Tested: 2007 Marin Mount Vision

WHAT: Marin Mount Vision
WHERE: marinbikes.com; 800-222-7557
HOW MUCH: $3,100

Marin has been messing around with versions of Jon Whyte-designed suspension platforms for years. It rolled out the latest iteration, the Quad Link, on the longer-travel Quake in 2006 and this year brought the design to the masses on the 5-inch-travel Mount Vision.

The Quad Link suspension is a floating-pivot design similar to Santa Cruz’s VPP design, but with an important difference: According to Marin, there’s little to no chain growth in the early part of the travel. This means the bike pedals firmly with little bob and no pedal kickback while remaining fully active.

That’s a claim worth testing and we spent four months on the Mount Vision, punishing it on everything from downhill shuttle runs to fireroad climbs. The suspension worked as advertised (which is to say on par with the better designs out there) and the bike delivered a smooth and snappy ride on all kinds of nasty terrain. That is only part of the equation, however. The Quad’s short, beefy links combined with long, box-section seatstays for a surprisingly stiff, stable ride.

The bike’s linkage pivots on eight sealed cartridge bearings, each with its own protective aluminum cap. The capped bearing detail speaks to the bike’s designed-in-soggy-England roots. It’s a touch that complements the bike’s already clean lines and bodes well for long bearing life.

Visually, the Mount Vision is a stunner, with sleek, curvy lines running from the toptube to the dropouts. But those lines do more than look good. The S-shaped toptube reduces stand-over height while the curvaceous rear triangle, where the seatstays are stacked on top of elevated chainstays, increases lateral stiffness while reducing chain slap and chain suck.

The bike came equipped with a nice parts mix including a Shimano XT/XTR drivetrain, WTB Laser Disc Lite hubs laced to Mavic rims, Fox suspension front and rear, and Avid Juicy 7 brakes. Without pedals, the bike weighs a hair under 28 pounds.

The Mount Vision provided little to complain about performance-wise, but there are a few small details worth noting. Most noticeable is an awkwardly recessed cutaway in the toptube to allow room for the upper headset cup. This allows the formed toptube to fit over the headset cups on the short headtube, but it looks sloppy. Also, a latticework of beefy links cradles the Fox RP23 shock, making adjustments difficult. And in one particularly annoying oversight, the water-bottle bosses forward of the rocker link don’t leave enough room to actually hold a bottle.

But that’s it. A few minor complaints for a bike that is surprisingly well put together. The Mount Vision is a strong performer with solid value and represents a significant step forward for Marin.