As the name perhaps suggests, the Attack Trail is Marin’s offering into the aggressive trail bike market, now inevitably referred to as ‘enduro’. This XT8 model sits towards the budget end of a range of seven bikes. We put it thoroughly to the test on a diverse range of terrain.
The hydroformed alloy frame uses Marin’s QUAD-Link 3.0 suspension platform, which offers 150mm of rear travel. Controlled by a RockShox Monarch RL shock, the rear suspension remains impressively supple, while the shock can be locked out for efficient pedalling. When using the granny ring, this is hardly necessary as the pedal-bob is minimal, and the shock can happily be left open without excessive bob, but in the larger chainring the bike is more prone to bobbing as the bike’s inherent anti-squat is reduced. The frame is usefully stiff too, keeping the bike feeling sharp when cornering hard.
Trouble fitting in
While the BB height is reasonably low at 335mm, the head angle is rather conservative at 66.5 degrees, and the frame is on the short side for a long-travel enduro bike. Even with a 90mm stem (size XL), the bars are a little closer than we’d like for climbing comfort and the long stem/short frame combination makes for an uneasy descender, unwilling to be pushed hard on tough downhill sections.
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The long stem/short frame combo makes descents tricky
At 6ft 3in / 191cm I sit right in the middle of the XL section of Marin’s sizing chart, yet the test bike felt very cramped indeed. Also, the seat tubes are tall, preventing smaller riders from sizing-up without running the risk of being unable to drop the saddle fully out of the way.
Generous gearing
Suspension sweetener
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