QUICK HITS
• 160mm MultiTrac 2 LT Suspension
• Mixed Wheels (29” F / 27.5” R), 29” compatible
• Adjustable HA and BB/CS
• REACH 490 (Large)
WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE MARIN ALPINE TRAIL 1
For the latest Alpine Trail, Marin wanted to push capabilities higher than ever. By moving to the MultiTrac 2 LT suspension system – a Horst Link, opposed to their typical linkage-driven single pivot – Marin was able to boost rear travel to 160mm, and added adjustability and more aggressive geometry to match.
FRAME AND FEATURES | The Alpine Trail is built with Marin’s Series 4 6061 alloy, featuring heavily manipulated tubing and complex forgings to maximize strength and stiffness without excessive added weight. The linkage is forged in a single piece to increase rigidity, allowing for bridgeless seat stays to maximize tire clearance.
Marin put significant effort into covering the details, from the protection to the features. The internal cable routing features ports that serve to seal the frame from the elements, while clamping the cables to prevent rattle. There’s a generous bolt-on downtube guard; custom chainstay and seat stay protectors, and a mud flap over the lower pivot to prevent mud ingress.
To allow riders to tweak the Alpine Trail’s handling to their preferences, Marin built in three points of adjustability. The headset offers ±0.75° angle adjustability with the replacement of the top cup. On the rocker link, there’s a flip chip to correct the geometry and kinematics when switching between the stock 27.5” and a 29” rear wheel. And finally, the horst pivot on the chainstay has a two-position flip chip which notably changes the BB height and chainstay length between two positions.
Marin’s Bear Box has been added to the downtube, providing a generous hatch in which to store items while riding. Within this storage space is a weather-sealed nylon bag, preventing any moisture from spoiling items inside. The hatch is given water bottle bosses, with plentiful room inside the front triangle for a large water bottle; and there’s a secondary boss for a tool mount on the underside of the top tube.
SUSPENSION | Marin moved to a Horst Link setup – dubbed MultiTrac 2 LT – in order to obtain the kinematics they desired for the new Alpine Trail’s 160mm rear end. This allowed them to lower Anti Rise in a bid to improve suspension performance under braking, sitting in the 60-65% range at sag, depending on the geometry setup. The leverage ratio has around 27% progression, increasing in a linear manner for easier suspension setup. With the air shock supplied as standard, this translates to a high level of ramp up towards the end of the stroke, even with the EVOL air can.
GEOMETRY | There’s a high amount of adjustability built into the Alpine Trail, allowing riders to tailor the handling characteristics to suit their preferences. Between the angle-adjustable headset, two-position chainstay flip chip, and 29/27.5” wheel size flip chip, Marin has gone to town. The Head Tube Angle can go from a nominal 63.5°, to an ultra-slack 62.4°, or a more agile 64°. The BB height goes from 351mm to 344mm; and the Chainstays are either 435mm or 442mm.
Relatively steep Seat Tube Angles, fairly lengthy reach figures and average stack heights round out the characteristics of the Marin Alpine Trail. A size Large in the nominal High BB/Short CS and neutral headset position sports a 490mm Reach; 643mm Stack; 78.8° Effective Seat Tube, and resulting 1282mm Wheelbase.
BUILD SPECS | Marin currently offers the Alpine Trail in three build specs from the “1” build tested at $3,199 / £3,099 / €3,599 to the $5,399 / £5,199 / €5,999 XR AXS. There’s also the option to purchase a frame and RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate Coil shock for $1,849 / £1,699 / €1,899.
The entry-level one build is not equipped with flashy high-end components, but Marin has selected the spec fairly sensibly and put the money in the areas they think matter. A Fox 38 Performance 170mm fork is paired to a Fox Float Performance EVOL shock with a custom tune. This shock is perhaps our biggest gripe with the spec selection, as we’ll get into in the ride impressions.
The braking duties are handled by the impressive TRP Slate EVOs, stopping on a pair of 203mm rotors. The drivetrain is Shimano’s Deore 12-speed, with an FSA Comet HD alloy crankset.
Marin supplies the rims, with their double wall alloy rim laced to a pair of Shimano TC-500 hubs. These are wrapped in a pair of VEE Snap WCE tires, with 2.6” width and the Enduro Core casing. Marin also provides an own-brand saddle, alloy bar and stem, and their Bear Paw grips. Rounding out the specs is a Trans-X dropper post: 150mm for the Small; 170mm for Medium and Large, and 200mm for the XL size.
In its stock configuration, the size Large Marin Alpine Trail 1 weighed in at 38.3lbs
THE DIRT
My testing period on the Marin Alpine Trail began at the tail end of Summer, with some extremely dry trails that allowed for high speeds. As summer disappeared and winter arrived, the setup demands changed, and I was thankful for the adjustability that Marin has built into their alloy enduro machine.
SETUP | The Marin Alpine Trail has a wide variety of setup options, from wheel size to geometry, and also the choice between the air-sprung “1” build, or coil-sprung XR models. This made for plenty to experiment with, and at some point just about every setup combination possible was tested in a bid to identify the range of characters the Alpine Trail can present. It was also passed to a couple of other riders to obtain further insight into its performance for different riding styles, whose feedback will be included.
In its stock guise with the Fox Float Performance rear shock, it was a struggle to determine a setup that would yield a happy middle ground of handling characteristics for my 220lbs (100kg) mass. In terms of compression damping, the Float Performance wasn’t miles off from what I’d desire, but the initial sensitivity was lacking, reducing the comfort and traction that the Alpine Trail offered. This air shock did provide a more efficient climbing feeling, and was a solid performer for more groomed trails, but left a little to be desired on the rough and technical enduro trails I typically frequented.
Thankfully, I had a Fox DHX2 shock available to throw on, which immediately presented a benefit to the descending performance. Because there’s plentiful leverage ratio progression, there were no concerns with excessive bottom outs with this coil spring. The 450lbs spring recommended by Marin sat me at around 30% sag, in a very happy spot where comfort and traction were high. The damping adjustments yielded a configuration with plentiful support, and made the Alpine Trail’s rear end perform solidly for the way down the hill.
With the coil shock fitted, I tested the neutral and steep head tube positions; swapped between the high/short and low/long flip chip positions often, and tried both 27.5” and 29” wheeled setups. The wheel size-correcting flip chip was very effective in maintaining the geometry, and kept the handling characteristics fairly similar between the two wheel sizes. My wheel size preference would heavily depend on the trails I’m typically riding – for the flatter and rougher trails local to me, the 29” was the ticket, whereas the 27.5” offered that little boost of stiffness, agility and precision that’d make it my selection for steeper, tighter descents or more playful riding.
CLIMBING | At 38.3 lbs (which climbed to 40.39lbs at its heaviest), it may be no surprise that the Alpine Trail was not the keenest bike to set uphill PRs. That said, for the typical fire road climbs that an enduro bike will find itself on local to me, the tire choice feels far more impactful than the overall bike weight. The stock Vee Snap WCE’s didn’t help in this respect, certainly favoring downhill traction over rolling speed. Once these were swapped for slightly faster rolling tires – an Assegai EXO+ Maxx Terra and Continental Kryptotal Enduro Soft combo – there wasn’t a huge amount to tell between the Marin and other enduro bikes.
The climbing position was comfortably central; and with the shock locked out, the suspension was suitably supportive. This lockout was crucial for more purposeful pedaling efforts, as the rear end didn’t provide the best efficiency. It certainly erred on the more comfortable side of things, at the expense of having a tendency to bob, especially on standing pedaling efforts. Combining this with the low BB setting and 170mm crank spec, technical climbing became difficult. The High position offered improved pedaling support and clearance, making technical uphill efforts notably easier.
DESCENDING | Since I’ve covered that the stock Fox Float Performance didn’t exactly offer the performance I’d love, I’ll focus on my time with the coil shock fitted to the Marin Alpine Trail. By no means should the Fox air shock be ruled out, but I’d certainly advise at least trying to get hold of a coil shock to test if you’re looking to ride rough and rowdy enduro trails.
With such a wide range of adjustment possible, the Alpine Trail can take any number of different characters, but it was never the peppiest and most agile machine on the way along and down the hill. That said, in its steepest headset and the high/short chainstay flip chip, agility increased a notable amount, and it made for a suitably fun time on the groomed bikepark and trail center trails. The geometry flip chip was great to see, as it made a notable difference to the handling of the Alpine Trail, worthy of regular swapping to tailor the bike to the trails on the menu of the day.
I found that the stock Head Tube Angle was a little on the slack side for the typical British enduro descents. Sure, it offered plentiful confidence in the steepest and fastest portions of trail, but reduced the ability to wind through the typical tight, awkward descents. It also demanded purposeful front end weighting to keep the front tire from washing on flatter turns. The steeper headset position made a notable improvement to the overall effectiveness of the Alpine Trail when attacking the local trails, and it never felt overly nervous as a result. If you’re living close to a wide open bikepark, you may favor the neutral or slack headset, but otherwise I’d suggest the Steep setting will serve you well.
Once dialed in with that coil shock, the Alpine Trail was a formidable enduro machine, never lacking confidence for the gnarliest terrain I could throw it down. With plentiful support and stiffness, charging hard never unsettled it, yet there was plentiful comfort thrown into the mix to prevent fatigue from setting in too quickly. The handling presented no quirks, with a neutral braking character and solidly struck balance of stiffness and compliance to keep most riders happy.
FINISH AND VALUE | Marin has put together a package that represents reasonable value with their Alpine Trail 1, with a build spec we’d be happy running until it wore out, aside from the rear shock spec and a longer dropper post. The frame held up extremely well, as you might expect given its no-nonsense construction. All of the hardware was reassuringly solid, with the flip chips notably burlier than we’re used to seeing. While this all adds to the overall weight, it ensures that riders are going to be served with fuss-free performance for the long term.
It’s a shame to see a frame with reasonable seatpost insertion depths supplied with a relatively short dropper, especially now that length-adjustable units are becoming more prevalent. A 200mm dropper should be considered the standard on a hard-hitting mixed-wheel enduro bike in size large, in our eyes.
Marin covered the details very well with the Alpine Trail, from the lower pivot mudflap to the storage box. Everything was well considered and executed, and you get the impression that the Alpine Trail is going to offer dialed performance for season after season. The chainstay protection could have been a little better in terms of coverage and damping, but did a solid job nonetheless. There’s excellent tire clearance, and everything was well aligned and bolted together nicely.
Assessing the size range, and Marin’s lack of size-specific chainstays may present the tallest riders with a slight imbalance on the descents. Similarly, the low and long chainstay position may be overly cumbersome for the shortest riders. In the Medium and Large sizes though, both flip chip settings are going to be very usable. The seated position is likely to be comfortable for most, though it’s been noted that the small size produces a particularly steep seat tube angle for smaller riders. Otherwise, there’s no quirks to note with Marin’s geometry selections.
COMPONENT REPORT
Fox Float Performance Shock | I think it’s a huge shame that Marin opted to spec the Alpine Trail 1 with this shock. Given some of their other models utilize Marzocchi suspension on lower levels, we’d have loved to have seen the same treatment for the entry-level Alpine Trail with a Bomber CR shock. This Fox Float Performance simply didn’t deliver the handling characteristics we think a hard-hitting enduro bike deserves.
Shimano Deore Drivetrain | This was a great call by the Marin team, offering great range and solid shifting. This comes at the expense of weight of course, with the all-steel cassette being particularly portly, but it’s a compromise we’re okay with on a budget-conscious machine.
TRP Slate EVO Brakes | The Slate EVO brake is yet another underrated offering by TRP. It offers solid ergonomics and power, and great consistency. Another solid spec call by the dudes at Marin.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE? | VS Merida One-Sixty
As a similarly priced bike with the same intentions, the Merida One-Sixty is an obvious comparison. The Merida was a more efficient machine overall, with a slightly more agile and playful on-trail demeanour. The Alpine Trail’s considerably more aggressive and adjustable geometry made it a rig better suited to the gravity fiends, especially once coil-shocked. Value is tricky to call between the two, with pros and cons to both of them – both are solid for dealer-supported bikes.
The Wolf’s Last Word
The Marin Alpine Trail is a highly adaptable and solidly executed example of a hard-hitting enduro mountain bike. While the stock rear shock may not have wowed our testers and the climbing performance was leisurely rather than lightning-fast, the remainder of the spec was solidly selected and the Alpine Trail’s demeanour when descending had us smiling from ear to ear. 
Price: $3,199 / £3,099 / €3,599
Website: Marinbikes.com
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ABOUT THE WOLF
Robert’s habitat is the Tweed Valley, Scotland, which is renowned for its root-littered enduro mountain bike trails. Robert has been developing his bike handling skills for the last 16 years. Since he was a pup, he’s been riding everything from BMX through to enduro and downhill bikes. Combining a playful style with occasional speed-focused aggression, he favors supportive bikes, and does his best to push them hard.
Rank: European Tech Editor
Size: 6’2” / 189cm | 220lbs / 100kg
Social: @robert_johnston
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