Bike Check: Vero Sandler's Marin Mount Vision

Jul 30, 2019 at 8:23
by James Smurthwaite  


Vero Sandler was a downhill racer for many years but after becoming jaded with her lack of progress and a lack of industry support, she packed it in, moved to the UK and decided to just ride for fun. She was documenting her riding on Instagram and it wasn't long before the sponsorship emails started coming thick and fast. Now she's finally living her dream of becoming a professional rider and has just become the first woman to lead a freeride film in Vision. To celebrate her new movie, Marin had this special edition Mount Vision built up.

On a bike that already divides people in the looks department, Marin have gone for a red to purple fade with a smattering of personal touches to make it special for Vero. Hope have also chipped in with plenty of purple components and some custom brakes. Vero doesn't really make any setup changes for riding big jumps but she does have a longer steerer on this bike than her regular trail bike. This allows her to run a higher front end on it than she normally would which she believes helps when getting airborne.
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Vero Sandler
Age: 26
Hometown: South Wales
Height: 165cm
Weight: 58kg
Instagram: @veroniquesandler

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Marin Mount Vision Details
Frame: Marin Mount Vision, 150mm travel
Shock: Fox Float X2 Trunnion, 178psi
Fork: Marzocchi bomber Z1, 150mm travel, 70psi
Wheels: WTB asym i29 rims on Hope pro 4 hubs, 27.5"
Tires: Front - WTB vigilante 2.5, rear - WTB Judge 2.5
Drivetrain: Sram Eagle, Raceface Sixc cranks, 165mm
Brakes: Hope Tech 3
Cockpit: Raceface Turbine R stem - 35mm, Raceface Atlas bars - 750mm, WTB grips
Size: Small
Weight: N/A
More info: marinbikes.com

bigquotesI felt mind blown, it was a total surprise. I've only ever seen racers at World Champs with custom bikes. I don't know if I deserve it but I'll definitely take it.Vero Sandler

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The Hope brakes come with Vero's own illustrations on the reservoir.

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Marzocchi and Fox provide damping duties on Vero's ride. The shock is run at 178psi while the fork is 70psi.


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Vero is running a 35mm stem and 750mm bar. The front end is also higher on this bike than her regular trail bike and she prefers it higher for jumps.

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Hope's purple assault is front to back on this bike.

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Personal touches are everywhere on this custom painted ride.

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Apparently it took Vero a good few hours to notice these downtube details.

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More purple, this time to help locate the valve.

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WTB tyres, run at 21psi front and 24psi rear.

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Asymmetrical, aluminum rims from WTB.

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Purple fully takes over on the rear end.

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Oil slick titanium bolts finish off the look.


Author Info:
jamessmurthwaite avatar

Member since Nov 14, 2018
1,770 articles

101 Comments
  • 76 0
 We complain about this bike, yet Marin is sponsoring her, so complain about the other bike companies not stepping up.
  • 18 3
 Truth zone. She rips and has such good style, she so deserves sponsorship. Representation of women in mtb still isn't where it should be, but it's better than it was. When I look at sports like hockey in Canada or basketball in the US the erasure and omission of women in sport seems fcking insane compared to mountain biking. Obviously the mens events hold more draw and it's overwhelmingly men in ads etc, but PB running articles like this, having Sarah Moore test bikes etc is a step in the right direction for sure.
  • 9 2
 @myfriendgoose: if the base of women rider grows the amount spent by companies for women sponsoring will grow too. Fact is you go to the bike park and you see maybe 10 girls for 400 men. The few girls I know that ride are friends'GFs who picked up the sport because of her relationship with a rider. Go to a French DH race (local or national) and the ratio is the same if not even worst despite the fact that most riders there are not sponsored. So all in all I would tend to think that despite the very very small following of women DH as an activity, quite a few girls manage to make a living and get some sponsorship, maybe not at WC level but I am sure the Instagram thing allows them to shine much more than guys for exemple.
  • 6 2
 The issue is, does sponsoring her actually drive sales? Does sponsoring any female athlete (other than Rachel Atherton) drive sales? That is a very hard thing to measure.

There is a huge controversy over here in the USA about the womens soccer team, which won the World Cup, being paid less than the men. However, the US Soccer Federation lost money on the womens team, and was made up by revenue from the mens team. I wonder if this is the same case for the very few sponsored female riders.

The bottom line is that women don't spend money on cycling in a significant way compared to men, and men respond to marketing from male pro athletes more than female. I think this is dumb, but reality doesn't matter what I think. Pro women are much closer in performance to you and I, average Joe Pinkbiker, than Amary Perrion or Brandon Semenuk. The demands they put on their equipment, their geometry needs, etc are not necessarily what is best for you and I. Someone like Tracey Hannah, while still much faster than you or I, has closer needs for her equipment (ignoring that women are lighter than men) to our needs. Few of us would ride better with suspension set up as stiff as Aaron Gwin or Try Brosnan.
  • 5 0
 @hamncheez: I think we get what you're saying here - but there are woman out there spending some serious coin on their bikes and are really into the sport. I'm guessing you're talking about volume comparison. In that case, yes, there are more men into the sport than woman. But... we should change that! So if Marin wants to sponsor a woman rider, I think it's great! Hopefully it will make other companies take note and step up.
  • 1 0
 @CentralVTMTB: I agree, it is great, which is why I made the original comment. However, it probably doesn't pay off for Marin in the short run with increased sales, but hopefully by increasing their brand awareness for both men and for the potential growth in women cycling. However, most bike companies are not making huge profits, and its risky to invest in something that can't generate immediate sales.
  • 6 0
 @CentralVTMTB: just out of curiosity, why should we change that? Where is the need for 50% representation coming from? Aren't people already free to chose? I find the impulse to make men and women identical in every activity confusing. Equal and identical are not the same thing. Honest question, no toxic masculinity intended.
  • 5 2
 @hamncheez: www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/us-womens-soccer-games-now-generate-more-revenue-than-mens.html

You might have old facts.

Women are spending more on cycling than men and they are more influential. Women's cycling is booming. However, the bike industry is struggling to figure out how to market to women. The women I ride with don't want smaller bikes. They want bikes that fit them, not the average woman. They want good values, not necessarily inexpensive bikes and parts. I've sold Transition Bikes to men and women because of Tahnee Seagrave. Aside from the women's soccer, all of my information is from first hand experience so it could be isolated to my small corner of the world.
  • 4 3
 @myfriendgoose: it's not insane. I'm probably gonna get downvoted for this, but I don't really care because I'm stating fact: Other than some of the die-hard fans and those who have personal stake (e.g. a girl from their hometown is competing), most viewers don't care to watch the women in sports that are heavily based on power generation, like hockey or basketball or bike racing. Women are more graceful than men (this is a physiological fact), but men are capable of going faster/harder/bigger because of their power generation (again, fact.) Which is more exciting for the average viewer, especially because the men will always be pushing harder than the women, absolutely speaking (not necessarily relatively speaking.) Plus, on average, men will do more dumb shit/take more risks (there are evolutionary reasons for this.) So while you have plenty of badasses like Casey Brown or ACC or Missy Giove (holy shit don't forget about how lose she got!), you will (statistically) always have a larger field of men who are ready to "get sendy" and risk life and limb.

Case in point - as a bike nerd, I like watching mens and womens XC and DH (DH less so, honestly) world cup races. My fiance is not a "bike nerd" - she likes biking but she's not really "into" bikes like myself. She loves watching WC races, but she refuses to watch the women's races. I asked, "you don't wanna watch the girls race?" and she says, "no, it's just slower and lamer compared to the men." I laughed and told her there's a lot to learn and appreciate from watching a 110lb rider finesse a bike compared to a 180lb rider who can muscle it out, but at the end of the day, only bike nerds like you an I care about the nuances of technique. Most viewers just wanna see shit get rowdy.

Luckily for mtb, it's a lifestyle sport. So, there's plenty of room for chicks to shred and sell bike stuff and make cool videos and all that. However, pretending there is some sort of "erasure" in the competition realm of sport, as if there is a sexist conspiracy, is just BS. If people don't wanna watch it, no one is going to pay for it to be aired. It's simple economics, and it doesn't account for feelings. Plus, people don't consider the fact that one girl rider who stands apart from the rest, like Casey Brown or Veronique Sandler, can actually be a way better spokesperson for a brand than another dude shredder who's just another "bro pro". And at the end of the day, all of this sponsorship and tv coverage and shit is simply to sell a product. That's what racing is for - to test, sell and showcase product.

@conv3rt the only reason to change that is to sell more bikes and get more people involved in riding, which has obvious benefits. But you're exactly right, the whole idea that everything needs 50/50 representation is a load of feel-good crap. Men and women, on average, like different things. They value different things (again, on average.) Also, the fact that you have to clarify that you don't intend "toxic masculinity" makes me sad (I totally understand why you said it, but the fact that we are at a place in western society where you have to try to clarify that is ridiculous.) Unpopular opinion - toxic masculinity is a myth. The real problem is lack of masculinity, lack of general human decency and a materialistic, image-obsessed society that misleads young men (and women).

I'm braced for the downvotes, let's go! lol
  • 1 0
 @trialsracer: Couldn't agree more. My wife loves watching the downhill world cup, but as she is in charge of the remote, fast-forwards through the down time during the womens race to get to the mens race faster.
  • 1 1
 @dangeraem: If you go to the source, USA Soccer Federation, and not a news outlet, and you don't cherry pick the data, but rather look at the last 10 years, USA Womens Soccer lost money, but actually got paid more:

"Over the past decade, U.S. Soccer has paid our Women’s National Team more than our Men’s National Team. From 2010 through 2018, U.S. Soccer paid our women $34.1 million in salaries and game bonuses and we paid our men $26.4 million—not counting the significant additional value of various benefits that our women’s players receive but which our men do not"

www.ussoccer.com/governance/board-of-directors/us-soccer-president-carlos-cordeiro/open-letter-july-29-2019-finding-common-ground
  • 2 0
 @trialsracer: haha, the toxic masculinity thing was a joke. Like, I told my friend that my beard was considered a micro-aggression and need to carry colouring books for people to feel safe when I'm around. I find this new terminology a problem overall.

Jokes aside, I think about this stuff a lot and genuinely want things to be better for people. I want people to have equal opportunity and the freedom to choose. As far as I'm aware, bike shops don't refuse sales (and if they do they're stupid), trail access is not restricted to a subset of society, and almost all brands I can think of make effort to provide a variety of designs in order to increase revenue (your point above). So as long as a person is capable of earning a decent wage, they can ride bikes for fun. If they don't want to ride bikes for fun, I'm not going to go search them out and pressure them into it just to satisfy some unrelated ratio. That's nuts.

I do, however, think that a solitary women in a group ride changes the ride dynamic and may lead to future absence. Two women and it may lead to future rides. Solid role models are always good no matter what. I'm stoked that Vero and others have something to say and hope it leads to benefit in general. Seems like they are where they want to be. It's when the forced equal outcome stuff comes up when I get grouchy. Does that give me the green light to go to a WC DH race and demand a trophy? Or maybe I can approach Red Bull and require them to give me a custom painted helmet based on the under representation of the bearded middle aged? There's a reason (well, many) why I shouldn't get those. I didn't work hard to earn them for one. I'm not strong enough nor skilled enough. Most importantly, I don't really want to do those things. That's unequal but doesn't mean I'm being structurally oppressed. Sorry, I'm just ranting now. haha...and I'm sure someone is going to point out a bearded middle aged Red Bull athlete now (mid-forties preferred).
  • 1 0
 @conv3rt: Good point. I don't feel 50% is where it needs to land or will land. I think we need champions from both genders to create excitement and showcase the possibilities. Sure, Rachel Atherton is a good example, but I can think of other strong woman like her that show have the potential to showcase their skills at the sport to drive interest in others. Smile
  • 1 0
 @hamncheez: True! maybe it's an experiment for them.
  • 59 2
 They naild it.
  • 42 1
 r3actions like yours were 2be expectred
  • 6 8
 I had the same R3ACTion
  • 4 0
 They had a Vision and stuck to it
  • 1 0
 Suspension and bike is made to hammer it!
  • 40 4
 This bike is sick.
  • 12 18
flag tobiusmaximum (Jul 31, 2019 at 0:25) (Below Threshold)
 As in.. puke?
  • 1 1
 @tobiusmaximum: Errrrmmm...like you?
  • 2 1
 @Pochiemaui: did your dog help you with that?
  • 38 4
 From front to back... Ok, great, great, I like what I'm seeing, nice, nice, wait a secondHOLY HELL WHAT IS THIS THING
  • 10 3
 Thats what happens when a 2015 gt and a cannondale dont use protection. You always wrap your frame in helicopter tape
  • 4 1
 I'd like to see an artist do a concept of this bike in a less Pontiac Aztec fashion. If Yeti can make there slider thingamabob look suficiently pretty it can't be impossible.
  • 28 3
 The way a bike rides is SO much more important than what it looks like. I dig innovative companies willing to think outside the box. People who refuse to try a bike because of its looks are going to miss out.
  • 5 15
flag f00bar (Jul 30, 2019 at 22:30) (Below Threshold)
 Looks are important too - a good looking bike makes you ride more often. I refuse bikes with a Lefty. They could be the best bikes ever and I wouldn't care, because every time I would go for a ride, I would throw up in my mouth a bit just by looking at the bike.
  • 10 1
 @f00bar: If the bike rides well you'll ride it more. I don't see how looks play a role here. Do you go out to ride or to have other people admire your bike?
  • 5 2
 @rowanlewis: seriously, a bike that performs well is so much more important than looks. But I don't see why people dislike the look of this bike. It looks absolutely amazing!
  • 6 4
 @rowanlewis: A "prettier" bike rides just as well, so why would I choose the uglier one? In my performance/skill bracket, there is simply no reason to sacrifice the looks for a 5% gain in performance.

It's not about other people, it's about how *I* like my bike.
  • 2 0
 I have damned good looking bikes before that handles like pieces of turd on a string .... good to great handling frame first and looks second!
  • 2 1
 I'd have a ride on it, but i'd never, ever own one. Plus, its not going to ride better than a lot of beautiful bikes out there.
  • 3 6
 i want my bikes like my girls.
goodlooking and good at "riding"
  • 16 0
 I said it last time this bike came up. Maybe you guys could ride like Veronique Sandler if you stopped looking down at your bike while riding.
  • 15 3
 Who cares what it looks like! it's cool when brands do wacky different shit, would I buy one probably not. I'd demo one atleast but if brands don't push the boundrys the sport would be dull as
  • 12 0
 Hey Vero, you most certainly deserve it.
  • 9 1
 I never disliked the look of these I just think there is to much going on. I wonder how many of us would change our minds if we rode it and it lived up to the hype around that suspension platform.
  • 5 1
 Take a listen to our podcast special bud. It's all about the Marin Mount Vision and how it came to be...
  • 3 0
 I wonder how it would look with a more traditional looking rear triangle on it instead of the whacky looking arm. I think that's the first thing the eye catches as "weird".

The rest isn't really any uglier than a yeti and pinkbike collectively drools over those
  • 5 1
 @HookitProducts: genius! A podcast is a great format for reviewing the Marin Mount Vision there’s no visual so you can’t see it!
  • 2 1
 Its just a bike with 150% antisquat. If it did not look crazy, it would be considered bad design. Now it's just "special", for the connoisseurs
  • 3 0
 Nowadays there are so many good bikes out there that you can have both good performance and good looks. No need to compromise on either.
  • 3 0
 @HookitProducts: As h-beck83 mentions, you've got to ride it to believe it... I remember when the Reps for Marin UK came down with a bike for me test, a Wolf Ridge 9 29er... I said how i thought it looked so weird, they said go thrash it and tell us what you think.
Man, what a bike it really is, the suspension platform works amazingly well, im a VPP lover but it seriously impressed me.
Good Work Marin! and we all love Vero...!!
  • 7 0
 I already loved the look of the wolf ridge and the mount vision is even better. But my God, the color scheme and style on this mount vision is insanely beautiful. I'm shocked people diss the looks so bad. Marin is doing it right! Dream bike right here.
  • 11 1
 Wow--looks great!
  • 10 6
 From far, far, far away.
  • 11 0
 @shredright: True, I'm in the U.S.
  • 4 2
 said no one ever Big Grin
  • 3 1
 @OceanPhil: You're on the internet!
  • 11 5
 Hot Take : The Mount Vision is better looking than most generic horst link bikes.
  • 3 0
 I can’t believe how many people are complaining about it. 99% of us will never get a custom bike from any manufacturer. If Marin offered to sponsor or give anyone a bike who wasn’t sponsored already. You would bite their hand off.

I would imagine most of you commenting aren’t blue steel models, but expect someone to ride you???
  • 12 5
 My eyes!
  • 4 0
 Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that the pictures basically never show the bike's rear end. Like they are trying to hide it in the dark.
  • 3 0
 Coincidence....I think not!
  • 4 0
 paintjob and parts are sick!! Stoked for her. I just don't like the look of the frame.
  • 6 1
 Wheels by Gravy FTW!
  • 5 0
 Really nice paint job
  • 4 1
 I'm not following how that purple nipple would help locate the valve. The valve is about 6x the size of the nipple !
  • 3 0
 You know you live in strange times when non-ebikes start to look more like ebikes than some ebikes do.
  • 2 1
 Honestly it doesn't look bad at all. Obviously the pinkbike comment shouters all have far superior machines and would never ride such a bike, even if they were given it for free......
  • 3 2
 So this is basically a Polygon, or vice versa. How does it work? I know there are alot of examples like this, but never understood it. Oh and BTW, Veronique is a fcking boss
  • 11 0
 Seperate companies paying to use the same design.
  • 1 0
 @makripper: Thanks! So the design is owned by a separate company? Same people that own the suspension patent?
  • 4 0
 Both Marin and Polygon are owned by the same parent company I am pretty sure. If nothing else their bikes are made in the same factory.
  • 6 1
 Just like santa cruz and intense (VPP)...ibis and pivot(DW link)... more than one company can license a suspension platform
  • 7 3
 BIKE IS RAD!
  • 4 2
 As far as I know she almost never rides this bike. I always see her on the more traditional Marins
  • 4 5
 A purple anodized spoke nipple is used to locate a valve stem that is 10x it’s size?
Personally, I don’t think that red and purple go well together but WTF do I know? I do think that the white Marzocchi decals should go for something less bright.
You’re welcome for my unsolicited opinion.
  • 3 0
 I think it is for when there is no valve in it, such as when you are building the wheel. I think I will use this trick next time I build a wheel rather than a piece of tape on the spoke. Gives it a handmade touch when it is done.
  • 3 0
 Red and purple is a dope combo
  • 1 0
 Purple on red, would not be my first choice
  • 2 1
 I like to try and ride one someday, but I think I'd want a paper bag over my head or the bike while I'm doing it.
  • 3 0
 I rode one and had a blast, then when riding back on the street, someone said "Nice E-bike" Frown
  • 3 1
 In Australia, we call this a Prawn
  • 1 1
 Looks good, I'm trying to get my friend who's a girl to mountain bike, but she doesn't want to it seems. She literally tells you she wants to, then doesn't, just like my mom.
  • 2 0
 So much purple! Drool emoji
  • 2 1
 I like this bike. It looks stupid and weird, but I still like it.
  • 2 0
 Nice dnb vibe
  • 3 2
 Nice e-Bike... Wait... What?
  • 1 0
 I love racecace
  • 3 2
 Nice E-bike
  • 1 2
 I would love to try out this bike. I don't think it looks all that terrible.
  • 2 1
 Marin you legends!!
  • 3 2
 Kill it with fire
  • 2 4
 Marin / Polygon, you have a good bike here, just redesign the rear end - make it look 'normal'. The hate is so annoying.
  • 5 1
 No they need to keep the look. It's an absolutely beautiful bike. Don't need to have everyone liking it haha. I'd rather be on something that's not also owned by everyone and their mother.
  • 4 7
 The looks are so off-putting to say the least. I wonder how many they actually sold. Prolly handles well, though.
  • 5 8
 That poor bike looks like a rejected science project from the Soviet Union days. Dislike.
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