Chinertown
Chinese Carbon MTB => 29+ & 27+ => Topic started by: jefflinde on February 11, 2026, 08:32:34 AM
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while not a Chinese company, Marino bikes out of Peru are in a similar vein and I think they should be highlighted here.
I recently ordered a custom 32er hard tail frame from them and I am super happy so far with the build process. I was able to send them a design and they whipped up a cad and sent it back with some clarification questions. everything from chain stay length to bottle mount placement was an option to change. once I ordered, it took about a week to be built and is not on its way to me. The price was amazing at just over $700 for a Reynolds 725 frame with sliding drop-outs and a bunch of bottle mounts. cant wait for the frame to arrive. Side note, they are in the same time zones as the US so emailing back and forth is super fast since I don't have to wait for the next day to get a response.
I will be adding more to this as I receive the frame and build it up.
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care to share the geometry details that you went with?
could you tell us the weight of the frame?
thank you!
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I copied the Neuhaus nova 32 geo for the size large. I did have to go 10mm longer chainstays ass the bike CAD software was showing the rear tire interferes with the seat tube. I don't have a weight of the frame yet but once I get I will update.
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Major update!! frame has arrived and is built up. the ride is definitely different but i have not taken it anywhere besides the driveway so no way to tell how it actually handles on the trail.
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these are the frame geometry specs. total bike weights bang on 27lbs with dropper, pedals, bottle cage, everything.
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I love Marino builds!
Looking at your rear dropout...it looks like there might be well more than the usual 15 mm of adjustment there?
That would actually be quite a selling point to me. Is it that way on both sides, might you know how much adjustment you can actually achieve with it?
Those others who want to go custom, I offer free 32" frame sketches in BikeCAD Pro. To hone my skills and to help riders and help builders spend more time with their families.
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I love Marino builds!
Looking at your rear dropout...it looks like there might be well more than the usual 15 mm of adjustment there?
That would actually be quite a selling point to me. Is it that way on both sides, might you know how much adjustment you can actually achieve with it?
Those others who want to go custom, I offer free 32" frame sketches in BikeCAD Pro. To hone my skills and to help riders and help builders spend more time with their families.
I am traveling now but I will measure it when I get home and report back. I feel like they said it was 20mm.
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Major update!! frame has arrived and is built up. the ride is definitely different but i have not taken it anywhere besides the driveway so no way to tell how it actually handles on the trail.
It looks like you're using a very long stem and a massive stack of spacers too. In retrospect would you have changed the geometry of the frame?
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It looks like you're using a very long stem and a massive stack of spacers too. In retrospect would you have changed the geometry of the frame?
Some of my fit has changed since I initially built the bike. I just put the stem on there as it was either that 110mm or a 50mm as my only choice. I have since changed that out for an 80mm +6° stem. I don't like to be hunched over so I have a lot of spacers but that is just me.
Let me first say that I do like the bike and love the wheel size. As for the geometry, I would change a lot. This will be an old man style rant about the new direction of bikes but they suck balls. So I copied the Neuhaus Nova 32 size large. I am not sure what they were going for but it is shit! The position is super far forward and very short feeling. I had no idea how a 32 would fit and everyone was saying that the stack would be crazy high and we would need to have all these stupid limp penis looking stems. So I went with a very short head tube which I would change right away. Maybe if you are a pro XC racer you need that low of a stack but it is not for me. The seat tube is also way too steep. It puts way ahead of the bottom bracket and makes the cockpit super cramped. I would slacken the seat tube by a few degrees and lengthen the reach. I was also very worreiabout toe overlap based on all the people pontificating on the internet's so the head angle is slacker than I would like. I would definitely steepen that up a degree or two. I have angle adjustment headsets but I have not tried them yet. The 2° will be the first one I try. The short feeling reach is what is driving the long stem. It is hard to turn the bars and not hit my knees if I run a 50mm stem like the Nova comes with.
Other than that, it is great. I really want to get a suspension fork on the bike asap. It is very fun to ride but the rigid fork is definitely a limiting factor. The rollover is really only noticeable on rock gardens and roots that are over 6-8". Getting up that stiff is super easy on this bike. Little roots and rocks feel the same as on a 29er. No magic carpet ride there. I was also worried about how it would handle in tight technical situations but I have been pleasantly surprised. The bike is long so I have run into things I would usually be able to clear just because I forgot I has more tire out front. The steeper head angle will help shorten the bike up. The steering also feels a bit floppy due to the huge trail #s so again, a steeper head angle should help with that.
I will make some changes and then I will likely order another frame from Marino. I have been very happy with the bike.
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I am traveling now but I will measure it when I get home and report back. I feel like they said it was 20mm.
Sorry it has been way too long but I finally have an answer. Looks to be about 15-18mm of travel. The slot is 65mm long and the drop-out is about 43mm in length.
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Thanks for the detailed update, and even more thanks for putting in the time, effort and money to experiment for us all.
I'm ready to pounce on a 32" build, but it seems like the longer I wait the more options there will be. I'm also old (51) and have been mountain biking since 1990. I've seen how long, low and slack MTB's have become and it's taken me some time to get used to modern geometry.
All that said I recently sold both my hardcore hardtails (very long and very slack bikes). As much as I love the simplicity of a hardtail, the trails I love to ride are just way too rocky and technical to be taken at speed on a hardtail. Whilst a 32" hardtail is tempting I figure the extra rollover is not going to be enough for the kind of riding I like to do so I think I'll wait it out for a short travel dual suspension 32" trail bike. Will keep an eye out on your future projects!
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Some of my fit has changed since I initially built the bike. I just put the stem on there as it was either that 110mm or a 50mm as my only choice. I have since changed that out for an 80mm +6° stem. I don't like to be hunched over so I have a lot of spacers but that is just me.
Let me first say that I do like the bike and love the wheel size. As for the geometry, I would change a lot. This will be an old man style rant about the new direction of bikes but they suck balls. So I copied the Neuhaus Nova 32 size large. I am not sure what they were going for but it is shit! The position is super far forward and very short feeling. I had no idea how a 32 would fit and everyone was saying that the stack would be crazy high and we would need to have all these stupid limp penis looking stems. So I went with a very short head tube which I would change right away. Maybe if you are a pro XC racer you need that low of a stack but it is not for me. The seat tube is also way too steep. It puts way ahead of the bottom bracket and makes the cockpit super cramped. I would slacken the seat tube by a few degrees and lengthen the reach. I was also very worreiabout toe overlap based on all the people pontificating on the internet's so the head angle is slacker than I would like. I would definitely steepen that up a degree or two. I have angle adjustment headsets but I have not tried them yet. The 2° will be the first one I try. The short feeling reach is what is driving the long stem. It is hard to turn the bars and not hit my knees if I run a 50mm stem like the Nova comes with.
Other than that, it is great. I really want to get a suspension fork on the bike asap. It is very fun to ride but the rigid fork is definitely a limiting factor. The rollover is really only noticeable on rock gardens and roots that are over 6-8". Getting up that stiff is super easy on this bike. Little roots and rocks feel the same as on a 29er. No magic carpet ride there. I was also worried about how it would handle in tight technical situations but I have been pleasantly surprised. The bike is long so I have run into things I would usually be able to clear just because I forgot I has more tire out front. The steeper head angle will help shorten the bike up. The steering also feels a bit floppy due to the huge trail #s so again, a steeper head angle should help with that.
I will make some changes and then I will likely order another frame from Marino. I have been very happy with the bike.
If you feel the seat tube is too steep and the reach too short...why not fit a setback seatpost of sorts? There are even some dropper pots options.
I've had to research this because some of the carbon hardtails are also too steep for me, and I will even be putting in a shorter fork to somewhat make sense of the frame, such as the TideAce.
I recently bought a seat with 3D printed top, and it turned out useless for my current bike, it shifts my position way aft and on the existing bike I can't have that, need it all the way forward. Such a seat would already help you out probably.
From that picture, it looks like the sliding dropouts might well have 25 mm between fore and aft :-D
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Thanks for the detailed update, and even more thanks for putting in the time, effort and money to experiment for us all.
I'm ready to pounce on a 32" build, but it seems like the longer I wait the more options there will be. I'm also old (51) and have been mountain biking since 1990. I've seen how long, low and slack MTB's have become and it's taken me some time to get used to modern geometry.
All that said I recently sold both my hardcore hardtails (very long and very slack bikes). As much as I love the simplicity of a hardtail, the trails I love to ride are just way too rocky and technical to be taken at speed on a hardtail. Whilst a 32" hardtail is tempting I figure the extra rollover is not going to be enough for the kind of riding I like to do so I think I'll wait it out for a short travel dual suspension 32" trail bike. Will keep an eye out on your future projects!
Affordable custom full suspension 32"ers are being built, but they will obviously be HEAVY.
In terms of comfort, I've had decent success in the past with suspension seat posts. Not a true solution for rough trails, of course.
The Lenz Leviathan in 32" seems a VERY viable FS frame, but it's not a cheap chi-ti. Lenz were early with 29" and are early now with 32".
There are ways to make a frame that's too slack for your taste a bit steeper (angleset headset) in the head tube. The seat tube that some can't get use to, may require a setback seatpost/clamp (they exist for droppers). You might end up with a frame size smaller, especially if the designer copy/pasted the Reach number from a lower stack 29" bike and called it good.
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Just watched a YouTube video where they were racing the 32er by Ari. Race was cut short due to hub failure which is kind of odd. That bike seems likely prefect future steed. I probably won't be doing anything until the fox float 32er is available. Unless you have deep pockets there are no viable suspension fork options at the moment so a full suspension build is on pause for me. I definitely see myself on a 32er for XC though. Which kind of sucks cause I have lots of fancy 29er wheels. Hahah. The bike industry machine is working.
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I have a Marino 32 hardtail on the way.
Got first pic of it and should be finished this week.
Geo looks pretty similar?
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I have a Marino 32 hardtail on the way.
Got first pic of it and should be finished this week.
Geo looks pretty similar?
Looks awesome. Can't wait to see your finished bike. I just was out on mine and still love it.
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Turned out pretty nice...
Now the agony of shipping, I opted the fastest one.
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Love blue and silver. What axle to crown did you go with on the fork? What did they charge for shipping? I am in the US and I recently reached out to Marino about anew frame and they said that shipping was not like 400+. Seemed excessive but curious what your experience was.
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The fork is kind of a test/placeholder. I took it with 510 length and 70mm offset. I'll buy a short stroke suspension fork for it when they are available with decent price.
shipping with DHL was 220 usd
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I have a question. Have any of you thought about having Waltley fabricate a custom 32er TI frame? Once someone gets a frame geometry they like, this might be a cost effective approach for a mid weight frame. I have contacted Waltly about their 32er TI frame and its price. (They have designed and fabricated a carbon fork.) The attached link shows their 32er frame geometry.
https://www.waltlyti.com/product/61.html
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I went though almost the whole process with Waltly but didn't end up choosing them. Didn't ask them for a drawing.
I had some small requests and communication was less clear than I needed to gamble so much money.
A friend had just ordered a very basic 700C Gravel frame and it took longer than expected.
My friend got the Waltly, it looks reasonably well made. Not boutique builder level, but decent.
With similar uncertainty and communication, I decided to go with Marino in Peru for half the price and a custom steel fork (529/60 mm). No doubt much heavier, but supporting a smaller shop. I've always liked steel anyway, have no meaningful experience with titanium although I used to sell Litespeed and Merlin.
Within a few months the Trek bikes will be on the market. A complete OCLV hardtail bike with long travel dropper post and Rockshox for €1799.
I may buy that Trek and swap parts with my more high-end build, to have a heavy steel bike for the road and singlespeeding, and a quite light rigid Trek. Wheels can be exchanged, both Boost. I'll just use 180/160 mm brakes on both.
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It’s here, built and tested. I like it.