The news of Marin Bikes being sold hasn’t dampened their product development. In addition to an invite we just received for a few upcoming product launches they’re hosting, they just sent over this video of their 2012 XM rolling through the woods.
Not the most exciting vid in the world, but likely better than what you’re doing at work. It shows the updated Quad 3.0 suspension platform for 2012, which has gotten lighter and, in the case of the XM, gained travel. The 2012 XM jumps from 120mm to 140mm while retaining their characteristic backward-then-forward axle path.
Weight was saved by reworking the pivot points to locate closer to already reinforced areas like the bottom bracket and seat tube. This reduced the amount of extraneous material they had to use. It also gave their engineers a chance to tweak the design to accommodate 29″ wheels. Apparently those have become popular. The Quad system is a floating suspension design, and version 3.0 gets a revised shock ratio to give the second half of the travel a freer feeling without a harsh ramp, but still firming up at the end to help prevent bottom out.
Pics of the bikes after the break…
Above, the 2012 Marin Mount Vision XM3 26″ full suspension mountain bike. Below, the Rift Zone XC7 29er.