IN BRIEF
Marin is renewing its enduro electric mountain bike, the Alpine Trail E. The new version sheds 1.35 kg — 26.45 kg in size L on the top-end build, against 27.8 kg previously — while gaining power. The Bosch motor moves to its fifth generation with 120 Nm of torque, against 85, and the battery climbs to 800 Wh without weighing the bike down. Three builds are announced, from €4,999 to around €8,000, with a five-year frame warranty into the bargain.
| Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX, 5th generation — 120 Nm, 750 W peak |
| Assistance | up to 600% |
| Battery | PowerTube 800 Wh (600 Wh option; PowerMore 250 Wh range extender) |
| Weight | 26.45 kg (size L, EXR build) |
| Travel | 170 mm front / 160 mm rear (MultiTrac 2 suspension) |
| Wheels | mullet setup: 29″ front, 27.5″ rear |
| Geometry | 63.5° head angle · 78.5° seat angle |
| Display | Bosch Kiox 400C colour |
| Builds | E1 at €4,999 · E2 at €6,799 · EXR at around €8,000 |
| Frame warranty | 5 years |
Lightening an enduro electric mountain bike while giving it more torque: that is Marin’s brief for the new version of its Alpine Trail E. The old model weighed 27.8 kg in size L, with an 85 Nm Bosch motor and a 750 Wh battery. The American brand has reworked the platform to win on both counts — less weight to haul around, more punch underfoot.
A kilo and a half saved, from the frame to the battery
The diet starts with the frame. Made of aluminium, it drops 445 grams thanks to optimisation work across several areas: the cradle that houses the motor, the down tube, the suspension linkages and the seatstays, the tubes that connect the saddle to the rear wheel. The new Bosch Performance Line CX motor, in its fifth generation, saves another 100 grams. Above all it delivers 120 Nm of torque, against 85 previously — the force that hauls the bike up the steepest climbs. Add 750 watts of peak power and up to 600% assistance: with every pedal stroke, the motor can multiply the effort sixfold. The MultiTrac 2 rear suspension, for its part, keeps its 160 mm of travel.
The most counter-intuitive part comes from the battery. The 800 Wh PowerTube weighs 400 grams less than the old 750 Wh unit, while storing more energy — and therefore offering more range. A 600 Wh option shaves a further 900 grams off the bike, for those who prefer lightness to distance. The frame also takes the 250 Wh PowerMore range extender, and gains 37 mm of ground clearance, the height between the bottom of the frame and the ground: enough to hit the rocks less often. All told, the scales read 26.45 kg in size L on the EXR build, or 1.35 kg less than the previous model.
Classic geometry, adjustments to taste
On the geometry front, nothing exotic. The fork offers 170 mm of travel at the front, the rear suspension 160 mm: standard fare for enduro. The 63.5° head angle is deliberately slack — the slacker it is, the more stable the bike stays at speed on descents. The 78.5° seat angle, nicely steepened, puts the rider in a good position to climb. A compromise between stability and efficiency that hits no wrong notes.
The mullet setup is part of the deal: a big 29-inch wheel at the front, a smaller 27.5 at the rear. The big one swallows obstacles better, the small one makes the bike livelier. Several rivals are now switching to dual 29-inch wheels, but the mullet still has its supporters.
For those who like fiddling with settings, a flip-chip — a small reversible insert — adjusts bottom bracket height by ±6 mm and the wheelbase, the distance between the two wheels, by ±8 mm. A headset cup alters the head angle by ±0.75°, which slightly changes how the handlebars behave. Two pieces of good news to finish: even size S gets the 800 Wh battery, and every model carries the Bosch Kiox 400C colour display, effective without being dazzling.
Three builds, from €4,999 to €8,000
The Alpine Trail E1 opens the range at €4,999: X-Fusion Vengeance fork, H3A shock, TRP DHR EVO Comp brakes and a 10-speed Shimano CUES drivetrain. The E2, at €6,799, moves up a notch with RockShox Zeb Select+ and Vivid Select+ suspension, a SRAM Eagle 70/90 drivetrain and SRAM Maven Bronze brakes. The EXR, at around €8,000, gathers the pick of the crop: RockShox Ultimate suspension, a SRAM GX Eagle AXS wireless electronic drivetrain, Maven Silver brakes and DT Swiss wheels.
The whole range is covered by a five-year frame warranty. After the Lombard E gravel bike, Marin is pressing on with its electric development at an aggressive price, up against the heavyweights of the segment. Not bad at all for a brand you would not necessarily expect at the front of the pack in electric enduro.
