Monday, May 23, 2011

Airborne Marauder

I was hoping to hit some singletrack on my Marauder this weekend. But unfortunately there has been a series of severe thunderstorms that have drenched the area in rain, pelted us with golfball to baseball sized hail, and even set down a couple tornadoes. So seeing as riding is out of the question, I've decided to introduce you to my bike.
My rig is a 2010 Airborne Bicycles Marauder. I purchased it in January of this year. It's a Freeride rig with 6 inches of travel. I've been riding it nearly daily since i got it. I love to ride on the dirt, but unfortunately where I live, there aren't very many trails. So i have to make due with what i have. In turn my Marauder sees alot of urban freeriding assaults. But don't worry, it spends plenty of time on the dirt singletrack and even some rocky Ozark terrain. It hasn't let me down yet, tackles anything I put in its way. Be it rock gardens, roots, step-ups, drop-offs, dirt jumps, staircases... You name it, it can take it.
Airborne Marauder Spec' List

Frame - 6061 Aluminum 6" Travel Single Pivot Suspension MTB, w/Sealed Bearings 
Fork - Spinner Cargo 340 w/34mm Stanchions, OX-Valving, 150mm Travel and 20mm Axle 
Rear Shock - Marzocchi Coil F 
Headset - Ahead Sealed Cartridge 1 1/8" 
Brake Levers - Tektro Novela Sport 
Brakes - Tektro Novela Sport Mechanical Disc 
Rotors - Tektro 203mm Rotor 
Shifters - SRAM X-5 Trigger 8-Speed 
Front Derailleur - Shimano FD-C050 
Rear Derailleur - SRAM X-7 
Cassette - SRAM PG-820 13-32t 8-Speed 
Chain - KMC X-9 
Crank - FSA Dyna Drive 22/32t with bash guard 
Bottom Bracket - FSA Dyna Drive 
Pedals - NONE 
Rims - WTB FX-28 32H Disc Specific SV 
Hubs - Rear: 32h Alloy QR Disc Specific Front: 32h Alloy 20mm Thru Axle Disc Specific 
Spokes - Black 14g Stainless 
Tires - Kenda K877 Kinetics Front 26x2.6 & Rear 26x2.35 
Handlebar - Kalloy Alloy 31.8mm Diameter, 670mm Width, 30mm, 6 Deg 
Stem - Kalloy 2D Forged Alloy, 31.8mm Clamp Diameter, 50mm, +/- 10 Degree Rise 
Saddle - WTB Pure-V Sport 
Seat Post - Kalloy Alloy 30mm Diameter, 350mm Length 
Extras - Owner's Manual, Clear Coat, H20 Bottle Mount

I've put my Marauder through some punishment and it has taken everything i have thrown at it and then some. Bike feels great in any condition be it mud, snow, loose pack or hard pack singletrack, downhill, and even urban freeriding. It stays stable and maneuverable in even the worst of situations. The Spinner Cargo 340 fork works great, takes a lot of punishment. I haven't bottomed it out yet and I've hit some 5 and 6 foot drop offs. The Marzocchi Coil F shock that its coupled up with works amazing. Crisp response and takes everything you can put it through from small bumps to drop offs and rock gardens. The Tektro Novela 203mm mechanical discs help you come to a stop when blistering down the trails. The Shimano and Sram drive-train is amazing. Fast and reliable, and coupled with the FSA Dyna Drive 22/32t crank with bashguard you can go just about anywhere. Makes climbing pretty easy considering the weight of the bike. The bashguard will save your chainrings from getting beat up on rocks, roots and other obstacles. The WTB wheels are nice and sturdy. Hubs roll smoothly letting you go as fast as possible down the trails. The Kalloy 670mm wide bars allow for great response and handling but yet keeping you narrow enough to make it through tight technical areas. And the Kalloy seat post coupled with the WTB Pure V sport saddle allow comfortable seating. All in all, great bike, great spec list and a great price at $699.95. I suggest you check out Airborne Bicycle's website at http://www.airbornebicycles.com/ and grab yourself one today.

15 comments:

  1. The 19" frames weighs in at 38.1 lbs. The one reviewed is a 15" frame. Not sure of the weight of the 15".

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  2. Awesome write-up Chris! I'm working on getting a review together for one soon as well! Great job.

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  3. Thanks Jerry! Can't wait to read up on your review!

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  4. Hey Chris-- thanks for the ink! Glad you're enjoying your Marauder.

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  5. hey did you have a problem tunning in the front derailer? the bike shop i had taken it too had a problem getting it to work correctly, he had another guy come in and take a look at it and he said that the shimano wont work with this set up. so they ordered me a sram X7. it works but the only thing im still having a problem with is shifting to the highest gear. it dont wanna shift, it takes a while then it will go. other than that i love the bike. thanks again and great wright up. dave

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  6. How did u take the triangle on the seat post clamp off

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    1. I didn't. The 17" and 19" frames have the extra piece for support on the taller seat-post. The 15" frame, which I have doesn't have the extra support because the post isn't as tall. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask. I'm here to help and share what I know. Cheers.

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  7. For the record, I'm using a shimano XT front deraileur with no problems whatsoever.

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  8. Great testimonial!

    I've been looking around at the name brand hardtail competition in this price point, but have been disappointed by their lack of value. I hadn't heard of Airborne until yesterday, but it's clear now that they deserve some serious consideration!

    Thanks for the user insight.

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    1. Oh, I forgot tot ask...

      Do you have any experience with the Zeppelin Elite? I can't decide which is the best for me. I've been riding an '03 Trek 4500 for about a year and a half (bought it from a neighbor that upgraded to a Rockhopper), and am ready to move up to a mid-level bike to tackle some tougher trails.

      I won't be doing too much in the way of downhill. Mostly flowing, rocky singletrack. Is either bike setup a bit better for my needs?

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    2. Jim,
      I haven't had any ride time on a Zeppelin Elite. There are several people I know that have. How serious of riding are you planning on doing? The Zeppelin Elite is more of a trail/single track kind of rig.

      Zeppelin Elite review by Marty Tank:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjKthrQ3YgI


      Marauder review by Neal Bryant:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THTA1yYgy4E


      If you need to know anything else, please feel free to contact me at TheAirborneAlf@gmail.com

      Hope that helps! Cheers!

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  9. What are the specs on the rear shock? I am getting ready to order my bike and want to swap the rear shock out for an air shock to save some weight and tune the bike better

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    1. As in what specs are you concerned with? Marzocchi Roco F Coil - The eye to eye is 200mm - 7.875x2.25, Spring Preload, 165-38mm stroke, Spring: 450lbs, Weight: 576g (with spring). I hope that helps. Cheers.

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  10. Do you have any idea what the width of the bottom bracket is? (the width of the frame portion of the bottom bracket). I need 68MM for a project I'm doing and wonder if one of these might work if I can find one. Thanks! Mark

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