Marin's Juniper Trail is a sexy-looking machine, and a pleasure to ride

- Get on your bike
- Giant Anthem Zero

£735
13", 15" and 17"

One of the fastest-growing sectors in the bike industry is women-specific cycles - and the name of Marin's Juniper Trail should clue you in that it's pitched at the female mountain biker.

There are several good reasons why women-only bikes make good sense, the foremost of which is that women have shorter arms than men and so often find it a stretch to reach the handlebars.

The Juniper Trail tries to rectify this with it's "women's fit geometry" - which basically means that the bike has a shorter wheelbase and steeper top tube than Marin's regular bikes.

Emma Clarkson takes a rest from riding Scotland's 7stanes trails

Other concessions to femininity on the bike include narrower handlebars, smaller grips, a tuned suspension fork (because women generally weigh less) and a women-specific saddle (because women have wider "sit bones").

Our female testers noticed the difference between the Marin and their normal bikes instantly.

Emma Clarkson is an experienced mountain biker who usually rides a low-to-mid range men's hardtail bike

She said: "One of the best features of the Marin was its handling - you choose the line you intend to go and the bike goes where you want it to. I accept this sounds exactly what a bike should do, but many don't do this as easily!

"The handlebars were closer to the rider to avoid the longer outstretched position of a men's bike, the handlebars were narrower than a men's bike too (with a nice girly flowery pattern!)

Lucy Scrivener on "The Wall" at Afan Country Park in Wales

"This enabled me to reach the brakes and gears more easily than on a men's bike - I never once got achy hands even after a days ride, which I usually do. This together made the bike feel like a safer bike to ride as I felt much more in control."

Emma also rode the bike on a 30 mile daily commute between central London and Hertfordshire, and found the hills on her route less of a chore thanks to the bike's light weight and comfortable riding position.

"My fitness was pretty poor at the time the bike was trialled in the 7Stanes, so the lightweight, easy to handle frame ensured fantastic and very enjoyable rides throughout.

"I have to also bang on about the great adjustable forks which I loved riding with. Lockable for riding on roads, or very soft and spongy for the rocky Scottish descents. The best forks I've ever ridden with."

The only negative point Emma could pick after hundreds of miles of on and off-road riding was the fact that the Hayes disc brakes were still squealing - useful for self-preservation in London traffic but scary for the wildlife when out in the woods.

Another female tester, Lucy Scrivener, was a little tall to judge the bike fairly, but also commented on the bike's handling and the performance of the Marzocchi MZ Race fork.

She said: "I rode my Specialized Hardrock a couple of weeks ago in Coed y Brenin and it felt so cumbersome in comparison (though it still holds a special place in my heart!)."

Irrespective of it's suitability for the fairer sex, the Juniper Trail offers pretty good value for money on it's own terms.

The price of £735 may seem steep to novice mountain bikers, but what you get for your money is a bike that's capable of taking on pretty much any trails the UK has to offer - and which is light and comfortable enough to ride all day.

Marin's swoopy hydroformed aluminium frame is worthy of special mention, it's angular profile and subtle blue/grey colourscheme combining to give it a sort of feminine-industrial vibe - which works surprisingly well.

Despite their noise issues, the Hayes brakes worked well and it was hard to find fault with the rest of the components - especially the supple and adjustable fork.

In summary, the Juniper Trail is definitely one that's worth following if you're a woman looking for an all-purpose mountain bike - and especially if you find that normal bikes just don't quite fit right.