2024 Marin Alpine Trail
Wheel Size: 29’’ front / 27.5” (compatible w/ 29’’ rear wheel)
Travel: 160 mm rear / 170 mm front
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 63° (adjustable)
- Reach: 485 mm (size Large, varies slightly based on geometry settings)
- Chainstay length: 435 / 442 mm (adjustable)
Frame Material: Aluminum
Price:
- Frame w/ RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil: $1,849
- Complete bikes: $3,199 to $5,399
Intro
The prior-generation Marin Alpine Trail was an interesting bike in a lot of ways. It blurred the line between a long-travel Trail bike and a burlier Enduro one, and while many of its geometry numbers were quite aggressive (e.g., the 63.5° headtube angle), it also had notably short chainstays (430 mm). The end result was a bike that was fairly playful, pedaled well, and was an especially good value for money in terms of the parts spec.
The new Alpine Trail looks to be more bike in a lot of respects — it’s got more suspension travel, longer and slacker geometry, and so on — but it’s still a great value on paper, and Marin has added a bunch of really interesting features and design details, too. Let’s see what they’ve been up to.
The Frame
At a quick glance, the new Alpine Trail doesn’t look that wildly different from the outgoing version, but Marin has changed a lot on the new bike. For starters, the dropout pivot has moved from the seatstay to the chainstay. Marin says that going to that new Horst link layout allowed them to reduce the amount of anti-rise on the new Alpine Trail for better suspension performance under braking, and to increase midstroke and bottom-out support. Exact kinematic details aren’t supplied, however.
The new Alpine Trail also gets a bunch of new adjustability compared to the outgoing model. A flip chip at the seatstay / rocker link pivot lets you toggle between a 27.5’’ or 29’’ rear wheel; another at the dropout pivot provides two different geometry settings (more on those in a minute), both of which are usable in either wheel-size configuration. Finally, a set of +/- 0.75° headset cups provides additional headtube angle adjustability.
Fit & Geometry
Marin offers the new Alpine Trail in the same four sizes as the outgoing version (Small, Medium, Large, and XL). The numbers for reach, headtube angle, and seat tube angle haven’t changed a ton — all four sizes get a 63° headtube angle and an effective seat tube angle just over 78° (varies a little by frame size); the Large frame’s reach comes in at 485 mm.
What Marin has changed, in a big way, is the chainstay length. The outgoing bike’s stays were notably short, at 430 mm for all four sizes; the new version now features adjustable ones, which measure 435 mm in the shorter setting and 442 mm in the longer one. Since the chainstay-length adjustment is handled by the flip chip at the dropout pivot, it also alters the bottom bracket height and headtube angle a bit; the longer chainstay setting lowers the bottom bracket and slackens the headtube angle a touch. In the longer / lower setting, the bottom bracket drop comes out to 31 mm, relative to the front wheel.
All those numbers are in Marin’s default geometry setting (low BB / long chainstays, mullet, 0° headset). Between the two flip chips and optional offset headset cups, there are a dozen total combinations possible. The full array of options is shown below.
The Builds
Marin offers the Alpine Trail in three complete builds or as a frame with a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil shock for just $1,849. As per usual for Marin, the complete builds look like they offer a lot of value for their respective prices.
We’re still waiting on a few details of the build specs from Marin, but the highlights are listed below, and we’ll update with more complete info once we get it.
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 12-speed
- Brakes: TRP Slate Evo w/ 203 mm rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Rhythm
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: TBA
- Dropper Post: TBA
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX
- Brakes: SRAM DB8 w/ 200 mm rotors
- Fork: RockShox ZEB Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil
- Wheels: TBA
- Dropper Post: TBA
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code Bronze w/ 200 mm rotors
- Fork: RockShox ZEB Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil
- Wheels: TBA
- Dropper Post: TBA
Even without knowing the wheel and seatpost specs (we’ll update with those as soon as we get them), those builds look like they offer a lot of bang for the buck. The Alpine Trail XR is probably the best of the bunch in that regard — for less than just a Yeti SB165 frame you get top-of-the-line RockShox suspension at both ends and a solid drivetrain and brakes.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) The new Alpine Trail looks extremely well thought out, and both the complete builds and the frame-only option are tremendous values in terms of the parts spec. So, is there a catch?
(2) The outgoing Alpine Trail was notable for its versatility and playfulness, but the new one looks to be quite a bit more bike, overall. Is that really the case?
Bottom Line (For Now)
We liked the outgoing Marin Alpine Trail quite a bit (especially for the price), but by modern standards, it was more of a middle-ground Trail / Enduro bike than a proper, full-on Enduro one. The new Alpine Trail looks to change that while adding some compelling features and retaining the excellent value in terms of the parts spec that helped the old one stand out. We’re quite excited to get on the new Alpine Trail to see how it stacks up and should be doing so soon.