OPINION – STEVE JONES

Marin have built a very agreeable bike here after a period of pretty hideous creations.

Overall Marin have showed good understanding on the needs of 29” wheel geometry and have certainly nailed most of the angles on this bike, particularly the bottom bracket and reach numbers. This means the Wolf Ridge is quick in the corners with plenty of room up front. It’s possible they could knock a degree off the head angle in the future and open up the wheelbase a touch but that’s just a thought.

While the suspension is reasonably good, for about nine hundred pounds more you’ll be getting another level of damping in the Evil Wreckoning or Specialized Enduro. It’s not that it hasn’t got the ability its just that it lacks sensitivity in root sections with the equipment that has been bolted on here. Such a feeling doesn’t affect its pace however.

The swingarm complexity makes me slightly uncomfortable, in that common sense tells me it’s going to be high maintenance. There is a fair degree of compliance in the frame too, which although adds to the excellent low fatigue on the body on long sections, might well come at the expense of longevity. The key point here though is we don’t have any proof of this so take that very much as a ‘what if?’ What’s not in question is the reliability of the seat dropper which packed up after a short amount of use and the eye-watering £7750 price tag of the top of Pro version.

But there are so many positive attributes of this bike. The shape when riding is excellent and certainly one of the picks of the bunch in this respect. Cornering is crisp and fast and the ride dynamic is massively upbeat. The balance between front and rear is good and on longer runs the fatigue levels are one of the lowest in test. As an enduro bike it’s a winner for sure and one that will only get better with more development.

Overall a fun bike to ride with a great shape. Lacks any class in damping department but wins on originality and low fatigue levels on long runs.

OPINION – IEUAN WILLIAMS

The Marin Wolf Ridge really got people talking when they released this pioneering design along with Polygon. The Nailed suspension design is innovative and it does make sense.

So let’s not beat around the bush, this is not a cheap bike at £4,750 but you get some good parts for this with the Stans Flow wheels and the SRAM 1×12 GX Eagle. The Wolf Ridge does have a cheap feel to the ride and it feels a little hollow and disconnected when pushed. The rear axle however is a great idea – wheel removal is quick but it has caused problems with coming loose and creaking. Hopefully Marin are aware of this and it will be addressed.

The rear damper that comes on this model is also not the best, even if Marin say that the choice of shock makes no difference to the suspension performance. The RockShox unit on our test bike had a terrible notch in the travel. This is also the same you will find on the £899 Calibre Bossnut.

All this being said the Wolf Ridge is an easy bike to ride, asking no serious questions when beingridden hard. Being able to compare this cheaper build to the top specified bike from the launch in Italy there is a huge difference in the feel between the bottom and top model. When fatigue is mentioned the Marin really does seem to come into its own. The supple chassis matched with a good wheelset gives less of a beating when taking on the longer runs.

The climbing efficiency of Wolf Ridge is spot on for a long travel bike! Putting power down on the pedals gives a more locked feel to the shock. Effort is definitely rewarded.

All in all the Wolf Ridge is not perfect and wouldn’t be my pick of the twelve bikes on test here but it is my dark horse. Marin need to work on the simple things like standover height on the XL size bikes and longevity will need to be proven in UK conditions. It was the bike that surprised me most out of the list and one which I’d like to revisit with some better tuning.

NEXT UP. THE INTENSE CARBINE