Rossignol

Balanced, intuitive handling

Good blend of composure and agility

Mostly well-chosen kit

Not particularly agile in the Attack setting

Inefficient on the climbs

Excellent cornering, best cornering twenty-niner

Heavy-duty aluminum frame, designed for longevity

Paint quality excellent, no visible damage after test period

Predictable suspension performance, linear leverage ratio

Confidence-inspiring on descents

Good value in SLX build

Jumps well, natural on jump lips

Stable at bike park speeds

Plenty of traction on downhills

Heavy: 39.5-41 lb, shuttle-only rig

Pivots worked loose; main pivot required fresh loctite

Maven Bronze brakes issues: rear lost brakes completely, difficult to bleed

DT SWISS XM1900 hub low engagement, lazy, needs service

Seatpost length problematic: seat buzzes rear tire on heavy compressions with 150mm dropper

Tool in frame protector vulnerable to mud and grit, rusts

GX crank worked loose once

Solid parts choice for GX model, and still at a decent value.

Finds the sweetspot of being playful and composed.

Dropper post is too short on all size frames.

MX setting is too low and too slack for enduro riding and racing.