Marin is a bicycle manufacturer founded in Marin County, California and established in 1986. It specializes in mountain bikes but also offers several other variants. Many of its bike models are named after locations in and around Marin County.
History
Marin County California is the birthplace of mountain bike culture, and home to many of the people and places that have shaped the sport since those first informal, now-legendary, races down Mt. Tamalpais. Marin Bikes was founded in 1986 during the earlier days of mountain biking, and today offers a complete line of mountain, pavement and kid's bikes. Bob Buckley took up mountain biking on the advice of his doctor, and soon found himself immersed in the sport and dreaming of a better bicycle. Teaming up with local enthusiasts, Buckley founded Marin Bikes to create affordable, quality bikes inspired by the burgeoning scene and ever-expanding trail network in the surrounding hills. Sunshine Cycles in Fairfax, CA served as the hub of local bike culture, and it was there that Buckley met Marin's first product manager, future National Champion and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee Joe Murray. Dave Turner, later of Turner Bikes, was also instrumental in Marin's early product development. The success of Marin’s first model, the Madrone Trail, turned heads and laid the groundwork for three decades of performance-minded mountain offerings. Just two years after the company's founding, the well-received 1988 Marin Team Titanium broke new ground as one of the industry's first mass-produced titanium mountain bikes. It was at this time that Marin began naming models after the iconic landmarks of Marin County: Muirwoods, Bolinas Ridge, Pine Mountain, Indian Fire Trail, Eldridge Grade and Hidden Canyon. Taking early notice of a resurgence in pavement bikes, Marin introduced its first hybrid and road models in 1991, expanding the brand into new segments of riders including the now-explosive urban segment. On the mountain bike technology side, Marin has long been a pioneer in full-suspension design — the 1993 Marin Titanium FRS incorporated early Manitou suspension components and weighed just 25 lbs. Jürgen Beneke piloted the Titanium FRS to a World Championship that year, securing the Marin brand in the minds of the riding public with iconic graphics and a charcoal grey and anodized color scheme that remains a memorable part of the mountain bike palette. Throughout the '90s and 2000s Marin built a worldwide following through innovative, competitive bikes and successful sponsored riders. Hydroformed, monocoque and an increasing number of full-suspension models and the QUAD-link design, coupled with a greater emphasis on pavement bikes, had firmly entrenched Marin as one of the bicycle industry’s key influencers. The past decade has been fruitful; Marin Bikes went through a renaissance under new ownership and management in 2013 and has fully overhauled the lineup, netting numerous awards from media outlets throughout the globe. The Wolf Ridge, utilizing Naild’s groundbreaking R3ACT – 2Play suspension technology took the mountain bike market by storm in Spring 2017, eventually netting an influential Design and Innovation Award, while the Hawk Hill garnered Marin’s second consecutive Editor’s Choice award from Bicycling Magazine, along with accolades from numerous influential media outlets. Today Marin offers a competitive lineup of mountain, fitness/transit, drop bar, and pedal-assist bikes.
Bicycle range
Marin offers full suspension and hardtail mountain bikes, road bikes, street/urban commuter bikes, comfort bikes, and specific designs for women and children. Price points range widely from several hundred dollars to several thousand. One of the most commonly seen Marin bike frames in the UK is the 1992 Range. The frame is primarily matte black and luminous green/yellow/orange in colour, with some bikes sporting other colour schemes. It was a popular frame at time of release and is therefore widely available.
