Market / Eurobike 2017: The Californian cult manufacturer Marin presented its first E-MTB at the Eurobike 2017. The Marin Nail Trail E will be available with 29″ and 27,5+ wheels, comes in a single, fully trail-ready configuration and is powered by a Shimano E-8000 drive.
Marin Bikes from California can without a doubt be described as one of the mountain bike brands par excellence. Even if one or the other may have lost sight of the manufacturer in the meantime, the cult status is still unbroken. Interesting bikes are also still being built - be it the price hit Hawk Hill (to the test) or the magnificent Wolf Ridge (to the test) with its extremely innovative Niald R3ACT rear triangle. In the current – at least in Europe – boom sector of e-bikes, first steps were taken last year with the San Rafael DSE (to the test) and San Anselmo DSE initially only in the trekking area.
Marin Nail Trail E: One bike, two wheel sizes
But that will change in 2018: With the Nail Trail E, an E-MTB is now being pushed along for the first time. As the name suggests, it is based on the non-motorized trail hardtail Nail Trail, so it comes with a rigid rear end, but with a trail-ready geometry and a slightly longer-travel suspension fork than most other hardtails. In the case of the Nail Trail E, the choice of wheel size is up to the buyer - in addition to a variant with large 29″ wheels, Marin also offers a Nail Trail E with wide plus tires, which makes sense especially on a hardtail due to the increase in comfort.
Marin Nail Trail E: Well thought-out equipment and Shimano motor
The 130er gets 29mm of travel, the 27,5+ variant even has 10mm more. In both cases, the new 2018 Revelation RC from Rock Shox is in the front, which from now on comes with the beefy and stiff 35mm stanchions. The rest of the equipment is the same and is - as usual from Marin - solid and well thought out. Shifting is done with SRAM's EX1 e-bike gear system and the wide range of 10-48 cassettes, and the new Code R provides the necessary deceleration, even when things get fast and steep. A retractable seat post should also not be missing on a trail hardtail.
We haven't even talked about the drive yet: With Shimano's E-8000, Marin relies on what is perhaps the most popular E-MTB drive at the moment, which is combined with a 500Wh battery, which is semi-integrated on the down tube of the aluminum frame. The geometry of the Marin Nail Trail E is modern and downhill oriented. The steering angle is around 66°, the long reach and the short stem position the rider centrally above the bike and provide a lot of security.