Rocky Mountain are well known for their gravity-orientated mountain bikes which are designed and developed on the North Shore of Canada. They don't just have some of the world's best mountain biking on their doorstep, there is also loads of gravel riding too which is covered by their lesser known Solo gravel bike range. For 2023, Rocky Mountain has given the Solo an overhaul, featuring new geometry, features, and new carbon frame making it Rocky Mountain's best gravel bike.
Many mountain bike brands have been getting into the gravel scene as they see the opportunity to apply their off-roading knowledge to an increasingly popular discipline. The end results are usually gravel bikes that push the technical capabilities of drop-bar off-roading rather than searching for speed.
Rocky Mountain appears to have leaned towards the speed aspect of gravel riding with its updated Solo. Firstly it's made from what Rocky Mountain are calling Smoothwall carbon in order to save weight as well as help with compliance. This is further aided by the unusual tube shaping at the bottom of the seat tube which is claimed to specifically add increase vertical compliance. Rocky Mountain will still offer the Solo in alloy builds as well.
Geometry sees a small update and the Solo now features a longer reach and lower bottom bracket, there are also some size-specific tweaks too. Seat stays are now dropped, as are both chainstays to offer increased tire clearance.
Tire clearance is generous with options to run 29-inch x 2.0 (700 x 50mm) or 27.5-inch x 2.2 (650b x 56mm). If you want to run fenders, tire clearance maxes out at 700x40mm. Whether you are gravel adventuring, bikepacking, or commuting the 12 mounting points on the frame, and 8 on the fork should cover all the accessory mounting needs.
Surprisingly Rocky Mountain has gone against the gravel bike trend and specced a front derailleur mount, although all of the stock bikes only come in a 1X drivetrain option. This increases the bike's versatility and prove to be popular amongst endurance riders. There's also internal routing and dropper routing too.
There are will be three carbon models available, starting at $3,799 USD, and two alloy models which start at $1,699 USD. We will update when we have more pricing available.
For more details head over to www.rockymountain.com.
