2023 Marin Alpine Trail E1 – a different kind of test

We picked up the Marin Alpine Trail E1 towards the end of 2023. But thanks to both covid and snow, we barely got to ride it on bare trails. Consequently, most of the testing was done on snow. And it turned out the Alpine Trail E1 was well suited for proper winter riding. Watch the video review or keep reading below.

Well specced​

Prices have been increasing steadily the last few years, but now we’re finally seeing discounted bikes again. The Alpine Trail E1 had a decent price tag with an RRP of U$4.899 / £4.795. But we’ve seen the bike on sale for £3.200, that’s a great price.

The bike comes with proper Maxxis rubber, a 29x2.5" Assegai up front and the 27.5x2.6" Minion DHR II at the back. An 11-speed drivetrain might not sound impressive, but I like it. The 11s Deore is a well-functioning and durable drivetrain that keeps the cost down. I’m not very happy about the long lever of the Shimano M4100 brakes, but the M420 four pot brake calipers are fine.

Suspension​

Not all £5k bikes get good suspension, but I think Marin has made a wise choice. A coil shock isn’t often found at this price point. This is a nice shock, and we’ve come to appreciate it very much when riding in the cold. Air shocks usually become harsh and firm in freezing temperatures, but the Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil R was nice and active even at -20*C

The Alpine Trail has 150 mm of rear travel while the X-Fusion Tracer 36 fork offers 160 mm of travel for the front end. This too is a good choice of suspension! Some manufacturers will spec the Rockshox 35 Gold RL fork at this price point. The 35 Gold is okay, but the X-Fusion is better and probably not much more expensive.

Motor system​

Once again, Marin makes a good decision. The 85 Nm Shimano EP6 is a cheaper full-power motor. It’s just as powerful as the old EP8 (EP800). It weighs some 200g less than the EP8 and about the same as the Bosch Performance CX. The EP6 is generous and most powerful at below 80-90 cadence. It can be ridden with little effort and it’s easy to control. But it does feel weaker than much of the competition when pedaling at high cadence and close to cut-off speed.


A 630 Wh battery is a sensible choice. Not the biggest and not the smallest, but a nice compromise between cost and range. The battery is also detachable, which isn’t always the case with the bigger 700 Wh+ batteries. Being able to easily remove the battery is very convenient for cold winter riding. It’s an advantage having the bike outside before riding. That way the bike is cold when I start riding and snow doesn’t melt and freeze on the bike. Still, I want the battery to be as hot as possible when I start the ride. If it gets too cold, the BMS might cut the battery power.

Marin Alpine Trail E1 geometry​

The Alpine Trail E series has short 435 mm chainstays. There used to be quite a few emtbs with even shorter rear ends, but they’ve mostly disappeared. The wheelbase of 1.264 mm (size L) is quite long, despite the short rear stays. This means the rider center-of-gravity is placed towards the back of the bike. Combined with a slack 63* seat angle we get a frame that should perform well on the descents. Climbing performance will suffer a bit, but the steep 78* head angle makes up for it to some degree. Also, the seat tube is almost straight. This means the “effective” and “actual” seat angle is about the same and the rider won’t be pushed too far over the rear wheel as the seat height is increased. There is lots of room to move over the bike, so it comes as no surprise the reach is a healthy 485 mm for this size L bike.

Riding “trails”​

Most people won’t buy a bike based on how it performs on snow. But we discovered the Marin Alpine Trail E1 has a few properties making it a good bike in the cold and snowy. Good suspension is equally as important on snow covered trails where the surface can be soft and loose. If the rear wheel starts bouncing, it might start digging into the surface and lead to a stop. The rear wheel needs to track the ground as well as possible, this leads to better grip in the climbs or when riding in fluffy snow.



The Alpine Trail E frame has room for wide tyres. We used a 45Nrth Wrathchild 27.5x2.6” XL on the back. This was nice and wide, especially in combination with the original 38 mm internal width rim. And it allowed us to ride hard packed ski tracks. Most rims aren’t as wide anymore, not after the Plus-tyres disappeared. This is another small detail that makes the Alpine Trail E1 suited for winter and snow.


The frame geometry served us well. One could argue it’s better having an even weight distribution on soft surfaces. Spreading the weight evenly between the two wheels improves “float”. But there are advantages of a rear-biased riding position. It improves grip in the climbs.

Another advantage is that more weight over the rear tyre makes it less likely for the front wheel to sink into the snow. This can lead to spectacular OTBs. A mullet bike has a smaller 27.5” rear wheel and it just so happens the widest studded tyres are only available in that size. It makes sense having more weight over the widest tyre.

Conclusion​

We mostly rode on snow, and the Marin was great. But we did clock a few kilometers on bare trails too. My first impression is the Alpine Trail E1 reminds me of bikes such as the Santa Cruz Bullit and Canyon Strive:ON. These are burly, yet inspiring and playful bikes. As opposed to the 29ers with ~455 mm chainstays that started appearing in 2019/2020. Those bikes sacrifice some nimbleness in favor of a safe and stable ride feel.

It's not like the Marin, or the two other bikes mentioned feel unstable or unsafe. These are still capable and stable, but they sacrifice some of it to achieve a more inspiring ride feel. The bike weight contributes too. We weighed the Marin Alpine Trail E1 to about 24.5 kg without pedals and the bottle cage. We had fitted unoriginal wheels and studded tyres, but the weight shouldn’t be too far off. This is noticeably lighter than some stable 29ers weighing over 26 kg.