Marin Alpine Trail E1/2 thread

[chownr]

It's a beast of a Bike, if only my "skills" were a match for it, had another trail nap today and nursing my ribs tonight (again!)

If youre not crashing. Youre not trying!!

 

[Cleggy]

If youre not crashing. Youre not trying!!

Fresh Conti Argotal DH on the front today, -2 LSC -2 LSR and found quite a bit of speed and confidence, still had a minor lie down though

 

[Cleggy]

Anyone find these weapons sit very low?

Is it just me and my lack of speed and technique?

Every time i ride it I smack the pedals or the motor or chain ring. In this pic I got off on the approach as I knew what would happen if I tried to ride it.

 

[iadmtb]

That’s one of the reasons why I went with a 170mm fork and 29” wheel on the rear.

 

[mxh]

That’s one of the reasons why I went with a 170mm fork and 29” wheel on the rear.

Yep, I did exactly the same. And also went down to a 36 tooth chainring.

Has reduced the number of pedal strikes and motor / chainring hits to virtually zero.

 

[Cleggy]

Yep, I did exactly the same. And also went down to a 36 tooth chainring.

Has reduced the number of pedal strikes and motor / chainring hits to virtually zero.

I always thought the 38 tooth chainring was a bit of an odd choice but in real use it has not been the grind I initially thought it would be. I will change it when worn out though.

 

[mxh]

I always thought the 38 tooth chainring was a bit of an odd choice

Me too.

I didn't do the maths, but up a bit on wheel size and down a bit on chainring size, so it probably all evens itself out on the gearing anyway.

 

[Cleggy]

Had my first spin today on the E2 in full 29er mode. Too early to tell if it means reduced pedal strikes, but I don't recall any so the early signs are good. I had some good personal results too so perhaps it also rolls faster as a 29er though it could just be the weight saving from not running the Marin Wheels and the Cushcore inserts.

 

[Cleggy]

Not Marin related but bit of a sale on 5ten shoes

https://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/searchresults?descriptionfilter=Fiveten

 

[Cleggy]

I'm now three rides in on the E2 as a full 29er and for sure there is way less pedal strikes than in the mullet setup. How can a couple of mm make such a difference?

 

[iadmtb]

Makes a big difference. Get shorter cranks and go to 170mm on the fork to reduce pedal strikes even more

 

[Cleggy]

Out of curiosity what rear sag percentage are you all running on these things? I'm at approx 30% (not easy measuring on a coil)

 

[slwbkr]

I just ordered an E1. I want to get a fidlock water bottle for frame. I was wondering what size water bottle other people were able to fit on this bike.
Thanks

 

[Cleggy]

Owners of medium and small frames, what is the consensus of opinion regarding the fork/frame bump stops?

I have lost one of mine after it got damaged in my most recent crash.

I am aware we can replace with the same again from Marin or we can replace with a "better" solution from cyclesolvers
One-piece fork bump stops for Marin Alpine Trail E1/E2 | Cycle Solvers

I would be inclined to go with the cyclesolvers part however it looks to me that the medium frame has ample clearance that the fork tops won't hit the frame. So is frame protection in this area just not needed?

What do we all say?

 

[iadmtb]

The crown of the fork (I forgot which side, damper or air) will hit on a size medium frame. I’ve used 2-3 layers of mastic tape in place of the bump stops but after a few impacts, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the bump stops off. That cycle solvers piece looks interesting. When putting back the stock bump stops, I used 3M double sided tape to keep the bump stops in place. No issues since.

 

[Cleggy]

The crown of the fork (I forgot which side, damper or air) will hit on a size medium frame. I’ve used 2-3 layers of mastic tape in place of the bump stops but after a few impacts, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the bump stops off. That cycle solvers piece looks interesting. When putting back the stock bump stops, I used 3M double sided tape to keep the bump stops in place. No issues since.

I guess I need to double check my bike to see will it make contact. I only took a very quick look when I realised one of the bump stops had fallen off and it looked to me like there was more than enough clearance.

 

[iadmtb]

Yeah at full lock, one side of the crown will hit the frame. At least it did on my size medium.

 

[coney]

Yeah at full lock, one side of the crown will hit the frame. At least it did on my size medium.

my medium has clearance of like 2mm without the bumpers? only found out after massive stack ripped my bumper off. bought some replacements tho - aesthetically they make sense I think, and useful when working on the bike.

chucked a custom built dt swiss FR560 350 hub + maxxgrip DHF DD casing on the rear - thing corners nicely now - will be even better with a dedicated rear tread. bb clearance not so much of an issue on the trails I ride, but definitely makes a difference from the stock rim and tyre - not so much squirm/flex, plus I can huck it about and not break spokes/dent rims anymore.

still stoked as on it - last 3 months been a gamechanger. picked up a second battery and clocked up 60kms of straight winch and bomb enduro riding the other day. super weird stopping still after spending 5 hours with the world coming at you at pace like that-felt drunk. am definitely noticing zone 2 fitness and upper/core body strength improvements. am missing a bit of top end leg power on the old bikes, nothing a few squats won't fix though. well worth the extra laps and experience I'm getting on hard to reach trails, and I'm scouting out of the way tracks heaps more too.

makes me wonder - what's been the biggest change your e has made to your riding?

 

[Cleggy]

my medium has clearance of like 2mm without the bumpers? only found out after massive stack ripped my bumper off. bought some replacements tho - aesthetically they make sense I think, and useful when working on the bike.

Thanks for the input, yeah mine too seemed to have just enough clearance. But in the end I bought the bumper solution from cyclesolvers and fitted it anyway just for peace of mind more than anything.

 

[Cleggy]

makes me wonder - what's been the biggest change your e has made to your riding?

confidence! The geo makes these Alpine Trail E's just so capable and as a low confidence rider it is bringing my riding on to a higher level

 

[Cleggy]

 

[iadmtb]

my medium has clearance of like 2mm without the bumpers? only found out after massive stack ripped my bumper off. bought some replacements tho - aesthetically they make sense I think, and useful when working on the bike.

chucked a custom built dt swiss FR560 350 hub + maxxgrip DHF DD casing on the rear - thing corners nicely now - will be even better with a dedicated rear tread. bb clearance not so much of an issue on the trails I ride, but definitely makes a difference from the stock rim and tyre - not so much squirm/flex, plus I can huck it about and not break spokes/dent rims anymore.

still stoked as on it - last 3 months been a gamechanger. picked up a second battery and clocked up 60kms of straight winch and bomb enduro riding the other day. super weird stopping still after spending 5 hours with the world coming at you at pace like that-felt drunk. am definitely noticing zone 2 fitness and upper/core body strength improvements. am missing a bit of top end leg power on the old bikes, nothing a few squats won't fix though. well worth the extra laps and experience I'm getting on hard to reach trails, and I'm scouting out of the way tracks heaps more too.

makes me wonder - what's been the biggest change your e has made to your riding?

That's odd. I remember one side of crown cleared just fine. The other side, would barely scrape the frame. I still think its better to have the bump stops just in case.

Biggest change Ebikes in general has made to my riding; I do way more miles and elevation per ride. On the local trail from my house, I used to ride to the top of the mountain (long climb) and feel exhausted when I got to the top so sometimes wouldn't have the energy to really enjoy the descent. With an ebike I can climb to the top at least 3-4 times and enjoy each descent because I have the energy to do so. Ebikes has been a game changer for me. I haven't rode my regular bike (2018 Transition Sentinel) for the past 6 months. And I probably rode it only a handful of times last year. Its been relegated to park duty lol

 

[coney]

Biggest change Ebikes in general has made to my riding; I do way more miles and elevation per ride. On the local trail from my house, I used to ride to the top of the mountain (long climb) and feel exhausted when I got to the top so sometimes wouldn't have the energy to really enjoy the descent. With an ebike I can climb to the top at least 3-4 times and enjoy each descent because I have the energy to do so. Ebikes has been a game changer for me. I haven't rode my regular bike (2018 Transition Sentinel) for the past 6 months. And I probably rode it only a handful of times last year. Its been relegated to park duty lol

Nice - do you think you're a better rider now, at least on that descent, because you're riding it more often? my e2 has super similar geo to my other rig (zerode taniwha), but I'm a little quicker on that - might have to go down the custom suspension tuning route to level up the e2 as the taniwha tracks ridiculously well. might be mental too - I used to be hyper focused on descents on the zerode given I'm mostly only ever riding a trail once that day, whereas on the e2 I can always head up and give it another go. The pressure is off, so I'm just having fun. It's a lot much more relaxed eh, and yeah - can actually sit up and enjoy the ride instead of trying not to faint

 

[krusty971]

Hey All, I've got a '21 E1 with 560miles (900KM). What kind of odometer miles are you hitting before noticing a substantial drop in battery performance? I'm killing the battery on longer rides, (it's the 504w) and I'm not sure if its distance ridden or the age/mileage on the battery? I'm the 2nd owner and I'm trying to figure out if it's time for a new battery.

2nd question, I've been looking around bunch, and it seems like my only options for "more battery" are to buy a new one, or buy a different bike? Not seeing any extenders that work with the E7000 and I can't fit a larger battery in this gen frame.

Thanks for any insight

 

[Deep.5]

Has anyone removed the e13 Espec cranks so that they can remove the motor?
I did it in the past but now I’m trying to do it again and i think im missing a step or something is stuck.
I got the crank arm off in the non-drive side but I can’t get the drive side crank off. I took off the dust cover and loosened both crank arm bolts. The crank arm feels a little loose but won’t move away from the chainring.
I’m not much of a mechanic but I have a little experience with bikes….
Thanks for any help.

Hey All, I've got a '21 E1 with 560miles (900KM). What kind of odometer miles are you hitting before noticing a substantial drop in battery performance? I'm killing the battery on longer rides, (it's the 504w) and I'm not sure if its distance ridden or the age/mileage on the battery? I'm the 2nd owner and I'm trying to figure out if it's time for a new battery.

2nd question, I've been looking around bunch, and it seems like my only options for "more battery" are to buy a new one, or buy a different bike? Not seeing any extenders that work with the E7000 and I can't fit a larger battery in this gen frame.

Thanks for any insight

i feel like my batteries don’t last as long as when the bike was new. I have two batteries because the first bike I had was stolen but they didn’t get the battery.
I can get about 3k feet of climbing in boost on 1 battery. I have the e2 which has 630w I think.
I love the Marin ebike but it would be nice to have a bigger battery. I’ve heard people more elevation out of full- size kenevos and levos. Norco has 900w batteries.
Unless you get lucky I think new batteries are pretty expensive.

 

[Cleggy]

Coil sping swap

 

[Cleggy]

 

[Pickle1970]

Is the little plastic washer thing in the crank arm pushed into the hole on the axle? Might be stopping it from coming off

 

[Cleggy]

Dissing the mullet in this video. Then since producing that I realised I was running a lighter spring when mullet, so im back on the mullet again now for a few rides before deciding if 29er or mullet is the permanent choice. Then again might switch back and forth often

 

[Fabdad]

If this has been asked before, apologies, but how many riders have bought a second battery?