Rocky Mountain’s west coast headquarters are located southeast of Vancouver, in Delta
Life-sized CAD drawings such as this are used during the prototyping process to make sure frames are staying true to design during the welding process
Master welder Al Kowalchuk has spent most of the last 20 years working for Rocky Mountain
This custom four-cross frame is destined for the quiver of World Cup racer Scott Beaumont
Rocky’s in-house CNC machine is used for tooling and small-part prototyping. This allows them to concept an idea in the morning and have it in their hands in the afternoon
Example prototype parts include this internal cable routing port and front derailleur chain slap protector
When developing a new bike Rocky wants to know where it stands relative to other models and the competition. To do this, they’ve developed stiffness tests to get a clear benchmark. Here you see a 2012 Element RSL prototype frame that’s having its BB stiffness measured
This deflection gauge lets Rocky engineers know how stiff their bike designs actually are
Touring the Rocky Mountain facility includes this look back in history, with frames marking time in the company’s long tenure in the mountain bike business
Vintage signage belays Rocky’s old school roots
Another look into the way-back machine is delivered by this circa 1990s jersey
The unique native character of the Vancouver area is illustrated in this classic Rocky Mountain jersey
Among the many successful racers, who’ve piloted Rocky Mountain bike is cross-country World Cup winner Marie-Helene Premont
The more modern look of the BC Bike Race jersey. In 2011, Rocky Mountain was one of the popular event’s primary sponsors
Chainstays of all shapes and sizes
This fatigue testing machine allows Rocky Mountain to prototype faster. By putting frame iterations through their paces, engineers can tell where a bike is going to fatigue or fail, and then alter the design as necessary
At it’s core, the Vancouver facility is frame prototyping facility
One of the many in-house machine Rocky employs in the prototyping process. Apparently someone did not heed the “clean up after use” policy
Rocky Mountain just unveiled its new carbon 29er hardtail, the Vertex RSL
Unlocking the key to lighter, stiffer, faster, smoother
Parts, parts and more parts
A sneak peak at what Rocky Mountain will have on offer in 2012
Among the brands most famous athletes is freeride pioneer Wade Simmons, who can still rip with the best as witnessed by this shot from a recent excursion to Chile
There’s no shortage of bathroom reading at Rocky Mountain headquarters
Rocky maintains both race and freeride squads, meaning riders such as Canadian Olympian Andreas Hestler are frequent visitors to HQ
The unofficial Rocky Mountain mascot – Tank the dog
The Rocky sales team logs a lot of frequent flier miles in the Far East, a fact further illustrated by the trinkets that come home
No bike facility is complete without one of these
Marketing man Peter Vallance hard at work
Whether it’s freeride steeds like the Slayer or nimble cross-country racing machines like the Element RSL, the gang from Rocky Mountain have had plenty of success crafting high-end fat tire machines. We were invited to their nerve center in suburban Vancouver, British Columbia for a look behind the scenes.
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Located on the city’s outskirts in Delta, Rocky HQ serves a trio of primary purposes: sales, marketing and as a frame design and prototyping facility. On the day of our visit, long-time Rocky employee Al Kowalchuk was hard at work, welding up a custom four-cross frame for British World Cup racer Scott Beaumont.
Master welder al kowalchuk has spent most of the last 20 years working for rocky mountain: master welder al kowalchuk has spent most of the last 20 years working for rocky mountainJason Sumner
Master welder Al Kowalchuk has spent most of the past 20 years working for Rocky Mountain
On other days, Kowalchuk and the team of in-house engineer-designers can be found in front of computers or at one of several fatigue testing stations, where frame ideas are put under the microscope to see whether they’re ready for primetime.
“We develop and test all our new bikes here,” Rocky marketing man Peter Vallance told BikeRadar. “Whether it’s aluminum or carbon, they all start here. Aluminum bikes are welded here first, then moved to production [in Asia]. We also do mock-ups of all our carbon fiber bikes here.”
Rocky Mountain’s latest push has been the design and launch of new offerings in their 26er and 29er Element line, and a full-carbon 29er hardtail dubbed the Vertex. The Element range, which heretofore only came in carbon fiber versions (the Race Super Light and Marathon Super Light), has grown with the addition of lower priced alloy models.
Rocky mountain just unveiled its new carbon 29er hardtail, the vertex rsl: rocky mountain just unveiled its new carbon 29er hardtail, the vertex rslJason Sumner
Rocky Mountain unveiled their new carbon 29er hardtail, the Vertex RSL, earlier this year
On the hardtail side of the equation, Rocky have quit making 26ers all together, and in 2012 will limit their offerings to only 29ers, including the Vertex RSL. An early iteration of the Vertex was spotted in the Rocky HQ work area. Vallance said the bike was ridden and raced by one of the company’s engineers for months before they finally signed off on the design and started the manufacturing process overseas.
Marketing man peter valance hard at work: marketing man peter valance hard at workJason Sumner
Marketing man Peter Valance, hard at work
“This bike went through 100 versions to perfect tube shapes and thicknesses,” said Vallance. “Software we use allows us to see the hotspots or potential fatigue points before the frame is a reality. That helps us pinpoint the areas where we need to change and tweak layup to minimize weight and maximize stiffness. It all happens here.”
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For a glimpse behind the scenes at Rocky Mountain, check out our image gallery and the video below, by Jason Sumner:
