At almost £1000 it's not a cheap bike, but Shimano gears make a difference and the included dropper post is a must for a 29er, at least for me at 5'9" tall. The brakes are also Shimano and have plenty of stopping power. Of course being a hardtail it is really suited for gravel and road use rather than very rough terrain, though fields and tracks are no problem. The colours are fabulous and lend themselves to a wide variety of accessories, if you're into matching gear. The gear change is very positive and though I've used a 3x9 for the last 23 years, I'm getting used to the new arrangement very quickly. The only lamentable omission for me is a display for the gear change, so I have to look at the sprocket. Maybe when I've had the bike a while I'll just know, or maybe I'll have to buy a new overall though a very solid performer with no quality issues in my case. If you're looking for a hard tail in this price range, I can thoroughly recommend the Talon.