Marin Mount Vision Review
- Bold suspension design
- Intelligent kinematics
- Great specification
- Looks are not to everyone's taste
- Only two models in range
- 27.5 only
Discipline:
Trail/EnduroUsage:
All Mountain riding and racingWeight:
Coming SoonBuilding on the heritage of the Mount Vision, Marin take things to the next level with the Naild R3ACT 2 Play system
Updated: 17th July 2019
Overview
Here we review the Mount vision from Marin. A 150mm 27.5 all-mountain trail/enduro bike. Utilising the Naild R3ACT 2 Play suspension system with linear slide set-up that looks at kinematics differently in terms of rider mass, how it moves and what that means for suspension movement. The longer travel Wolf Ridge debuted the R3ACT 2 Play technology, and now an updated version is used on the Mount Vision.
Whereas the Wolf Ridge is a 29er long-travel enduro bike, the Mount Vision represents what it always has for Marin, the quintessential all-mountain bike, with playful 27.5 wheels giving a fun, poppy, playful ride, while still taking on trails as hardcore as those found in the Enduro World Series.
Full high grade unidirectional carbon fibre, with 150mm rear travel to match the front. The Mount Vision is built around a very futuristic linkage. Though aesthetically not to everyone's taste, it is great to see a large brand like Marin bravely going away from the traditional linkages seen for years on more mainstream bikes. While the frame looks beefy these bikes are all very lightweight and stiff. This is thanks to the use of high modulus carbon fibres and a layup that maximises strength and stiffness while keeping the weight low. Both bikes in the range share the same frame.
Riding the Mount Vision is outstanding and not like anything else we have experienced before. Climbing is remarkable and descending is righteous, it comes into its own on rough and technical trails, swallowing whatever it encounters and bolstering confidence along the way.
The new Mount Vision this isn’t just a 150mm travel version of the Wolf Ridge, it’s an evolution of the design where the addition of an injection-moulded carbon rocker link boosts stiffness and allows Marin additional control over the leverage rate. -
MBR
Inside the huge mono-stay is a sliding strut, connecting the front and rear frame structures, changing the kinematics through the stroke. -
Enduro-mtb
It is the suspension system that makes the Mount Vision such a special bike. Combining a four-bar linkage with a slider, the Naild R3ACT – 2 Play suspension system offers incredible performance on every trail. The rear wheel tracks the ground very well without feeling like you are sinking into the travel. On mellow trails, it feels like a shorter travel bike but it still soaks up big hits and landings like a full-on enduro rig when the going gets rough. With no bob on the climbs, the bike feels like a hardtail, but one that tracks the ground perfectly and never breaks traction. There is no need to reach for lockout levers as the suspension is perfectly dialled for every situation.
You get 150mm of travel front and rear with size-specific suspension kinematics, so every rider can experience the same great suspension characteristics. The Mount Vision 8 has a RockShox Pike RC fork paired with a Deluxe R shock. The Mount Vision 9 gets Fox 36 Performance Elite forks with a Fox float X2.
Eagle’s 500 per cent range brought the ability to winch up endless climbs to the simplicity and security of a single-ring set-up -
MBR
The Mount Vision 8 and 9 are both equipped with SRAM Eagle 12 speed drivetrains, a mix of NX and GX on the 8, with GX with the light and crisp X01 on the 9 including the SRAM Descendant Carbon cranks. The KS LEV Integra cable-actuated dropper post offers 150mm drop on all sizes except the small which gets 125mm. Both bikes have 4 piston Shimano brake callipers front and rear with the 9 getting the new XT versions.
Bars are wide with at least 780mm, stems are super short at 35mm. The Mount Vision 8 uses Marin's cockpit while the 9 gets a full Deity set up.
The Mount Vision rolls exclusively on 27.5” wheels. The Stans Sentry rims on the 8 and 9 have a wide 32mm internal diameter that offers great support for the wide 2.6” tyres. Running on Marin's hubs that have proven to be reliable and fast-rolling over their wide range of bikes fitted with these hubs.
Both bikes use the wide and high volume WTB Trail boss tyres that set up tubeless easily. They roll fast on hardpack ground. For the Mount Vision, Marin fit the Triple Compound, Fast Rolling, Light Casing versions in a 2.6 width.
The Stan’s No Tubes Sentry MK3 wheelset, which features 6069 welded alloy rims that are designed to support new-school mountain bike tyres between 2.5-3.0in wide.
- Singletrackworld
For those who are not afraid to step away from the pack and ride something that looks radically different, the Mount Vision represents the most modern peak of suspension design. It is hard to put into words quite how incredibly this suspension system performs. It is so different to anything else we have ridden, it almost feels intelligent to ride, as though the compression is being adjusted for you as you ride, but without having to think about it, just jump on and hit up the most technical terrain, either climbing or descending.
The new Mount Vision might be polarising in its looks, but those that have been bold enough to jump on board all agree it's a blast to ride.
