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 paint quality; no visible wear

Heavy-duty aluminum frame built to last

Cornering prowess described as 'best cornering twenty-niner'

Predictable suspension with linear leverage ratio

Stable at bike park speeds

Jumps well; rarely behaves unnaturally

Good traction on downhills; responds well to pumping

Easy to adapt to various trails

Good value with SLX build

Heavy weight (39.5 lb stock, 41 lb with Podium fork)

Pivots worked loose; main pivot needed fresh loctite

GX crank loosened once

Maven Bronze brakes had bleeding issues; rear brake failure

DT SWISS XM1900 wheelset: low engagement hub feels lazy, spokes are straight pull

Tool in frame protector gets rusty and hard to access

Seatpost length caused tire buzz on heavy compressions with dropper slammed

Burped rear tire on well-supported corners

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.