The Takeaway: The Rift Zone Carbon 2 has great parts, dialed geometry, and a nice ride. But the competition is tough.

  • A short-travel trail bike with 125mm rear travel, a 130mm fork, and modern geometry.
  • Carbon front triangle with aluminum rear end
  • Heavier-duty build for increased capability on downhills.

Price: $4,400
Weight: 32.25 (M)

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I love Marin's lineup of aluminum full suspension bikes. The Alpine Trail, Rift Zone, and Hawk Hill are among my favorite bikes because they ride awesome and are reasonably priced. I feel great about recommending these bikes to riders looking for a high performance bike with nice parts that's on the lower-end of the current full suspension price spectrum.

But things get tougher with the new Rift Zone Carbon (RZC). As the name implies, this is the Rift Zone—a 125mm rear, 130mm front trail 29er—with a carbon front end in place of the Rift Zone's aluminum front end. Plus the RZC gets a beefier aluminum rear end and nicer parts.

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
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Compared to its all-aluminum sibling, the Rift Zone Carbon gets a stiffer and tougher rear end with ball-bearing pivots and locking-collet main pivot adapted from the brand’s 150mm Alpine Trail.

Those upgrades push the RZC into the premium mid-range one of the most competitive categories going. And yeah... sorry... 4.4k is now mid range because the high end is now defined by $8,000+ mountain bikes. Here's a few examples of the bikes the $4,400 Rift Zone Carbon 2 is competing against: a $4,199 Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon , a $4,199 Ibis Ripley, a $4,399 Evil Following MB, a $3,999 Transition Smuggler Carbon. And all those bikes have full carbon frames to the Marin's half-carbon. And if you want to go a bit more boutique, there are options like a (half-carbon) Guerilla Gravity Trail Pistol for $3,696 and a (aluminum) Pole Evolink for $3,450 that leave cash in your pocket.

When it's a $1,950 Rift Zone 2, I can say few bikes for that amount of money are as dialed. But even before I get the RZC 2 out on the trial, I can tell you there there are bikes from cooler brands that offer full-carbon frames, better suspension, and similar parts for the same, or less, money.

I asked Chris Holmes, Marin's brand director, why someone should buy a RZC 2 instead of a bike like a $4,199 Santa Cruz Tallboy R Carbon C. In addition to saying that Marin's riders and dealers have asked for a bike like the Rift Zone Carbon, Homes said, “We understand that this is a very competitive segment... Marin is known for delivering bikes with outstanding value. We also have a close relationship with our factory, which allows us to deliver higher component spec than many of the others in the category. In lieu of a carbon swingarm, which will make marginal improvements on the trail, we invested more in componentry, so you can have a better performing bike as well as more money in your pocket.”

—Five Cool Details—

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
Sweet Lever

The rubber pad on the PNW Loam Lever offers extra grip.

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Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
Priorities

The Rift Zone Carbon has its priorities straight.

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Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
Smash and Thrash

The replaceable strike-guard protects the carbon downtube.

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Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
Paired Up

The shifter mounts to the brake lever with Shimano's I-Spec EV system.

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Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
Happy Threads

Though the crank has a 30mm axle, the frame still has a threaded BB.

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Holmes is right: the RZC 2 has better parts than the Tallboy R Carbon C. But you gotta dive deep into the details to see them because they're little things, not outrageous differences. The Tallboy has a Fox 34 Rhythm fork which has a heavier chassis than the RZC's Fox 34 Performance fork. The RZC's Shimano SLX drivetrain shifts more smoothly than the Tallboy's SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain. And, the RZC has a wider range gearing: Shimano 1x12 10-51 cassette and the Tallboy has SRAM 1x12 Eagle with 11-50 cassette. The Marin has nicer hubs and wider rims too.

Better parts will speak to a many riders. But I go back to this: cooler brands, full carbon frames, better suspension, and similar parts for about the same money. I think those attributes more compelling that arguing about the difference between a Fox 34 Rhythm and a Fox 34 Performance. The difference between those forks, BTW, is just the Rhythm's heavier chassis: they use the same air spring system and Grip damper.

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
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In case you were wondering.

But I love an underdog and I held out hope that the riding the RZC would reveal something that changed my mind. And it did...

almost.

The Rift Zone Carbon 2 has a couple very strong attributes that make it an extremely compelling bike. One is its geometry. The reach and effective-top-tube length are some of the longest in its category, with short 425mm chainstays when most of its competition is at 430+. The 65.5-degree head angle (with 44mm offset fork) puts it on the slacker end of the category, while the 76 degree seat tube angle is about average as is its 34mm of BB drop. No individual number stands out, but it all comes together nicely on the trails.

Text, Font, Number, Parallel,
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The competition. Click to embiggen.

"Balanced" is the best way to describe it. In my neutral standing position, I felt perfectly centered for mid-speed trail riding and didn't need to aggressively throw my body or the bike around to hit my lines. As trail conditions and speed changed, just a bit of weight shift front or back was all that was needed.

The RZC's offered responsive and accurate cornering at a wide range of speeds: stable when my eyes were watering; sharp on granny-gear uphill switchbacks. I did swap the stock 35mm stem for a 50mm to get more weight on the front end—on all but the steepest downhills, the stock stem made the steering a bit too light for my tastes.

The short rear end seemed to help it stave off some of the low-speed/tight-trail sloppiness that plagues many of the new-generation longer/slacker bikes. One quirk though: I didn't—and the tester I used for additional feedback didn't—find the RZC had any of the traits I'd normally associate with a short rear end. It wasn't extra-eager to lift its front wheel for example. In fact, the RZC was more planted and less playful that I expected for a short-travel bike with tight chainstays (my tester said the same).

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
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The Shimano SLX drivetrain is awesome.

Climbing the RZC was okay. On the trail, the seat tube angle doesn't feel as steep as its stated 76 degrees, but I was in a decent climbing position nonetheless. I could feel the rear suspension sag into its travel on climbs and pull my weight backwards (part of the reason the seat angle didn't feel particularly steep) which had me flipping the climb switch on the shock to hold the bike up higher in its travel. The bike's pedaling efficiency is also what I'd call okay: it's not sluggish, but it's not-not sluggish.

The other thing the RZC has going for it is its build. Those solid Maxxis Minion tires and powerful four-piston brakes provide tons of confidence to let the bike run. The 34 fork with Grip damper is capable while the DPX2 shock feels sweet.

The Rift Zone Carbon 2 was my first opportunity to ride Shimano’s new SLX 12 speed group. It’s damn good, better than Eagle. I’ve now ridden all of Shimano’s new 1x12 groups, and they’re brilliant with smoother and more consistent shifting than SRAM’s Eagle. I’d choose Shimano SLX over SRAM NX/GX Eagle for my personal bike, no question.

Look, Eagle is good and is legitimately a landmark in mountain bike product history. Shimano took FOREVER to respond, but now that its 1x12 is here, SRAM’s Eagle feels long in the tooth. Which it is: other than expanding the number of groupset offerings, Eagle hasn’t changed significantly since its launch in mid-2016. SRAM will respond with an updated group— 1x13 Goshawk?—which might reshuffle the podium. But until then, Shimano’s 1x12 stands above SRAM Eagle.

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
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The Marin has great rolling stock. Maxxis Minions on 29mm internal width rims with welded seams, and bulletproof Shimano hubs.

The brakes are SLX too, with the more powerful four-piston calipers (not the lighter two piston calipers). These are also excellent: light action, firm feel (no sponge), and great power. Compared to SRAM’s Guide, the SLX’s power still hits a bit quicker and harder—a common Shimano trait—but it’s much better than Shimano’s previous generation four-piston brakesets. The X-Fusion Maniac dropper was smooth and glitch free—my size medium came with a 150mm travel post—and it was actuated by a PNW Loam Lever. I loved the lever’s light action and grippy rubber paddle, but its stroke was a bit longer than I prefer (full disclosure: I’m cursed with short thumbs).

Other than a dumb quibble with dropper-remote throw, I can't say anything negative about the RZC 2's build. It's kick-ass and offers top-level performance. This is the kit you want on your $4,400-ish mountain bike.

So far we have great handling and great parts. I'll add that the frame was very stiff, and it was also very quiet: no rattling hoses or housing, no squeaks or creaks.

Where things start to come apart for the RZC is when I zoom in on the finer points of the performance of its single-pivot rear suspension. It's competent, and the Fox DPX2 gives it a sweet feel and decent all-around performance. But it also doesn't offer the crisp pedaling of a dual link bike, or the ability to glide through chatter the way Evil's single-pivot system does. It also does not have the dialed tune and nearly uncompromised all-around performance that I'm used to feeling in today's best trail bikes. I also found it a little too linear and wallowy, a sentiment shared by my much-lighter test rider. Switching out the shock's stock 0.2 air volume spacer for a larger 0.4 helped.

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2
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Stiff and stout cranks.

The RZC's suspension performance isn't the difference between a bad day and a good day. But when better suspension—DW-Link, VPP, DELTA—is available for the same money, it's tough to settle. You can switch out a wheelset; you're stuck with a rear suspension design.

The Rift Zone Carbon 2's offers competent suspension, great handling, and flawless build for a fair price. Because of that, I think it continues the tradition started by Marin's awesome lower cost suspension bikes. But the RZC is playing against much tougher competition than its lower-cost siblings. Still, I urge anyone shopping in this field to give it a chance, because it is a compelling bike with a lot to offer.


Rift Zone Carbon 2

Rift Zone Carbon 2

Rift Zone Carbon 2

$3,995 at Marin Bikes
Pros
  • Great build
  • Dialed geometry
Cons
  • Less refined suspension than its competition
Headshot of Matt Phillips
Matt Phillips
Senior Test Editor, Bicycling

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.