Marin’s Alpine Trail E is the North Californian brand’s first full-suspension electric mountain bike and is designed for enduro-come-all-mountain riding. It gets an aluminium frame with 150mm of travel and descent-focused geometry.
According to Marin, at the heart of the Alpine Trail E’s gambit is a desire to put “a smile on your face” and, as far as we’re concerned, that should be the centrepiece of any bike’s brief, so Marin’s latest effort is already scoring points on our fun-o-meter.
The Alpine Trail E is available with two different specs; a lower-priced E1 that uses Shimano’s STEPS E7000 motor and a more expensive E2 model equipped with Shimano’s EP8 drive unit.
Marin Alpine Trail E frame details
Built using Marin’s Series 4 aluminium that features double- and triple-butted tubes, smooth welds and 3D-forged dropouts and rocker links, it also has internally-routed brake, gear and dropper cables.
The rear dropout has 148 x 12mm Boost spacing and there’s space inside the front triangle for a full-size water bottle. It has a tapered head tube and rubber fork crown bumpers on the underside of the down tube near the head tube, to stop the forks from rotating and damaging the down tube. There’s an in-built, ribbed chainstay protector, too.
Marin also touts maximum dropper post compatibility thanks to the straight seat tube that allows for deep dropper insertion. This should mean longer travel posts can be used on the bike.
The integrated battery – that’s removable – sits inside the down tube behind a blanking plate, and can be removed using a 4mm Allen key for off-bike charging.
Shimano STEPS’ 'on' button is located on the top side of the top tube, while the on-bike charging port is next to the motor on the non-driveside.
Marin’s MultiTrac suspension – a linkage-driven single pivot design with the rear axle attached to the chainstay – drives the 150mm of rear wheel travel and 205 x 65mm metric trunnion-mounted rear shock.
Marin Alpine Trail E motor and battery details
The headlining E2 model of the Alpine Trail E features Shimano’s EP8 motor with 85Nm of peak torque and 250W of peak assistance.
It’s mated to its largest 630Wh integrated battery and each of the motor’s modes are tuneable using Shimano’s E-TUBE Project app via Bluetooth.
Shimano’s E7000 motor is fitted to the lower-spec Alpine Trail E1. Its 60Nm of peak torque and 250W of power is supplied by the smaller 504Wh battery.
The E7000 is also compatible with the E-TUBE Project app.
Marin Alpine Trail E geometry
| Size | Small | Medium | Large | Extra-large |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stack (mm) | 613 | 622 | 631 | 640 |
| Reach (mm) | 445 | 564 | 485 | 505 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 390 | 400 | 425 | 430 |
| Effective top tube (mm) | 575 | 597 | 619 | 641 |
| Bottom bracket height (mm) | 340.5 | 340.5 | 340.5 | 340.5 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1215 | 1239 | 1264 | 1288 |
| Standover height (mm) | 681.6 | 681.4 | 686.8 | 689.8 |
Built around mullet wheel sizes – where the front has a 29in wheel and the rear a 27.5in diameter hoop – the Alpine Trail E’s geometry is claimed to be “playful yet capable”.
It’s available in four sizes from small to extra-large, with reach figures starting at 445mm on the small and extending to 505mm for the extra-large.
Standover heights and seat-tube lengths are all short, starting at 681.6mm and 360mm respectively for the small, increasing to only 689.8mm and 430mm for the extra-large. This should mean shorter people can rider bigger bikes and suggests Marin’s sizing is reach-focused rather than inseam-specific.
All of the sizes have a positively slack 63-degree head-tube angle and a comfortably steep 78-degree effective seat-tube angle. Chainstays remain at 435mm across the board, while wheelbase figures start at 1,215mm and lengthen to 1,288mm.
Overall, the Alpine Trail E’s geometry is impressive and suggests the bike will descend very capably, and the effective seat-tube angle should give it good climbing prowess.
Marin Alpine Trail E models and specifications
Available in two specifications, neither of the Alpine Trail E models are as mind-bendingly expensive as Santa Cruz’s new Bullit ebike. The lower-spec E1 retails for £4,295 / $4,499 / €4,899, while the range topping E2’s RRP is £5,695 / $5,999 / €6,199.
Both bikes are fitted with coil-spring rear shocks, feature Shimano four-piston brakes with 203mm rotors front and rear, have 44mm offset forks and Marin’s E-MTB-specific saddle.
They’re also fitted with the same Assegai 29 x 2.5in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ front tyre and Minion DHR II 27.5 x 2.8in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ rear.
But the similarities stop there.
The E1 model has a RockShox 35 Gold RL fork with 160mm of travel, a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil R rear shock and a Shimano Deore 10-speed mech, shifter and cassette.
It has MT420 brakes but is specced with a host of Marin own-branded parts, including bars, stem, cranks and rims. It’s fitted with a TranzX dropper post with 1x remote, too.
The E2 bike kicks it up a gear with Fox’s 38 Performance Elite fork, also with 160mm of travel, and a GRIP2 damper. There’s a Fox DHX2 Performance Elite rear shock with low-speed rebound and compression adjustment and a lockout.
Elsewhere it has a Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain and SLX four-piston brakes. It’s specced with a Deity Ridgeline bar and Copperhead stem, and features Marin own-branded rims and grips. It also features an X-Fusion Manic dropper post.
Marin Alpine Trail E1
- Frame: Series 4 Alloy, 150mm travel MultiTrac Suspension, integrated battery, on/off switch, 148 x 12mm Boost axle
- Fork: RockShox Gold 35 RL Motion Control, 160mm travel, 44mm offset
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Coil R
- Motor: Shimano STEPS E7000 with 504Wh battery
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 10-speed
- Cranks: Marin Forged Alloy 165mm length with 38t chainring
- Brakes: Shimano MT420 four-piston with 203mm rotors front and rear
- Handlebar: Marin Mini-Riser
- Stem: Marin 3D Forged Alloy
- Seatpost: TranzX with 1x remote
- Saddle: Marin E-MTB
- Wheels: Marin Aluminium Double Wall 29in, 32mm width rim on Forged Alloy hub (f), Marin Aluminium Double Wall 27.5in, 38mm width rim on Shimano HB-MT400B hub (r)
- Tyres: Assegai 29 x 2.5in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ (f), Minion DHR II 27.5 x 2.8in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ (r)
- Price: £4,295 / $4,499 / €4,899
Marin Alpine Trail E2
- Frame: Series 4 Alloy, 150mm travel MultiTrac Suspension, integrated battery, on/off switch, 148 x 12mm Boost axle
- Fork: Fox 38 Performance Elite, GRIP2, 160mm travel, 44mm offset
- Shock: Fox DHX2 Performance Elite
- Motor: Shimano STEPS EP8 with 630Wh battery
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX/XT 12-speed mix
- Cranks: e.Thirteen e*Spec Plus 165mm length with 38t chainring
- Brakes: Shimano SLX four-piston with 203mm rotors front and rear
- Handlebar: Deity Ridgeline
- Stem: Deity Copperhead
- Seatpost: X-Fusion Manic
- Saddle: Marin E-MTB
- Wheels: Marin Aluminium Double Wall 29in, 32mm width rim on Forged Alloy hub (f), Marin Aluminium Double Wall 27.5in, 38mm width rim on Shimano HB-MT400B hub (r)
- Tyres: Assegai 29 x 2.5in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ (f), Minion DHR II 27.5 x 2.8in 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ (r)
- Price: £5,695 / $5,999 / €6,199
