2025 Marin

San Quentin 1

The first ever 29” version of the Marin San Quentin stays true to the bike’s playful roots while greatly improving its handling in technical terrain. The part spec is also great for the money. If possible, try this bike in person before purchasing as its geometry is quite unique, especially for a hardtail.

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If you’re looking for a radical hardtail, at a down-to-earth price, one bike stands head and shoulders above the rest. That bike is the Marin San Quentin. Clearly inspired by the dirt jump bikes ridden by Marin-sponsored Matt Jones, and with a hint of Sick Bicycles (remember them?) about it, the low-slung top tube and steep seat angle scream style and amplitude, while the slack head angle and generous sizing look primed for high-speed bombing. Marin San Quentin 1 need to know Alloy frame with low standover and progressive geometry SR Suntour XCM34 fork with 130mm of travel 1x drivetrain with 9-speed Sunrace cassette and MicroShift transmission Fixed seat post, but frame is dropper post-ready It comes with 27.5in wheels with big volume Vee Snap tires, which I know from testing the Calibre Line T3-27 and other plus bikes, is a surefire way of introducing comfort and composure to the ride of any hardtail. The fork is only 130mm in travel, so there are no radical swings in geometry as the fork compresses, causing unpredictable handling. Sounds like Marin has all its ducks in a row. So, why doesn’t the San Quentin deserve a place among the best hardtails currently on sale? Frame and geometry Marin has really gone out on a limb with the San Quentin’s 6061 T6 double-butted alloy frame. It has perhaps the most progressive styling and geometry of any hardtail under £1,000 (maybe even more), and (from a distance) looks more like a boutique, hand-crafted, hardcore hardtail that you’d see somewhere like the Bespoked show, than a mass-produced model. The hallmarks of the small volume, boundary-pushing, backyard bike builder-look start with the knee height top tube, offering acres of standover clearance for chucking the bike around in the air and on the ground. Then there’s the steep 77º seat angle, aping modern enduro bikes to improve climbing, and allow Marin to tuck the rear wheel in obscenely tight for maximum agility. Up front, the head tube reclines lazily forward at 64º in a chopper-like stance. But, as soon as you stand on the bike to descend, and your weight moves forward – compressing the fork, and steepening the head tube – this extreme angle makes complete sense, keeping the steering stable and controllable at speed. For a final flourish, there are swoopy, curved seat stays, designed to encourage flex and compliance. The San Quentin’s utilities (brake hose and gear cable) are mostly routed through the frame, entering behind the head tube and exiting at the bottom bracket, before continuing to their final destinations externally and held by cable ties. Marin has made a good job of this, and the cables are secure and silent inside the frame. Although it doesn’t come with one, there’s a port at the base of the seat tube to allow the installation of a dropper post. Given the compact frame, Marin has only been able to add a single bottle cage mount on the down tube. At the bottom bracket, there …Continue reading »

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The complete Marin San Quentin 1 (SQ1) hardtail costs about the same amount of money as a top-end RockShox suspension fork and it's a fun choice for the aspiring or casual mountain biker looking for a budget-friendlier gateway rig for Blue-level trails.

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