2025
Rossignol Heretic
Design and development of the new Rossignol mountain bikes
The beginning of a long-term partnership.
It is a pleasure for us to work with this local company, whose products have been a staple of our mountain biking experience since childhood. We collaborated with the Rossignol MTB team as full-fledged members of the team, from the project’s inception through to the bike’s media test.
Our first challenge was to envision what Rossignol’s brand identity could look like in a highly competitive market. Together, we opted for a simple and fun design language that fully embodies the brand’s DNA.
Géometrie & cinématique.
With the goal of creating a bike that’s fun to ride while catering to world-class athletes, a modern full 29” geometry served as the starting point. A Mullet setup is still an option, and the addition of a flip chip allows for high/low adjustment.
The decision to use a 4-bar kinematic system came naturally as a way to achieve the desired performance while taking into account the design choices made during production. Field tests conducted with athletes from the Rossignol team also provided guidance on the characteristics to incorporate into this new platform. Our work on the kinematics helped confirm and refine the shock absorber’s position.
The result is a bike that’s easy to handle, high-performance, and can be quickly adapted to different terrains—a bike that has already proven itself in numerous races in the hands of the Rossignol team riders.
Design & Optimization.
Three main areas of focus were identified at the start of the project: weight-to-stiffness ratio, maintenance and durability, and frame protection.
We have applied all our expertise to the design of an aluminum frame in order to optimize every component. This effort has allowed us to reduce the weight by approximately 800 grams compared to the previous generation, while also increasing stiffness. The shape and wall thickness of the tubes have been optimized to create a bike that is stiff and precise, yet comfortable.
The bearings were selected and mounted to ensure the best possible durability without adding unnecessary weight to the assembly. Only two types of bearings are used.
The frame guards are designed to the highest possible standard to ensure impact resistance and quiet operation. A large guard beneath the down tube protects it from rocks and includes an 8-in-1 multi-tool and a built-in tire lever.
During this design phase, we produce numerous 3D prints to help us validate concepts or simply verify the clearance between the various subassemblies.
Industrial support.
We worked with Rossignol as full members of the team.
Designing an aluminum mountain bike frame requires a great deal of attention to detail, and our role couldn’t end with simply delivering the 3D files. That’s why our team stayed in close contact with the factory throughout the development process and supported the Rossignol Bike team all the way through to production monitoring and quality control in Asia.
Digital communication.
Our Digital Lab helped create dynamic and impactful visuals for the product’s commercial launch.
We created a long animation highlighting all the new features of the framework, as well as some short animations.
Praised by the press.
Hailed by journalists upon its launch, the Heretic marks a new era for the brand and serves as the cornerstone of a new line of bikes that are easy and fun to ride. This bodes well for bold developments in the future.
« Un vélo résolument moderne, complètement enduro, mieux conçu et bien plus abouti. »
« Overall, the Purple Rossignol Heretic has been a head turner and a fantastic company for the past few months. [...] It loves to jump and rip tires off on corners. »
« Compared to the last bike, the all-new Heretic is a night-and-day improvement. It’s calmer through and through - a culmination of a stiffer frame and revised kinematics. »
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Photography : Kairn Design / Jean Meybeck
Modeling : Kairn Design
Digital : Kairn Design