Marin Wolf Ridge 2008

Dear all – a mate has the chance of getting a 2008 Marin Wolf Ridge.

Anyone have one, has one, had one? All thoughts and opinions welcome before he gives it a go this weekend. Any pics would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.

Yeah I had one, GREAT bike! Absolute flyer and great fun. Pretty light and very 'all mountain'. I upgraded mine to Lyriks and it ran OK with 160mm but I mainly wound them down and had them at 145mm which suited the bike better.
Here is a picture of me on it for the Mega:

and one with the upgrades:

Only sold it as I wanted a SS full susser, if I could only have 1 bike I would have it back!!

I have a 2009 model. Same except for a different colour I think. I say get one. It's pretty slack, feels really stiff and solid, and has a lovely suspension action. It's no lightweight (mine comes in at 15kg) so it doesn't fly uphill but plugs away well enough. I can keep up fine with mates on lighter bikes on the climbs but generally leave them behind on the descents. Downhill it's a rocket. Just really amazing fun.

Thanks chaps I'll pass on the info

I've got one, its a great bike. Get him to try one.

Tracey

I have one and can only echo everyone else's comments here.

They're an excellent ride, entertaining and very confidence inspiring. You obviously won't be the fastest to the top of the hill, but you'll have the biggest grin when you get to the bottom.

You can lighten them easily too if you're concerned about weight. Mine weighs in at under 30lb without losing anything in the way of stiffness which has turned it into a decent all day bike.

Since I bought mine, my other bike (a 2004 Enduro) has only been used twice.

If I was only allowed one bike that'd be the one. definitely. or maybe the new enduro…

I have an 09, I love it, definate do everthing bike, climbs well if slightly heavy but excels at going down very fast!

I have the Wolfridge 6.9 2009, which I bought last year after moving to Switzerland and realising that my XC bike would not cut it anymore in the local terrain :o)

This ticked all the boxes after some research, having U-turn Pikes, Maxle front and rear, and nice relaxed angles, but still be able to pedal up the hills and do more alpine XC routes (most of which can be considered more extreme than UK, admittedly)

Have now got it setup with Bash + Blackspire Stinger, short cage rear mech, Elixirs with Goodridge hoses – and I am more than delighted with it. I find that with 2.1" XC tyres and a few PSI more each end can do all day tough XC, but put 2.35" High Rollers and it is happy and capable of doing sessions all day at Morzine.

Highly recommended to bring out the hooligan inside you :o) – only thing it needs now is a remote adjust setpost!

Just out of interest, how have other Wolf Ridge owners built up their bikes?

Most people seem to have opted for a double and bash crankset – why the heck is there a triple on a bike like this?

Other changes seem to be for shorter mechs and Small Block or Ardent tyres.

I've had a couple of Quake 7.3's – the big brother to the wolf ridge.

I can echo everyone above about how well these bikes ride, and they ride a lot lighter than the scales would suggest.

One thing that has puzzled me slightly is that why the suspension design has to be one of the most underrated in the industry. I think there is a certain amount of snobbery going on – if it had Turner or Santa Cruz written down the tubes it would be hailed as the best design full stop, but Marin always seems to have the beardy wierdy sandal wearing image. Baffles me.

I have the 2007 version, which has been a fantastic bike, upgraded a few things and it is bulletproof, as said before a truly all round bike.

I don't get the Marin thing either, they produce great bikes with innovative designs but don't seem to get the recognition they deserve in my opinion.

Marin does have a weirdy beardy image around some quarters, but that doesn't bother me. My second bike is a Specialized after all.

Where does this image come from then?

I ride a Marin, and I do have a beard. Maybe that's it.

good question bigbloke. is it just name calling and the stuff of playgrounds?

I think its because all through the 90's they were innovative enough to produce a full sus' in the shape of the mount vision that actually worked well, and was light enough for all day rides. I recall seeing absolutely tons of them out and about. However, it wasn't particularly cheap so only seemed to be ridden by middle aged men with jobs good enough to have some expendable cash. Shockingly, not all of them had beards.

how have other Wolf Ridge owners built up their bikes?

Mine's reasonably straightforward and good bang-for-buck I think. XT double+bash and med cage XT mech to match because I never use the big ring. Coil u-turn Lyriks. Sunline 50mm stem because it's well slack, 745mm lo-rise Sunline bars. No spacers to keep it low. SLX brakes with big rotors. Saint rear hub, SLX front. XM719 rims.

The only change I would perhaps make is to fit a dropper seatpost.

got the 08 and bloody love it.
it,s a real hoot on the downs and again echo what,s been said.
set up twin and bash short mech as well.
there suppose to come with the 426 coil pike but for some reason mine came with 426 dual air and i,m glad it did.
the suspension has to be ridden to be believed.it just soaks anything you can throw at it.
the harder you ride the wolfridge it seems like the more stable it becomes.
wouldn,t change it for anything.well maybe an 09 attack trail 😉

Thanks for posting Recycler, and everyone else for answering. Much appreciated.

I bought the bike, spent 3 hours on it yesterday and can now officially call myself a hooligan.

Now we just have to see how long the soft tissue (me) can survive the speeds this thing goes down a hill at.

So how do you find it climbs then everyone?

Really tempted by an '09 model on offer… 😆

The geometry is fairly slack so it's not a climb friendly bike, moreover the granny ring feels a little like you've got an elastic chain, which means it can spit traction suddenly.

Having said the above, it seems on a par with my 2004 Enduro, which has more neutral pedalling characteristics and a longer top tube. Make of that what you will.

Does the U-turn (if you have it) make a big difference to the climbing?

I'm coming from a Mount Vision that climbs like a goat, but is a bit nervous on the steep, techy stuff.

Yes, to some extent steepening the angles does help.

The traction is good, short, sharp climbs are dispatched fairly easily however longer climbs are hindered by the lack of top tube length. Size up if you can.

I've just done ten under then ben on mine. Managed 4 laps (about 40 miles). It certainly wasn't a breeze up the climbs but it wasn't torture either. Ran the Lyriks at 140mm the whole time. If it helps, that was on a large frame with 50mm stem. I'm 6'1"

i just want to add my support to the suspension design. I remember being told that in the 90s and early 00s they had the reputation of being an 'accountant's' bike… fair enough! If they're uncool, it means that they're usually cheap second hand!

i got my quake 7.3 for £350 and i love the bike. I run a 1×9 set up, but i think a double is ideal for the wolf ridge and the quake. I recommend getting some U-TURN forks or similar too (i have Lyrik solo airs which are hard work when climbing)

Hah, Rockplough, I was just thinking "I saw a big orange Marin like that yesterday", you were pretty distinctive 🙂

I'm really tempted by the on-line/mail order bargain but i can't find one to test out for size! I'm really, really short at 5'2" so stand over height is crucial to me. Don't want to order it & find i can't even straddle the damn thing!

Muddydwalf im 5'10 and ride a medium, go for small IMHO

Also a huge thumbs up from me, best bike I've ever had, absolutely abused it too with no issues. Used it at least 3 times a week since brand new, been on uplift days, spent 2 weeks in the alps as well as done a merida marathon on it.

Running mine(2008 wolf ridge) with Fox Van 36's, SLX double and bash, Hope pro 2 SP's on Flow rims and SRAM X0/X9 shifting with a short cage mech and 11-28 rear cassette.

Had the fox rp23 Push tuned, and would definitely recommend it. Makes the bike grip even harder.

Now consider it absolutely irreplaceable.

Chippy – a small is a must, just that i suspect the small Wolf Ridge stands a fair bit higher than my 15.5" 2004 Mount Vision & that doesn't leave me that much room 'tween tube & bollocks!

I really fancy the bike but need it to fit my stumpy legs!

Hah, Rockplough, I was just thinking "I saw a big orange Marin like that yesterday", you were pretty distinctive

😀 Yeah with that frame design and particular hue of hyper orange it's hard to miss. I've only seen one or two others on my travels – including one other yesterday. You clock them straight away and there's always a bit of chat.

I do love the orange frames – I passed a bloke today on one, saw him coming a mile off.

Mine's a subtle white BTW.