ALEX’S MARIN RIFT ZONE 29 XR £3,775
Marin’s short-travel trail bike promises plenty of fun for BikeRadar’s tech editor
LOWS
The 2024 Rift Zone XR – it stands for ‘extra rad’(!) – is designed to tackle the rough and tumble of bike park runs, while being just as comfortable covering miles of beautiful singletrack.
It has 130mm of rear-wheel travel, doled out by Marin’s ‘MultiTrac’ suspension platform. This is a singlepivot system with linkage-driven shock – in this case, a custom-tuned RockShox Super Deluxe Select+. Up front is a Lyrik Select+ fork with the latest ‘Charger 3’ damper. This is almost identical to the Ultimate version of the fork, just lacking its vibration-dulling ‘ButterCups’ and increased internal bushing overlap.
A SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain takes care of shifting and drive, while the brand’s DB8 brakes do the stopping. Marin provide the saddle, bar, stem, grips and wheels, the latter shod with 2.5in Maxxis Assegai tyres, in EXO-casing, dual-compound rubber spec. The TranzX dropper on my large size has 170mm of travel. All in, the bike weighs a hefty 14.85kg.
Geometry-wise, a slack 65.5-degree head angle is paired with a long 485mm reach, to increase descending capability, and a steep 77-degree seat tube angle, to boost climbing comfort.
Why did I choose this bike? I’ve been pining for something I can take on allday epics but still rattle down my local enduro and DH tracks on when my gravity-fuelled nature gets the better of me. Plus, its geometry hits sweet-spot figures. Initial impressions suggest this updated model shares its feel with the older one, despite the switch from Fox and Marzocchi dampers, and a bit more fork travel raising the front end.
Point its nose up a techy, steep climb and the seat tube angle helps keep your weight central. This encourages a more upright ‘winch and plummet’ riding position, rather than the aggressive, shoulders-to-the-bars stance a more XC-inspired trail bike will put you in. On the downs, however, it loves to push hard. The more beans you give it, the smoother, faster and more engaging the ride becomes, with imperfections ironed out in a damped and muted way.
Of course, there’s room for improvement, and shedding weight is going to be my main focus. I’ve got a rough target of 12.5kg.