Marin has given its alloy Rift Zone an important update for 2023, Marin says the redesign brings their budget 29er and 27.5in trail shredders in line with the rest of the Rift Zone range.
Many of the updates Marin has made seem minor on paper, however, when combined they should add up and keep the Rift Zone competing with the best budget full-suspension bikes.
Marin has upped the suspension travel with the Rift Zone now featuring 140mm up front and 130mm at the rear, or 130mm front and rear on the smaller JR/26 size. Marin says they have also updated the kinematics of the rear suspension with the aim of making the bike handle better on rough terrain.
The frame itself has seen some refinements, there are new tubing and forgings including brazed-in cable guides in the front triangle and forged routing in the chainstays for a cleaner finish. The top tube has been lowered for more standover and a shorter seat tube gives more clearance on steep terrain.
As with any frame update, the geometry has been updated too. Marin has opted to keep the head angle at 65.5 degrees and steepen the seat tube to 77 degrees across all the bikes. Both the 27.6 and 29er bikes get an extra 5mm of reach (450mm for 27.5, 460mm for 29er, medium) as well as 430m chainstays on all bikes. Marin are offering S-XL sizing and a single XS size for the Rift Zone Alloy 27.5 1. There is also a 26in option and a Rift Zone Jr. 24in as well.
The bikes come with either a Marzocchi fork and Rockshox/Fox shock or a X-Fusion front and rear suspension setup, plus all bikes have a wide-range Shimano of drivetrains and brakes.
Pricing is competitive with the range starting at $1,799 / $2,299 CAD / £1,695 / €1,999 for the Rift Zone 1 and Rift Zone 26/Jr. The Rift Zone 2 is priced at $2,399 / $2,999 CAD / £2,195 / €2,599 and the top-of-the-range Rift Zone XR is $3,499 / $4,449 CAD / £2,995 / €3,499.
As for the availability of the bikes, Marin told us that the new Rift Zones are expected to go on sale in late December or early January in both the US and UK.
