We sent our roving press launch guy, Dean, to the Flyup 417 Bike Park in Gloucestershire to see what Marin has in store for us in the next year. We’ll let him take up the story:
Earlier this week I took the short journey up from the English Riviera to the Flyup 417 Project to see the launch of the 2018 range of bikes from Marin. When I arrived in the morning I was greeted by John Oldale from Paligap with a food voucher, a Marin bikes engraved custom hip flask (nice touch!) and of course the Marin bikes brochure detailing the full line up for 2018. John introduced me to Matt Cipes, the Marin Product Manager who had come over from the States to launch the range here in the UK.
I spent the morning with Matt as we walked around the bikes that were being displayed inside the giant barn that houses the impressive indoor pump track. I quizzed Matt about the key features from next year’s bikes and took some snaps on our way around while attempting not to fall over the pump track jumps. The B17 3 plus bike, The purple Pine Mountain 2 and the Hawk Hill Jr bike for the young rippers all caught my eye in particular as well as the innovative Wolf Ridge bike.
Matt then hosted a short tech session demonstrating the Marin Wolf Ridge. The session made me more curious to try out the Wolf Ridge to see for myself what all the hype was about. So I donned my kit and wandered round to the start of the demo loop where I was greeted with a huge selection of the new bikes to try out on the three trails of the 417 Project. I decided to pedal up to the top the hill following the demo loop signs instead of jumping on the Flyup uplift shuttle to put the bikes to the test on the climb which has some loose and steep sections to contend with.
First up was the Rift Zone 1. A 29er boasting 120mm of travel via the Marin MultiTrac Suspension system. This bike showed the commitment from Marin in the budget end of the full suspension bike market. The Rift Zone 1 I rode was a large and handled the climb up to the start blue trail with ease before dropping into the trail from the top of the hill. The Rift Zone for 2018 now features a boost 148x12mm rear end increasing stiffness and felt super fast across the hard packed ground. It’s now longer, lower, slacker and has shorter chainstays. All in a pocket friendly package priced at £1350.
Rift Zone
The Rift Zone shares the same 120mm MultiTrac suspension system as the B17 but comes complete with fast rolling 29in wheels. With long, low and slack trail geometry for control at top speed.
• Series 3 6061 Aluminium Frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• MutliTrac suspension platform
• 120mm front and rear travel
• 29” wheels
• 148mmx12 boost rear spacing
• 110x15mm boost fork spacing
• Internal cable routing
• 1x drivetrain
Prices: Rift Zone 1 £1350, Rift Zone 2 £1800, Rift Zone 3 £2300
Wolf Ridge
I then waited a short while to get my hands on a Wolf Ridge 9 (£6350) in my size as everybody in attendance was curious to see how this bike’s ‘revolutionary suspension’ performed. I smashed the climb up to the top and threw the Wolf Ridge into the rock garden lines of the Igneous red trail. The bike really tracks the ground well thanks to the 29in wheels and the 160mm travel of the Naild ‘R3ACT 2 Play’ suspension system. The platform is claimed to be so efficient the rear shock doesn’t require a lock out lever and that seemed the case. As for ‘changing what we think about full suspension bikes’, well, I’d really like to spend some more time with this bike in some natural terrain to see just how ground breaking this machine is.
A few of the Wolf Ridge specs.
• Unidirectional Carbon Fibre frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• Naild R3ACT 2 play suspension technology
• 160mm travel Front and rear
• 29” wheel size
• 148mm boost rear spacing
• 12-3-9 Naild locking quick release Thru Axle
• Custom KS LEV SIO (offset head) dropper seat post 150mm
• 1x drivetrain
Prices: Wolf Ridge 8 £4750, Wolf Ridge 9 £6350, Wolf Ridge Pro £7750.
Attack Trail
Marin Attack Trail is the company’s race proven Enduro bike. The 2018 bike builds on the original race proven pedigree from its release in 2014. Now features stronger chassis with more reinforcement in crucial places and boost 148mm rear spacing.
The bike has been well specced and for your £3000, you get a modern 160/150mm travel bike with Lyrik RC forks up front and Marin’s Quad 3 suspension out back with a Rockshox Monarch RCT3 Debonair shock. GX Eagle 12 speed and Stan’s Baron wheels round out an impressive package.
• Series 4 6061 Aluminium frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• QUAD 3 suspension platform
• Enduro sealed bearings
• 150mm rear travel
• 160mm fork travel
• 27.5” wheel size
• 148mmx12 boost rear spacing
• Internal dropper housing
• Incorporated frame protection
• 66 deg head angle
• 435mm chainstay length
• 335.5mm bb height
• 1x drivetrain
Prices: Marin hawk Trail XC7 £2200, Marin Attack Trail XC8 £3000
Hawk Hill
Hawk Hill is intended for fun trail riding. It’s for catching air and hitting alternative lines. Its 27.5in wheels and modern trail geometry make for a playful ride ensuring every ride ends with a smile. The Hawk Hill 1 boasts convertible dropouts for affordability and the option to upgrade to 148mm boost wheels in the future
• Series 3 6061 Aluminium Frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• MutliTrac suspension platform
• 120mm front and rear travel
• 27.5” wheels
• 148mmx12 boost rear spacing on Hawk Hill 2 and Hawk Hill 3
• 110x15mm boost fork spacing
• Internal cable routing
• 1x drivetrain
Prices: Hawk Hill £1350, Hawk Hill 2 £1800, Hawk Hill 3 £2300
Pine Mountain
New colourways for 2018. This steel framed hardtail is built to tackle adventure and trail riding. The Pine Mountain features 27.5+ wheels for maximum traction and boosting comfort and confidence. The Pine Mountain is full rigid for adventure riding simplicity and features US Forest Service Truck paint job!
• 27.5+ wheels
• Steel frames Pine Mountain and Pine Mountain 1 use double butted 4130 CrMo
• Size S M L XL XXL
• Pine Mountain 2 has Columbus Thron butted CrMo steel
• 12-3-9 Naild locking quick release Thru Axle
• Internal cable routing
• Pine Mountain 1 and Pine Mountain 2 feature 120mm travel fork
• 69 deg head angle
• 437mm chainstay length
• Fender and rack mounts
• 141x9mm boost open drop outs (this is the ‘Boost QR’ width if you were wondering)
• 1x drivetrain
Nail Trail
A classic trail hardtail but with modern trail geometry. You can pick between 27.5” or 29” wheel builds to optimize ride fit and trail experience.
• Series 3 6061 Aluminium Frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• 120mm Fork travel
• Choice of 27.5” or 29” platform
• 148mmx12 boost rear spacing
• 110x15mm boost fork spacing
• Internal cable routing
• 1x drivetrain
Prices: Nail Trail 6 £1100, Nail Trail 7 £1600
Bobcat Trail
The Bobcat Trail range is designed for trail rider on a budget. This bike still offers a choice in build platform between 27.5” and 29” wheels depending on frame sizing. But all frames feature modern trail geometry.
• Series 2 6061 Aluminium Frame
• Sizes XS S M All feature 27.5” wheel platform & 120mm fork travel
• Sizes L XL XXL All feature 29” wheel platform & 100mm fork travel
• Rack mounting option
• All Bobcat Trail bikes feature hydraulic disc brakes
Prices: Bobcat Trail 3 £500, Bobcat Trail 4 £600, Bobcat Trail 5 £775
Hawk Hill Jr
A light weight mountain bike for kids. Featuring the same MultiTrac suspension system as the grownup model, with modern trail geometry for the younger rider looking to keep up with the adults when out on the trails.
• Series 3 6061 Aluminium Frame
• One size
• 24” wheels as standard, frame will take 26” down the road extending its life
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• Internal cable routing
• Air suspension that’s tuneable for a growing kid
• 120mm travel fork
Prices: Hawk Hill Jr £1350
B17
The bike I most liked the look of on the day was the B-17 3. A great looking, full suspension 27.5” plus bike. This bike felt like it had much more travel than the 120mm on offer and it shares the same MultiTrac suspension system and modern trail bike geometry with its stable mates the Rift Zone and the Hawk Hill. I rolled into the Cheese Roller blue trail numerous times back to back. This is a roller coaster packed with jumps and berms from top to bottom. I couldn’t get enough of the B-17 plus bike. This model offers great value and versatility as you can use the standard 27.5in setup or change the wheels out and convert it into a 29er.
In the large shed that holds the sculpted pump track, many of the 2018 range was set out, with a few examples of each available for test. We’ve already had a spin on the B17 One last week, so it made sense to get a lap on the B17 Three and see what you get for the extra cash.
The B17 utilizes Marin’s 120mm MultiTrac suspension system, ‘combining MultiTrac and plus size tyres to create a capable and versatile package’.
• Series 3 6061 Aluminium Frame
• Sizes S M L XL
• MutliTrac suspension platform
• 130mm fork travel
• 120mm rear travel
• 27.5+ size wheels (compatible with 29in wheels up to 2.5in tyres)
• 148mmx12 boost rear spacing
• Internal cable routing
• 1x drivetrain
• 38mm wide rims with 2.8in tyres
Prices: B17 1 £1800, B17 2 £2300, B17 3 £2900
I stopped riding and took advantage of the BBQ food on offer just in time before the rain set in for the rest of the afternoon. All in all a top day with the 2018 bikes from Marin at the Flyup 417 Project. These bikes should be out this summer, so keep an eye on Singletrack and in those local shops for more.