Last week at Outdoor demo I rode a Marin Rift Zone XC7 29er and found it to be a worthy competitor in the FS 29er space. Marin places the Rift Zone XC7 roughly in between an XC and Trail bike and based on the ride and geometry I’d say the bike leans much more heavily toward the XC end of the spectrum.

Like the other FS 29ers I tested, the Rift Zone is a capable climber (70.5-degree head tube angle) and fairly lightweight for a hydroformed aluminum-framed bike. As tested the bike offers a solid mix of Fox suspension components, a Shimano drivetrain, and Sun Ringle Black Flag wheels (perhaps the most non-XC thing about this bike). Descending on the Rift Zone was a blast – in my notes I wrote “juicy suspension.” Some of that juiciness could be attributed to the on-site tuning – after the Marin mechanic set me up I stopped off at the Fox tent where they ended up adding pressure back to the rear shock.

Looking at the raw numbers on the Rift Zone XC7 you can see this bike is really built for XC riding. The 100mm of front and rear travel places this bike solidly in XC territory while the 70.5-degree head tube angle is one of the steepest of the bikes I tested (only the Santa Cruz Tallboy and Giant Anthem X have steeper head tubes). The bike’s chainstay length of 450mm is right in between the Trek Rumblefish and Specialized Camber Pro.

At around $2,600 complete, this is one of the most affordable FS 29ers available and it does a good job on the trail. If you’re looking to upgrade to a FS and a 29er at the same time, this could be a good choice for you.

There’s been a lot in the news lately about trail building and advocacy and fortunately most of it has been good news thanks to groups like IMBA and local bike clubs. On the flip side there’s also been news out of California about illegal mountain bike trails being built on public land that threatens to undo years of positive progress.

Just last week the LA Times wrote about an illegal trail network that was found in Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Before being dismantled by rangers and volunteers, the trail featured wooden bridges, jumps, and even sandbag-reinforced switchbacks. Apparently several other Orange County parks have seen illegal trail construction as well, though the Limestone Canyon trail was in a particularly eco-sensitive area.

Up in Marin County they’re still bitching about us and one letter to the editor of the Marin Independent Journal points to the damage freeriders have done in the Tahoe area by building illegal trails.  Here’s an excerpt:

(L)ast summer the U.S. Forest Service announced the discovery that renegade mountain bikers had secretly cut up to 30 miles of trails in the Tahoe backcountry during this past decade. In 2009, the USFS spent $29,000 to close three miles of illicit trails at Tahoe alone. Despite having 255 miles of trail access in national forests around Tahoe, that isn’t enough for the free-riders.

The writer goes on to connect the irresponsible behavior of an unknown group of riders in the Tahoe area to all mountain bikers and voices her opposition to an alternating day use plan split between hikers and bikers in Marin County. It’s really a shame because the alternating day policy seems quite reasonable and this person assumes mountain bikers won’t follow the rules because of what happened in Tahoe.

On the spectrum of things that are bad for the reputation of our sport, building illegal trails has to be one of the worst (if not the worst) things we can do. So if you’re thinking about putting a shovel to dirt this spring on land you don’t own or have permission to use, give us all a break and volunteer with your local club to improve existing trails.

Ok, so this is BIG news. For those who don’t know, Marin County is basically where mountain biking was invented but for the last decade or so mountain bikers have been kicked off just about every trail in the area. Mount Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) in particular hosted many of the first (informal) mountain bike races and has been off limits to mountain bikes for years.

Now the California State Parks department is proposing opening 4 miles of trail in the foothills of Mt. Tam to mountain bikes and is soliciting public input. That’s where we come in.

Take a minute or two and fill out this comment form letting California State Parks know you support mountain biking in Marin County. Read more details below (from IMBA) so ya know what you’re talking about (also note the part about hiking and equestrian groups vowing to fight the proposal).

California State Parks has announced a proposal to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project.

This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California, Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years.

Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26.

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties.

A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.”