Marins: Rift Zone 1 vs San Quentin 3 (price’s backwards)

I’m stuck outside the UK, can’t come back for a long time as I won’t be able to return to my job (they’re letting people out, but not in again), living in a land of tiny people, riding a tiny hardtail, and my knees are disgruntled and getting worse and worse.

Anyhow, two bikes on sale in XL sizing (can’t believe my luck). The prices seem reversed to the UK.

Rift Zone 1 £1170, and San Quentin 3 £1380.

Most of my riding is light trails nowadays. Sustrans route stuff. But occasionally I recall my misspent youth and go riding off something for a laugh. It’s why I’m leaning towards the San Quentin 3. The terrain here is mainly dry hardpack. There are mountains west of me but us foreigners are breed from there still for some reason during the pandemic. I don’t want to look a right **** riding Sustrans routes on a full susser, and being a tall, clumsy rider I prefer bikes with less things that move, because if it moves, it’ll break.

What would you buy?

Counterfeit passport.

Mine’s still good. 2 spreads still unstamped. It’s experienced Gulf region desert heat, Andean oxygen levels, sliding down rapids in the Ammazon and half a cycle in a top-loading washing machine.

New knees would be great though. I’ve only bought one bike off the shelf and it as a Raleigh. The San Qeuntin has a really short reach, yeah?

Are they both 27.5” wheels or is the rift zone the 29er version? Seems the rift zone can be either – not sure if that’s based on the size you order or if 2 seperate models.

Looking at the geo the San Quentin is shorter reach and accordingly a shorter seated length. Seat angles are broadly similar – the stack on the san Quentin looks a little low. I’ve had a go on a Sam Quentin at Leeds bike park – it’s very much aimed at throwing around berms / doing jumps / mucking about. It was a lower spec than the one you’re looking at but I enjoyed it.

Looking at the specs I think the rift zone might actually be better for longer rides – especially if you’re tall. The same Quentin might have you scrunched up a bit. If it’s the 29er version then that probably makes it even more appropriate for slightly cut up fire road sort of stuff.

Rift Zone and get into those mountains post pandemic.

Both are 27.5″. Both seem to be last year’s models due to spec listed. 2.6″ tyres on the SQ3, and 203/180 4pot mt420 brakes.

I suit shorter reach bikes so no fears about the SQ3 fitting. Long legs/torso but normal length arms. I’m only worried the bars don’t have enough rise but that’s a relatively easy swapout. I always struggle when getting on the right size bike having the grips within comfortable reach. I bought a hardcore frame zonks back with a short reach and short chainstays and it was a great fit for all day riding. The SQ3 sizing reminds me of that long lost GF.

Also, the more I check out YT vids (when my VPN isn’t playing up!) it seems to me that the RZ1 is for lighter riding. XC/Trail? So, no mountains, and the occasional dropoff for giggles might lean me to the more expensive hardtail. Which, when you delve further into it, has a proper boost rear, not the adaptor “bodge” of the RZ1. More powerful brakes. And then there’s the RS Judy on the RZ1 to consider. I can buy just the SQ3 frame here for £330 and build it up, there are savings to make, but there’s no way I’d buy the Judy and stick it on it.

The issue with the mountains and reachability is that it may be a long way off. It’s a long, long time since I was last allowed up into the Tibetan Autonomous Region. It could even be summer 2022 before they even consider relaxing the roadblocks for foreigners, much like the minimum estimate for the borders. Meanwhile, I’ll lose two seasons of riding. Local reports on willingness for vaccine uptake are low. You’d think due to the net being tightly controlled here that there wouldn’t be so much CT-like fears.

Been a long time since they did a 27.5 rift zone… 2017?

https://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bikes/2020-hawk-hill-1

The Marin dealer here labels this item:
林道越野山地车铝合金自行车HAWK HILL前后气压27.5寸RIFT ZONE 1

Google comes up with a 2020 listing, but the frame colours are different. I am in the east asian market so sometimes things can be different (usually short levers on hydraulic brakes are one example)

if you dont want things to move buy the st quentin

I would buy a bike for the majority of the riding, not the occasional extreme of riding…

I love my HT, and only miss FS on a few days.

Join the Marin HT gang 😎 👊

Yeah, i’ll drop the hammer on the SQ3. Be here in 48hrs and setup for my next “weekend” to use. The pic swung me!

I’ve probably driven the shop staff insane the amount of times I’ve viewed the sale page, shoved it in my basket, gone to checkout and pulled out, haha.

So, got the SQ3. It’s the 2021 model Stack height was real low up front so I put some higher risers on (785mm wide and I find them a bit narrow), also luckily there was a couple of spacers above the stem so I think I’m good now.

The blinking brake levers were reversed!! I almost flew over the bars on at least 3 occasions whilst out on a 35km ride. The 203mm front bedded in quite fast and gve me a few wobble moments. I’ll get an LBS to swap them next weekend.

I need to check the grey inserts in the air side. I got a couple of spares in a bag in the bike box, but the fork is very stiff at 25% sag.

Very twitchy front end. Turns very fast when you want it to. Still got tubes in, down to 30psi and has loads of grip in the front. Can’t figure how people are sticking 150mm forks on it and saying it rides better.

I didn’t really throw it around, just a few stair runs and kerb hops, because I decided since I couldn’t get decent flat shoes in my size here i went for Shimano type clipless after miraculously stumbling across some Exustar 2pin shoes in my size. Got as far as the traffic light at the end of my road before I had my first embarrassing stop and sideways fall. Cleats are in the same position on both shoes but my right shoe is close to the crank and the left feels too far out, “skating on ice”.

Crankset is rally stiff, the saddle too. Cassette sounds like a badly tuned set of cymbal when m changing gear. Way too many gears. Pedalling in 32/10 feels like I forgot to put the chain on. Dropper post is a godsend.

It’s a stiff bike. Feels like riding a 24″ rigid cruiser, but higher up. I do need to find some suppleness in the fork without having to buy a C2 damper. Impact cushioning feels more tyre than fork.

Overall, excellent bike for what I paid. Doubt I could have built one from parts for the price.