Wade Simmons goes electric with Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay

Vancouver company brings successful e-MTB home, now for sale in Canada

Canadian Cycling Magazine February 7, 2018

Rocky Mountain Bicycles are bringing the Altitude Powerplay home. After launching the e-MTB in Europe back in July, the Vancouver company is now offering the Made in Canada bike for sale in Canada. Designed to to look and ride like its unassisted namesake, the Altitude Powerplay is meant for aggressive trail riding.

Instead of adding a motor to an existing bike, Rocky has designed the Powerplay drive system in parallel with the Altitude Powerplay frame to produce an e-MTB that rides like a proper mountain bike. Like the unassisted Altitude, there’s 150 mm rear and 160 mm front travel and clearance for 27.5” Wide Trail wheels or 26-plus. The Altitude Powerplay shares the same geometry and suspension performance as its EWS winning namesake, with Rocky making the case that the added power from the motor will allow you to push your riding further than ever before.

The e-MTB version Altitude features Rocky Mountain’s new Powerplay drive system, developed specifically for mountain biking. The drive system was designed from the ground up, with an in-line torque sensor providing smooth, instant power response, quiet operation, and quick charge times. The Powerplay system uses a 48v motor that takes just two hours to reach 80% capacity of a 632Wh lithium ion battery. Designing the drive system and frame together, Rocky has made the two components complementary, making the frame stronger instead of requiring compromises to fit in a third party drive system. Rocky Mountain has also isolated the Powerplay drive system from pedaling forces, putting the bottom bracket shell in the frame rather than in the drive system.

The result of all this effort is an e-MTB designed to ride like a proper, aggressive trail bike. With the Altitude Powerplay, Rocky Mountain wants to open up mountain biking in new ways. “I’ve been on the Altitude Powerplay for over 6 months now, so I’ve had the chance to put it through its paces,” says freeride legend Wade Simmons. “When I try to describe what my favourite part about it is, all I can say is ‘It’s like I’m riding in my dreams.’” If you’ve been counting electric sheep every night and dreaming of e-MTB adventures since the bikes European release, the Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay is now available in Canada.

Pictures by: Rocky Mountain Bicycles / Margus Riga