Lia reviews the 2025 Marin Alpine Trail
Enduro bikes have to be the most versatile products on the market. Uphill slog and rocky downhill bomb on the agenda? These rigs are expected to do both.
Mountain bikers have been scratching their heads over what makes the perfect enduro bike since day dot, and Marin is just one of many brands chasing this goal. We tested the previous version of the Alpine Trail a couple of years ago, and came away impressed with its solid, dependable ride quality and killer value for money. For 2025 the Californian brand has updated its big-hitting enduro rig with a brand new frame that boasts a reworked suspension design, mullet compatibility and an enormous range of adjustability.
Cutting an impressive figure out on the trail, I was keen to put through its paces at the bike park. So, lets get rolling!
Watch our video review of the 2025 Marin Alpine Trail here:
Marin Alpine Trail Overview
The Marin Alpine Trail is a big and burly enduro bike that features a 170mm travel fork and 160mm of rear travel. It’s built exclusively around a brand new 6061 hydroformed alloy frame with no carbon models (currently) in the lineup.
The model that Marin sent us was the Alpine Trail XR. Taking my first look at this bike, I had to do a double take; it wasn’t just the burly coil shock slapped into the middle of the bike that caught my eye, but the angles that came with it.
This bike looks like a downhill rig turned enduro: the slack headtube, steep seat tube and mullet setup all come together to create an aggressive, yet dynamic look.
The XR in the Alpine Trail stands for “X-tra Rad” and as a step up from the Alpine Trail 1, it lives up to its name. Changes from the baseline Alpine Trail to the XR version include the addition of SRAM components, DB8 brakes and a hefty set of Assegai Tyres. The XR version also switches out the Alpine Trail 1’s Fox suspension layout for a RockShox Ultimate pairing, including the Zeb Ultimate Fork and RockShox Super Deluxe Coil.
Receiving lots of brownie points from me, the Alpine Trail has downtube storage built into its frame. This storage space, called the ‘Bear Box’, is roomy and easily accessible under the drink bottle cage.
To cap it off, Marin has incorporated many of its house-made components into the build. This includes its own branded bars which have a medium, 20mm rise, along with Marin’s Double Wall Alloy rims, branded grips and saddle.
Geometry
If you think shapeshifters aren’t real, think again, because the amount of contortions that the Alpine Trail can get itself into is absurd; with two flip chips and an adjustable headset cup, the Marin has the capacity to be altered a massive 12 different ways.
Marin is not the only bike exploring the limits of adjustability. The Specialized Stumpjumper, Trek Slash, and Giant Trance X present similar features, but it’s still exciting to see such adjustments being incorporated into a more value-focused bike like the Alpine Trail.
The first set of angles to note are those of the headtube. Out of the box, the headtube angle measures in at 63.5°, but the headset cup can be easily twisted to steepen or slacken the angle by 0.75°. This means that the bike’s headset angle can be set to a steeper, 62.75°, or slacker, 64.25°.
Across the four frame sizes, Marin varies the effective seat tube angle from 79.2-78.6°. This super steep angle works to compensate for the slack headtube angle, providing a better position for uphill riding.
Marin has incorporated even more adjustments to the Alpine Trail with not one, but two flip chips dotted around the frame. One of these flip chips is located at the top of the seat stay, making the bike 29in wheel compatible. Changing to the full 29in set up maintains the geometry of the bike impressively well, keeping all measurements within half a degree or millimetre.
The other flip chip is located on the chainstay and has the capacity to alter the chainstay length and bottom bracket (BB) height with one twist.
This chainstay flip chip has been introduced into Marin bikes with the new MultiTrac 2 LT suspension layout on the Alpine Trail’s aluminium frame. In the past, Marin bikes have sported a rocker-activated single pivot with the pivot at the seatstay, but with the MultiTrac 2 LT, the pivot has been moved to the chainstay. This creates a Horst Link, and it allows the chainstay length and BB height to be coupled. The bike can now either ride with a long chainstay (446mm)/low BB (345mm), or a short chainstay (436mm)/high BB (352mm).
Sizing and fit
The Marin Alpine Trail comes in four different sizes: S, M, L and XL. The bike I tested was a large, and for my height of around 178cm, the fit was perfect for me.
With the Marin’s low standover height (from 683.32 to 698.13mm across sizes), sizing choice is much more flexible. This means if you are leaning towards a bigger bike, you won’t have to worry about all those missed yoga sessions when getting on and off.
Suspension setup
The Marin comes with the full RockShox Ultimate level suspension system set up. With a Zeb up front and Super Deluxe coil out back, the suspension is yet another aspect of this bike’s impressive bang for its buck.
The Alpine Trail comes with a 350lb coil in sizes S/M, and 400lb in sizes L/XL. Given my riding style and weight of 60kg, the 400lb coil was a tad on the heavy side for me, and I found I wasn’t using up all of the suspension out on the trail. Although a lighter coil would have been perfect, the heavier spring still provided great traction and a progressive feel, eliminating even the smallest lumps and bumps under-wheel.
Sending myself down controversial line choices while riding is a personal favourite of mine. This has put me in a fair few sticky situations in my time, but the Zeb Ultimate on the Alpine Trail managed to step up to save me each and every time.
I found keeping the fork between 1-3 clicks of high speed compression for the techier descents was the perfect medium for me. I did opt for a little more pressure in the forks than recommended as well, putting in around 60psi instead of the recommended 45-54 for my weight. I was really happy with the effect, and my arms were definitely thankful by the end of the day.
2025 Marin Alpine Trail XR
- Frame | 6061 Alloy, Four-Bar Suspension Design, 160mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox Zeb Ultimate, Charger 3.1 Damper, 170mm Travel
- Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate, 205x65mm
- Wheels | Marin, Double Wall Alloy, 29mm Inner Width
- Tyres | Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip 29×2.5in Front & Assegai DoubleDown 3C MaxxGrip 27.5×2.5in Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle 1×12 w/32T Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM DB8 4-Piston Hydraulic Disc, HSC 200mm Rotor
- Handlebar | Marin Trail, 20mm Rise, 800mm Width
- Stem | Marin CNC, 35mm Length
- Seatpost | TranzX, YSP39 1x Remote, 34.9 Seatpost Diameter, Travel: 150mm (S), 170mm (M-L), 200mm (XL)
- Saddle | Marin Speed Concept
- Confirmed Weight | 17.3kg (L)
- Price | $6,499 AUD
Weight
At 17.3kg, the Marin Alpine Trail XR lands on the porky end of the spectrum. Especially in comparison to modern-day carbon enduro bikes, like Marin’s own Alpine Trail Carbon Series (14.8kg claimed weight in the large), or Canyon’s Spectral (14.94kg claimed weight in the large).
This was a big factor that affected the performance of the bike out on the trail. While it catered towards a more stable feel, it was detrimental on flatter or uphill sections of the park.
What do we dig about the 2025 Marin Alpine Trail?
When I say this bike is made for sending it down the rockiest, rootiest, most washed out trails out there, I mean it.
The stability of this thing on the descents is supreme. Regardless of setting, the bike plonks you in a powerful position for manoeuvring through technical areas of trail. This, along with the Marin’s shorter, 35mm stem means the Alpine Trail responds quickly to changing conditions, making it a very predictable ride.
The last thing you want when hurling yourself down a hill is a bike that seems more scared than you, but the Marin has confidence to share. On the descents, I especially noticed the effect of the long wheelbase on the Alpine Trail’s stability. Longer than similar bikes on the market, like the Polygon Collosus N9, this feature of the Marin shone through in techy areas of trail. This allowed me to concentrate more on how I was riding a trail, and less about how the bike was responding to it.
I was impressed by how the Alpine Trail performed on the trail, but areas above ground level were where this bike felt the most comfortable. Going over jumps, the weighty alloy frame and long wheelbase worked together to create a solid, reliable feel in the air, and the mullet design retained the poppy character a rider looks for when rolling off a lip.
Cornering Machine
At first I was unsure how the bike’s length in the low BB/long chain stay set up would hold up in tighter sections of trail. My worries were washed away in the first turn: with the help of the smaller rear wheel in the mullet set-up, this thing absolutely whipped around every corner!
Playing around with the flip chip, the shorter chain stay and high BB setting makes for an even tighter line through the turns. After trying out both of these settings, however, I found a preference for the low BB/long chainstay version of the Marin, enjoying the more planted feel it gave.
Any downsides?
Places where the Marin did lag in performance were in flatter sections of trail. One look at this bike and you can tell it wants big, gnarly turns all the way down the mountain, and this shows on less demanding terrain.
I found the burly Assegai tyres paired with the weighty alloy frame put a lot of drag on the Alpine Trail’s rolling speed. I could physically feel myself slowing down when the elevation drop wasn’t there to keep the momentum up. Switching to a more steep headtube angle and high BB/short chainstay set-up did improve the riding position, but the weight of the bike was still a significant drawback in these areas.
This factor could be alleviated by opting for a lighter and faster-rolling pair of tyres, like the Minion DHR/DHF combo, or even changing to a lighter wheelset like the Reserve 30 AL wheels.
On the climbs
Despite its aggressive componentry and weight, the Alpine Trail managed the light uphills respectably.
This was thanks to the steep seat tube angle which sat you right in the sweet spot on mellower climbs, making for good pedal efficiency in these areas.
When the steepness went up a notch, however, some problems did arise. In these situations, I found myself falling off the back and the front wheel giving in to some lift. Twisting the headset cup to the steeper +0.75 degree angle did help to place my bodyweight more over the front, but some bum-shuffles were still required to remain on the saddle when confronted with harsher hills.
The slack head tube angle and heavy weight of the Alpine Trail does make some sacrifices to the Marin’s climbing ability. Because of this, lighter bikes with steeper angles, like Marin’s Rift Zone, or YT’s Jeffsy, would feel more at home on more undulating trails.
Then again, exchanging one set of angles for another will always take away from another aspect of the bike, and it’s true that those shorter travel bikes won’t offer the same downhill capabilities as the Alpine Trail.
Longer Rides
This bike’s happy place is smashing out laps at the local bike park, making it the ideal companion for an afternoon of fun. Many of my dates with the Marin were where the descending trails were plentiful, but on the occasion that I did venture further afield, the bike held up well, presenting only a few drawbacks.
The coil shock made for a comfortable ride for extended periods of time spent on the saddle, able to cancel out the niggly bumps on the trail. As on the flatter flow trails, however, the sticky tires and heavy frame got the lactic acid circulating. This meant that a few more pit stops than usual had to be made on my regular long-ride routes.
Opting for the high BB, short chain stay, and steeper headset angle for longer pedal days did slightly improve the Alpine Trail’s comfort and efficiency. Even with this change, however, it was still obvious that the Marin wanted the descents, not the climbs.
The Marin Alpine Trail is by no means an unreliable companion for longer journeys. Even though the heavy tyres and frame hold it back in areas, any descent will have you grinning like a little kid all over again.
Component Highs and Lows
What stood out most about the Alpine Trail was how well the geometry of the bike responded to slowing down. The rig was very stable and planted under braking forces, even in very uneven sections of trail. This attribute is likely thanks to the addition of the Horst Link on the Marin, working to reduce anti-rise and pedal kickback when braking under pressure.
While the geometry of this bike responded so impressively to slowing, I found that the brakes weren’t quite up to scratch; the SRAM DB8 brakes on the Alpine Trail had a distinct wooden feel when pulled and weren’t the most reliable companion on the downhill trails the Marin loves.
The brakes, paired with 200mm SRAM HS2 rotors, did do their job, but the Marin is itching for something with a bit more bite, like the SRAM Code, or SRAM Maven.
I was really impressed by the reliability and crisp response of the SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, and the big 10-52T cassette came as a blessing on the trail, always offering a lower gear on the difficult climbs.
The most notable aspect of the drivetrain was how silent it was. Some bikes clang down the trail unapologetically, but the Alpine Trail was a silent descender. The hefty chainstay protector did the trick in this case, and I never had to worry about whether the rear of the bike was going to fall off halfway down the trail or not.
I don’t know about you, but spaghetti arms after a day of riding are my downfall. Because of this, decent suspension on a bike is a gamechanger for me, and that’s why I was so happy with the RockShox Ultimate layout this bike comes with.
On top of this, all of the dials and knobs were really open and accessible, making necessary changes super quick, even on the fly.
Arriving with an EXO+ casing on the front and a heavier DoubleDown casing for the rear, the Assegai tyres on this bike add a significant amount to its overall weight. Both feature the sticky 3C MaxxGrip compound, which offers tonnes of traction at the expense of rolling speed. We love this tyre up front, but for a lot of riding conditions, it is overkill on the rear.
The Assegais were amazing for technically difficult trails where maximum traction was needed, but for more flowy trails, the big blocks of rubber did drag the bike back.
Swapping out the bulky Assegai tyres for something lighter, like Maxxis DHR in the rear, and DHF in the front would really elevate this bike. Personally, I would only worry about replacing the rear tyre because a bit of front-wheel traction never goes amiss.
Marin’s own Double Wall Alloy rims had a stiff, yet very reliable feel, and I was impressed that the spokes remained tight after each ride.
Flow’s Verdict
Presenting an aggressive, yet very balanced geometry, the Marin Alpine Trail is a versatile rig.
I can safely say that it is one of the more confidence-inspiring bikes I’ve ridden on the descents, and it laps up any gravity-focused ride with unmatched stability.
Although its weight and slack nature does pull it back in the uphill and flowy sections of trail, if hard and fast downhill laps are what you are after, the affordable and very capable features of the Alpine Trail should put it high on your list.
Steep descents are the Marin’s calling; if they are yours, too, the Alpine Trail is ready for it.