Co-developing their own motor has freed Rocky Mountain from the usual geometry and frame architecture constraints, and allowed them to make the Altitude Powerplay the same shape as its non-powered sibling. This makes it unusual in the e-bike market. The frame The compact frame combines a carbon fibre front triangle with an aluminium four-bar rear end. It hides the battery in its down tube and the motor behind the cranks. While most e-bikes have long back ends, the shape of the motor has enabled Rocky Mountain to keep the chainstay length down to a tiny 426mm. Up front, the ‘RIDE-9’ chip in the lower shock mount lets you choose between nine possible geometries. The medium frame can be adjusted to provide 452mm to 464mm of reach and a head angle of between 65 and 66.1 degrees. The kit The motor is the highlight here, partly because it allows ‘normal’ geometry, but also because of how incredibly reactive it is to pedalling inputs.As you rotate the cranks, the chain is drawn ov