you can still ride with low air pressure despite carrying a lot of luggage, but which also rolls and rolls over well. But Rocky Mountain also endeavours to appease:
"The Sherpa is the first 27.5+ fully, but that doesn't mean we want to jump on the next bandwagon with the new 'skinnyfat' wheels. 27.5+ wheels are neither 27.5s nor 29ers and are therefore no substitute for other wheel sizes. Our 'normal' bikes aren't going anywhere - no need to get excited," reads the Rocky Mountain press release.
Customised Manitou suspension for the Sherpa
But it's not just the tyres that are exposed to different loads when bikepacking because of all the luggage. The suspension also has to react differently. Simply increasing the air pressure in the chambers often results in a loss of responsiveness. So a new suspension system was needed for the Sherpa. Rocky Mountain developed this in collaboration with Manitou. The result is the somewhat unusual combination of 120/95 millimetres of suspension travel. But despite the soft tyres, the suspension should respond sensitively and offer plenty of reserves. We are looking forward to the first ride tests at the end of April to see how this balancing act has been achieved.
Rather favourable equipment
Apart from the carbon frame and the specially developed rims, tyres and suspension elements, the Sherpa is rather cheaply equipped. Solid but simple Shimano M506 brakes with 180 mm discs provide the necessary deceleration, while the good Shimano XT Shadow+ rear derailleur shifts gears, but is only supported by a Deore front derailleur at the front. The crank comes from the lower Raceface range, as do the handlebars, stem and bottom bracket. Functionality and durability at a good price-performance ratio seem to be Rocky Mountain's maxim here.
The price for the complete package will be 4499 US dollars, prices in euros are not yet known.
Conclusion on the Rocky Mountain Sherpa:
The Rocky Mountain Sherpa wants to be an adventure bike for the most remote regions of the world and is attacking the market with an unusual concept. Specially developed Manitou suspension elements and 27.5+ tyres should ensure that it masters every challenge. The upright riding position and geometry should make many days in the saddle possible without getting too tired, but at the same time support the playful character of the bike. So much for Rocky Mountain's promise. We are excited to see how it performs in our first ride test.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
