Marin Bikes - Cult Bikes with History

Bob Buckley named his brand after Marin County. That's a small county in the northwest San Francisco Bay Area - one of the nuclei of the early mountain bike boom. Buckley's goal was to build high-quality, affordable bikes. The first Marin employees went on to make their mark in the bike industry: The first product manager, Joe Murray, was one of the best U.S. mountain bikers in the 1980s and is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Favero. Marin product developer Dave Turner later founded his own brand. Marin Bikes is full of stories and most importantly Marin is a part of mountain bike history.

From the beginning, Marin was one of the hottest US bike brands around. No wonder: already the first Marin MTB, the Madrone Trail, was a huge success. With the Team Titanium, Marin followed up two years later and presented one of the first series titanium bikes on the scene. A big marketing coup was the naming of the new Marin models: all bikes were named after bike landmarks of Marin County. There was the Muirwoods, the Pine Mountain, the Indian Fire Trail, the Eldridge Grade or the Bolinas Ridge. Most of these models are still around today!

One Marin mountain bike in particular stood out in the early MTB days. With the Marin Fully Titanium FRS, the US brand established itself as one of the pioneers in full suspension. The bike was equipped with Manitou suspension components and weighed a measly 11.4 kilograms. The German mountain bike star Jürgen Beneke competed with it in downhill races in the World Cup and at the World Championships. Thus he gave this model world fame.

Since the early days of mountain bike history, a lot has happened. Also in the house of Marin Bikes: From the cult brand has been established to a permanent fixture in the bike business. Today, pure mountain bikes are no longer everything that makes up the Marin portfolio. In addition to the classic MTB categories such as enduro, cross country and dirt jumping, they have dedicated themselves above all to the topic of adventure. Marin has various bikepacking and adventure bikes in the program. With robust Gravel Bikes Marin has made a name for itself in the drop bar scene. Various kids bikes as well as fitness and commuting bikes round out the range, which is now complemented by various e-bike models. In the following, we will go into the different bike categories of Marin Bikes.

Marin mountain bikes have one thing in common: they are neither particularly light nor decidedly delicate. Instead, they were developed to withstand the tough MTB everyday life. Robust frames are the basis for every Marin mountain bike. You'll find cutting-edge Marin Enduro Fullys like the ALPINE TRAIL Carbon or the RIFT ZONE Carbon in the Marin portfolio. But there is also a whole range of bikes that deliberately rely on the proven material aluminum. For purists, Marin has freeride and enduro hardtails in its program. These include, for example, the Marin hardtail SAN QUENTIN or the EL ROY. The PINE MOUNTAIN, by the way, one of the Marin classics par excellence, even relies on a purist steel frame. It is the perfect bike for true mountain bike adventurers. Of course, a Marin Dirt Bike must not be missing.

Basically, Marin Bikes offers all models in different - even very small - sizes. Thus, smaller women also have a wide choice and find the right bike in the Marin portfolio. The WILDCAT TRAIL 2 model was developed especially for female bike fans. If you are looking for a robust, affordable and everyday mountain bike hardtail, take a closer look at this model. By the way, Marin has paid special attention to bikes for kids. With small 20-inch bikes the entry into the Marin mountain bike world begins. Over 24 inches up to 26 inches, the bikes then grow along until the offspring fit on the "normal" models.

Marin has found a real hobbyhorse in the field of gravel bikes. But perhaps they have simply thought back to their own roots? After all, many a Marin gravel bike has something in common with the first mountain bikes in the 1980s. At that time, the new bikes stood for robustness, freedom and adventure: virtues that apply to the modern Marin Gravel bikes. Marin has made a name for itself with its Gravel models. We would even say that some Marin Gravel Bikes have now achieved real cult status. This applies to the adventure gravel bike FOUR CORNERS with stylish steel frame as well as to the all-round gravel and commuting model GESTALT.

Behind the Transit/Urban Line models are versatile bikes designed primarily for everyday use. Most of these models - such as the Marin FAIRFAX fitness bike - come with straight handlebars and equipment suitable for everyday use. Various versions with an electric motor are explicitly designed for everyday use without a car. What all these models have in common is that they are extraordinarily robustly built. Whether PRESIDIO or MUIRWOODS: All these models are perfect for escaping into nature on the weekend.