Marin wants to shake up the aluminium trail bike market with the new Rift Zone. To this end, they have presented three new adult and two youth mountain bike models. The Marin Rift Zone 1, 2, XR and 26/Jr. The Americans promise that the new Marin Rift Zone will be the perfect companion for any kind of bike adventure.
Marin Rift Zone: the suspension has more travel
In order to fulfil these requirements, Marin has given its previous Rift Zone more suspension travel. The trail bike has ten millimetres more travel at the front and five millimetres at the rear. This means that the new Marin bike now has a 140 millimetre fork and a shock with 130 millimetre travel. The youth model Rift Zone JR now also has 130 millimetres at the front and rear.
To find the right suspension setting, Marin worked closely with engineers from Fox, RockShox and X-Fusion. As a result, they hope to achieve a combination of efficient pedalling on the climbs and a smooth downhill ride.
Models and prices of the new Marin Rift Zone
The Rift Zone is available in three different models. These can be purchased from your nearest Marin dealer from November or December this year. These aluminium models will be available in 29 inch and 27.5 inch versions:
- Rift Zone 1: 1999€
- Rift Zone 2: 2599€
- Rift Zone XR: 3499€
The Marin Rift Zone XR is the new replacement for the former Rift Zone 3. The "XR" stands for the upgraded version of the Rift Zone, which offers the best price-performance ratio.
But that's not all: Marin has also thought about the younger generation of shredders and now has two junior models in its portfolio. The Rift Zone 26 and Rift Zone Jr come in 26-inch and 24-inch versions. For € 1999 you get a 1x11 drivetrain and X-Fusion suspension.
Marin with modern geometry and frame dimensions
Like many other manufacturers, Marin favours a steep seat angle and a flat steering angle. All adult models have a seat angle of 77 degrees and a steering angle of 65.5 degrees.
To emphasise the playfulness even more, Marin has installed a 430 millimetre chainstay. This means that the Rift Zone has one of the shortest chainstays compared to the competition. The brand new Yeti SB120, for example, starts at 435 millimetres in XS and goes up to 443 in XXL.
On the Junior models, the steering angle remains the same, only the seat angle changes to 76 degrees. The chainstay is also shortened to 425 millimetres.
The Series 3 aluminium frame of the Rift Zone with new tubes and forged parts give the Marin Trail Bike a shorter seat tube and a lower standover than its predecessor models. The cable routing has also been integrated into the forged part to prevent rattling noises. The dropouts have also been changed and are only compatible with the UDH derailleur hanger from Sram.
Marc Strucken
Editor
