EB16: Marin is Made for Fun with affordable Hawk Hill, new Nail Trail & Bobcat Frames, Improved Pine Mountain 2, more

It’s all in the details. In this case, those details include quite literally, Marin’s ‘Made for Fun’ mantra. Hidden on the top of the rocker link for the new Hawk Hill, the slogan seems to represent the new additions to the 2017 line up quite well. Great prices, intelligent spec, and bikes that look like they would be a blast to ride. What’s not to like?

The Hawk Hill steps in as Marin’s most affordable full suspension trail bike, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it won’t be a whole lot of fun…

First things first, as we were in Euroland, the bikes shown are in European spec which will differ slightly than what we would see here in the U.S. The biggest change for the Hawk Hill is the 2x drivetrain – the U.S. spec is 1x only. That makes it a 120mm travel MultiTrac Suspension, 27.5″ wheel, 1×10, aluminum trail bike for $1,499. When you consider what you’re getting for that price, the Hawk Trail is actually pretty impressive – RockShox Recon Silver RL fork, X-Fusion O2 Pro R air shock, Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain and hydraulic brakes highlight the spec list.

To accommodate the Euro market, the frame has a clean removable front derailleur hanger which could be used to mount a front chainguide if wanted. There are also internal cabling guides for a front derailleur, internal dropper post (not included) or both. Another clever touch is the 135mm open dropout which is upgradeable to 142 x 12 if you decide to upgrade your wheels in the future. Even the wheels are fairly modern with 27mm internally wide rims and Hans Dampf tires, though they aren’t listed as tubeless.

Built with fairly modern trail bike geometry, the Hawk Hill should be a super fun bike at a price that will be hard to beat.

Always a popular model in the line up, the Nail Trail 27.5 and 29″ see all new frames for 2017 bringing them more in line with current trends. The 6061 aluminum frames now feature lower BBs, slacker HTAs and longer reach along with 142 x 12 dropouts, internal routing including dropper posts, and threaded bottom brackets. Available in both 27.5″ and 29″ models, the wheel sizes correspond to the frame sizes with the extreme sizes only offered in one wheel size, and the Nail Trail 6 will be sold for $1199 while the 7 (shown) bumps up to $1799.

The Bobcat Trail frame also sees improvements meant to make it a better option for the enthusiast or recreational rider. Again available in 27.5 or 29″ wheels, the frames see similar longer reach, slacker angles, and lower BBs with QR dropouts, threaded bottom brackets, and dropper ready frames. Depending on the build, prices range from $599 to the $989 Bobcat Trail 5 shown here.

Moving to the Plus hard tails, the Pine Mountain 2 sees some important upgrades with new WTB Trail Boss 3.0″ tires and Shimano XT hydraulic brakes. Marin points out that while the Pine Mountain 2 was always designed with 3.0″ tires in mind, the tires available at the launch of the bike didn’t suit their needs, but now that better tires are available they have changed the spec. The $2999 plus hardtail includes an impressive build for your next bikepacking or bushwacking adventure.

The Rasta themed Four Corners Elite got a lot of traffic when we first posted it, so Marin wanted to show us the more affordable Four Corners model. They did point out that for production, the pinkish fork and decals will be much more orange. Built with big tire clearance, rack and fender mounts, and an upright comfortable riding position, the $1099 Four Corners is ready to transport you to wherever you want to go.

Finally, it wouldn’t be Eurobike without e-bikes. But, since Europe is a bit ahead of us on the e-train, these Shimano Steps e-bikes are German only for now. The rumor regarding e-bike sales in Germany is that while they account for only 15% of the sales, they apparently count for 40% of the total dollars sold. If true, then it’s no surprise when more an more brands are getting into th e-bike game.

marinbikes.com