“Marin’s established aggro bike gets tighter and tougher and has had a few detail tweaks to keep ahead of the pack.”

The Score
***** Best in Test
MBUK Winner – Hard Hitting Trail Bike Test – Feb 2010
“Super aggressive character and tightened front end feedback keeps the Attack Trail at the top of our affordable play bike charts – It feels like a mini gravity bike right from the get go.”

Marin’s punchy trail iron has had a few detail tweaks to keep ahead of the pack. This radical geometry, mid-travel mayhem machine has acquired reworked rear suspension and a tapered head tube front end for 2010 to give an even more aggressive ride, but you have to ride it hard to “get it”

THE CHASSIS

Like the Commencal, the new frame differences are hard to spot at first, but there are plenty of them. A tapered head tube and larger diameter down tube up front, as well as a bracing pipe, replace the gusset plates between the top and down tubes.

The pivot points have been moved to change the suspension behaviour and add 6mm (0.2in) of travel. Curved, thinwall “high volume” linkages also ease previous shock access problems.  The heavy-duty ISCG tabs are ready to take a chainguide or a Hammerschmidt shift cable and a remote control seatpost too.

The rear swingarm gets a seat tube wrapping brace plate rather than a pipe brace, but otherwise the curved rectangular section stay subframe is unchanged.

The new Maxle Lite screw-through rear skewer in the modular bilt-on dropouts saves a few grams though. The lack of bottle cage means a Camelbak is essential on longer rides but mud clearance is massive. The “Quad Link” bearings are also lifetime warrantied so you get a free set if they wear out.

THE DETAIL

As on of the two more expensive bikes here, Marin have an advantage when it comes to spec but it’s more what they’ve specced the bike with than how much it costs that really matters. The Team version of the Revelation fork gets the excellent Black Box damping over the SL version on the £1999 AT 6.7 but both get 20mm Maxle through-axle and a stiffer tapered steerer. Both bikes also get a short 75mm stem and broad 28in low-rise bars too, which are key to the AT’s outstanding aggro attitude.

The extra budget does get you broad Mavic rims and a Hope Pro rear hub though, plus sharper feeling X.9 shifters and rear mech. While the 185mm front rotor on the Elixir brakes works well, they don’t half polish up quick, and we can see some riders switching to bigger discs both ends.

If you’re bog trotting in winter you’ll want to switch the Ardent tyres too, although they’re grippier than you’d expect and superb at trail centres all year.  According to Andy – Marin’s brand manager – the tyre’s rolling speed reduces their Cwmcarn DH test run times by several seconds too.

THE RIDE
The fact that Marin are talking to us about detailed downhill split times from back-to-back testing sessions gives you a clue about the intent of the Attack Trail.

With its super wide bar set low and close on top of a downhill-style slack head angle, it feels like a mini gravity bike right from the get go. The relatively steep seat angle also keeps your weight forwards and provides you with continual feedback for milking maximum traction out of the distant front end.

The Maxle 20mm axle-equipped Revelation fork with tapered steerer is also super tight in terms of tracking accuracy. Fully adjustable dual air spring stroke and the excellent Black Box damping system add custom control for all rider levels. As as a result, you can really attack the trail on the Marin, hammering the front end into the roughest sections or swinging onto the sketchiest lines and holding it there in total confidence.

The altered rear suspension is noticeably more linear and less ramped too, so there’s less chance of blowing rear tyres in rocky or steppy situations. The weight-responsive rear suspension makes popping the nose up for drop launches or ditch clearing effortless too.

The Monarch shock is definitely on the controlled, not cushy, side but the more you ride the plusher it feels.  The slightly starchy feel combines with the changed suspension for much less sag and mush in the granny ring. It still stands up and  charges well in middle and big rings though, punting up short verts and firing out of corners with real enthusiasm. The Ardent tyres also make the long climbs a less gruelling experience than the complete bike weight would suggest.

The rear Maxle axle reduces twist across the swingarm tips as well, so while it’s not that tight, it doesn’t stumble or twang sideways badly if you drop a sketchy landing.

THE SCORE

MBUK Winner – Hard Hitting Trail Bike Test – Feb 2010

Super aggressive character and tightened front end feedback keeps the Attack Trail at the top of our affordable play bike charts. It feels like a mini gravity bike right from the get go.