Testing Marin El Roy: Enduro with rigid tail

Test: full throttle! The new Marin El Roy is an aggressive trail hardtail with a steel frame, where the Californians have gone to the limit in terms of both geometry and equipment. The result is maximum trail performance.

Marin El Roy: The Facts

Frame material: Steel
Suspension travel: 140 mm
wheel size: 29 inch

Weight 14,85 kg

Price: € 2.799

New addition to Marin: The El Roy is a new hardtail and expands the extensive portfolio of the traditional Californian manufacturer. It is undoubtedly the spearhead of the downhill hardtails in the range: 29-inch wheels meet 140 mm of spring travel at the front and an extremely progressive geometry that would suit many an enduro bike just as well.

Nice frame, interesting geometry

The Marin El Roy looks damn fast even when stationary. You can see the ultra-slack steering angle of the slim steel frame and the equipment immediately reveals that you are dealing with a racy downhill hardtail. The basis is a steel frame made of 4130 CrMo, which combines classic tube shapes with the mentioned progressive geometry and of course with modern features. There is, for example, the option to mount a trail kit on the underside of the top tube: Backpack refusers can easily attach an emergency kit for defects and breakdowns here - nice thing. Otherwise there are eyelets for a bottle holder on the down tube. If you use both, you can stow the most important things directly on the bike. The El Roy is more traditional when it comes to cable routing: Everything is external, clean under the down tube, where the outer casings are not at all noticeable. On the other hand, you are happy about easy access for maintenance.

Let's get to one of the most exciting parts of the El Roy - the geometry. Here Marin takes a different approach and only offers the bike in two (!) frame sizes. Nevertheless, the Californians state that the El Roy should be suitable for heights between 165cm and 193cm - how does that work? Well: The two sizes differ primarily in their length, while the seat tube remains almost the same short: 420 mm in 'regular' and 430 mm in 'grande', so hardly worth mentioning. The adjustment to different body sizes is primarily based on the length of the installed seat post. The built-in X-Fusion Manic has either 150 or 170 mm adjustment travel. The other dimensions of the frame are very progressive and downhill-heavy. A 63° (!) head angle meets a 78° (!) seat angle and a reach of 480 or 510 mm. phew! The bottom bracket, which is very low with a BB drop of 65 mm, also fits into the picture here.

Sophisticated equipment with small highlights

At just under 2.800 euros, the Marin El Roy is one of the more expensive bikes in our test field, which is only partially reflected in the equipment - but of course the high-quality steel frame also has its share in the sporty price point. But let's get straight to the point: Marin hasn't cut corners where it counts and has therefore put together a well-rounded package of components. It starts with the fork: The Bomber Z1 from Marzocchi is convincing all round and is one of our absolute favorites on the market in the mid-price segment. Quite apart from the fact that it fits perfectly with the Marin with its red casting, it also has a sensitive response and convincing damping.

When it comes to shifting, you can enjoy the full 510% range of the new Shimano Deore 12-speed group, which in our opinion there is absolutely nothing to complain about - except maybe a few grams overweight, which, however, in view of the more than 15 kilograms of the El Roy is then no longer really decisive. Also from the Japanese come the MT420 brakes, which are among the more inexpensive stoppers, but thanks to their 4 pistons at the front and rear and the 203 disc at the front, they also have some reserves for longer descents. The wheels with Shimano MT400 hubs and the in-house, tubeless-compatible aluminum rims with an inner width of 29 mm are solid fare, but with the Assegai from Maxxis there is room for one of the best enduro tires there is. But that's not all: The mighty 29×2,5″ tires are installed here in the non-slip Maxx Grip rubber compound and the extremely puncture-proof DoubleDown carcass, a little lighter in the front with MaxxTerra and Exo+. Here you can really go really low with the pressure without having to worry about any punctures.

The Manic Dropper Post from X-Fusion is rarely installed, but is still convincing, and the ergonomic lever is also convincing. Last but not least: The cockpit with Deity stem and 800 mm wide Deity carbon handlebars is definitely a highlight on the El Roy.

Marin El Roy: On the trail

It was clear to us at first glance: The Marin El Roy is consistently designed for maximum downhill fun! Slim steel frame, 63 degree steering angle, 78 degree seat angle, Maxxis Assegai tires and a Marzocchi Z1 with 36mm stanchions - the El Roy is literally bursting with powerful features.

Fans of long and flat bikes will find their way around the Marin straight away. The steep seat angle makes even tricky climbs a success; the very well selected gear ratio (32T, 10-51T) of the Shimano Deore 1×12 drive does the rest. On the flat or on transfer stages, however, the El Roy occasionally stumbles. The steep seat tube places the pedaling position far above the cranks, which was noticeable in some test riders with previously unknown muscle soreness in parts of their thighs. The high overall weight and the heavy, soft tires require a little more pedaling power, especially on slippery surfaces. But enough with the handling of the Marin in easy terrain, the El Roy wants to be on the trail - uphill and downhill! So down with the pleasantly long dropper post (150 or 170mm) and into the downhill!

The tires, which roll tenaciously on slippery surfaces, are a real guarantee of fun on the trail and convey safety that you would never have thought possible from a hardtail. Thanks to the stable carcass and tubeless assembly, we were able to keep the air pressure extremely low - without the constant danger of a flat tire. The result was sometimes almost (positively) scary: the combination of a long reach, super-slack steering angle, plush Marzocchi Z1 fork and the aforementioned Maxxis tires made us forget that we were sitting on a hardtail. Speaking of forks: the Marzocchi Z1, with its 36mm stanchions, was not only able to shine in terms of its rigidity; With its butter-soft response, very good support in the middle travel range and last but not least with the simple and quick setup, it was completely convincing and became the testers' favourite.

Once the Marin has gotten up to speed (and it does so with stoic certainty), the bike has to be slowed down before the next berm. The built-in Shimano MT420 4-piston stoppers did their job quite well. The decisive factor was certainly the generously dimensioned brake discs with 203mm at the front and 180mm at the rear. We were only able to push the rear wheel brake to the limit on long descents and with a high rider weight, which was noticeable with a spongy pressure point and slightly increased hand strength. An upgrade to 203mm brake discs at the rear should remedy this relatively quickly.

length is running! But what about agility? Due to its length and the slack steering angle, the El Roy requires a little more emphasis in winding passages than you are used to from classic hardtails. This is certainly not a challenge for experienced trail pilots. However, beginners sometimes find the handling to take some getting used to at first.

Website

www.marinbikes.com