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2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon stretches and stiffens a slack 29er enduro MTB

2021 marin alpine trail carbon 29er enduro bike
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Historically, all Marin full suspension mountain bikes, with the exception of the Rift Zone, have been fabricated in aluminium. Just one of the reasons it’s notable that their enduro race bike, the Alpine Trail, is now available with a carbon front triangle and alloy rear end. Introducing the 2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon.

marin alpine trail carbon top tube

It shares the same bang up-to-date geometry as the aluminium XR counterpart released earlier this year; a brave slack head angle, refreshingly steep in the seat tube, and stretching out over a low-slung frame. We have the angles, pricing and availability right here. But first, a shreddit.

2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon

2021 marin alpine trail carbon 29er enduro bike
Cable routing is internal through the carbon front triangle and aluminium rear end

Unlike its mullet e-MTB counterpart released last week, the 2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon is designed around a 29″ wheelset. The rear end offers 150mm travel paired with a 160mm fork up front. The high-modulus unidirectional carbon frame shares the exact same progressive geometry as the aluminium XR model. Why carbon? Marin say they wanted to make the strongest and stiffest Alpine Trail to date.

2021 marin alpine trail carbon
Marin spec the 2021 Alpine Trail with a 44mm offset fork

That geometry is fixed at a 63.5° head angle, a 78° seat tube angle, with generous reach figures to boot (480mm in large). Though many brands are opting to tailor chainstay length across frame sizes, Marin have kept this measurement consistent at 430mm right across the S-XL range.

2021 marin alpine trail 29er enduro mtb corner schralpThe frame is low-slung with short seat tubes (425mm in large) so riders can fit long travel dropper posts, leaving plenty of space in the cockpit to throw some shapes. The Alpine Trail’s MultiTrac suspension utilizes a forged one-piece rocker link. The strength and stiffness of the rocker is said to be sufficient to do away with the need for a seat stay bridge.

2021 marin alpine trail carbon frame shock only
The 2021 Alpine Trail Carbon has a boost spacing rear end, a threaded BB and ISCG tabs for a chain guide and bash guard

The carbon frame gets a replaceable downtube protector to keep vulnerable parts safe from rock strikes. The driveside chainstay also gets a chain slap protector, but we note that it does not run the full length of the chainstay. The top tube gets a mounting point for accessories so you don’t have to carry spares on your back or around your hips.

2021 carbon marin alpine trail enduro mtb 29er geometry chart

Pricing & Availability

The 2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon is available in two models. The Carbon 1 is the cheaper option built up with a RockShox Yari RC fork and Deluxe Select+ shock. Other notable components include a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, Shimano MT-420 4-piston hydraulic brakes and Maxxis Assegai 2.5″ WT tires. 

Pick up the Marin Alpine Trail Carbon 1 for $3189 / $4199 (CAD) / £3045 / €3345.

2021 alpine trail carbon 1 enduro mtb 29" wheelsThe top-end Alpine Trail Carbon 2 gets a Fox 38 Performance Elite fork and a DPX2 Performance shock. The rest of the build kit includes a Shimano XT/SLX 12-speed drivetrain, SLX 4-pot brakes and a pair of Assegais. 

Get one for $4099 / $5499 (CAD) / £3995 / €4295.

2021 marin alpine trail carbon 2 model

Marin-Bikes.com

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jason d west
jason d west
3 years ago

That is a sweet looking bike with an even sweeter price! I do wish they and most other manufacturers would get on board with size adjusted chain stays.

TomM
TomM
3 years ago
Reply to  jason d west

Norco varies chainstay sizes according to overall bike size, at least for the latest Sight.

Jason
Jason
3 years ago

Sweet looking bike. Personally, It’s nice that they kept the chain stays on the shorter side…. Some of these bikes are so long they’re just not playful anymore. I do wish it had a slightly higher bottom bracket, a lot of bikes these days are just too low for proper desert riding, but otherwise this bike looks perfect.

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