Specialized Rockhopper

Specialized's website says: "A star in our line-up for more than two decades, blah blah blah Rockhopper blah blah ultra-refined blah blah alloy frame blah blah the smart choice for anything from a flowing fire road to a fast singletrack"
FG says: Well, it’s a little different to my Giant XTC as it’s got more travel up front, but it’s a similar enough frame. Not sure what you mean about company-specced equipment as this rockhopper has been upgraded somewhat.
The components are decent enough and it looks like a regular-not-very-special bike. I’d get rid of the grips straight away but the rest can just be upgraded when broken. Can’t see whether the brakes are cable or hydraulic from the photo.
It should be ok for all-day XC. The TT is way too long for fun biking and I think it would corner like an oil tanker.

Mark that man's words. He works in Aberdeen with a lot of sailors, so he knows exactly what an oil tanker corners like.