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Marin Attack Trail - First Ride review

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$5237.30

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The Attack Trail is ideal for UK trail centres

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"The Attack Trail is a first generation Hammerschmidt equipped bike, and sets the bar high for the future"

3 comments
Mon 1 Dec 2008, 8:00 am GMTBy

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After the success of last year’s Quad 140 series, Marin decided to give the top bike in the range a more aggro feel. The 2007 Attack Trail was a great all-mountain bike and was well capable of taking the hits thanks to a RockShox Pike fork, but now it’s a lean, green, Mega Avalanche-munching machine.

Ride & handling: Aggressive feel inspires confidence

We first rode the Attack Trail while testing Truvativ's new Hammerschmidt drivetrain system in Whistler, and it impressed us right off the bat. Marin have slackened the head angle and lowered the bottom bracket, giving the bike a confidence-inspiring aggro feel. The Quad Link suspension system is stable with virtually no pedal bob, so it’ll be perfect for UK trail centres where you want to enjoy the climbs as much as the descents.

The Attack Trail is confident at speed and brilliantly balanced. When taking corners, the lower centre of gravity pulls you deep into the apex, and as a result the bike encourages you to push each corner faster than the last with no hint of loosing grip. The Monarch rear shock has a supple mid-stroke but feels harsh and unresponsive on fast small bumps. It also has a tendency to blow through its travel. 

We mentioned this to Marin and they said they were testing different tuning set-ups on the Monarch to dial in the small bump sensitivity. This rig is a great example of how much work Marin are doing to get back on top of the hardcore all-mountain market.

The Attack Trail is a full-bore trail-attacking machine. With more and more Brits venturing out of the UK to ride enduro DH races around Europe and North America we predict you’ll be seeing green blurs flying past you sideways at a Mega Avalanche-style event near you soon.

Image:One chainring, two gears: hammerschmidt is the heart of the attack trail: one chainring, two gears: hammerschmidt is the heart of the attack trail

The frame: Linkage tweaked to make room for Hammerschmidt crankset

The most significant changes in the frame derive from Marin’s use of Truvativ’s Hammerschmidt geared crankset. Marin had to tweak the linkage by shortening the lower link in order to optimise the bike’s efficiency around the 22-tooth chainring, as opposed to the previous frame, which was based on the 34-tooth middle ring. 

The frame now has ISCG mounts, as required by the Hammerschmidt, and holds on to the all-important Maxle dropouts. The rear end has heaps of mud clearance, which is ideal for the UK.

Equipment: Matching kit from Rock Shox, SRAM and Mavic

The Hammerschmidt system is SRAM’s new single-ring dual gear front chainset. It’s based on a 22-tooth chainring and uses planetary gears – so when you shift into overdrive you get the equivalent of a 14-tooth jump into a 36-tooth gear. 

Marin’s partnership with SRAM brings matching green decals on the Rock Shox Lyrik fork and Monarch shock, while the new Mavic Crossmax SX wheelset in brushed grey and white contrasts with the green brilliantly. 

Image:An extra 20mm of suspension travel up front takes it to 160mm: an extra 20mm of suspension travel up front takes it to 160mm

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 3 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 3 of 3 comments

  • I've read in MBUK and elsewhere that there's noticable drag/power loss when in overdrive mode, this is not mentioned in the above review, which presumably means the issue was not apparent during testing?

    If there is any extra drag, how much do you notice it, because surely you'd spend most of the time in the overdrive (38t equivalent) mode, rather than spinning a 22t equivalent ratio all day?

    I'd be interested to know as I have one on order, but will be pretty cheesed off if this system sapped my energy more than say a single ring/chain device set-up.

    Also, have you tried it in the mud yet?

  • It's great as long as you remove most of the thick gloopy grease from inside and replace it with finish line cross country - this adds the bonus feature of very slowly lubing your chain as you ride too

  • Have been riding this for 10 months now. Snow, rain, dust, uphill, downhill, tarmac..simply awesome.

    Just about light enough for all-day sessions. Race Cheddar Enduro, FOD Enduro and Mash-Up Enduro. Superb shifting when you need to dump it into granny gear when others are grinding their front mechs and dropping chains.

    Drag?....about the same as a DH chain device, unless in granny gear, when no drag at all.

    Removed the factory grase, and filled it up with wet lube as advised, works a treat, dead smooth and less drag.

    Ditched the 22t ring and upped it to 24t = 24t/38t, but would prefer a 26t (not available at the mo)

    Servicing...piece of piss, 10 minute job, 8mm allen key required, and some degreaser and wet lube.

    Only 2 gripes....suspension bottoms out too easily, I weigh 65kg, run 30% sag to keep it supple over small bumps, but this bottoms out on big stuff too easily also causing cranks to hit the deck ( even when climbing)...bb is too low/cranks too long.

    Note to manufacturers..if you are slamming BB heights on longer travel bikes, fit shorter cranks and thinner pedals...somebody will lose their teeth soon due to a pedal strike, and it'll be you lot who get the letters from the lawyers...

    now, full carbon version please!!!

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Specification

Name:
Attack Trail (09)
Built by:
Marin
Price:
$5237.30

Available Sizes:
L, M, S
Available Colours:
Green
Year:
2009

Frame & Fork:

 
Frame Material:
6061 Aluminum, Fully Hydroformed Mainframe and Swingarm, Quad-Link 2.0 140mm Suspension System, ISCG Mounts, with Modular 135mm Maxle Dropouts
Fork Brand:
Rockshox
Fork Model:
Lyrik U-Turn, 115-160mm of travel with Travel Adjust, with External Rebound and Compression Adjustment, Mission Control Damping, with Maxle 360 20mm Axle
Rear Shock Brand:
RockShox
Rear Shock Model:
Monarch 4.2 with Rebound Adjustment, On/Off Position Floodgate Switch and Air spring Adjustment

Geometry:

 
Seat Angle:
71.5 Degrees
Head Angle:
67 Degrees

Brakes:

 
Brakes Brand:
Avid
Brakes Model:
Elixer CR Hydraulic Disc

Transmission:

 
Cranks Brand:
TruVativ
Cranks Model:
HammerSchmidt Alloy
Rear Derailleur Brand:
SRAM
Rear Derailleur Model:
X0
Shifters Brand:
SRAM
Shifters Model:
X.0, 9 Speed Trigger
Cassette:
SRAM PG-980, Power Glide II, 11-34, 9 Speed
Pedals Brand:
Shimano
Pedals Model:
M424 Clipless

Wheels:

 
Wheels Brand:
Mavic
Rims Brand:
Mavic
Rims Model:
SX, Enduro
Front Hub Brand:
Mavic
Front Hub Model:
SX Disc, 24 Hole, with 20mm Through Axle
Rear Hub Brand:
Mavic
Rear Hub Model:
SX Disc, 24 Hole, with 12mm Through Axle
Tyres Brand:
Maxxis
Front Tyre Model:
Minion
Front Tyre Size:
29x2.35
Rear Tyre Model:
Minion
Rear Tyre Size:
26x2.35

Contact Points:

 
Saddle Brand:
WTB
Saddle Model:
Pure V Race with Love Channel and Comfort Zone, Cromoly Rails
Seatpost Brand:
Race Face
Seatpost Model:
Evolve, 30.9mm x 375mm
Stem Brand:
Race Face
Stem Model:
Evolve AM, Threadless, with 31.8mm Bar Clamp
Handlebar Brand:
RaceFace
Handlebar Model:
Atlas AM, Double Butted Alloy, OS-31.8, 20mm Rise

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