Morning all,

I’ve spent months saving all my pennies (cents actually) and flogging loads of old toys (paramotor, dive kit etc) in order to replace my Breezer steel hardtail 29er. Now I’m ready. After a couple of test rides on other direct sale brands I’ve settled on a Rose due to a combination of budget, looks etc. but have only tried the Granite Chief (27.5″) and not the Root Miller (29″). My GC test ride was over 60km in heavy rain and, consequently, sloppiest French mud. This certainly tested the bike’s (and my) climbing ability but any attempt to corner fast on descents was proper clenching territory. This will be my first full suspension bike (other than a Trek Y22 languishing in my mum’s barn) and I suppose I was looking for something a bit different to my Breezer, more aggro with stronger wheels. There aren’t a great many reviews for Rose bikes and I’ve tried all the comedy Google Translate options from German and Italian MTB websites. I’ve spotted this (http://singletrackworld.com/2014/07/rosebikes-launch-2015-a-brief-encounter-with-granite-roots-and-er-jimbo/) but I’m not a Premium member and, hoping to deflect calls of ‘tight arse’, I don’t want to subscribe to a foreign currency (I earn €s) website to read one article written well over a year ago. Do you lot have any personal opinions/recommendations on the Granite Chief/Root Miller choice? I wrote ‘Super Trail’ for the Root Miller in the header as, on the German/Italian sites, this version (140mm front and back as opposed to 130mm) seems to get the better reviews re: fun and descending ability, and it seems like a good value upgrade. So, here I am, bank card ready to rock, just waiting for the 2016 Rose website update in three weeks so I can spec up with 1×11 that isn’t XX1 or X01, as is available on the (otherwise near identical) 2015 bikes. Many thanks for your help, Oli

Oh, and if I went Granite Chief it’d be raw alu all the way but for the Root Miller, black and white with DT wheels or go ORANGE with Spank wheels and finishing kit?

No Rose opinions out there at all? I’d really appreciate some advice on how the two bikes handle. I understand that long travel 29ers can just tank through rough terrain, which does sound appealing, but at the same time I’d like to learn to negotiate this stuff in a more stylish manner. Thx, Gaidong.

Not ridden one but Enduro MTB magazine is good for the German brands:

http://enduro-mtb.com/en?s=Rose+granite

Sorry, can’t help either, but a Granite Chief was in the top three of my list for a new bike before I got a second hand Stumpy.