Marin Alpine Trail E2 Bosch review

Setup

Setting up the Alpine Trail E2 Bosch’s suspension was relatively straightforward.

I initially inflated the fork’s air spring to 98psi and installed two volume spacers. I opened all the external low- and high-speed compression and rebound adjusters and left them open for the test period. During testing, I decreased spring pressure to 94psi to use more travel more of the time.

The 500lb stock spring felt too hard so I swapped this for a 400lb version. The change in spring rate was noticeable.

Despite adding plus six clicks from fully open of low-speed compression (LSC) damping the bike felt too soft. I upped the spring rate incrementally (425lb, 450lb) finally settling on a 475lb, and reduced LSC until the bike felt balanced.

Coil spring rate accuracy can vary wildly, so a 400lb spring may require more or less force to compress.

Without the equipment to independently measure a particular spring’s rate, you’re left taking the manufacturers’ claims at face value, or trying out different springs until one feels right.

It’s entirely possible the 500lb spring fitted to the Alpine Trail could be way harder, softer or bang on, and the 475lb I’ve ended up with will suffer from the same inconsistencies. This is why I chose a trial-and-error approach to setup.

Initially inflating the tyres to my preferred pressures (25-27psi front, 26-29psi rear), the combination of tough casings and inserts made them feel a little wooden. To improve feel I dropped pressures to 23-25psi front and 24-27psi rear.

After trying the bike in all its different geometry configurations, I settled on the 0-degree headset cups (63-degree head angle) and long chainstay setting. I felt like this offered the best front-to-back balance.

Marin Alpine Trail E2 Bosch climbing performance

Thanks to the steep 78 degree seat tube angle, even with bike set to the angle-slackening low and long chainstay position, your hips are placed directly over the bottom bracket.

This gives it an impressively comfortable and neutral position when ascending – your feet aren’t stretched in front of your hips, boosting power transfer.

Archetypal of its intended riding style, you sit upright and central between the front and rear wheels. This is relaxed and makes it easy to control the bike.

Your weight is inherently balanced atop the frame – intuitive and intentional body position shifts positively influence the bike’s trajectory.

Tug back on the bars and the front wheel rises smoothly, slowly and predictably, lifting over, above and around obstacles at your command.

Equally, shift rearwards and the blocky Vee Tire digs into the terrain driving you upwards.

But neither movement causes the bike’s control to slip from your grasp. Unwanted front wheel lift and steering vagueness are almost non-existent.

Spinning the back wheel only happens when its blocks are full of dense mud rather than when you’re trying to keep the front wheel down.

Helping mask its weight well, you can comfortably and easily manoeuvre the Alpine Trail like it’s a much lighter bike when climbing.

Incredibly plush suspension steps up comfort. Even the smallest bumps, commonly found on worn, rumbly trail centre surfaces, are totally neutralised.

There’s plenty of travel to handle bigger ones too. The rear end’s readiness to absorb all in its path is commendable.

But that plushness doesn’t give it a soggy feel. A light shock tune helps keep the rear end feel lively and spritely, furthering its lighter-than-you’d-expect feel.

All-day comfort is as impressive as its ability to scale the most horrifyingly steep and technical route to the trailhead, but the feels truly within its comfort zone shuttling up fireroads to tackle the next high-speed descent.

Motor performance and battery life

The Bosch Performance Line CX motor’s performance isn’t blunted by the Alpine Trail’s weight.

It's powerful and responsive, and its assistance is analogue rather than binary – there’s no jerkiness from its drive, and gentle rider inputs are matched with equally subtle motor outputs.

But hammer on the pedals and there's a real urgency to the bike, which is remarkably rewarding.

Rather than tapering down like Shimano’s EP8, pedal harder and the motor’s assistance comes on stronger, creating a brilliantly fun and fast ride.

The 750Wh battery’s life is also impressive. Using just Tour+ mode, I easily exceeded 1,800m of ascent on a single charge. In eMTB mode, this dropped to around 1,600m.

Marin Alpine Trail E2 Bosch descending performance

But what effects does that weight have on the downhills?

Well, it can be both good and bad, depending on the type of rider you are and the terrain you ride.

If you’re ploughing headlong into the roughest, wildest, and fastest terrain, you’re going to love the Alpine Trail E2's unshakable, steadfast demeanour.

Little, if anything upsets its chassis or knocks it off-line.

As the rider, getting the Alpine Trail pointing in roughly the right direction and remaining laser-focused on your endpoint gets the most from its plough-and-pray ride character.

Its weight and momentum holds lines and batters through the roughest chop on any mountain. Nothing makes it wince or deflect it from your intended path.

Combine this granite-like feel with impeccably-tuned suspension – which works so impressively hard to absorb everything beneath the 27.55kg behemoth's path – and not only is the trail glossed over, grip and control are also in the upper echelons of performance.

If you’re on the form of your life, riding aggressively, trail conditions are favourable and you’ve got your lines dialled, the Alpine Trail E2 Bosch snaps at the heels of the very best electric mountain bikes out there with an almost invincible, monster truck feel.

But when one or more of those building blocks crumbles things can go wrong pretty quickly.

The momentum that helps you plough your chosen line can work against you once you’ve deviated from your intended course.

A huge amount of muscle is required to right it once it’s veered off, and if you want to turn quickly or at the last minute, superhero-like skills are needed.

Plenty of planning gets the most from it. I had to begin prepping for technical sections or slowing for corners much earlier compared with lighter bikes.

It's a big bike, but it’s not ill-proportioned.

If anything, its geometry is spot on. The hand-to-feet relationship feels roomy and comfortable, while the 443mm chainstays help keep the back in proportion with the front.

A 63 degree head angle is befitting of its intended use, but some riders may prefer the 64 degree position to help speed the handling up.

As a nod to its sorted geometry, I didn’t have to position my body overly fore or aft to get it to feel good. Placing your hands on the bars and feet on the pedals instinctively sets you in a neutral stance.

Losing weight

With plenty of performance potential locked away behind a hefty weight figure, I set out to shave a few grams.

Switching out the wheels and tyres for lighter ones dropped just under 1kg from the Marin Alpine Trail E2's weight in the place it matters most.

At 26.6kg – which is still weighty, I’ll add – it came alive on tighter trails and required significantly less muscle to ride proactively.

Lowering the weight makes the most of the bike's geometry and super active, fluttery suspension shine.

More responsive handling and increased agility unlocked quick changes in line choice previously out of reach, and even helped the bike move away from plough towards fun on the performance spectrum.

Accessing this alternative side requires new wheels and tyres, which may be prohibitive for some. Alternatively, riders could remove the factory-fitted CushCore inserts, saving 440g.

I recommend riders who weigh a similar amount or less than me (75kg kitted up) to investigate ways to reduce weight to unlock more performance.

However, those who weigh more (80kg plus) may find its extra bulk less cumbersome, and could even be advantageous on the right trails.