Marin has today launched its new enduro bike – The Wolf Ridge. You may remember the big swing arms of Marin Wolf Ridges of days gone by, well that’s been (sort of) retained, but modernised. If you think the bike looks familiar, that’s because it shares the R3act 2 Play kinematic of the Polygon Square One that was released only last week.
Having ridden the Naild system we can vouch for its effectiveness, especially in terms of pedalling efficiency and downhill trucking. They’re also super-easy to get a good baseline set up for climbing and descending without reverting to a lock out switch. More than anything, it’s always exciting to see something new on the scene (even if the bikes themselves may not be the prettiest things out there).
The system uses a large slider and a cross link that is claimed to equalise the forces on the bike and therefore increase traction while reducing the responsibility of the shock. There are a few differences between the Marin and the Polygon though.
Firstly the Marin is a 160mm 29er. Decreasing the travel and increasing the wheel radius should only exaggerate the already impressive ground covering ability of the React system. This looks to be a keener, racier machine than the tank-like Polygon.
