After getting a tease of a prototype bike raced on the EWS, Rossignol is now set to launch an all-new 2022 collection of alloy mountain bikes. Led by the enduro race-ready Heretic, a mid-travel Mandate trail bike, and a slightly bigger eMTB Mandate Shift e-bike, the new Rossignol mountain bike range also has a few affordable alloy kids mountain bikes too…
All-new 2022 Rossignol affordable alloy mountain bikes
Rossignol is hitting the ground running this year with a compact range of affordable aluminum mountain bikes that they refined and tested on the tough EWS racing circuit – now delivered directly to your door. That’s where we first spotted the flagship Rossignol Heretic prototype, raced by Estelle Charles of the Rossignol Factory Team in the Tweed Valley last fall.
Race-ready, but developed more to target the average trail-riding mountain biker, this is a small range of no-nonsense hydroformed alloy mountain bikes. Rossignol says the bikes aluminum bikes are meant to be easy to maintain, durable, and reliable – plus they say, “aluminum frames have a lower CO2 impact”.
Rossignol says the mountain bike division is a core part of the larger Rossignol Group’s strategic development. “As an innovation leader in mountain sports equipment the last 115 years, Rossignol wants to be active with its community by providing the most thrilling experiences across all seasons. Born in the alps, our new bikes were inspired by the diversity of our surrounding playgrounds.”
They’ve been offering durable summer mountain bike rental fleets to ski resorts since 2017, and now end-users can get a taste with their new direct-to-consumer sales model.
So now, the 2022 Rossignol mountain bike models…
Rossignol Heretic enduro bike
At the top there’s the 160mm travel enduro-ready Heretic for riding the most aggressive terrain – with size-specific wheels and a Horst-Link suspension layout. Pricing starts at just $2800 / 2800€ for a Deore 12sp bike, $3600 / 3600€ for a SLX equipped bike, and $4700 / 4700€ for a premium XT complete enduro bike.
Resorts will still offer a Heretic enduro bike build with a Deore 10-speed build to withstand the hard life of a rental fleet.
Rossignol Mandate trail bike
Then, there’s a 140mm Mandate trail bike that’s more of an all-rounder, ready for your local singletrack, but still capable of handling technical terrain. Complete Mandate trail bikes start at $2400 / 2400€ with Deore 11sp, $3400 / 3400€ with SLX 12sp, and $4400 / 4400€ with XT 12sp.
Again, resorts will have a special Mandate trail bike build with Deore 10-speed for their rental fleet.
Rossignol Mandate Shift all-mountain e-bike
For those needing a bit of a boost up the hills, the 150mm Mandate Shift eMTB adds a mid-drive Shimano e-bike motor and long-range battery integrated into the downtube. Adding in e-bike drive increases the price, but complete Mandate Shift eMTBs start at $4400 / 4400€ with a Shimano E7000 motor/500Wh battery & Deore 11sp; $5400 / 5400€ with top-spec EP8 motor, 630Wh battery & Deore 12sp; or$6400 / 6400€ with EP8 630Wh & XT.
Mountain rental fleets will get an E7000 e-bike with a 500Wh battery & Deore 10sp, and be offered where there is resort infrastructure to recharge along your tours at mountain huts and ski lift base stations.
Rossignol Mandate kids bikes
For kids, there are two single-pivot Mandate JR mountain bikes, with either 20″ for $1400 / 1400€ or 24″ wheels for $1500 / 1500€.
And lastly, a 12″ wheeled Mandate Uno balance bike for $140 / 140€ to get the youngest riders hooked.
Availability consumer-direct or as a rental bike
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) availability in the USA and most of Europe is a big step for Rossignol mountain bikes, and a project they’ve been working to make easy for the end-user. Their long-term resort partnership is said to offer an easy way for potential buyers to try out the new bikes before they buy, and also serves in some instances as a brick & mortar Rossignol pro shop where you can even pick up a new bike.
Rossignol also refined a reusable “99% plastic free” consumer delivery box that ships a new bike to your door 90% pre-assembled – just four biodegradable plastic locks secure the box closed, but also make it easy to repack your bike again for travel. Only four assembly steps are needed before you hit the trail, and key setup tools like a torque wrench, shock pump, pedal wrench & more come packed in with the new bike.
Check out each bike’s geometry & full-spec, order yours, or find a rental to test ride at:
