Rocky Mountain Pipeline 750 MSL first ride review

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If you've been into mountain bikes for a while, Rocky Mountain's Pipeline probably rings a bell. The original Pipeline ushered in the freeride movement under Rocky Mountain's unheard-of-at-the-time, factory-sponsored, non-racing Froriders team. The Pipeline is often credited as one of the first bikes that truly allowed riding up, then getting seriously nutty on the way down. 

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The new Pipeline slots into the new 27.5+ category. It's a niche that's still trying to figure some things out, like tire width, for example. WTB got the game rolling with 3.0in rubber, but then Schwalbe and Maxxis got going with 2.8in meats, and recently 2.6in is becoming a thing. 

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That seems to the hallmark of 27.5+ bikes, the fact that they're not purpose-built for a certain micro-niche of riding, but are excellent at mountain biking, plain old, out on the trails, goofing around mountain biking.

Rocky Mountain Pipeline spec overview

• Smoothwall carbon main frame with alloy rear, 130mm travel
• SmoothLink rear suspension
• Ride-9 adjustable geometry and shock progression system
• BC2 pivots
• RockShox Yari RC, 150mm
• RockShox Monarch RT Debonair 
• Shimano XT shifter/rear derailleur
• Race Face Aeffect SL Cinch cranks, 28t
• Alex XM35 rims w/ Maxxis Rekon EXO 27.5 x 2.8in tires
• RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post, 170mm

Rocky Mountain Pipeline frame and equipment

First things first, the carbon Pipeline bucks the ultra long front center trend. The XL size I rode has a 620mm top tube, which falls as a size Large for most companies. The short feeling front end is compounded by a very steep seat angle, ranging from 73.7 - 75.5, depending on where the Ride-9 adjustment is set. 

Mitigating plus-size tire bounciness while preventing sidewall squirm is the crux that befalls big tires. A single psi makes a big difference. I've been experimenting with psi, talking with other riders, and bugging demo fleet mechanics to learn what works. With that in mind, I started the tire pressures at 17psi front and 18psi rear, and bled some out on subsequent rides.

Rocky Mountain Pipeline ride impression

Rocky Mountain Pipeline 750 MSL price

Rocky Mountain Pipeline 750 MSL vs. the competition

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