2023 Marin Rift Zone Review | Made for Fun...Successfully #mtb #ride

There are many ways to have fun on a mountain bike, but Marin has given their new Rift Zone Alloy the specific tag line “the made for fun bike”, so what sets it apart from other “less fun” bikes? We’ve been putting it to the test prior to its release today to find out, so read on to learn all about what fun is to Marin, and how their new Rift Zone XR performed out on the trails.

THE DIRT
Marin was showcasing the new Rift Zone at the Mountain Bike Connection event in Andalo, Italy, a couple of months prior to the release of the bike, then gave me one to test back on my home trails in the UK for a few weeks in some very different conditions. This allowed the knowledgeable dudes from Marin who were in attendance of the event to give me the low-down of what was new and what they aimed to provide with their updated bike. In short, Marin wanted to offer high-end performance and capability at a reasonable price point. That said, it was vital in their eyes to retain the fun-loving, well-rounded nature of the outgoing Rift Zone – the staff at Marin essentially wanted to create their dream bike for the slightly less gnarly lunch rides or longer days in the saddle.

Compared with the typical high-end builds we get sent to test at the site, even in its top-end XR spec, the Rift Zone is towards the budget end of the spectrum. That said, save for a cheaper fork damper, there’s little but weight and shiny finishes to set the majority of the spec apart from a premium build – you still get a great 12spd drivetrain, effective 4-pot Shimano brakes and even Maxxis Assegai tires to latch onto the trail. Sure, discerning mountain bikers may pick holes in some of the spec, but as a compromise of price and performance it’s hard to argue with what you receive here. It’s amazing how little the spec of a bike can affect the ride quality of a bike when the basics are covered well, and that certainly seemed to be the case with the Rift Zone – there was no cheaping out on the amount of fun had.

As a trail mountain bike, uphill performance has got to make up a good half of the equation of the Rift Zone’s performance. The climbing geometry is satisfactory to winch up most average climbs, but those with ultra-steep climbs may benefit from a machine with a longer rear end, as the front wheel can occasionally go a touch light. The relatively steep seat angle and corresponding centered seated position do prevent this from being a major issue, but it still occasionally shows in the largest cassette cog. That centered seating position prevents suspension bob from being an issue when seated, and when stood and mashing there’s only a small amount that can begin to creep in. I’d suggest a shock without a lockout lever would be just fine here.

A few runs into testing a fresh bike, I would often be very much in the “fiddling” phase with the suspension dials, if not still undergoing more extreme volume spacer and air pressure adjustments. On the Marin though, the reduced adjustability means it’s easier to find a “good enough” setup. I ended up playing around with the adjustments back in the UK to unlock the last bit of composure, but the baseline setup proved to get things very close. With a composed and impressively controlled 130mm of rear travel, there was a ton of “go” any time I pumped hard down a roller or through a corner, yet on the rougher sections of trail it managed to take the edge off without any pronounced skittishness.

Successive harsh impacts, a botched landing or huck to flat will all find their way past the limits of the Rift Zone, but you’d expect the same for just about any 130mm travel machine, and what it does with that travel is very pleasant. The braking characteristic does lead to a bit of a firm feeling when hard on the anchors, but it keeps things composed for the steeper sections of trail. The geometry strikes a really nice balance between stability and agility for the typical riding you’d take a 130mm travel bike down, but when things get very high speed or very steep it does show that it’s not impossible to unnerve.

[this is just a short excerpt from the full written review.]

VISIT THE SITE TO READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://theloamwolf.com/2022/11/14/review-2023-marin-rift-zone-alloy/

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