After a 16-year hiatus, the Marin Quake – a bike synonymous with long-travel, downhill-oriented riding – is back.
With an aluminium frame, 180mm of rear travel, and 200mm of front travel, this downhill/bike park bike fills a gap in Marin’s range.
Driven by athlete demand and influential employees, Marin says the new Quake has been nine years in the making.
Rather than develop an all-out downhill race bike, Marin is aiming the new Quake at riders who want to have a blast on a big-travel bike, sending jumps, drops and the steepest features.
Marin tells us: “The Quake is for everyone who wants to have fun on a big bike. It’s a jumpy, playful, fun-loving machine.”
Available from March 2025, a complete Marin Quake will cost £4,499 / $4,699 / €5,199. A separate frameset costs £1,799 / $1,899 / €2,099.
Athlete-driven
That Marin has been developing the Quake is no secret.
The Marin Quake has made multiple Red Bull Hardline appearances under Matt Jones, with Vince Moonen also riding it at Fest Series events.
We sat down with Matt Cipes, product manager for the Quake, and Marin’s marketing manage John Oldale to get the lowdown on the new bike.
Party laps over podiums
While there’s no reason it couldn’t be raced, Marin didn’t set out to make a podium-threatening bike for the World Cup.
Cipes explains: “The Quake is meant to feel like an old friend, something you’ll get along with and have a great time on."
Modern downhill race bikes can be stiff, difficult or – even worse – dull at slower speeds for mere mortals.
The Quake is designed to be a long-travel bike that will take on the burliest lines but keep you engaged, no matter your riding style or ability.
The Quake’s epicentre
The Quake is built around a Series 4 Alloy frame – the same tubing used on other Marin bikes, including the Alpine Trail AX AXS.
The bike has 180mm of rear travel based on Marin’s latest MultiTrac 2 LT suspension design – a Horst-link pivot layout.
Marin switched to this kinematic over its previous single-pivot, linkage-driven design because it enabled it to reduce anti-rise, allowing for better chassis control while braking, more mid-stroke support and improved feel at bottom-out.
Relocating the pivot also enabled Marin to introduce adjustable chainstay lengths and bottom bracket heights.
The Quake features two flip chips. The first enables you to choose between 27.5 and 29in rear wheels (the bike comes with a 27.5in wheel as standard).
The second chip enables you to switch between a short chainstay/high bottom bracket setting (430mm/361mm) and a long chainstay/low bottom bracket setting (440mm/353mm).
Marin uses a straight 56ZS (56mm-diameter, zero-stack) head tube on the Quake to maximise aftermarket adjustable headsets.
With a 1.125in straight steerer tube (as found on downhill forks), you can fit up to a 10mm reach-adjust headset to tailor the frame's reach.
The head tube will take a 1-, 1.5- or 2-degree angle-adjust headset for fine-tuning the head tube angle.
The frame is also compatible with 27.5in forks, although riders will need to fit a 10-15mm external lower headset cup.
This means the Quake can run a 180-190mm single-crown fork or a 200mm dual-crown fork.
Elsewhere, the frame features chainstays and seatstays equipped with durable rubber guards to minimise noise and protect the paint finish.
A gasket around the cable exit hole reduces cable rattle and prevents the brake hose and derailleur cable from scratching the frame.
A mud flap positioned over the lower suspension pivot keeps dirt and spray off the bearings.
An integrated lower down tube guard helps deflect rocks, logs and other obstacles, while an upper down tube shuttle pad protects the frame when hanging over a tailgate.
The cable ports feature an all-new design that keeps the interior of the frame sealed.
These ports use rubber membranes punctured during initial assembly, tightly sealing around the housing or hose once inserted. They will be available as a service part for riders making component changes.
The Quake utilises SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger standard for the dropout and hanger.
This enables Quake riders to upgrade to a direct-mount rear derailleur if desired.
The rear-hub spacing is a sensible Boost 148mm for easy replacements, rather than a 157mm downhill standard.
Hitting the sweet spot
Marin is releasing the Quake in three frame sizes: small, medium and large. The bike’s geometry blends progressive angles with modest sizing to strike a balance between stability and usability.
In the long chainstay/low bottom bracket setting, the Quake features reach numbers that range from 418mm to 438mm and 478mm in sizes small, medium and large respectively.
These are matched with gravity-influenced 630mm, 639mm and 639mm stack heights.
The head tube angle is a slack 62.3 degrees to maximise downhill control.
The seat tubes are short to help get plenty of clearance at 380mm, 415mm and 430mm for the three frame sizes.
The chainstay in this setting is a well-balanced 440mm and the bottom bracket sits a middling 453mm off the floor for the frame's 180mm of travel.
There are four geometry charts, thanks to the two-position chainstay flip chip and the two rear-wheel sizes.
| Marin Quake STOCK geometry - 27.5in rear wheel, long/low chainstay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Small | Medium | Large | |
| Reach (mm) | 418 | 438 | 478 | |
| Stack (mm) | 630 | 639 | 639 | |
| Head angle (degrees) | 62.3 | 62.3 | 62.3 | |
| Seat tube (mm) | 390 | 415 | 430 | |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.8 | |
| Top tube (mm) | 577 | 599 | 639 | |
| Chainstay (mm) | 440 | 440 | 440 | |
| Front centre (mm) | 790 | 815 | 855 | |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,230 | 1,255 | 1,295 | |
| FC:RC ratio | (1.80) | (1.85) | (1.94) | |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 4.4(r)/26.4(f) | 4.4(r)/26.4(f) | 4.4(r)/26.4(f) |
A build for the people
Cipes says Marin tried hard to assemble a build kit that balances performance and value for money.
He explains: “We’re maximising what we’re doing for the rider in terms of spec, but also making sure we’re not breaking the bank and emptying your pockets.”
Marin has done an impressive job with the spec list, which has been fine-tuned after listening to its retail partners and rental shops: a big focus for this bike.
The rental shops wanted quality, durability and replaceability. They requested sealed headsets and SRAM parts for warranty purposes.
Oldale adds: “Communicating with the rental shops was interesting, as the feedback came back saying they would rather have more expensive parts to meet their requirements than what Marin were initially aiming for.”
The Quake gets a RockShox Vivid Ultimate Coil shock, custom-tuned for the frame and paired with the 200mm-travel RockShox Boxxer fork up front.
There’s a full SRAM GX DH 7-speed drivetrain with Truvativ cranks, SRAM Maven Bronze brakes with 200mm HS2 rotors and a Truvativ direct-mount handlebar and stem.
The Quake uses DH-casing Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip 2.5in tyres. These shroud Marin-branded wheels. Marin-spec parts include the saddle and seatpost.
Marin Quake spec, pricing and availability
The Marin Quake is available from March 2025, costing £4,499 / $4,699 / €5,199 for the full-bike build and £1,799 / $1,899 / €2,099 for the frameset.
Marin Quake
- Frame: Series 4 Alloy frame, 180mm travel
- Fork: RockShox Boxxer, 200mm travel
- Shock: Vivid Coil DH Ultimate
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX DH 7-speed drivetrain, 11-25t
- Brakes: SRAM Maven Bronze Disc Brakes w/ 200mm HS2 rotors
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DH 2.5in
- Price: £4,499 / $4,699 / €5,199
Marin Quake frameset
- Frame: Series 4 Alloy frame, 180mm travel
- Shock: Vivid Coil DH Ultimate
- Headset: FSA No 74
- Price: £1,799 / $1,899 / €2,099
