This year at Eurobike, e-bikes were unavoidable. They were everywhere as brands tried to figure out where they fit in terms of sales and global distribution. That meant brands like Marin were cautiously unveiling some new bikes that toed the line of electric mountain biking.
Calling it “one step beyond a concept,” Marin did have the original test mule on hand while out at Dirt Demo in Las Vegas. Like many of the recent e-MTBs we’ve seen, Marin settled on the Shimano e8000 system as it allows for shorter chainstays and more ‘mountain bike’ like performance.
The more finished prototype features much cleaner battery integration for the external Shimano battery, and more finished appearance overall.
Called the Nail Trail E, the frame will accept both 27.5+ and 29″ wheels and tires, and features an aggressive 66° head tube angle with either 140mm or 130mm travel forks depending on the wheel size. Originally, we thought both bikes were for Europe only, but it turns out that the purple 27.5″ plus model will be headed stateside, while the orange 29er is indeed for Europe only.
The aluminum frame features Boost spacing, internal cable routing, and even a single bottle cage mount inside the front triangle (which isn’t always possible with e-bikes). Estimated for the Spring or Summer of 2018, complete bikes will likely ship with SRAM EX1 drivetrains and Code brakes.
On the trendy, non-motorized side of things, Marin has a bunch of updates to their Beyond Road line this year including four separate Gestalt models. Shown above is the Gestalt X10 and X11, both with 1x drivetrains (that are 10 and 11 speed respectively). The X10 runs a Series 3 butted aluminum frame with a carbon bladed fork and a SRAM GX/Apex drivetrain, while the X11 upgrades to a Series 4 butted aluminum frame with a NAILD Navit carbon fork with its locking thru axle. It also runs a full SRAM Apex 11 speed drivetrain with hydraulic brakes.
The Gestalt 2 is more of a comfort road bike with a Series 3 aluminum frame, carbon bladed fork, and Shimano Tiagra 2×10 drivetrain with Tektro mechanical disc brakes.
Moving on to the Nicasio RC, this sleek city machine added sliding dropouts and a Shimano Nexus 8 speed internal gear hub and features custom extruded aluminum fenders along with the double butted 4130 chromoly frame and fork.
The Four Corners features a new geometry concept to fit a wider range of people from the given geometry. This results in the smallest two bikes running 650b wheels, while the M, L, and XL frames run 700c. With clearance for up to 2.1″ tires, the Four Corners could be a great tourer no matter what the ride surface brings.
Finally, the Cortina comes back as the gravel/CX focused Cortina AX2. The butted Series 4 aluminum frame is matched with the NAILD Navit carbon fork with clearance for 45mm tires. Speced with a full SRAM Apex hydro 1x group, the Cortina would be a good choice for someone looking to split duties between short cross races and longer gravel adventures.
