Rossignol Re-Launches Consumer Direct Mountain Bike Range

Mar 1, 2022 at 11:56
by Matt Beer  

Rossignol's 2022 lineup includes everything from a 20" wheeled kids mountain bike and an eMTB, to a 140mm trail and 160mm travel enduro bike. This fleet will be available through Rossignol.com for the U.S. and European customers, and there's even a scoot bike to round out the whole family.

All of the adult frames keep things straightforward with aluminum construction, and front fork travel that matches the Horst Link rear suspension numbers. Where things get a little blurred is the wheel sizing. The Mandate trail and Heretic enduro models come in five sizes and feature 27.5" wheels on the extra-small and small frames, while the medium to extra-large use 29" wheels. There are no geometry adjustments or mixed wheel options, but the chainstays are proportioned for the two sizing dimensions.

Youth riders can get started on a 20" or 24" wheeled Mandate Junior bikes that use a single pivot suspension design for $1,399 or $1,499 USD, respectively.



Enduro - Heretic


You may have seen the Heretic raced on the EWS circuit by the Rossignol factory team, the Rad Bandits, under the guise of black and white camo swirls on the prototype bike.

The geometry is more reserved than we've seen compared to the longer and lower numbers from other brands. That shouldn't really be a surprise when you have influence from your enduro race team who are used to navigating tighter, European race tracks.

Heretic Details

• 6061 Aluminum frame
• Travel: 160 mm / 160 mm fork
• Wheel sizes: XS-S 27.5" / M-XL 29"
• 64.5-degree head angle
• Chainstays: XS-S 435 mm / M-XL 445
• Size: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Price: $2,799 - $4,699 USD
• rossignol.com

As for the components on the premium build, RockShox takes care of the suspension duties with a ZEB Ultimate and Super Deluxe Air with Shimano XT gearing and brakes. E*thirteen rounds out the controls, and the rims are wrapped in Maxxis Assegai/DHR II EXO+ tire pairing.


Heretic Geometry



Heretic XT: $4,699 USD.
Heretic SLX: $3,599 USD.
Heretic Deore: $2,799 USD.



Trail - Mandate



The Mandate is a scaled down version of the Heretic sharing the size-proportional wheel and chainstay theory. This trail bike features 140mm of front and rear wheel travel and a steeper 66-degree head angle.

It too comes in three part configurations with a full gamut of Shimano components and RockShox suspension and starts at $2,399 USD, $400 less than the Heretic.

Mandate Details

• 6061 Aluminum frame
• Travel: 140mm / 140mm fork
• Wheel sizes: XS-S 27.5" / M-XL 29"
• 66-degree head angle
• Chainstays: XS-S 425 mm / M-XL 430
• Size: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Price: $2,399 - $4,399 USD

Mandate Geometry


Mandate XT: $4,399 USD.
Mandate SLX: $3,399 USD.
Mandate Deore: $2,399 USD.



eMTB - Mandate Shift


The Mandate eMTB model comes in four sizes ranging from small to extra-large, but all use 29" wheels and the same rear center measurement. Rossignol settled with 150 mm of travel at both ends and chose Shimano's popular EP8 motor with a 630 Wh battery. Similarly to the Heretic, there are top and down tube mounts for a bottle and accessory mount within the front triangle, plus internal cable routing and a rubber chainstay protector.

Starting at $4,399 USD, the budget friendly eMTB uses Shimano's 11-speed Deore drivetrain and a RockShox 35 fork, while the top tier Mandate Shift XT is supplied with the burlier ZEB fork and 4-piston Shimano XT brakes and drivetrain, as the name suggests.

Mandate Shift Details

• 6061 Aluminum frame
• Travel: 150 mm / 150 mm fork
• Wheel size: 29"
• 65-degree head angle
• Chainstays: 450 mm
• Motor: Shimano EP8 EM800
• Battery: Shimano 630 Wh
• Size: S, M, L, XL
• Price: $4,399 - $6,399 USD


Mandate Shift XT: $6,399 USD.
Mandate Shift Deore 12: $5,399 USD.
Mandate Shift Deore 11: $4,399 USD.

Mandate Shift Geometry




Youth - Mandate Junior 20/24

Youth riders can get started on a 20" or 24" wheeled Mandate Junior bikes that use a single pivot suspension design for $1,399 or $1,499 USD, respectively.

Mandate Junior 24: $1,499 USD
Mandate Junior 20: $1,399 USD
Mandate Uno: $139 USD


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111 Comments

  • 118 4
 Seems like a no nonsense quality bike for the price.
  • 22 4
 But what if they said pivot on them
  • 36 2
 @usedbikestuff: unlike the pivot, these have different chainstays per size
  • 20 1
 Honestly. Reasonably well specced and it looks pretty good in my opinion.
  • 7 1
 Yup. More options like this is great.
  • 35 0
 I looked through the specs for the Mandate trail bike and was happily surprised that the XT spec contains only XT parts, SLX contains only SLX parts, and Deore contains only Deore. No mixing that is so common from other brands to save some money on the build. As long as the frames are solid this could be a great option for someone looking for a good entry level bike with decent specs.
  • 11 1
 And an ebike for under $5k. Impressive.
  • 3 0
 i miss the dh bike
  • 1 0
 @Dogl0rd: I think the different chainstays are to accomodate different wheel sizes. 27.5 for XS-S, 29 for M, L, XL.
  • 2 0
 They're pretty awesomely spec'd, particularly the junior models.

I was fortunate to find an ex-rental 20" model for my 6 year old for a few hundred bucks....overkill, yes but even at full retail, They're cheaper than a bunch of kids boutiquey type hardtails....well done
  • 59 3
 Sheesh - a fairly modern enduro bike, with premium Rockshox and full Shimano XT for $4700? That borders on flat-out-cheap, even compared to upstanding direct-to-consumer brands like GG or Commencal.

Geo is slightly conservative (half a degree here, 10-15mm of reach there, etc.), but otherwise it looks like a solid contender. Nice job.
  • 11 2
 Looks like it uses press in headset cups so just slap a -1° angle set in there and you’re off the races
  • 33 1
 fun times when 64.5 HTA is " more reserved"
  • 22 2
 you guys are kidding yourselves if you think you need an anglesets on these bikes,
  • 9 0
 @mariomtblt: nobody told you every bike is .5* too steep?
  • 2 0
 @TannerValhouli: no the bearings in an angleset are still on the races.
  • 22 1
 Pinkbike, I would love to see a review of these! On paper, they look really solid.
  • 20 0
 Ski ya later!
  • 10 1
 Great for someone getting into it with a Ski Background
  • 15 0
 @threesixtykickflip: You mean ski-MX background?
  • 2 0
 Board you later? They make slowboards too..
  • 2 0
 @sportstuff: Rossignol is the best snowboard company on the planet that's only good at selling skis. A lot of their boards are legitimately great.
  • 13 1
 Is that a free manual trainer included in every box?
  • 13 2
 Who doesn't love a mandate these days?
  • 19 0
 A man date is when only one of your bros will come with
  • 10 1
 I'm into it. I can see these catching on and selling well like the dback release did a few years ago.
  • 7 0
 I know nothing about the brand but it looks like they’ve made a good looking bike with nice geometry and great parts spec at a good price. Even if they turnout to be a catalogue frame.

What’s not to like?
  • 8 0
 160mm deore spec bike with a zeb for 2800? Is there anyone who matches that?
  • 10 6
 I think they are using open mould frames. The Mandate looks like an updated Radon Swoop Al and also the kids bike looks oddly familiar. In previous bikes they also used open mould frames that looked like Mondraker. So they can safe some money and can offer more affordable bikes.
  • 19 10
 Aluminum bikes do not use molds so I don't see how that is possible.
  • 30 0
 Wouldn't be an open mold per se, but a catalog bike. Same concept as open mold, but for aluminun.
  • 7 1
 @Joecx: hydroformed tubes do, of which practically any aluminum tube that isn't perfectly round or perfectly rectangular is.
  • 7 0
 The may be open mould frames, but they look a lot better than some brands that cost a lot more. And they’re a good price and spec. And a bottle inside the frame.
  • 4 2
 They bought felt and kept the mountain bike side of the business, so these are just updated Felt frames.
  • 1 2
 @ratedgg13: they sold felt
  • 3 0
 @Simzesun: and as I clearly said, they kept the mountain bike side of the business.
  • 1 0
 @ratedgg13: they did not keep anything of felt and what they built around it except a couple people working in France
  • 1 0
 @Simzesun: Take a look at the last generation of Felt MTB frames and these, and honestly tell me that these aren't just carried over Felt designs...
  • 1 0
 @ratedgg13: please show me which design you are talking about. Do you mean the felt compulsion which was a 6 bar suspension ? It's a lot different.
  • 1 0
 @Simzesun: Felt Edict, Felt Decree, Rossignol All Track Trail (which was made by Rossignol while they still owned Felt).
  • 3 0
 Mandate Jr. looks like the love child of a Canyon Strive (insert other brand with weird bend in TT near HT) and a Diamondback Splinter 24. I don't ride eMTBs nor know much about em, but the Rossi Deore ebike looks like a good value.
  • 5 0
 Just came here to say that we got a Mandate Shift eeb last week, and it rides damn good. Really pleased with it.
  • 1 0
 My friend got one last year. He said it's awesome too. But he's looking for something with more travel, so he's trying to sell it to me. I'm contemplating it big time.
  • 7 2
 anyone can mass produce a bike these days!
  • 5 0
 I am thoroughly confused by those BB drop numbers.
  • 2 1
 Yeah… once you see it you can’t ignore how level the rear axle and chain stay is with the BB. Could that be a huge deal breaker? All of the other geo numbers are really well thought out. I love a low BB drop to feel “in” the bike so I am skeptic about these now!
  • 1 0
 @StumpHumper45: I don't know, if you take 750mm of tire diameter, divide by 2 for axle height, minus 30mm of BB drop, minus 30% of sag (48mm for 160mm) you end up at +-300mm of BB height, is it that high ?
  • 2 0
 @StumpHumper45: The exact height of any individual model isn't necessarily the issue (what height is best depends on the specific rider and terrain). The weird thing is that they don't have more BB drop on the models with less travel and only adjust by 9-10 mm when going from 27.5" wheels to 29" (which is a 19mm difference in wheel radius). So if you put the 160mm 27.5" bike at sag, its BB will be 16mm lower than that of the 140mm 29" model. 16mm is a big difference.
  • 5 1
 Rossignol bikes must be the perfect bikes for going down the Mega avalanche
  • 3 0
 The bikes look good. Priced reasonable. Good geo numbers. Really most riders don't need much more. Every company is getting a piece of the bike shortage pie.
  • 2 0
 I ordered a Mandate Shift Deore 12 and it rides so well! I added cushcore and bumped the fork up to 160mm travel. It’s incredible fun.

I’m shocked to not be hearing much about the new line of bikes.
  • 4 0
 Sorry, not available in Canada, sorry.
  • 2 0
 Apparently they will be just launching a bit later.
  • 4 7
 Well we seem to have a problem with mandates up here lately.
  • 5 0
 @Andykmn: The problem with mandates only exists in Alberta it seems.
  • 1 2
 @imbiker: I never realized Windsor was so close to me!
  • 3 0
 @Andykmn: Ha, nothing to do with mandates that have kept us well and our economy functioning. Bu since we're on a mountain biking site, lets keep it about mountain biking.

Online sellers need a Canadian base/warehouse/distributor. If you just buy a bike from an online retailer from outside Canada, it's considered importing a bike and you get dinged somewhere around 30%. Once they set that up, we'll be all good.
  • 2 1
 @islandforlife: Thanks for understanding it was a joke! Seems quite a few don't get jokes when they can instead choose to be offended these days. On all sides of all issues it seems, not just this.

I really hope they get set up for in country shipping. If the pricing is close to what the USD price converts to CAD, these will be a very good deal for the spec. More good bikes for good prices in the market is never a bad thing. If those 11s E bikes come in under $6000 up here, that will be one of the best deals out there.
  • 4 4
 Nice that the kids' bikes are spec'd 1x, but c'mon, the M4000 is designed to be used as a 2x or 3x to get full range of gears. Running an 11-34T cassette (9 spd) with a 28T chainring is plain dumb on a capable mountain bike. Any kid doing a moderate hill on these will be pushing their bike and possibly ruining chances to love the sport (for their parents). Rossi should have upgraded to Deore M4100 10 spd with an 11-42T cassette or even better an 11-46T to make it a capable climber for cranking tikes. Probably a $50 upgrade at cost.
  • 3 0
 With smaller wheels you get a bigger climbing gear, so on the 20 inch you have a better climbing gear than on a 27,5 inch bike with a 30-42 as the biggest gear ( ritzelrechner.de/?GR=DERS&KB=28&RZ=11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30,34&UF=1600&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=KMH&DV=teeth&GR2=DERS&KB2=30&RZ2=11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28,32,36,42&UF2=2215 )
So that's good enough for climbing.

A short cage derailleur would probably be better because you don't have it dangling so close to the ground on a 20-24 inch bike, but we can't have everything.
  • 2 0
 @Naero: Yep! My son has the 20in Woom Off 4, which is a 20 inch bike. It has a 28tooth chainring and 32 tooth largest sprocket. Even then he barely uses the lowest gear as the slow speed it entails presents more of a challenge it helps with power for 95% of situations.

It might matter more if we were doing long, steep fire road climbs, but my 5 year old at least isn't particularly tolerant of long, steep fire road climbs, no matter the gearing.
  • 2 1
 @MarcusBrody: @Naero: You boys must have some terrain a little less steep than around here, or maybe you're in race shape. Since the late '80s, I've stuck to a gear ratio max-cog/chainring ratio of ~1.6 for 26" and 27.5" bikes (more toward 1.7 for a 29er)For a the small chainring on a triple, that's a 36T/22T (1.64), for a double that's 42T/26T (1.62), and a single (1x) 50T/32T (1.57--a 52T is 1.63). My kid is not going to be as strong, so the smaller wheel is going to compensate. It's not such a big deal to run this high of a ratio for a 20" wheeled bike because those are for 5-9 yr olds who aren't generally strong and resilient enough for big climbs (exceptions, of course). The 9-11 age range is where the kids start to get stronger and can ride a 24" bike and take on tough terrain. Both of my kids on their 24" bikes used the 42T/28T often when climbing and/or navigating technical patches.
  • 2 0
 @Naero: Was more talking about 24" bikes. Here's a comparison of a 24" running a 28-42 and a 27.5" running a 32-51 ritzelrechner.de/?GR=DERS&KB=28&RZ=11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30,34&UF=1600&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=KMH&DV=teeth&GR2=DERS&KB2=30&RZ2=11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28,32,36,42&UF2=2215
  • 2 0
 The bikes look like solid no nonsense build (Shimano and aluminum for price and reliability)

To bad we cant get the bikes in Canada
  • 1 0
 That looks like a very solid and interesting line-up. I see NOTHING I don't like - except for the very short reach on the e-bike (510 in XL is what I want, 500 is acceptable, 493 is ... really too short)
  • 1 0
 I ride XL too. I currently ride a Marin Rift Zone that has a reach of 505. It feels great. I don't know if .47" would make much difference to me at all. Couldn't you make up the difference on the short length just by swapping from the 35mm stem to a 50mm stem?
  • 1 0
 @Leppah: adding stem length is not the same as a longer reach. Just go through a steep tech section with 500mm reach plus a 50 mm stem and then do the same with 460 mm reach and a 90 mm stem.
  • 3 1
 Are these getting a review soon? I think a mandate SLX would suit my wife quite well…
  • 2 1
 Shop rented a few rossignol E-bikes circa ~2018/2019. Each one of em fell apart after 3 or 4 rides. Hope the QC has improved.
  • 1 0
 I had a all track trail 2018 and it held up pretty good.
  • 4 1
 Funny time for a bike called the mandate.
  • 1 1
 Looks familiar.... www.radon-bikes.de/en/mountainbike/fullsuspension/swoop-al/swoop-al-90-2022 .... Still, well priced and spec alloy Enduro bikes are definitely a thing to be encouraged. A good option for many.
  • 2 0
 Just think, your buddies endless jokes how you ride a cock!
  • 1 0
 Nightingale got robbed
  • 1 0
 Those single pivot Mandate bikes look best actually. Bummer they don't make them in bigger sizes.
  • 3 1
 The Mandate SLX is kitted out very nicely........
  • 1 0
 When a snowboard company comes out with a bike then you'll have my attention Oh wait... santacruzsnowboards.com
  • 2 0
 I'll say this, "Heretic" is a fantastic name for burly mountain bike.
  • 2 0
 I kind of want the 24” bike. Throw a set of BMX bars on and send it.
  • 2 0
 Great looking, good geometry, fair prices and setups. This is it
  • 2 0
 They nailed the strider style bike at the bottom.
  • 2 0
 The junior bikes look rad!
  • 1 0
 Such a fascinating name choice given the global climate and potential for puns.
  • 1 0
 YES! Can't wait for HEAD to start selling bikes! Give me Rossignol or give me HEAD!
  • 17 17
 Attention bike industry……not everyone wants 29” wheels! Just stop It!
  • 8 2
 27.5 ain't dead!!
  • 6 3
 To be fair....they sell what people want generally. Demand = sales = profit. So if demand is higher for 29ers, they are going to sell those. Especially if the brand is not a huge established name like Specialized which has the cash and ability to bring out 20 different mountain bikes to address every niche rider.
  • 6 7
 Attention bikebike69.......not everyone wants to hear your opinion! Just stop it!
  • 1 2
 Hey @bikebike69 - if you want 27.5, just go and buy a bike with those wheels. But that's not hat most riders today want, so the industry sells more 29ers than ever before.
  • 3 1
 Why not 170 mm fork? Wink
  • 1 0
 That chrome Mandate is a sick looking bike.
  • 1 0
 Even Rockrider has a better logo and quality look!
  • 1 0
 I am envious: Those small people do get a hardtail.
  • 1 0
 These look like they will be Radon all sorts of trails!
  • 2 0
 manual trainer included.
  • 1 0
 When will this be available to Canadians?
  • 1 0
 bike looks a little big for the box
  • 1 0
 Really just here for the rooster on the head tube
  • 1 0
 Tragically missed opportunity to name a bike the Rooster.
  • 1 0
 Major kudos for size specific wheel diameter!!!
  • 1 0
 cool
  • 2 2
 Locals ski Volkls. That's what I want-a Volkl-ish enduro bike!!!!
  • 1 1
 Mandate is not the best choice of names. Lol.
  • 1 1
 Um those ebikes seem like a really good deal right?
  • 1 0
 wheres the dh
  • 1 0
 Bike in a box!
  • 1 2
 Looks like a session
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