2023 Marin Rift Zone Review | Made for Fun...Successfully
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- čas přidán 19. 11. 2022
- There are many ways to have fun on a mountain bike, but Marin has given their new Rift Zone Alloy the specific tag line “the made for fun bike”, so what sets it apart from other “less fun” bikes? We’ve been putting it to the test prior to its release today to find out, so read on to learn all about what fun is to Marin, and how their new Rift Zone XR performed out on the trails.
THE DIRT
Marin was showcasing the new Rift Zone at the Mountain Bike Connection event in Andalo, Italy, a couple of months prior to the release of the bike, then gave me one to test back on my home trails in the UK for a few weeks in some very different conditions. This allowed the knowledgeable dudes from Marin who were in attendance of the event to give me the low-down of what was new and what they aimed to provide with their updated bike. In short, Marin wanted to offer high-end performance and capability at a reasonable price point. That said, it was vital in their eyes to retain the fun-loving, well-rounded nature of the outgoing Rift Zone - the staff at Marin essentially wanted to create their dream bike for the slightly less gnarly lunch rides or longer days in the saddle.
Compared with the typical high-end builds we get sent to test at the site, even in its top-end XR spec, the Rift Zone is towards the budget end of the spectrum. That said, save for a cheaper fork damper, there’s little but weight and shiny finishes to set the majority of the spec apart from a premium build - you still get a great 12spd drivetrain, effective 4-pot Shimano brakes and even Maxxis Assegai tires to latch onto the trail. Sure, discerning mountain bikers may pick holes in some of the spec, but as a compromise of price and performance it’s hard to argue with what you receive here. It’s amazing how little the spec of a bike can affect the ride quality of a bike when the basics are covered well, and that certainly seemed to be the case with the Rift Zone - there was no cheaping out on the amount of fun had.
As a trail mountain bike, uphill performance has got to make up a good half of the equation of the Rift Zone’s performance. The climbing geometry is satisfactory to winch up most average climbs, but those with ultra-steep climbs may benefit from a machine with a longer rear end, as the front wheel can occasionally go a touch light. The relatively steep seat angle and corresponding centered seated position do prevent this from being a major issue, but it still occasionally shows in the largest cassette cog. That centered seating position prevents suspension bob from being an issue when seated, and when stood and mashing there’s only a small amount that can begin to creep in. I’d suggest a shock without a lockout lever would be just fine here.
A few runs into testing a fresh bike, I would often be very much in the “fiddling” phase with the suspension dials, if not still undergoing more extreme volume spacer and air pressure adjustments. On the Marin though, the reduced adjustability means it’s easier to find a “good enough” setup. I ended up playing around with the adjustments back in the UK to unlock the last bit of composure, but the baseline setup proved to get things very close. With a composed and impressively controlled 130mm of rear travel, there was a ton of “go” any time I pumped hard down a roller or through a corner, yet on the rougher sections of trail it managed to take the edge off without any pronounced skittishness.
Successive harsh impacts, a botched landing or huck to flat will all find their way past the limits of the Rift Zone, but you’d expect the same for just about any 130mm travel machine, and what it does with that travel is very pleasant. The braking characteristic does lead to a bit of a firm feeling when hard on the anchors, but it keeps things composed for the steeper sections of trail. The geometry strikes a really nice balance between stability and agility for the typical riding you’d take a 130mm travel bike down, but when things get very high speed or very steep it does show that it’s not impossible to unnerve.
[this is just a short excerpt from the full written review.]
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I'm considering this as one of my next bikes, I will probably continue to rock the bike I have for at least another year as is still pretty great... it's always fun to look ahead to the next big thing though right? Of course!
You are coming with the bangers
Thanks very much!
Be interesting to hear how it compares with the new Norco Fluid
I second that!
Props to Marin for offering downsize versions of these. For years, most kids bikes have been very watered down, unless you got well above the $3,000 mark.
They do a great job, and those kids bikes make us wish we were young again!
I picked up the Rift Zone 2 bc I get a military discount at my bike shop on base which carries Marin. Also, since it is on base it was tax free. All together the Vitus would’ve been $400 more.
Cool that they are offering a good bike in 24 and 26 inch sizes.
I know they are Maxis Tires, but what's the model of the tires? Thanks!!!
love to see the review of marin Alpine trail carbon too.😀
Any chance you guys are going to review the Propain Tyee? It's on my short list.
Rob reviewed one on the site a little while ago: theloamwolf.com/2020/07/16/review-propain-tyee-cf-29/
We'll work on getting another one (along with other Propains) though to do a proper video review.
Damn, how did I miss that. Thanks
Do you think I'd get away going for and xl? I'm also 6.2" and a bit thorn and unfortunately no local shops have one built so I can try efroe I buy...
It'll depend on your preferences, but the chances are an XL will be comfortable for you, yes.
would the rift zone 1 be a good bike for someone coming from a trek marlin, i mostly do jumps and steep stuff
It's a solid option for sure!
Is it heavy?
Where to buy 2023 Marin Rift Zone 26 online? Thanks
Not sure if 2023 are available yet, but at a quick glance, JensonUSA.com and Bikesonline.com might be able to get you dialed when they do get inventory in.
Is there going to be a carbon model?
Am I the only one who dislike all Marin's colour options?
Yup. Sucks ro be you 😁
Lol I'm just kidding, but it's nice to have some nice variety in the MTB world
You’re not the only one. The colors they pair them with never seem to go well together lol
Nope. The giant stupid branding sucks too.
Colors are terrible
Love the colors
The weird dropper in the opening shots was extremely distracting!
My misses needs new bike. She's very casual rider and doesn't take a risk 👌🏻🔥
Could be the ticket!
My son and I are looking at one of these for his first new bike. He wants a enduro flavoured trail bike, and these are $3200 AUD at the mo, which is hard to beat specs and price wise. And the XR looks great too. Shopping it against the Commencal Meta TR, Polygon Sisku T8 and a Giant Trance X 29 2.
What do you think of this choice?
I dislike reviews like this. The majority of the video was spent talking about how it's not as great as it could be but he's also comparing it to bikes and components the cost twice as much. He never lists anything specifically but you can tell he's used to riding much more expensive bikes and that's the type of thing you need to leave out of the review as it's not directly compared to those types of bikes. It needs to be compared to bikes in the same category and the same price range and then talk about its features and how it performs. At the end calls it a great bike but spent most of the video tempering expectations about how good it actually is. I'm thinking this guy was not the best person to review this bike
Did you actually watch the review? Overall we were very positive about this bike and certainly didn't spend the majority of the video saying it wasn't as great as it could be... Marin has done a great job with this bike.
@@TheLoamWolf did I watch the review? If you actually read my comment then you'd understand I watched the review. I feel as though I was pretty specific for somebody that didn't watch it. Perhaps you need to watch it to understand what I'm saying.
Mike, Robert here - the person talking in the video. I'd love you to quote the majority of the video where I'm saying it's worse than more expensive bikes.
@@TheLoamWolf Ok.. I will walk back some of my complaint after a second viewing as there were a lot of complimentary things said about the bike but on my first watch, the take away was it's good but... There were comments at 2:40, 2:53, 3:35, 5:30 and 9:33 that I don't think needed to be there for any other reason than to just point out it's not a top of the line bike... I know a lot of your comments were followed by something complimentary but I got the feeling that this bike was always being compared to something more expensive that it couldn't live up to.. I guess we all take away different things but overall, a second viewing didn't seem as bad as the first but I still managed to pull a few things that didn't feel like they really needed to be said. It can do this... period... not.. but.. Sorry if I offended anyone, it just felt like this review was done with more expensive bikes in mind rather than bikes in a similar price category or style. At one point you did say that this doesn't compare with an enduro bike.. You did follow that up with but it's not supposed to.. but who would have thought it would.. see what I mean??
Thanks for clarifying and sharing Mike. We just like to ensure people aren't expecting something more out of a bike based on certain geometry numbers or similar tidbits of component spec that could lead to confusion for potential buyers. We always appreciate insight from viewers on the other side. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Is it still playful 😈?
Very much so.
I was interested until you went to a 29" then you lost me
Broken stem!? thats one of the worst things to break...
We agree, however it wasn't a catastrophic failure so we were able to replace it before any damage or injury.
@@TheLoamWolf thx for the reply and additional details!
At this point, Marin should just change their name to Merrin. No one knows how to pronounce it outside of the bay area of California.