FIRST LOOK: MARIN LAUNCHES ALL-NEW 2023 RIFT ZONE ALLOY MODELS

(Marin Press Release)

The Marin Rift Zone is made to party, whatever your jam may be. Your ideal partner for everything from all-day epics, to local shred laps, and everything in-between. Critically-acclaimed since their debut over five years ago, they epitomize our Made For Fun mantra above everything else, and are the heart and soul of Marin’s full suspension lineup. Rift Zone alloy models are all-new from the frame-up for 2023, with more travel, fresh geometry, updated suspension kinematics, and refined details. Furthermore,the lineup has been aligned between the 29” and27.5” wheel size models. And this just in, the new Rifty has already won Gold, with Marin-sponsored ambassador and all-aroundawesome human Martha Gill taking the top step on the podium in the Dual Slalom at Crankworx Rotorua 2022.

 

FRAME

Series 3 aluminum frames with new tubing and forgings freshen the Rifty’s overall aesthetics, with ashorter seat tube and lower standover from previous models. Slick braze-in cable guide entry and exit portslook great and eliminate cable/hose rattle. Cable routing is built into the forging, and the bike is a zip tie-free zone. Out back the dropouts are now compatible with SRAM’s UDH rear derailleur hanger. The Rift Zone is also a quieter bike, with all-new chainstay and seatstay protectors with increased coverage to minimize chain slap. Proper ISCG tabs and threaded BB shells remain.

TRAVEL

Rift Zone 29” and 27.5” alloy models see travel bump up 10mm in the front and 5mm in the rear, now at140mm/130mm respectively, bringing the bike firmly into the trail category. Rift Zone 26 and Rift Zone Jr models now see 130mm travel front and rear.

 

GEOMETRY

Both 29” & 27.5” frames share key geometry figures, with 65.5° headtube and 77° seattube angles, along with 430mm chainstays. In short, we pegged the fun-o-meter by making these important updates to theangles. Rift Zone 26 and Jr see similar updates, with 65.5° HTA and 76° STA, with 425mm chainstays.

KINEMATICS AND SHOCK TUNING

The team here at Marin spent countless hours dialing in the frame kinematics, ensuring maximum performance with current shocks on the market. From there we worked with engineers at Fox, RockShox,and X-Fusion to dial in the tunes to deliver the best combination of pedaling efficiency on the climbs and flats, while delivering bottomless-feeling control on when the going gets rough. The new Rifty doesn’t just have more travel, it also improves on the way the travel is used.

THE LINEUP

One key feature that hasn’t changed is the Rift Zone assortment, with three each 29” and 27.5” models, and the 26” and 24” for the young rippers. Now these models have been homogenized between wheelsizes, so colors, specifications and pricing remain the same at the various 1/2/XR levels, no matter the rolling stock.