Reviews
Tom Marvin, MBUK. 29th May 2026
riding the Auckland Cycle Works Marra v2.4
“The faster you go, the better the Marra gets.”
“that KOLARP suspension is really impressive. It is very different to what you'll get from the bigger brands out there. In fact, very different from any other suspension system out there. But the claims that Gary has, they seem to hold up.”
“I think Gary's done a very, very good job. That is one impressive back end.”
Liam Mercer, Offroad-cc. 27th May 2026
riding the Auckland Cycle Works Marra v2.4
“Because the Marra is such a calm bike to ride at speed, I found myself riding faster than I usually would, but without really knowing it.”
“although its KOLARP platform is so wildly hair-brained compared to pretty much everything on the market, it works. Its performance under braking loads is unlike anything I’ve ridden before. Its ability to conserve its geometry while rattling through chunky terrain encourages speed I simply haven’t been prepared for, but importantly, at such speeds the bike instils a level of calm that makes going fast remarkably comfortable. Then on milder terrain, it defies itself as a 180mm enduro bike as it’s engaging, responsive and still fun to ride.”
https://road.cc/offroad/feature/the-bike-born-from-lego-auckland-cycle-works-marra-first-ride-reivew
Photo: Liam Mercer / Offroad.cc
Guy Kesteven, GuyKesTV. 29th Dec 2025
riding the Auckland Cycle Works Marra v2.4
“It’s just really calm and composed, it seems to give you more time and less terror.”
“We need bikes like this, technology like this, thinkers like this, to progress everything, to challenge the received wisdom, the status quo, go at things differently, ‘cos if that’s not what mountain biking is all about … then I don’t know what is.”
Photo: Guy Kesteven.
Benji Haworth, Singletrack magazine. 6th Nov 2025
riding the Auckland Cycle Works Marra v2.4
“An extremely interesting bike that also happens to be extremely good. … Does it do anything above and beyond any existing offerings from the mainstream bike world? Yes, I think it does.”
“the KOLARP suspension was extremely adept at dealing with bumps and impacts”. “The Marra is a superb climber”.
“it’s when braking that the Marra is most immediately different from more traditional designs. … the lack of stuttering or skipping about from the rear tyre contact patch is very impressive. The rear suspension doesn’t pack down, it stays neutral and still does suspensiony stuff. It means you can brake less and brake later.”
“So yeah, all in all I think the Auckland Cycle Works is a pretty exceptional mountain bike.”
https://singletrackworld.com/2025/11/auckland-cycle-works-marra-v2-4-review/
photo: Benji Haworth
Pete Scullion, Wideopen magazine. 4th Aug 2025
riding the Auckland Cycle Works Reiver v1 prototype
“No oddities, no kicking, no nothing. Just control. It is hard to articulate how easy it is to rip on the Reiver. I was pushing on from the first turn and the rear end just dealt with all manner of stuff in the same composed way.”
“There was a quiet confidence about the Reiver that passed onto me when riding it.”
photo: Pete Scullion