|
Marin Wolf Ridge
Marin is something of a pioneer in the long-travel
trail bike market, putting out 6in travel FS bikes for
all-round applications at a time when most of the industry
was tentatively pushing up to four.
There is a distinct tendency for bikes with
anywhere from 120 to 160mm of travel to be roughly the
same shape. Marin has intentionally steered clear of making
the 140mm Wolf Ridge into Yet Another
Trail Bike with a bit more travel.
To that end, it's distinctly relaxed at the
front and a good bit shorter than the MV in the top tube.
It's never going to be as nimble as the MV going up hills,
but it's not meant to be, and it's perfectly satisfactory,
aided in no small measure by the ever-impressive Quad-Link
back end. It'll happily winch up and over stepped, rocky
climbs, with only pedal clearance to worry about occasionally.
We'll take the odd nudge of pedal on rock
on the way up in return for the awesome surefootedness
that you get on the way down, though. A lot of the time
it feels almost like a pocket downhill bike, but with great
pedalling and a generally handier feel - big bike handling
without the "bigness", if that makes sense.
We're definitely sold on the rear Maxle.
It's not as big a deal as going from a front QR to a 20mm
through-axle, but having the rear dropouts tied together
in a more robust manner makes the whole bike feel, well,
sturdier. |
