Many mountain bikers on a budget have to choose between a hard ail with a solid parts spec or a full suspension that cuts a lot of corners. Marin’s new bike, the Hawk Hill, appears to offer the best of both worlds: a full suspension frame with a quality build.
For $1,500, you’re getting a lot of bike including:
- 120mm-travel aluminum frame
- 120mm RockShox Recon Silver fork
- 1×10 drivetrain with a Shimano Deore rear derailleur and shifter
- Wide-range 11-42 cassette
- Shimano brakes
- Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires
Sure, a lot of the components may be Marin-branded, but they aren’t slapping just anything on this bike. For instance, the handlebars are properly wide at 780mm, the stem is 60mm long, and even the Marin rims are 27mm wide internally. The stock rear hub uses 135mm spacing, but the frame can accept 12×142 thru axle wheels should you decide to upgrade down the road. The Hawk Hill also has modern geometry with a 67.5-degree head tube angle, a healthy reach figure, and short, 430mm chainstays.
The biggest omission in the spec department is a dropper post, but that would have no doubt added substantially to the sticker price. Even factoring in an additional $300-$400 for a brand new dropper, the Hawk Hill still looks to be a hell of a deal.
