2010 Marin Mountain Bike Reviews

drbob — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:16:05 +0000

By Ron Koch

Marin gave us a peek at its new 2010 models at its headquarters in Novato California followed by quick rides on local trails to get a feel for what’s to come. I’ve visited quite a few manufacturers over the years but I didn’t really have a good feel for how big or small Marin Bikes really was. Its facility is impressively large and expanding with a newly constructed building next door. The warehouse is large but the most fascinating part is the portion that for many years was once the Grateful Dead’s rehearsal studio. I can’t say that I’m a fan if the music but the studio lighting and blacked out ceiling above the rows of boxed bikes gave what would otherwise be a boring warehouse a cool vibe.

The cross country oriented 100mm travel Alchemist that we first saw last year at Downieville is finally ready for action in 2010 and like other Marin full suspension designs this one uses the four bar Quad Link 2.0 design. Like most XC bikes pedaling efficiency is the primary suspension focus while bump management is secondary on this bike. The shock eyes are captures through the pivots to reduce weight and you won’t find any carbon on this racer – it’s all aluminum with 6061 cold forged and machined pieces connecting the 6069 seat tube and 6066 aluminum frame tubes. For years now Marin has utilized hydroforming to shape and manipulate its tube shapes and 2010 is no different. Geometry is a little bit longer and a little bit steeper than the Mt. Vision bikes for snappy handling and a more stretched out cross country rider position. There will be three complete Alchemist models available in five different sizes.

2010 Alchemist
A three hour or so ride consisting of rocky fire road, tight single-track and more open faster wide trail on an Alchemist 4.9 ($5499.99) revealed a bike that likes to cover ground with comfort and speed. It pedals well without any funky pedal feedback and the aluminum frame feels stout mashing the pedals in the big ring over a short rise or hauling the mail on some rough trail. The suspension is fairly supple off the top of its stroke and that seemed to enhance traction and help me clean a couple of loose rocky steeps that upon first approach looked like a 50/50 chance of walking or riding up.

The trail bike oriented 2010 Mount Vision gets lighter and features revised geometry. Its swingarm is 200 grams lighter thanks to using tubes similar to those used in the Alchemist and Marin claims they cut that weight without effecting ride quality (stiffness). Marin claims that in its three years of service they’ve yet to see a swingarm failure so it was probably a bit overbuilt. Perhaps the most striking change is the smooth almost carbon looking front end. It’s all aluminum but the welds are filled giving it a sculpted look. Instead of sanding the welds smooth a filler is used that’s describes as being like a heavy paint that Marin claims adds little in the way of weight but it certainly offers a unique look. Pivot points remain unchanged since they were happy with the suspension performance but the links are now narrower with bearings set further into the links. Geometry gets a major revision via a slacker head tube (68.5 degree – was 69.5), longer top tube (size medium is about 20mm longer), lower bottom bracket and a slightly steeper seat angle. Internal bearings are now used in the head tube for a sleeker integrated look. Cable guides are added to the bottom of the top tube for a remote lowering seat post like a Gravity dropper or Joplin.

2010 Mount Vision
We took the Mount Vision 5.8 ($3299.99) on a short ride around the Tamarancho loop just outside of Fairfax to get a feel for the changes. The new geometry is noticeable right away giving it a feel that I’ve never experienced from a Marin before. The lower BB offers better high speed stability and makes the bike feel more confident on steep climbs and descents. I noted an odd short feeling from the front of the bike like I was on a size too small but it was indeed a large. Later I learned that the preproduction samples we were riding had about a ½’ shorter top tube than the production model so I wasn’t crazy. Other than the short top tube Mount Vision impressed with great suspension and better handling than past years - even with the short top tube.

The Wolf Ridge is now called the Attack Trail because it’s in many ways a new bike. The mainframe features a new support tube while the head tube is tapered with internal bearings and like the Mt. Vision, its linkages use deeper set bearings for a lower link profile. Travel is up 10mm from the Wolf Ridge to 150mm. The most compelling feature of the Attack trail frame is the fact that it’s specifically designed around Truvativ’s Hammerschmidt. It features a forged ISCG 05 bottom bracket shell and the suspension’s instant center has been changed to offer the best pedaling in the 22-tooth chain ring. Marin claims it actually ends up pedaling better in all the rings as a result. The frames are the same throughout the line so they’re all “Hammerschmmidt ready”. Like the Mt’ Vision remote activated seat post cable guides are located under the top tube.

2010 Attack Trail
Of the three bikes I rode the Attack Trail 6.8 ($3199.99) left the most lasting impression since it was one of those bikes that I jelled with instantly. It was almost like I’d owned it for a year rather than just riding it for a few hours even though the bike and rocky Marin County trail were new to me. The Rockshox Monarch equipped rear shock and Quad Link combo gobbled up small medium and large hits with equal finesse while the bike’s geometry offers a great blend of stability and responsiveness. I made sure to ride the bike in the small chain ring and use all the cogs to see how it would pedal with Hammerschmidt and felt great across the cassette. When the opportunity arose to spend another day on the Attack Trail in Downieville it didn’t take much to talk me into the three hour drive. The much faster trails revealed a stable flex free chassis that boosted my confidence on Third Divide and efficient pedaling rear suspension was nice crossing First Divide.

Take these first ride impressions for what they’re worth: first rides on preproduction bikes but I really like where Marin is taking things especially regarding geometry and handling. Look for more thorough reviews in the pages of Mountain Bike and here at mountainbike.com after we get some quality saddle time on production machines. And look for these bikes to arrive in shops around August to September.