After the All Mountains Instinct and Pipeline and the race hardtail Vertex Rocky Mountain has now also reworked the Thunderbolt trail bike. Not an easy endeavour, because the Thunderbolt and the BC Edition of the Thunderbolt have always taken top places in past BIKE tests. The frame of the carbon bike in particular always scored plenty of points in the BIKE test lab. But that is history, now the new Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt the competition. The Canadians have given the bike a little more travel. The new Thunderbolt now rolls through the terrain with 130/130 mm of travel, while the more downhill-orientated BC edition even has 140 mm at the front and rear. For comparison: In the last BIKE test, the old BC edition offered 133 mm (front) and 125 mm (rear) of travel. As before, the BC edition is equipped with wider handlebars, wider tyres, more robust wheels and a stiffer suspension fork (Fox 36) in addition to the extra travel.
Ride 9 adjustment in a new position
The trademark of all Rocky Mountain MTB fullys is the Ride 9 geometry adjustment, which was and is also used on the Thunderbolt. But now in a new location. The two toothed chip inserts move from the front shock mount to the rear, so the Ride 9 system is now located in the rocker. Nothing has changed in terms of how the nine configurations work. However, it now looks tidier. The new position should also make the rear triangle more responsive to small impacts and minimise the influence of the drivetrain when pedalling. The hidden rear pivot point is also part of the cleaner design. As with the Altitude and the Slayer, the "Horst link" will also disappear between the chainstay and seatstay on the Thunderbolt from 2018. The Rocky engineers have also thought about the future. The new Thunderbolt frame is not only compatible with Shimano Di2, but also with the Fox Live Valve electronic suspension whose market launch is still in the stars. Of course, it also corresponds to the current status quo of technology: Boost hubs, shocks with metric installation lengths and disc brakes with Postmount 180 mounts can be used.
Geometry adjustments for the Thunderbolt
Rocky Mountain has also tweaked the geometry of the trail bike a little. The bottom bracket sits lower on the new "Thunderbolt" and the top tube is longer (628 mm instead of 616 mm on the BC edit in size L). Although the old Thunderbolt was praised above all for its playful handling, the chainstays grow on the new bike and the steering angle is 0.5 degrees slacker. In concrete terms, this means The new Thunderbolt reaches 67 degrees in the neutral Ride 9 position, the BC edition 66.6 degrees. The seat angle varies between 74.4 and 75.6 degrees depending on the setting. The longer chainstays should make the Thunderbolt a better climber. According to the manufacturer, the new Thunderbolt frame (Carbon 90 BC-Editon) should weigh 2300 grams including shock. There are five frame sizes from XS-XL. In addition, the seatpost length has been adjusted to allow longer dropper posts to be used with maximum insertion. A 0.7 litre water bottle fits into the front triangle of all Thunderbolt bikes. The maximum tyre clearance is 27.5 x 2.5 inches, but 26-inch tyres with a width of 2.8 inches can also be ridden.
Thunderbolt 2018: models & prices
The new Thunderbolt bikes will be available immediately from Rocky Mountain dealers. In addition to the € 6200 Carbon 90 BC edition (12.57 kg in size L), there will be three other models: the Carbon 70, the Carbon 50 and the Carbon 30. The 70 Thunderbolt comes with a 1x12 Sram Eagle GX drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes and Fox 34 Performance Elite/DPS Evol Performance Elite suspension. It costs 5800 euros and is said to weigh 11.8 kilos. The most affordable of the new Thunderbolt bikes, the Carbon 30, has reduced equipment (1x11 Sram NX, Rock Shox suspension with Recon Gold), but has the same full carbon frame as the higher-end models. According to the manufacturer, it weighs 12.34 kg (size L) and is available from dealers for 3600 euros.
Thunderbolt Carbon 90 BC:
12.57 kg (size L)
Price 6200 Euro
Thunderbolt Carbon 70:
11.80 kg (size L)
Price: 5800 Euro
Thunderbolt Carbon 50:
12.26 kg (size L)
Price: 4800 Euro
Thunderbolt Carbon 30:
12.34 kg (size L)
Price: 3600 Euro
