TESTED: Rossignol Heretic XT Enduro Bike 7

When you hear the brand name Rossignol, mountain bikes are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. The French company is best known in the winter sports industry, but they have been building mountain bikes for some time now. This year Rossignol came out with a redesigned mountain bike lineup, departing from their All Track layout. Among the models is a new enduro machine called the Heretic. Built with the influence of their EWS factory racers, the Heretic is a simple bike that was made to handle anything that could be thrown at it. At first glance the new Heretic isn’t much to look at. The round aluminum tubing, rocker-link Horst platform, average weld jobs on the frame, and a subtle paint scheme are all things that make this bike seem a little dull — that is, until you ride it. This Heretic can be fast, playful, and can handle any trail once you learn how to get along with it.

Highlights

• Frame Material: 6061 Aluminum
• Wheel Size: XS-Small - 27.5 - Med-Lg - 29
• 160mm (6.3-inches) of rear wheel travel // 160mm (6.3-inches) fork travel
• Horst link 4-bar suspension design
• 64.5-degree head angle
• Internal cable routing
• Attachments on frame for accessories
• Threaded bottom bracket and ISCG05 mounts
• 12x148 Boost rear spacing
• Measured weight (size medium , no pedals): 35.09 lbs (15.9 kg)
• MSRP $4,699 USD

Rossignol went with a tried-and-true 4-bar Horst link suspension design and 6061 aluminum for the frame material. It has a fairly aggressive stance with a 64.5 degree head angle and long 445mm chainstays. There are no geometry adjustment options in the frame or chainstay which keeps things simple, but also locked in. After three months of riding the paint seemed to hold up well, but one complaint we had was that everything seemed to stick to the clear coat that was used. The internal cable routing is organized and worked well. There is plenty of room to get your hand or tools around the shock for adjustments. Something we appreciated was that all of the linkage bolts were easy to access which made servicing and suspension adjustments very easy. The frame has plenty of room for a large water bottle, and there are tabs on the underside of the top tube to mount whatever tools or accessories you want to bring along.

As far as the frame goes there really wasn’t anything that stood out with the Heretic. While not exciting, there's also nothing that looks weird or peculiar. Rossignol might not have built a beautiful, exotic looking bike, but they kept it clean, simple, and the Heretic has everything you need in a race-ready enduro bike.

Geometry

The geometry had pretty standard numbers when comparing it to other enduro bikes, and Rossi's sizing is on the conservative end these days with our medium at 450mm. Our tester has shorter legs with a long torso, so he prefers a bike with a slightly longer reach. On that topics, the seat tube length was an issue for our tester. At 430mm, the seat tube for the medium it is definitely on the longer side. Having a slammed seat for the steepest, enduro-esque terrain is important, and the 430mm seat tube length paired with a 150mm dropper post would not allow the seat to go low enough for comfort and confidence. Taller riders may not notice, but this will also intrude with the ability to run longer dropper posts.

At 64.5 degrees the head tube is aggressive, but some bikes in this range go slacker. The long 445mm chainstays on the 29-inch versions of the Heretic (medium-XL) provide advantages and disadvantages depending on conditions.

Setup

When we first sat on the bike it felt comfortable. The Heretic came with an 800mm-wide e13 handlebar. These were cut down to 780mm for a better fit and were nicely mated to the 40mm e13 stem. As we dropped in for the first time, the Heretic felt ready to go plow through some rowdy trails. We set up the suspension to what RockShox recommended, and after a couple of rides we started the fine tuning. Below are the suspension settings that seemed to make this bike perform the best for us.

On The Trail

Over the last 3 months we definitely put the Heretic through its paces. We tried to take the Heretic on just about every different type of terrain to find it’s strengths and weaknesses. Luckily, we received this bike when there was still some moisture in the ground and got to enjoy some of the loamy trails of Santa Cruz and the foothills outside of Sacramento, CA. We also spent several days and Northstar, CA and a 3 day trip to Mammoth. All of these areas have a good mix of terrain and once we got use to the Heretic it seemed to handle every type of trail well.

DH / Technical Performance/Fun Factor

When pointing the Heretic downhill it seemed to handle anything that we could throw at it. We have mentioned a couple of times previously that the bike does well, “once you get used to it”. When we say that, we mean that it does have some quirks. One is that, we felt that we needed to ride this bike with our weight more towards the front. If we were not paying attention we found out very quickly that the Heretic wants to run out from underneath. This was not a feeling that we have had with many of the other enduro bikes that we have tested. Another quirk is that the chainstay is rather wide where our foot would pass when pedaling. We noticed that ever so often our heel would annoyingly clip the outside of the chainstay. We had to remind ourselves to keep our right foot slightly turned outward. The 150mm dropper also provided challenges. It was just too short. After a long climb we needed to be sure that we had a multi-tool, so we could drop the seatpost to its lowest position before the descent.

After we made some body position adjustments, we could really start to put the hammer down on the Heretic.

After we made some body position adjustments, we could really start to put the hammer down on the Heretic. We found that the Heretic felt light, fast and nimble despite it's over-35-pound weight. It jumped very well and was stable in the air. The Heretic performed the best in the tight, flowy jump trails, and was very good at keeping its fast rolling speed. The even with the longer chainstays, the tigher reach made the Heretic feel nimble, and it was very easy to make quick adjustments and switch lines on the trail. When we got the bike into the steep, rocky descents of Mammoth and Northstar, we never really felt like the Heretic was out of its element — the 160mm of suspension seemed to handle everything just fine.

Rear Suspension Performance

We were very impressed with the performance of the rear suspension. It shined when pushed to its limits. It had a very progressive feel and resisted bottoming out while still maintaining comfort and traction through the middle. We had to slow the rebound slightly more than usual because the rear end felt bucky off jumps. Once we got the shock tuned to our liking, the rear end felt great over jumps and drops, and embraced smashing larger obstacles without the worry of bottoming out. Some of the faster trails we encountered had a lot of chatter and large braking bumps. The Heretic also tracked well, staying on point when navigating this type of terrain. If we got a little out of sorts in the air the Heretic seemed to get right bike on track on the landings. The Heretic excelled in this area and was just a really fun bike to ride.

On the climbs the rear end wallowed and there was a lot of pedal bob. The Heretic does come with a Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT so to fix the pedal bob issue, we'd reach down and flip the lockout switch. Problem solved.

Geometry

Like we noted earlier, the Heretic excelled in tight flowy jump trails. It almost had a slalom bike feel in this terrain. It jumps well and inspires confidence in the air. When looking at the geo it makes sense why the Heretic performs well in this terrain. The chainstays at 445mm are long, but the reach at 450mm is on the shorter side, and when they're combined with the 64.5-degree head angle, the wheel base is just 1225mm;  shorter than most enduro bikes in this class. At speed, the Heretic did not feel as stable as we'd like while bombing down rough, rocky, steep terrain. Don’t get the wrong impression, however, the Heretic still felt fine in these situations, but we have ridden bikes that have felt better.

Perceived Weight

At 35 pounds, the Heretic is in the average weight range for a modern enduro bike, especially considering the sub-$5,000 price tag. First glance had us thinking it was going to weigh more, so we were pleasantly surprised. The Heretic feels light and snappy and it easy to move around. It also felt like it gained speed quickly and was easy to keep it rolling on the trail. When we stood up and started sprinting, the Heretic gained speed quickly, but we did notice quite a bit of pedal bob. Overall, we would say that the Heretic feels light for a 35 pound, aluminum bike.

Climbing

The Heretic is an average climber when comparing it to other enduro bikes. Body positioning on climbs felt comfortable, but our right foot clipping the chainstay continued to be an issue if we weren’t paying attention. With a 77-degree seat tube angle, we had a nice and comfortable seated position for long climbs. On steep, technical climbs we felt a little more towards the rear of the bike and the front end kept wanting to pick up thanks to that shorter reach. There was slightly more pedal bob than average, but if we locked out the rear suspension, all was well. This bike is a descent climber, and we wouldn’t be afraid to take it out on an all-day adventure.

Build Kit

Rossignol equipped the Heretic with a Shimano XT drivetrain, brakes, rotors and hubs. Shimano XT is great quality, durable and dependable in all conditions. High-end Rockshox suspension compliments the frame and suits the bike well. As a whole, we thought the build kit was a solid value.

Fork Performance

When we noticed that Rossignol went with a RockShox ZEB Ultimate, we were very pleased. We are very familiar with this fork. It has a great feeling on the trail, and is very user-friendly. The Zeb complimented the bike well and does a phenomenal job of handling burly, enduro-bike terrain.

Tire Performance

Our test bike was already set up tubeless with Maxxis Assegai and DHR II combo. While the tires are tubeless, if you purchase the bike from Rossignol directly, it may come setup with tubes inside to avoid sealant issues in shipping. The Maxxis Assegai was 2.5-inch 3C, EXO up front while the 2.4 DHR II was 3C with EXO+ casing. Our tester might have been slightly biased on this tire selection since this is the combo used on his personal bikes. Since we were running these tires in mostly rocky, rough terrain we set the air pressure higher than normal. 28psi rear and 26psi front. For our 160-pound rider, we found that this still provides good traction, pinch resistance and support on lips and bigger hits. The 3C MaxxTerra casings also provides a good combination of tire wear and traction in our rocky coniditions. Under racing conditions or a heavier rider, bumping up to DD casing may be the way to go.

Wheel Performance

When we saw the aluminum e13 wheels on the Heretic we got a little nervous. In years past, these wheels were victims of the demands of Enduro racing or just general trail riding, needing warranty replacement far too often. But after testing these wheels for a few months, we see that e13 must have done something to up their game because they have held up throughout the duration of the test without any problems.

Several hard hits had us thinking that we'd surely bent or dinged a wheel, but the e13 Enduro wheels stayed true. The E*thirteen LG1 Plus Enduro rims are paired with Shimano Deore XT hubs. The hub engagement was good, and they have a nice sound to them rolling through the woods. e13 wheels also come with a great five-year warranty. If you ever have a problem, their customer service is phenomenal. Note that the Rossignol website says this bike is equipped with e13 Trail wheels. This must be a typo because our test bike indeed came with e13 LG1 Enduro wheels (and should at this level).

Brake Performance

We have tested Shimano Deore XT 4-piston brakes on multiple bikes, and they always perform well with great stopping power. The only complaint we had was that they seemed to have a rather long break-in period. After 5 or 6 rides, the brakes finally seemed to set in. Paired with 203mm RT800 centerlock rotors, these brakes did an awesome job of keeping cool and slowing us down. We never experienced any brake fade, and we never felt a reason to need to bleed these brakes over the 3 month test.

Drivetrain Performance

The Heretic and Rossignol didn't cheap out like some brands with their "XT" build. Everything is XT, not just the derailleur. The Shimano XT drivetrain provided us with smooth shifting and low maintenance throughout the test. The 1x12 drivetrain with 10-51t cassette gave us an excellent gear range for any situation. The XS - large bikes come with Shimano XT 170mm cranks (our preferred length) whilel the XL bikes comes with 175mm cranks. Rossignol also equipped the drivetrain with an e13 TRS chainguide, too. We did not drop a chain throughout the test period.

Noise

This was a particular area where the Heretic shined. This bike is quite, and it remained quite throughout the test. After 3 months we still had not heard any noise coming from the cranks, headset or any other part of the bike for that matter. A quiet bike gives a lot of confidence and lets the rider focus on the trail and not where a noise is coming from. The Heretic also comes with a robust chainstay protector which greatly eliminates chain slap sounds, keeping the rear end quiet.

The Heretic is offered in three different build kits. Each having about a pound difference in weight but all coming with solid Shimano build kits and Rockshox suspension.

• XT $4,699
• SLX $3,599
• Deore 12 $2,799

All three of these kits are a good value and come with everything you need to get you up and back down the mountain. If you are a beginner or frugal rider, the sport the Deore 12 build is a great option. We love the performance of Deore and the price leaves room for upgrading as you go. Seasoned riders that want more tunable, higher-end suspension should look at the XT.

Things That Could Be Improved?

There were two parts on the Heretic XT that we would probably opt to swap out. One is the 150mm dropper seatpost. It’s just too short for aggressive riding. Some riders might be okay with a 150mm dropper, but if you have shorter legs, and you like your seat really low on descents you will probably have some issues. The other would be the wheel selection. If Rossignol equipped the top-of-the-line Heretic with the e13 enduro carbon wheelset or with a different aluminum wheel that has a little better track record, it would give us more confidence in the overall long-term durability.

Long-Term Durability

The durability over the last 3 months has been exceptional. Like we noted earlier the only foreseeable issue could be the wheels. But, we did put the wheels through some very unforgivable terrain, and they held up fine. We would recommend checking the linkage bolts often and applying loctite where it’s needed. At around the 1-month mark, some of the linkage bolts came loose, and we noticed there wasn’t any Loctite installed from the manufacturer. The paint appeared to hold up well, but was also difficult to clean.

The Heretic comes with a 5-year warranty for the frame and the frame bearings. This appears to be an awesome warranty, but there are several stipulations on why the frame would or would not be covered. Read the Heretic warranty in detail here (PDF).

What's The Bottom Line?

With the new Heretic, Rossignol has just made some major progress in their lineup. Although we believe there is some room for improvement, we also think that they came out with a solid offering. The Heretic is a fun bike with good geometry and ability to handle any terrain. Over a three-month test the Heretic has been reliable, and is a good value.

For the advanced rider or serious enduro racer, the Heretic may leave a little to be desired. The lack of geometry adjustments leave the head angle locked in at 64.5 degrees, the tires may be light on casing, the seat tube is lengthy and the dropper post is too short. Additionally, we can usually tell the difference between a great bike and a good bike on the very first ride. When we can instantly and easily flow on a bike with minimal adjustments, we know we're on to a gem. The Heretic, however, required a lot of suspension adjustment and a change in our riding positioning to open up its full potential. With that being said, we think the Heretic is a good value in any available trim, Deore through XT. For anyone looking to enter the long-travel enduro bike realm or dabble in some enduro events, the Heretic (especially the Deore verision), would definitely be a great starting point and a bike that we would recommend.

Visit www.rossignol.com for more details.

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About The Reviewer

Ryan Lummis - Age: 37 // Years Riding MTB: 19 // Height: 5'7" (1.702m) // Weight: 160-pounds (72.7kg)

I grew up racing motocross and started riding MTB at the age of 18. I started racing local DH and dual slalom and quickly fell in love with the sport. From riding over the last 19 years I have had the joy of being able to see the sport develop and the technology improve. I have witnessed and experienced many different types of ideas, technology, suspension designs, and bike geometry and I have seen what has worked and what has not. Being from a motocross background some of my favorite trails are fast, flowing trails with large hits and different line choices. Over the years though I have grown to also love the natural, raw and challenging trails of the Sierra Nevadas and the PNW.