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Submitted by
Reek
a Weekend Warrior
from Sac
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Clementine | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | bikeconnection | | Strengths: | light weight, suspension | | Weaknesses: | light weight, rear derailler hanger | | Similar Products Used: | ETSX, ID5, AC1 | | Bike Setup: | PIKE, XTR cranks, Hayes | | Bottom Line: | Nice light XC/trail oriented frame. Use it that way. Have it with a DHX 5.0 air. Makes the rear travel nicely adjustable. worth the weight penalty. I've got the whole bike in 5.5 travel mode. Climbs like a goat, and I'm no climber. Plush travel without feeling like you're bogged down. Definitely worth the $650 I spent. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
james
a Downhiller
from colorado springs
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | barr trail | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | wonderful linkage, incredible tracking, and a decent gathering of componnents. recently upgraded to gen-x scram. Love it | | Weaknesses: | th erear derailer dropout is th eweakest piece of @#$% I`ve seen!!! Just destroyed my fourth derailer hanger in two years. Had to replace the entire swing arm because the attachment area is abought .025 inches thick. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Dawg, Santa cruz Bullet, Jamis Dakkar | | Bottom Line: | Marin has a wonderful product. But need to pay special attention to the small stuff, some times the most important! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
No Guru
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Grim Raker | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Barn | | Strengths: | Plush, plush,plush, did I say plush. Goes up good, comes down great and goes around superbly. | | Weaknesses: | Front Disk is a pain to align, every time the front wheel is removed the calipers need adjusting. The stock wheels don't feel too strong, knocked the rear out of true on my first ride. Suspect that they needed to be rebuilt by a human rather than a machine. | | Similar Products Used: | First full suspension, last bike was (and still is) Kona Unit SS, before that a Giant Axis 890 hardtail. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for wheels, Sun SOS rims with Shimano 525 Hubs. | | Bottom Line: | Not sure what the rest of the world gets but the NZ spec is different to above....Fox Vanilla R 130mm fork (mmmm), Hayes hfx-9 hydro brakes. The brakes are a bit on/off at low speed but once you get moving they are the mutts nuts, great power, great feel. Also not sure why this bke is in the Freeride category....this aint no freeride bike...it is more of a long travel trailbike, it climbs great with minimal bobbing. Of course it doesn't climb as well as my Unit but then it weighs another 10lbs, but considering it's weight it climbs great (don't be a baby, just pedal harder). It is excellent on tight twisty single track, but where it really shines is when you get to the top of the hill and point it downwards, with 6" at the rear and the Fox fork it really soaks up anything on the trail and it rails the corners. Took a while to get used to the more upright position but I love it now.
Rode it in a race at a local forest (Whitford). There was lots of twisty technical singletrack with gravel road sections in between. Most of the singletrack was downhill with the road being mostly uphill. I was in it to complete not compete. On the uphills I was overtaken by the hardtail, lycra xc brigade but when I got to the top and hit the downhill technical singletrack they were all caught and passed easily (some were walking!! - why ride to the top of a hill and walk back down? might as well stay at home). Plus I had way more fun passing them on the downhill than they had passing me on the ups. My point: this bike won't win a xc race but if you are middle of the pack you will have much more fun than on a rigid race machine.
So far nothing has broken that shouldn't have, it is a great bike.....well made, rear swingarm is solid as a rock, no side play, nice oversized handlebars, great suspension...buy it!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matty
a Cross Country Rider
from City of Salt
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | where you aren't | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | Frame | | Weaknesses: | Brakes | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Love this bike except for brakes. Replace the Hayes MX1 brakes as soon as you get the bike. These are the lamest brakes I have ever encountered. Knew these brakes weren't the best when I purchased bike, but if I knew how lame they were would have purchased a different bike. Went through pads at least once a month. Replaced with Avid Juicy 7, life is good. Bike climbs great, suspension lock outs are easy to use on fly, great on descent (with right brakes). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Jones
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield UK
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Peak District | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1375.00 | | Purchased At: | JE James | | Strengths: | Forks | | Weaknesses: | Headset, rims/hubs, Brakes, skewers | | Bike Setup: | Chris King Headset, bontrager race lite front wheel and hub, XT Chainset, rear deore cassette, XT chain, Singletrack rim on rear XT hub. | | Bottom Line: | I must have ridden this bike less than 200 miles and loads of parts have needed replacing. The wheels and hubs were shat from day one. The tyres were terrible. The brakes never stop rubbing on the front causing a horrible ching noise. The riding position suits riding uphill constantly, it handles like a pig on technical stuff. So far it's cost me half the price of the bike again in around six months light use. My car costs less to run. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommy
a Downhiller
from shelburne vermont america
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | alpine shop | | Strengths: | This bike has a nice frame set up but all the parts suck, i have to replace almost everything on this bike except the frame and fork. | | Weaknesses: | I broken tons or derailers, the rear shock blows out to easy. everything breaks. I have had ton of people try it they all hated it. I dont ride cross country but even on a 4 ft drop everything falls apart | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bottom Line: | DO NOT BUY THIS BIKE | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Downhiller
from Sheffield
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Peak District | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | JE James | | Strengths: | Brakes, Fork, Rear Shock | | Weaknesses: | None as of yet | | Similar Products Used: | Dawed Edge FS comp, Kona Scrap, Specialized P2, Rockhopper, Kona Dawg | | Bike Setup: | Standard | | Bottom Line: | I have just bought the 2005 model today and I had a grin ear to ear riding down my usual trail. So far I love it!! Perfect cross-over for freeride without a chairlift and the possibility of broken legs :)
Watch out for bent frames though, I didnt see any at the shop I bought it from but a previous shop had tried to sell me two bent ones with considerable dints in the downtube. Who's problem with I have no idea but just check when you buy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
HARDMAN
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Sovereign singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Very strong frame, front fork is plush, and it has a lockout. Rear shock has 4-6" of propedal power. Very nice disc brakes problem free. | | Weaknesses: | Everything works great so far. I have taken it on some brutal trails, and still in one piece. Eventually replace 5d crank, but not until I cant pedal it anymore. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Enduro, which is a good bike also. but not as good as this one. | | Bike Setup: | stock so far. | | Bottom Line: | This Marin aims to please everyone. It's not to heavy, and in 4" or 5" mode climbs great. Going downhill is where it shines. Very plush and bombproof. I just got back from MOAB, and this bike did everything great. No problems. Oh yeah the price was unbeatable at 1000.00 brand new. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Pettitt
a Cross Country Rider
from Sussex, England
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Wild Side, Tunbridge Wells | | Strengths: | This is a UK spec bike. Very few complaints so far (see weaknesses). The Marzocchi MX Pro forks have bedded in very nicely and although I haven't tested them with an O ring I reckon I'm using nearly all of the available travel. The ETA function is great for hills. Have to remember to unlock it though when you hit the downs! The Magura Julie brakes stop very effectively, and I haven't suffered from any of the squeal others have reported. Haven't taken advantage of any of the other travel settings other than 5" yet but I'm sure I will. The bike is way lighter than my old Saracen hard tail and great over bumpy stuff. | | Weaknesses: | Took it in for the free service and the headset bearings were all rusted. I don't use a pressure washer so was a little miffed.
The WTB clipless pedals weren't for me. I'm pretty new to this game so I had a lot of comical falls, come to a halt can't get feet out and topple over that kind of thing. So I've switched the for a pair of Shimano's with flat one side, SPD the other. Now I'm safer! They grip the cleats much better as well! | | Similar Products Used: | Did plenty of research but didn't try any others. Took a mate's Attack Trail out and was sold. Only I didn't have the £2,300 to hand so I settled for the Rock Springs. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, apart from pedals. | | Bottom Line: | Seems like a great deal for a full sus bike. Forks and brakes are very competent and I feel very secure on the downhills. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Purvis
a Cross Country Rider
from Newcastle, England
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lake District | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Keswick Mountain Bikes, England | | Strengths: | This whole bike is a strength! I literally have no complaints about it whatsoever, other than a back wheel which came "out of true" very quickly (this was probably my doing however, rather than a design/build fault). ***I would like to point out that I appear to have the UK Spec bike, as mine has Marzocchi MX Pro forks and Magura Julie disc brakes as standard. Both are superb*** | | Weaknesses: | None. Slight one I know, but the allen bolt holding the seat in place often worked itself loose. As my dad has access to engineering spares this was easily remedies with a new bolt though. Again this may have been an isolated problem, as I know other people with Marin TARA bikes and they have no problem. | | Similar Products Used: | I tested the Specialized Enduro and Trek Liquid 25 when I bought my Marin. All were fantastic bikes, but I personally found the Marin to be the most comfortable to ride (Reach/riding position just seemed to be "right"). | | Bike Setup: | For commuting I set the bike to 4" rear travel and lock out the fork. Generally for XC rides I set the bike to the 5" setting and find this to be suitable for all of my needs. 6" travel is only used very rarely when I know I will be going through a rock garden or very steep/technical downhill. | | Bottom Line: | I use the bike for commuting each day as well as on weekend "come what may" rides and it handles both fantastically well. Any worries about paying £1300 for this bike are now forgotten. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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