The Granite Chief draws on the full potential: The top suspension components from Fox, DT Swiss Tricon wheels, telescopic dropper post. XT groupset with XTR Trail rear derailleur - everything done right. As you would expect from mail order specialist Rose, the house brand's bike scores a lot of points in the "Other" category: robust, stiff chassis, ten-year warranty and good workmanship. In terms of handling, however, it is not one of the test crew's favourites. Why is that? Even with high pressure in the shock, it rocks a lot on the climbs, which is also confirmed by the sagging characteristic curve. Rose provides the solution, the Fox handlebar lever for the indispensable platform activation. You can come to terms with this uphill, but it's not ideal because the fork switches to firm and blocks out comfort. Downhill, the motto is: full throttle and hold on, the bike is stable, but you don't utilise the suspension travel. Too much remaining suspension travel gets stuck in the progression.
Conclusionsolid, very well equipped bike. Its strength clearly lies in downhill riding. We would like to see a fine-tuning of the rear suspension.
PLUS The shock can be controlled remotely from the handlebars, but this is necessary due to the degressive tuning.
MINUS Rear suspension set-up not optimal. Coupling the remote control to the fork patronises the rider.
