US made Aluminum 3VH extruded front triangle with multiple position shock mount, extruded 3 position adjustable Travel swingarm with Disk Mounts. • Answer Black Elite LE 100/120 Fork • Fox Vanilla R, with Rebound Adjuster Rear Shock • WTB Momentum Comp ST Threadless 1 1/8" Headset
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2007
Strengths: Let me ride more difficult stuff. Simple. Not too heavy. Quick to adjust the travel. Marin are good with replacing frames for free.
Weaknesses: The frame's not the sturdiest. It's not that stiff either.
Bottom Line:
This bike allowed me to progress from being an overly old school XC rider to something more, erm, fun. Don't have too much fun on it though as it doesn't like being hammered round corners too much (it flexes, especially in the 6inch mode), and cracks if you take it off big drop-offs. It's a good all day ride bike though and will deal with most stuff. Back in 2002 this was an excellent bike. There are better now of course...
Similar Products Used: Giant Reign 3. Commencal Supreme 6.2 Kona Stinky Cannondale Prophet SL. Giant VT
Bike Setup: After original 02 swingarm cracked Marin sent me an 03 one for free. Then 02 main frame showed some worrying signs so Marin gave me an 04 one for free too. Had that built up with Manitou Blacks, Hope Minis, Mavic XC rims on XT hubs, etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Law Dawg
a Weekend Warrior
from Knoxville, Tennessee USA
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2004
Strengths: Bought mine as new old stock in 2003, thus the price was around $1000, think the list was around $1600...
I weigh 220 and mainly do local urban assaults, hop curbs, grassy fields, some hills, ride down some steps, bounce on the shocks cause I like too, etc.
For my purposes, this bike is killer, GREAT FRAME - check out the coin welds on the frame, the welding on my bike looks better than the welding on the $2200+ made in Taiwan Yetis I've seen...
Love the looks and durability, really fun to ride
Weaknesses: Well the shocks won't satisfy a gram shaving high level racer, but for bashing around like I do they are fine...
Bottom Line:
I lift weights and wanted something that I could bash around on for cardio and fun...
I previously had a titanium hardtail that was obviously faster and lighter, but this is more comfortable, riding is a cool adventure on this bike, I'll go out of my way to ride over tree roots and up/down things I wouldn't try on the hardtail...lots of jumping on and off curbs (depending on traffic) is a snap...no maintenance in over a year, (well, adding air to the tires)...
In spring/summer/fall I ride off and on most days, this bike looks as good as a chopper, and has been great for what I do.
My value rating (5) is based on the close out price, but even at regular price I'd have probably gotten it.
Overall rating is 4 because I'm sure there are better bikes for world class racers and wannabees.
Similar Products Used: asssorted Treks and Konas...I liked a couple Konas, but the Marin felt really solid, and that close out price made the choice obvious
Bike Setup: stock, except for Primo downhill/freeriding type pedals
Weaknesses: Get ready: Get bike, test it out a little, find out front disc brake mount is stripped. Throw a V on for a trip to Moab. First ride, rear derailleur gets thrown in spokes. Great. Go back home, go to shop, "Hey, your front derailleur is no good too." Nobody has a clue as to why it would go bad so quick. Get new chain, hanger, front and rear XT derailleurs, rear skewer, and new lowers to Black Fork (thanks to BicycleBlowout.com) Put it all together. Then the rear brake seizes. Send to Hayes to warranty. Put it back on and ride around the city a little. Horrible crunching/grinding noise in my rear hub. Guy at shop says, "I took it apart and you had absolutely no grease in your rear hub." Swell. Front disc mount strips yet again (but this time due to my car rack, whoops) so just jerry rig the thing. Ride on some local trails and build my confidence in the bike a little. Take a trip to Crested Butte. First ride, Happy as a lark, smiling like crazy, then uh-oh, my rear shock just blew. End of trip, I'm waiting on it to be warrantied as I write.
Oh yeah, also, the Box pedals jam with mud easy and could use more of a click to know you're in there. The cranks are flexy as hell. I can literally watch them bend when I really crank on them. The guys at the shop say my bottom bracket it too long making for a messed up chain line, but there is some controversy over that. Chain likes to fall off alot, and when it does, get ready to spend quite a bit of time trying to get it unjammed from your crank and bottom bracket. Breaks like to squeak. Cable routing rubs the paint off the bottom of the top tub, but it's aluminum so no need to worry about rusting. The routing also likes to collect mud into your cable housing if things get really messy. Black fork doesn't want to stay in the 100mm setting and pops out with a nasty sound, so I usually leave it in the 120mm. If rear derailleur goes in the spokes and the chain slips over the cog (or the chain just slips over the cog if that so happens,) the spoke protector is only about a centimeter in width. This means that the spokes will still get chewed up close to the hub. So what's the point?
Bottom Line:
Make sure to read the Weaknesses above.
This bike is a blast when it works. But I must have got a lemon. It has sucked the joy of riding right out of me. I dread going because I never know what is going to break next. I XC this thing, so it's not like I'm bombing down ski resort downhills. But I should be able to if I want to. I think the Black fork is a horrible design with the brake mount being threaded directly into the fork lower. Who wasn't thinking there? You strip it you are screwed. Why not have a thru-bolt like everybody else who is smart? Then if your an idiot and strip it, you just need a new $20 bracket.
I don't know what to say. I love Marin, but my bike sucks. I think if I get new shifters, crankset, front fork, and maybe rear shock and breaks, it would be a good bike. So maybe I just should have bought a different bike to begin with.
A word about BicycleBlowout.com. First of all, they gave me a good deal to start with. But there is not much they can do since they are in Nevada and I'm in Colorado. But I let them know all the problems I was having and the owner called me and we talked for awhile. He was pretty cool and sympathetic, and said he would "hook me up" if I needed it. So at least they tried. They could have easily blew me off.
Marin just said "wow," and said they would send me a new rear hub. So they threw me a bone. But I'm still not happy. My bike just sucks. Plain and simple. If it can't be ridden in the mountains without breaking, don't call it a mountain bike.
It gets two flamin turds overall cuase the frame is awesome. One value turd because that's not the only thing I paid for.
Bike Setup: Stock except for the xt front and rear and the SRAM chain.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Colin
a Downhiller
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
Strengths: Adjustability on both front and rear suspension is awsome and also very easy to change. Bike is best for freeriding and a bit of downhill, but you can also use it for a bit of xc.
Weaknesses: If you are doing downhill and freeriding then you want to upgrade a few parts such as the stem (its very long) the rims (they're kind of weak), posibly a new fork (the black is very soft and bottoms out easily). I've had to do a fare amount of repairs becuse of hard riding.
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great deal for the money. You can use the bike to ride to, up, and down the trail. Upgrade a few of the house brand parts and get some tougher ones. I love thsi bike.
Strengths: great adjustability, can handle anything.
Weaknesses: could use stronger shocks (judy xc and sid xc) for more freeride stuff
Bottom Line:
This thing can handle anything, a 30 mile ride one day and dirt jumping the next. I have ridden it on both long crosscounty rides in the backwoods and downhilling at Snow Summit. The rear rim needed replacing after a couple hard hits, but that was my fault. It's not designed for any one specific type of riding, but if you do a little of everything, it's a great ride.
Strengths: Wicked climbing, plush descents, versatile, good value
Weaknesses: Adjustable rear travel requires pressure change to have correct sag in all positions. But set correctly for 5" gives nice plush 6" (which I used almost exclusively for 40 miles) and really solid 4" (good if you need a hard tail feel going upwards - I didn't) Rear adjustment QR and general design is a bit clunky... Tends to get a bit stuck, and there are lots of sharp edges to hurt your hands on when you struggle with it. Cable routing is not ideal - but not too bad
Bottom Line:
I tested this bike for 40 miles in the Peak District, over one of the MBR "Killer Loop" trails. I meant to demo the Attack Trail - cos it felt so good on a previous test - but this was all I could find. Same frame - but slightly heavier comps and non-lock shock. Weight increased to 31+lbs by using older non-hollowtech cranks and big pedals - due to a problem with the demo ones. Expected it to be a bit heavy and slow on the uphills. Was totally wrong. Have been testing heaps of bikes lately (list above) to work out how freeride/plush I can go without sacrificing the pedalling/climbing/weight. At least half of my miles are uphill and technical, and I'm moving off a HT, so climbing and weight are NOT irrelevant. Anyway, I can't say enough about this bike. It blew me away. It climbs like a mountain goat on a Redbull overdose, esp over big rocky/stepped sections, and through deep mud and stickiness. The back wheel just digs in like I have not experienced on my HT or any of the other test bikes. This was a BIG plus. I was ahead up every single climb, with no extra effort, against similar fitness on short travel (3-4" - no-sag) FS XC race bikes. It also went down steep tech descents like the REAL Jacob's Ladder no worries. Not as plush as a 4bar bike under drag braking, of course, but for me this was irrelevant - I prefer the digging/non-active action on the way up. I rode the whole 40 miles in the 6" setting, including all climbs, and on the road. I tried the other settings, but just went straight back to 6" because I COULD! Did not need a lock-out once - front or back. This review could read for the Attack Trail as well - same bike - just lighter. But I reckon this model really deserves this review. I don't own this bike - just trying to work out what works for me. Am also going to test the SC Bullit and Ells Joker - but frankly they would have to be REALLY good (for my type of riding) to beat this, esp considering the price hike. You should try this bike properly if your criteria are anything like mine. Try the bike shop above for demos, cos they were one of very few near London who actually "understand". Anyway, this bike has convinced me I can get 6" at the rear without sacrificing anything on the way up. 4" bikes just don't feel enough for me now that I have tried this (and similar). Check it out.
Strengths: The price of this bike made me think it was going to be a bit of a budgeter but when i rode it 4 the first time it felt like heaven its awsome its such a brilliant all round bike it does every thing so well the t.a.r.a system is exellent the best full susser 4 the money
Weaknesses: allthough the avid vees that come with it are good. disc's are a must have for this bike it just puts the icing on an allready superb bike you can have them factory fitted which works out about 60 pounds cheaper than buying them seperately so if your gonna buy them gettem when you buy the bike
Strengths: Amazingly smooth suspension which in turn gives awesome levels of grip when climbing.
Good riding position.
Very easy to adjust both front & rear travel (seconds!).
Excellent mud clearance and low maintenance for a full suspension bike.
Good high BB, even in 4 inch travel setting, which is one of the reasons I chose this over the Specialized Enduro.
Proper seat tube, so you can drop the seat easily for a bit of DH/Jump madness!
Comfy saddle!
Weaknesses: Disc brake upgrade essential.
Bottom Line:
The UK bike has a better spec than the US, just check out www.marin.co.uk.
I've had a full sus. before and it fell to pieces, though I did hammer it. I've been back to singlespeed, then 27spd hardtail before coming back to full suspension.
I had high expectations for the performance of this bike which have actually been surpassed. Set the suspension at 4 inches for roads linking bridleways, flip to 6 for that potholed and steep muddy climb, flip the forks to 120mm for the downhill, then back to 5 inch at the back and 100mm at the front for a blast across the moors. Superb.
To sum up.. I've ridden harder, further and faster since getting this bike and have cleared some ridiculously slippery and steep climbs, which the bike excels at, whilst also ripping the downs!!
Similar Products Used: Giant Box Two, Klein Mantra, Specialized FSR Pro
Bike Setup: Magura Julie disc upgrade.
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Submitted by
Anthony
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2002
Strengths: All round adjustability. Although I spend most of my time with maximum travel front and back, only need less on long climbs and smooth stuff. Although the Black forks get a bad press they`ve been nothing but superb so far!!!
Weaknesses: Super long stem and wide bars make for an uncomfortable riding position. I would "up grade" as soon as possilbe.
Bottom Line:
I could not have asked for a better introduction to full suspension, shame about the bar and sten sizes. The bike gives me confidence to try more daring free ride stuff, but I still feel like a I`m riding a respectable weight xc bike. This bike is not for free ride hard nuts or die hard xc riders but it is for those who want to dabble in both. DISC BRAKE UPGRADE IS A MUST.
Strengths: Adjustability! All Mountain! All Terrain! Simplistic, low maintenance design.
Weaknesses: Too heavy to race above Sport class for Cross Country, to light for Downhill. Manitou Black had initial problems.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike! In under a minute I can go from a 6/5 (rear/front) travel bomber to a 5/5 all trail to a 4/4 bike to race efficiently cross country! Not only dose the travel change but so does the geometry - from a laid back low efficiency urban assault vehicle to a quick turning low-bob cross country machine!
I have a little bit of coochie aching thats keeping it from a perfect score... - The Manitou black blew out on the first ride and would only work in 4" travel mode. This was replace within 3 days by Bobby at Manitou! Thanx Bobby and Manitou! One problem... they were out of black Blacks, so I got a red black... - The bars are way too wide and made my hands go numb... This was quickly remidied by the good people at Bay Ridge Bikes - There was to much paint build up on the rear triangle and it wouldn't adjust smoothly... again fixed by Gerald and a file at BayRidge
Gonna have to pull one chilli for those.
Other than that this bike kicks @$$! I've raced it XC twice and I think one could easily use this one bike to race up through Sport class in XC, DH, and DS! Its that versatile!
Submitted by
Lee Priestland
a Cross Country Rider
from Bucks, UK
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2002
Strengths: Good quality, ingenious, versatile frame. Component spec, esp after upgrading to HopeC2's - awesome. With three rear shock positions and infinte rear air pressure you can fine tune your ride. The front and rear adjustability and balance is good. Looks pimp.
Weaknesses: Manitou Blacks - we bought two bikes of these bikes at the same time and at the first monthly service the front forks had to be re-bushed which took two weeks. We were only riding tow-paths and light track to bed everything in, the weather wasn't too bad either. The supplier (RAW) did contact me directly and indicated it was an unsual failure so let's see what happens in the next few months. The std riser bars put pressure on the inside of my hand and were way too wide, even after trim.
Bottom Line:
An awesome machine, we can rider longer and harder than before in total comfort. It climbs well, I just have to practice my spinning now. We ordered our bikes in Jan'02 and one came with a SID rear shock. Talking to the distributor it appears that this was the end of the '01 stock before they had sifficient Fox Air's. I waited for a full '02 bike and it's been a great bit of kit - very flexible.
Similar Products Used: Trek Fuel90, I wanted to test something between my hardtail hack and the Marin fullsusser. This fitted the bill and was a hoot to ride, very fast and got better the harder you rode it. That wasn't really what I was looking for.
Bike Setup: Standard plus HopeC2's f/r, 110mm stem, XLR8 riser bar trimmed to 22".
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Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from the hill
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2002
Strengths: this bike has all the right stuff. the guy bellow doesn't get it, you have to upgrade almost every bike to get it to do what you want. mine can do it all.
Weaknesses: didn't come with a pilots liscence
Bottom Line:
the frame is the heart of the machine build it right and it will serve you well young jedi. (guy bellow there is no diff between the sid xc and fox air. i had both they suck, go with a canecreek ad 10/12 or cloud nine or a killer coil and you will be amazed at what this bike can do. also don't kid yourself xt and xtr are far better than the lower line components. i sold the parts group off mine and upgraded to the moon.
Bike Setup: shiver sc,king headset,king discsw/24"sun rims nokian 3.0 tires, canecreek cloud nine,xtr crankset w/36 single/9spd,xtr rear shifter, xtr rear der,avid discs,avid ultimate levers,flak jacket housing,thomsom post and stem, easton monkey lite riser,odi lock ons, shimano dx padals.
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Submitted by
martin mills
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2002
Strengths: Great frame and front forks (how much adjustment do you want?
Weaknesses: Long handlebar, crap rear shock, extra crap tires
Bottom Line:
Why have Marin not provided the specified rear shock and tires? The latter are absolutely lethal with no sideways grip at all in the wet and give way without warning. The rear shock has no rebound adjustment as it is a SID XC - much cheaper than the Fox Float R which Marin are supposed to supply. I am going to try and get the Marin boys to replace these products for that which I have paid for and will review again if they do this. Bike weight is NOT a problem, despite what you may read - it feels much lighter than the FSR. The frame looks to be of superb manufacture-take a look at those welds. I personally see little difference in the Shimano XT/LX/Deore when riding, so again do not see the LX/Deore drivetrain as an issue. The handlebars seem very wide and do take some getting used to. The manual is a joke, like that of most manufacturers-why cant they do a decent manual on the actual bike purchased for a change? Ratings reflect I am not a happy chappy at the moment, and very dissappointed.
