Continuing with the onslaught of 650b, Marin made good on their pre-Sea Otter teaser with not one, but three new 650b options. We assumed they would have 650b carbon full suspension bikes based on that sneak peek, but the 650b All Mountain hardtail was certainly a surprise. In addition to the new wheel sizes on the mountain side, Marin is taking their Cortina cross bike into the realm of carbon as well. As they sit, all of the bikes are currently prototypes with an official launch later in the year.
Check out the new bikes as well as the return of the Attack Trail after the jump.
With the advent of 29 inch wheels, the trail/AM hard tail took an interesting turn. Built more for plowing through rough terrain than jumping over it, 29″ AM hard tails are somewhat limited by wheelbase and handlebar height. Enter the 650b AM hard tail, like Marin’s new Rocky Ridge. Still, in order to keep the wheelbase as short as possible a drastically curved seat tube is employed on a very burly looking aluminum frame.
The 130mm travel Rocky Ridge has all of the features you would expect on a modern bike like a 142×12 rear axle, internal dropper post routing (external cable routing), tapered head tube, and multiple front chain management options like ISCG mounts, front derailleur, etc. A 67.5 degree head tube keeps the front end within realm of trail/AM.
After a bit of a disappearing act, The Attack Trail is back on the scene as a 650b and in carbon. With the reintroduction of the Attack Trail, Marin was able to make the Mount Vision back into the fast, burly XC bike that it was initially intended to be. Stepping into the 150mm role for Marin, the Attack Trail is designed to be used with 150 or 160mm forks with an effective HTA of 67 or 66 degrees.
Like other bikes in the new line up, the Attack Trail offers Marin’s 4 in 1 cabling system which allows for internal or external cable routing with either full housing or partial housing. Internal housing is handles nicely with four ports in the frame on the upper left section of the head tube, exiting just in front of derailleurs and brakes. Of course the Attack Trail has a 142×12 rear axle and tapered head tube, though home mechanics might be happy to see the use of a threaded 73mm bottom bracket with an adapter system for various chain guides. Unlike the Mount Vision, the Attack trail retains the use of Marin’s Quadlink which is considered an SDL (short dual link) system.
The new Mount Vision on the other hand receives a new suspension platform called Isotrac which utilizes a carbon flex stay design in place of the lower link. The point of the new suspension system which is only found on the Mount Vision, was to allow for the bike to have 140mm of travel yet keep it right around 25lbs. As mentioned, Marin really wanted the new Mount Vision to be a really fast, yet burly XC bike rather than a lightweight trail bike so it is built with a 67.5 HTA.
Isotrac uses a one piece carbon seatstay – chainstay combination that is attached the the frame just above the bottom bracket and at the top through a traditional link. Under compression the rear stays will flex altering the suspension from a simple single pivot. Mount vision also receives the neat cable management and multiple cable routing options, along with a threaded bottom bracket with optional guide plates – a trend Marin is using across the line.
Now for something that isn’t 650b, Marin’s Cortina cross bike will jump to the carbon category for 2014. Only shown with disc brakes, this seems to be the other trend that was unavoidable at the show.
Part of the carbon construction of the frame is the inclusion of Marin’s power taper seat tube which flares out as it meets the down tube for maximum stiffness yet to retain compliance at the saddle. Cortina carbons will be compatible with both mechanical and electronic shifting groups and will be able to run internal cabling with full or partial housing. The cross bike will see a threaded bottom bracket as well.
Disc brakes will be tucked inside the stays in a way that brakes like TRP’s HyRd are compatible – something that could be a bit of an issue thanks to their tall design. A tapered head tube is found at front on a full carbon fork with post mount disc tabs.
