1ST IMPRESSION
and Fox’s Float X piggyback shock. The drivetrain is Shimano SLX/XT 12-speed, the brakes are Shimano MT420 with four-piston calipers and long, fourfinger levers that have proven reliable and easy to modulate from experience. Standard fit with organic pads, you will need to change the rotors if you want to upgrade to more durable sintered metal versions, though.
Reinforcing the playful vibe is a stubby 35mm stem, while Marin’s excellent in-house flanged Grizzly
Lock On grips further endears the cockpit, and there’s a healthy 170mm-drop Tranzx dropper post on the size Large – even if the Shimano remote is a bit sticky. Overall, it’s a functional spec with little to criticise given the competitive price point.
HOW IT RIDES
In a world of sagging scales, bottomless travel and stratospheric price tags, the Rift Zone is as refreshing as plunging your face into a glacier-fed stream. It reminds you that it’s fun, rather than frills, that’s important in a mountain bike.
You sit bolt upright, so the bike shrinks beneath you on the climbs, but there’s actually plenty of length to bring composure at speed. That dinky stem ensures an almost telepathic connection to the steering, and the head angle is slack enough to create confidence on off-piste plunges, but not so reclined as to be lazy when weaving through tight, tree-lined turns. It’s a bike that hasn’t forgotten the fact that trails come in a variety of gradients.
Step on the gas and there’s a delay – the freehub body takes a while to engage – but then the Rift Zone takes off responsively, with the anti-squat tensing against your rearward weight shift to balance grip and chassis stability. Equally, it’s pleasingly calm when seated, plodding up a climb, even with the shock fully open.
Looking at the separate rocker links, I was concerned that the Rift
Zone might get squirmy slamming into berms. But the chassis is actually rocksolid, with the seatstay bridge taking up any potential slack. Equally, it never felt too stiff, or harsh against the hands and feet.
I was hoping for a beautifully supple and sensitive suspension response from the Fox Float X shock, and while it did a decent job of tracking the trails, there was less pop than I’d expected. Having said that, the Rift Zone is still a bike that pokes and prods you all the way down a descent to play with the trail, seek out side-hits and throw the bike around to fully exploit the diminutive frame and balanced handling. Perhaps a longer break-in period would give the shock time to free up.
Overinflating the Marzocchi fork to get enough support did leave the front and rear operating in slightly different performance spheres, however. With more time, I’d have liked to try and play with lower pressures and an extra volume spacer to try and get a better balance. With a bit of extra cash, upgrading the damper would be another option.
Having ridden both the Rift Zone 2 and XR, it’s obvious where the extra money has gone. Better damping from the Float X shock and superior grip from the Maxxis tyres is worth the XR’S price of entry alone. That said, at £2,195 it’s possible to extract more than your money’s worth in fun and frivolity from the more basic model. And with a wellsorted frame, you’re going to get a solid return on upgrade investments in the long term.
HIGHS
Exploitable handling, whatever your level. A bike that can grow with your skills. Fun to ride. No gimmicks.
LOWS
Overweight. You’ll find better spec from a direct-sales brand.