Marin El Roy

https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2021-el-roy#reviews

I have a chance to demo a size regular and possibly buy it if it feels good. Not sure how beat up it is as a demo, but I trust the source. Looks like a hardtail Grim Donut…

 

Bring it out this Thursday if you can!

 

That bike was posted somewhere on the forum when it was first introduced. A person, who shall remain nameless, said something about the chain stays looking cute and flimsy…

The times they are a changin…

 

Prepare to feel stretched out with 480 reach unless positive ape index. My HT with 470 feels comparable to the x-med Smash at 490. Right at the stretch limit for my dimensions and taste. (Plus 3.5” ape, 5-10.5.) You have to ride it, though. It’ll be a great data point or better. Also be ready for slightly awkward handling at low speeds. 2.5 aggro tires…AYE

 

The reach on the Moxie is 470. Although I was on the sizing bubble, I'm glad I went with this way and didn't go up. Like mike says, these aggro hardtails feel bigger...

Big tires are a must to get the most out of it, but especially on the back for us riders who are not on the petite end of the spectrum. Moxie currently has a 2.6 Eliminator on the back, and a 2.3 on the front. The 2.3 (wider than a 2.4 Maxxis...) was a jarring experience... With the overall length (school bus), but a proportionally shorter rear, the bike wants to keep the rear on the ground. It's like a lopsided see-saw, which certainly helps traction. Without enough tire, though, it can be jarring.

 

Why does that 63* head tube look even more slack than it is? May require a Hell’s Angel leather jacket in the kit. Anxious to hear your report.

 

Good intel, thanks. I would definitely stick to the smaller of the two available sizes. This is just a curiosity, only because I happen to see it on the sales floor yesterday, and Faustie talks smack while climbing and descending on his aggro hardtail.

 

And it's only a 140mm fork. Imagine how rad it'll be with a 160 or 170 on there.

 

+1 on the generous rear tire size. I didn't see a fork range for it. I'd say 140 is a minumum for what you're going to do to it.

But! If no adjustable dropout, no can do. Has to be SS able.

 

Hardtail Party's first ride impressions of the El Roy:


Hardtail Party's 2nd impressions, after making a few adjustments to the bike:

 

I watched part of the first, and all of the second... Pretty cool.


@DangerDirtyD
One thing that clicked when I watched it was his front braking... Especially when he had the stuttering front end in the rocks. The Moxie, which I'm going to assume is somewhat similar in handling, does not like front braking. At all. Keeping the front completely loose is the key to getting the most out of it and maintaining momentum. Well, that and being off the seat and nimble. No sitting on this one... With a loose front, and ample tire support in the rear, the bike comes alive.

Completely different handling to the other hardtail I have hanging on the wall.

 

Does that only have a 100mm dropper on it????

 

FIFY

 

Awesome!

 

I think it’s 125mm. Stock build. It weighed 33lbs 11oz with the bottle cage, tube, and O2 cartridge attached. Composed when sitting and grinding up, weird when out of the saddle. Comfortable and confident DH, but the confidence allows speed, and when it gets chunky, the speed reminds you it’s a hardtail. I would need to spend at least $1,000 to drop 2 pounds from it…or go with mild tires.

 

Instead of spending $1k to lose 2lbs on your bike. Spend less on groceries like I did and lose 15lbs!
Just some thoughts.

 

Although you won't ever get that monkey motion sensation you crave in the rear of the bike, I can't imagine that you rode it the way it needs to be ridden on its maiden voyage... You'll get better at managing the rear end with a few rides. And with your size, that rear tire needs to be a 2.6. Volume over tread wins in this case with the short can-opener action rear end of the bike.

I'm a slow learner... I probably had 500 miles on the Moxie before I started getting the most out of it.

I hope you stick with it for a few more rides...

 

You CANNOT ride a HT through the chunk like you can with full squish. No matter the tire size, HT’s are not plow bikes. Bigger tires will help when things go sideways…but you can’t just bash the rear wheel through the chunk. Things will get damaged….either the bike or the pilot.

You CAN ride a HT almost as fast….however you must learn to float and take the weight off the back wheel.

 

I rewatched Hardtail Party’s reviews of the El Roy and assume they ride many more bikes than I do and have a bigger reference field…and the guy who was testing it is a smaller human than I am. El Roy has two sizes only. I rode the “regular” size (as opposed to the “large”) and the bike felt comfortable and familiar to me outright. Only adjustments I made were to raise the dropper post and push the saddle forward as far as the rails allow (even more over the BB). I liked how over the BB I felt. My knees would hit the handlebar on tight turns, so I would have to stick leg out to clear the bars, but that happens on all my bikes, so I’m used to it. Mind you my last three rides have been a 69.5* Rumblefish, then a 65.5* Sguiggle Bug, and now a 63* hardtail El Roy, so maybe I don’t have a familiarity with any bike. My ride was short, and I don’t have a lot of feedback, but the few steep chutes I took felt mild with the El Roy’s geometry and wheelbase. Moderately steep trails felt sanitized by the bike. The last climb I did had some chunk, and I got a PR by 2 seconds. The bike didn’t get hung up on me like the Hardtail Party reviewer stated. I do agree with the reviewer that sitting and spinning (or grinding) up a climb the bike felt composed but any -out of the saddle- efforts felt odd, as if the pedals were pushing me back behind the rear wheel feeling and I had to hold on to the bars to avoid falling backward. The front wheel stayed planted, but my body seemed to want to move back on the bike when out of the saddle. I also got a PR on the longer DH segment which included some pedaling on rollers. The chunky steeper parts felt in control. Definitely bumpy, but not jarring (probably because they were short in length and duration). I rode the bike like I was angry at it to put it to the test, and it obliged.

Again, It weighed 33lbs 11oz with the bottle cage, tube, and O2 cartridge attached. Tires were Minion DHF 2.5 3C MAXXterra Double Down casing (front) and Aggressor 2.5 EXO (rear). Again, comfortable and confident DH, but the confidence allows speed, and when it gets chunky, the speed reminds you it’s a hardtail. It’s not svelte enough on the climbs to justify the additional fatigue I would get if I were to charge a sustained DH. I would own one (an Aggro hardtail- not necessarily this hardtail) as long as I had a dual suspension bike to supplement….and I would have to spend a lot to dial this particular bike to drop some weight. Before any of that happens, I would have to purge at least one of my two MTB hardtails.

 

Thanks for the review!

I think it has to be set up SS to justify its existence in your fleet. Then you can keep your other hardtails.

 

Alright I’ll get a SS.

 

I’ll move it when I’m at the puter…

 

I'm only looking out for you. Less expense, better workout, spice of variety. I don't think the bike weight is bad at all, but you'll lighten up for way less that you predicted. You might want tire inserts, not sure. I don't expect a conventional alloy rear rim to last you on a bike like that. I think steel is the right choice of frame material, especially for non-lightweights. I'm stoked for your possibilities! Bikes are fun!

 

I've been thinking about an insert for the rear...

 

Thats an impressive amount of weight! My basic build steel honzo (large) came in at 30lbs on the nose with the Bomber Z2 fork on it.

 

I asked, and there are no inserts in the El Roy I demoed. I pinged the rear wheel on a rock once last night at 26 psi. The Aggressor 2.5 EXO took it like a champ and didn’t seem to lose any air. My first time on the aggressor, and I liked it. Seems to roll and corner well. I can’t speak on the braking traction since nothing steep was ridden. It’s a portly tire tho.

 

This build had a Z2 on it as well. I didn’t notice the stutters mentioned in the review, but I did make sure to increase the rebound closer to full fast before I started out. I liked the Bomber Z2. Of course, any fork on a hardtail is gonna feel pretty good compared to the back half of the bike.

 

You're responsible for the back half... No cheater monkey device in the middle. Be the suspension, Grasshopper! Flow like water!

 

I started out on a hardtail and understand the concept.
You can cheat on the climbs, I’ll cheat on the downs.

 

To my thinking, availability of tweaked hardtail designs has given MTB new life. The standards mostly make every one a parts bin bike.

D3, you won't regret it. It might one day collect dust, get broken down during a parts shuffle and end up in the rafters temporarily. But you'll always come back to and build it up one way or another and remember why you love it. If it fits perfectly, beat it up quickly so resale is an unattractive option. AYE