Rocky Mountain Bicycles had its beginnings in a Vancouver bike store in 1978 when two men began modifying Nishiki road bikes by adding wider tires, straight handlebars and internal five-speed gears. Their aim was to create a bicycle that could be ridden and raced on the technical trails of the West Coast. Rocky Mountain Bicycles Ltd. was officially incorporated in 1981, with Grayson Bain serving as president until 1997. In 1982, working with frame designer Tom Ritchey, the company introduced its first production mountain bike - the "Sherpa". Having expanded sales beyond Vancouver in 1984, Rocky Mountain began shipping bikes internationally in 1989. The company expanded rapidly during the 1990s, enlarging its production facilities to meet growing demand in the United States and elsewhere. Rocky Mountain was acquired by Procycle Group in 1997 but continues to operate independently. Rocky Mountain Bicycles has won Mountain Bike Magazine's 'Mountain Bike of the Year' award three times - for the Hammer Race in 1996, the Element Race in 2000, and the Slayer in 2002. Rocky Mountain has also seen one of its sponsored riders, Marie-Hélène Prémont, win a silver Olympic medal in 2004.
Products
Mountain bikes
Rocky Mountain is best known for its mountain bikes and produces a wide range of models specialized for different riding styles and disciplines within the mountain category. As of 2011, the company offers over 30 different models, ranging from hard-tail cross country bikes to full-suspension downhill bikes. Rocky Mountain produces carbon fiber, aluminum alloy and steel mountain bike frames.
Road bikes
Rocky mountain began producing road bikes in 1984 and currently markets 11 performance road models and 2 cyclo-cross models, along with several "urban", "fitness" and "hybrid" bikes.
Sponsored Teams and Athletes
Cross country
1992, Alison Sydor wins her first World Cup on a Rocky Mountain Bicycle. 1993, Bruce Spicer wins the Canadian National XC Title, adding to his record 13 National Titles. 1996, Rocky Mountain Bicycles rider Andreas Hestler wins the season opener Cactus Cup ahead of current world championHenrik Djernis and legend, John Tomac. Andreas Hestler then debut's with Rocky Mountain Bicycles at the XXVI Olympic Games in Atlanta and the inaugural inclusion of Mountain Biking as a sport, Mountain Biking is taking the world by storm and has officially "arrived"!. Also in attendance Alison Sydor, Lesley Tomlinson and Warren Sallenbach. 2003 - 2007 Rocky Mountain Bicycles/Crystal Decisions Team dominates modern mountain bike stage racing. With multiple wins and podiums in the Trans-Alp, Cape-Epic and Trans-Rockies the Team: Lesley Tomlinson, Gretchen Reeves, Karl Platt, Andreas Hestler and Carsten Bresser carry the team into the modern era. From 2009 to 2011, Rocky Mountain co-sponsored Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, sponsoring racers Marie-Hélène Prémont and Geoff Kabush, Sabrina Jonnier, Lea Davison, and Cameron Cole. 2009 has also seen the addition of a new team, Rocky Mountain Bicycles' current sponsored XC athletes are Andreas Hester, Kevin Calhoun, Quinn Moberg, Greg Day and Emily Handford.
Enduro
Rocky Mountain is a co-sponsor of the Rocky Mountain/Raceface Enduro Team. Current 2020 team riders include Jesse Melamed, Remy Gauvin, Andreane Lanthier Nadeau, and Peter Ostroski.
Freeride
Rocky Mountain sponsors several professional freeride athletes including Wade Simmons, Thomas Vanderham, Carson Storch, and Vaea Verbeeck.
