[Closed] What happened to Marin?

Sad isn't it?
Best bike I ever had was a 1993 Palisades Trail.

They had some of the first mass produced hardcore hardtails too.

No idea, tbh.
Fashion, maybe?

From what I've heard they're good but a bit heavy.

Haven't Marin become Whyte ?

I could be wrong here but I think your man whyte also designed suspension systems for Marin - hence the similarity but the two brands remain separate. Or something like that.

Nah, they've had close links but it's not the same company (at least, not so far as I know)

I think part of it was that they have a sort of mixed image- their hardtails were seen as a bit old-mannish, whereas they like making full suss bikes for mental people. But also, all those full-suss bikes looked effectively the same (in fact some really were the same just with different names) so though they had a unique look it wasn't a very comprehensible one.

And now, they just look boring.

Brand image in the UK has suffered over the past 10 years and they're seen as a bit beardy old man in Ronhillish.
Shame as they've made some fantastic bikes.

The first full suss I had was a 97 Mount Vision - they were one of the first designers to build a FS bike that was ridable cross country. They were one of the leading brands from the late 80's to the late 90's. If I remember rightly the single pivot Mount Vision frame was designed by Whyte.
Looks like they've kind of lost their way lately.

One of my favourite bike I have owned was a 2002 hawk hill. I loved that bike. Marin's used to be cool in the 90's with neon and grey frames.

I guess I count as old-mannish (but no beard), even on a FS. Deffo not in Ronhill...
Too old for what's in fashion or not and this forum is only about rational, objective discussion isn't? Isn't it? Oh....

Still really like my 2008/9 Rock Springs; the high BB suits West Yorkshire. Pivots still good after 3 years etc

For sure in the early-mid 90s their hardtail frames were seen as being up there with Specialised and Cannondale.

My understanding was until recently they were still a family owned business that refused to sell up (out) to the big boys a la most of the rest. The subsequent financial restrictions, combined with a failure to innovate (or at least innovate successfully) meant that they were unable to keep pace with the big guys. Unlike the boutique brands they were still trying to behave like a big bike company (road bikes, hybrids, hardtails, FS etc) without the necessary development and marketing budgets. Jack of all trades and master of none I guess. IIRC they were bought out last year, so maybe the brand will return invigorated..

Watch this space for next year...

Word is that Marin has been taken over by a new parent company, and will be investing very heavily into a new range of bikes.

The link between Marin and Whyte is a UK one, as they are both distributed by ATB sales. Jon Whyte originally designed the first single pivot Marin Full sus bikes back in about 1996, and a few years later in conjunction with ATB, started Whyte bikes. Jon has since parted the company, but Whyte has to an extent gone from strength to strength, the only link with Marin these days is that in the UK they are still both distributed by ATB sales.

This is what happened to Marin

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/2946169597/ ]Marin Man[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

They have made some ace bikes in recent years, though, IMO 🙂

Full sussers changed quite a bit from single pivot to new quad link from last year.

I really like my IFT, 9.6kg in it's socks, last year it got me a class win or 2nd place in every event we entered:

[IMG] [/IMG]

IIRC, Marin FS bikes were designed by Jon Whyte and latterly by Ian Alexander, who work for ATB sales. The hardtails are designed in the US.

Marin have had an image problem for years, right up until 2008 when they released their Quad 140 range which were very good indeed. I've run both a Rock Springs and a Wolf Ridge. The problem is that as soon as Marin created these bikes, they ran out of ideas on how to develop them, a crying shame because I see an awful lot of them about. I counted eight of them at Glentress in June (excluding my own) and a similar number in Wales a couple of months later. Owners seem to be very happy with them all told, they're enormously capable frames.

And then with that they returned to the doldrums...

I've also heard that there's big things coming for 2014, including a range of hardcore full suss bikes and price reductions all round. This is welcome news. The new owners are pouring cash into R&D, but I don't know whether Ian Alexander is still designing frames or if they've outsourced elsewhere.

My first MTB was a Bobcat Trail that I bought in 93. A great bike that I was gutted to lose when it was stolen.

Dogsby

They were always the mondeo of bikes. (I own a Marin and a mondeo!)
No one ever comes on here asking for pictures of old marins. They were good bikes but you could never fall in love with them.

A mate of mine has a Marin Mount Vision from last years range, he is old and has a beard, so there's something going on. It is without doubt a bloody heavy machine. He plods around on it and for the money he paid,there's better out there. He has continual issues with the flock of pivot bearings the damn thing has and at £40 a rear cast drop out nearly making the hair fall out of his chin recently, not very consumer friendly.

They were once the most lusted after bike around. Especially e team Ti. The quad link bikes looked good and were well recieved. Ten that had that hideous design vs with tubes pointing in all different directions like it had been smashed up with a lump hammer.

Now, they just seem totally irrelevant...big shame

I've wondered this myself ever since the 'hardcore hardtail' range was dropped.

I lusted after these back in the day:

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I loved my 2006 Rocky Ridge, other bikes came and went but it wasn't replaced until last year. Its still hung up in the garage.

I liked their quad links too, a couple of lbs heavier than the competition but all the bearings and shock sensibly place and protected from clag.

I have two Marins.
A 2004 Quad Link Mount Vision that i rode everywhere for 6yrs, reasonably light at 26lb and a good all day mile muncher.
Decided i wanted something a bit more rufty tufty and ended up with a 2009 Wolf Ridge 6.8.
I love this bike, although its heavy at 33lb claimed weight it rides very well. Climbs well enough for me and is an absolute hoot on anything lumpy and downhill. Its the first bike i reach for, even in the snow today.
The suspension is fantastic, i really rate the Jon Whyte designs. They made some great bikes with Jon Whyte but now the Quad III designs just look boring and generic.

The original single pivot frames all the way up to quad 2 designs were elegant solutions to increase effectiveness of suspension. Jon Whyte had done great ideas and executed them well. I had a 1999 FRS - basically a Mount Vision Pro frameset and it worked pretty well all told. It was a little bit like a Mondeo though - competent without being exciting and I certainly didn't 'bond' with it like I have with other bikes.

The original single pivot frames all the way up to quad 2 designs were elegant solutions to increase effectiveness of suspension. Jon Whyte had done great ideas and executed them well. I had a 1999 FRS - basically a Mount Vision Pro frameset and it worked pretty well all told. It was a little bit like a Mondeo though - competent without being exciting and I certainly didn't 'bond' with it like I have with other bikes.

I thought I would never own a full suss, I saw the 2010 Attack Trail and took a punt. Best bike I have ever owned (possibly ridden)

[IMG] [/IMG]

My 2004 Mount Vision and my Wolf Ridge are very different bikes. The Mount Vision is a competent mile muncher, with a long top tube and a suspension system designed to be efficient without being flashy. A bike designed for distance racing and epics really.
The Wolf Ridge is a bike of a more modern era, short top tube, slack angles and very plush suspension.

Plus, its bright bloody orange! 🙂

They have made some fantastic bikes, had a 2005 Attack Trail (last with the TARA linkage), cracking bike. Got a 2009 Wolf Ridge frame after I ovalised the headstock of the AT as a FOC warranty replacement.

I also have a 2007 Quake, heavy, over engineered but feels indestructible and unstoppable once pointed downhill.

Funnily enough, my first mtb was a Marin in 2007. A Wildcat Trail to be precise. I'd never heard of them before going shopping, but was very happy with it. The frame was a great ride and really tough, but the parts were a bit poor. Considering it's price, that's fair enough. It was my only bike at the time and used for a bit of everything, from xc to dh. I still [i]own [/i]it but it's on loan to the brother-in-law and doesn't see any off road action these days.

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My 10 year old quad link Mount Vision is still going strong - it's like an old friend now and we've had so many good trips. But actually the only original parts on it are the stem and bars. The frame has been replaced (rear end twice) and everything else a couple of times over. The limitation remains the rider 😳

My mate was at the show yesterday and liked the look of the new products.

My old '99 Rift Zone - I loved that bike. Covered 1000s of miles on it and even won a couple of national trailquests* with it.

[img] ?zz=1[/img]

*Yes - I was it's target market, and even had a beard!

I always liked the lifetime warranty on the bearings as well 🙂
My mount vision only has the bars, rear swing arm and wheels as originals now though. Managed to strip the BB threads on the main frame and had it replaced for £120 with a Mount Vision Pro frame 🙂

I used to own a B17!! Flexy as hell with a catastrophic shock, which ment you were hardcore if you even swang your leg over it. I also owned a Wolfridge, 2009 i think. That was awesome, until some pikey nicked it from my house.

i had a 92 eldridge grade, it weighed 26lbs, pretty light for the day.
upgraded to aheadset after a frontal accident bent the forks, then in 96 it got nicked and i didnt see it for 6 months, when i got it back the paint was ruined so i had it resprayed.
ran it with 50mm suss forks for a couple of years, it was fine,
its been run with slicks, knobblies, with a rack, bar ends, then later riser bars.
and it was all good.
it went to the skip last year due to rust and was replaced with a P7, but honestly its not in the same league.
i reckon if it hadnt got nicked with the subsequent paint job, it wouldnt have rusted inside and id still have it.
i cant think of any modern frame that could be so versatile.

Just goes to show the importance of perception and what a slippery thing it can be. Suddenly your perfectly good bikes just don't have that something that makes them cool. They could sort themselves out and get right back up there though.

I tested a new Rift Zone back in 06 and loved it! It was the top bike on my wishlist for a while until I realized I wanted a bigger bike.

Yep, perception has a huge part to play. When you're spending a big lump of cash you're going to consider everything - the bikes desirability being one of many factors. Though I guess some bikes sell in huge numbers due in large part to perception they're not necessarily bad bikes.
Having looked at the two Marin FS on their site I've got to say they look dull as dish water. They might ride amazingly and last for a lifetime but I personally wouldn't buy one of those two if I was looking for a new ride. I came very close to buying a Rift Zone some years ago but opted for a Commencal instead - I remember thinking the Marin just looked outdated where as the commencal looked like it had been design by someone forward thinking.

Zippykona that was harsh. My first mtb love was a pine mountain. But frustratingly you're a little bit right as the lava done then stole my heart

The first mtb I really lusted over was a mount vision in around 97/98 (silver frame, orange swingarm and orange manitou forks) £1500 for the first fs bike to win an XC race iirc.

Since then though it just seems as there's always a better/cheaper/more exciting bike in every market they are in. They need new USP really.

The new quad 3 designs are dull & boring looking. Might as well buy a Trek, similar design but much better looking.
I know its subjective but i really like the look of the quad II frames, distinctive as well as working very well.

I sill have an original Marin fs 😉 the one with manitou forks bolted on the back 😉 can't bring myself to part with it.. Still remember the day I got it...memories...........

atb sales were a major part of marin. they were the main instigators of most of marin fs designs with jon whyte basically licensing the design to marin (i think). atb then set up whyte bikes and jon whyte was the main designer/head honcho and atb sales focus has gradually moved over onto whyte to the point where marin are almost a contractual obligation rather than something to really push. take a look at whyte bikes now and they are almost a modern version of what marin where 10-12 years ago with fs, hardtails and hybrids in the range. atb sales have just moved away from distributing someone elses brand and have stuck with their own.

I used to have an old Bolinas Ridge and a Nail Trail, they used to be well regarded back in the day I remember.

Andrew Shandro even rode downhill for them (their downhill bikes were shit, but loads of people used them)

You used to see loads of marin gt trek and kona bikes on the trail .There seem to be few of the popular brands from the past on the trails but lots of very expensive boutique marques

Thats because MTBing is the new golf.

still running my '99 FRS. Took all the stickers off it, now has big forks and discs. It's done 10 Alp trips and loads more in UK. Without the stickers folk ask me if it is some early Santa Cruz...

Here's my '93 Eldridge Grade, still in daily use.

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Edric 64 - Member

You used to see loads of marin gt trek and kona bikes on the trail .There seem to be few of the popular brands from the past on the trails but lots of very expensive boutique marques

Go back a few years and you could say the same thing about all these new Marins, GTs etc on the trails replacing the popular brands like Muddy Fox and Raleigh 😉

The newer full sussers got too ugly even for die hard Marin fans.

I've had a few QUAD/TARA full sussers and love them, everyone else hates the high BB and slightly flexy rear end, but I freaking love it, I never catch cranks on rock gardens, I never come off front of the bike and I've only ever broken one of them despite riding as heavily and lazily as I can.

Also they depreciate like hell so make a good used buy.

Lastly, lifetime warranty on bearings, KERCHING. My 2007 bike has only needed one set in that time and I've honestly abused the hell out of it, and those bearings were free, unlike various mates who have spent about £150 a time on their Spesh FSR's bearing replacement about every 2 years of careful use.

Their not obviously the absolute best, but I'd be very happy having another put it that way.

I know office furniture suppliers based the original filing cabinet design (since copied by Orange) on the 97 Marin Quake.

Its funny how things come around

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My first proper mtb was a mar in nail trail, with ovation kit and manitou magnum r forks...Shame you don't see many more. They nearly released the Alchemy range 2 yrs ago but it fell through.

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I took the stickers off mine as well. It now looks like someone has rustled it up in a shed.
Which is a good thing.
Now 1x10 as the front mech always filled up with muck and never worked.

put some longer forks, short stem and a platform shock on that Quake and it would be absolutely fine.

I bought an older SH Attack Trail frame off this very forum some years ago.

It was truly appaling at going downhill.

I kept it a month before offloading it on ebay.

The only good thing about my experience with it, was I made a few quid out of it.

"all those full-suss bikes looked effectively the same (in fact some really were the same just with different names) so though they had a unique look it wasn't a very comprehensible one"
You could say that about many other brands though?
Trek FuelEX,Remedy,Scratch; Giant Trance'08,TranceX,Reign,ReignX; Cube AMS110,130,150; Cube Sting,Stereo,etc; Lapierre Zesty,Spicy,Froggy; must be more
Granted there were multiple names for the same frame, but it didn't take very long of glancing the catalogue or website to work them out
They stopped in 2009/2010 or so and went to a frame name and a spec number

"Full sussers changed quite a bit from single pivot to new quad link from last year"
Eh?
QUAD link 1 came in in 2003. QUAD link TARA about 2004/2005? so last single pivot would've been 2003/2004ish?

"had a 2005 Attack Trail (last with the TARA linkage), "
I thought they did them in 2006 too?
Then they made them 6" only for 2007 once the 120mm mount vision came out

"They were always the mondeo of bikes"
I thought that was the spesh stumpjumper FSR?
(by extension the S-works version would be the Jaguar X-type.. )

"buy a Trek, similar design"
Err?
One is single pivot, one is a sort of DW link?

"Lastly, lifetime warranty on bearings, KERCHING"
The lifetime frame warranty is pretty good too
My brother had a 2003 east peak, it broke and he got a 2008 mount vision for £180 to cover the new shock, that broke and he's now on a 2010 mount vision (came with a new headset). He was kind of hoping that'd break so he'd get a 2011 140mm MV

"mates who have spent about £150 a time on their Spesh FSR's bearing replacement about every 2 years of careful use"
err?
The spesh bearings may be crap (mine didn't last a year) but they were £40 a set? not £150?
Replacing for better ones from goldtec (£65ish for the set) and they're still going 3 years on

I don't get why they made the 2011 140mm one for only the one year?
It looked good (to me?) and it reviewed well enough (singletrack mag)
2012 one just looks like so many other bikes

For me Marin hit the height of cool back in c89 when they did a small run of uk designed hardtails with a "browning" suspension fork complete with cross brace to keep it straight - a bit like a cannondale headshok but before cdale had thought of it. The bike had a zolatone paint job and to this day I've always hoped to get my grubby mitts on one.

Heres my 2. The Palisades is what started it all for me. Got it for my 21st.
Bought the Team Marin later as dad had same year Pine Mountain I always hankered after.

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My first mtb was a Palisades Trail like that one ^. Must have been about 14. Nice bike but as a brand they never really capitalised on the name's cachet.

I had a circa 97 alpine trail with the quad link Tara setup that could be adjusted from 4"-6" of rear travel, it was my first full Susa and eventually loved it. I replaced most of the components with xt drivetrain and a set of funn f2 hydraulic brakes, a set of revelation forks and it just flew downhill, I found it totally confidence inspiring, however uphill I struggled a bit with it as the frame was a little small for me. I now have a stumpy fsr and don't think I'm as comftable on that when things get steep. However it's a better all rounder!

I still have the alpine trail, well the wife has it now and a lot of the more expensive components have been replaced with the originals so the better quality stuff could go onto the palisades trail frame I brought. Another great lightweight HT frame by Marin 🙂

However I wouldn't buy a new Marin now based on there dated design and heavy weight

I loved my Bear Valley back in 92, it was the business and looked amazing.

I last lusted after a Marin when I was toying with a hardcore hardtail to go with the full susser in 2008 and was tempted by their range of burly framed bikes. But since then I don't think I've looked at a Marin and thought about an irrational purchase - and thats whats all about.

Marin don't appear to have that showroom appeal needed to make people buy.

Looking at a couple of the 2013 bikes and they are nice enough but they are understated and subtle with very conservative tube/frame shapes.
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Perhaps they'd do well to follow KHS and go with a direct sales approach?

Oh and compare the Marin to the Whyte that ATB Sales sell and the Marin looks a bit impoverished.

The Marin Rift Zone XC6 shown above is £1,699 and the Whyte T-129 at £1,749.

Marin = 100mm Recon Silver,Monarch RL, SRAM X5/7 3x10 & Elixr 1s
vs
Whyte = 120mm Reba RLT, Monarch RL, SRAM X7/9 2x10 & Elixr 3s.

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I kinda liked Marins but was very disappointed by their current line up when I went looking for a new bike a couple of months back. I have been riding a Rocky Ridge exclusively since getting back into riding, and it is a fantastic trail bike - huge fun and has really helped get me back up to speed. Why they dropped that range I have no idea.

Hopefully they will get back ontop of things soon, it would be a shame to see the brand sink completely without trace.

The latest 2013 quad 3 designs are a rocker-link design somewhat similar to the Old Trek design aren't they? I'm on my phone so cant see it clearly enough to be sure about the actual pivot point placement though.

Marin used to have a reputation for hanging good quality kit off their frames, making them a good value purchase. Sad to see that's no longer the case.
Whyte bikes are now the Marin of the glory years of Marin full suss designs, ever since Jon Whyte left they've been adrift. The Quad III bikes look like they were picked out from a Taiwanese catalogue without much thought, such a pity.

This thread makes me want to build up the old '98 Alpine Trail 🙂

Parts have been robbed over the years - but could easy be put back to the Mt Vision spec that it got upgraded to...

From the 2013 London Bike Show the Marin models don't look half bad.
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But I still prefer the look of this Whyte T1-29, even if it does look rather too uncannily like a Specialized...
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"They were always the mondeo of bikes"

See, what's this statement meant to mean anyway?
Mondeos are fairly popular cars. For a reason. They're big enough, reliable enough, economical enough and reasonably priced. Any STW thread entitled "What car for..." Generally has a whole load of recommendations for Mondeos.

Yet label a bike with the tag and it becomes an insult. A bike from a major manufacturer is to be derided and is somehow inferior to the niche bikes.
When, mostly, very much the opposite is true.
Also I've spotted that there is a "new breed" of MTBers who belittle many brands that have been around since Day One (or nearly so) as being old and past it. Marin, Kona, GT etc. They seem to be largely ignorant of the influence of some of these brands (I'm thinking especially Specialized and Kona) and what they have done for the sport and the development of MTBs in general.
The only Marin I've ever ridden as an early Pine Mountain (if I recall correctly) when they first went to alloy in about 1992/3, and it was a belter.
Sure, they went through a bit of a bad patch. So did many other brands - Yeti anyone? - but the recent stuff is lovely.
Those taking the piss are either a tad thick or jealous. 🙂

From the 2013 London Bike Show the Marin models don't look half bad.

Nor does the Whyte in your third picture.

My first MTB was a '95 Marin Hawk Hill. I still have it, currently in a 1*9 rigid-sort-of-fat-bike style. It was originally 3*7 rigid with cantis, then it got V's (great) and bouncy forks (disaster) and it's variously been single-speeded, commuterised and bodgetastic pub-biked. I love it and, although for the most part it's basically cluttering up the garage, I'll never part with it.

This is sort of how it looked originally (not mine, pic from web)

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I don't think the mondeo comment was intended as taking the piss. I took it as meaning Marin bikes are like the Mondeo in that they are in fact great at what they do, they're reliable and good value but they lack (oh God, dare I say it) the X factor. They're not beautiful or particularly desirable - to many people who factor those aspects into their bike choice. It was only a few years ago when they did have a bit of a 'make over' and I thought it really worked. You started seeing the bikes featured and used in magazine shoots, they were talked about - their efforts seemed to be working and they appeared, as a brand 'youthfull'. In recent years it seems that they've reversed their approach though and, to me anyway, they look more middle aged, more conservative.
It's a simple fact that we all make choices based on what we perceive. It's not shallow or a trapping of modern society, it's just our nature. If it looks like it's for old dull people it doesn't really matter how well it actually functions - it's already on the back foot. Of course, one mans ugly pile of metal is another mans functional image of beauty - but we're all, like it or not, susceptible to trend in some degree.

Dogsby - Member
My first MTB was a Bobcat Trail that I bought in 93. A great bike that I was gutted to lose when it was stolen.
Dogsby

There's a nearly complete one in my garage at the moment - make me an offer for that old time retro ride feeling!! (think it may have the original tyres, sure they'll be good for another few years.)

And WTF is wrong with Ron Hills - I wear em and I loves em!

I had an "Attack Trail" (nice name) back in the day, which fell to bits quite quickly.

When I protested to the importer, ATB sales, they said effectively I was using it too much, I quote word for word Grant from ATB Sales:

"some of ours customers only ride their bikes once a month"

And apparently after a dirty ride in the peak district I should

"wipe it with a cloth".

Ace.

I broke 3 swing arms and one frame, the wheels fell to bits in 3 rides, as did tghe replacements.

Good other than that though.

I still have two Marins in the garage - a '92 Eldridge Grade, which now wears road tyres and is a lovely bike to ride around town, and a '99 Mount Vision, which I bought because it was the first full-susser that didn't weigh more than the Eldridge. Rode it last weekend, with its original bearings, because my 2009 Anthem X has just eaten it's second set (£180 fitted at a Giant dealer). It was still a capable ride, although it did feel tall and a bit flexy compared to the Anthem.
And I remember when a Marin Team Ti was [u]the[/u] superbike to lust after.

And I remember when a Marin Team Ti was the superbike to lust after.

yes, I remember that - I went and test rode one once, even though there wasn't a cat in hell's chance of affording one:-)

In the 90s I lusted after a Marin - the grey ones with the splashes of colour - but ended up with a Hard Rock because that's what the LBS stocked.

Fast forward a few years and I bought a Whyte 46. So very similar to the Quad Tara Marins of the same era, but the Whyte was desirable and the Marins simply weren't. Image is everything.

Need them to come back into fashion so I can sell my old Wool Fridge that's gathering dust

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It's worth whatever someone will pay of course but using the 2nd hand bike value formula mentioned on here earlier this week ie half original value minus £10 a year that makes it in theory worth approx £800 now agreed ?

I went to buy my first 'proper' MTB I wanted a Marin Eldridge Grade and nothing would turn my head.

Except for the Orange Clockwork I bought instead. I've never looked back.

I loved my Team Marin...
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As you can see, I didn't care too much what I looked like when riding it.

(Ron Hills are shit for MTBing though, they creep down at the back)

Whilst I've never been a fan, they seem to make decent bikes. Which is probably half the issue, why buy Marin? There's no car park kudos, it's not a must have brand, in a lifestyle/fashion driven sport ( for better/ worse) these things are as important as performance, and Marin just don't cut it.

I wonder how much the failure of the Alchemist platform hurt them financially?

1998 Pine Mountain with Exotic carbon forks, 48/34 chainset,11-25 cassette, slicks - takes care of commuting duties. Splendid frame. Wish I could get hold of a later, disc mounted version.

Didn't cynic-al join them as a product designer to develop a new full suss fat bike?

Still riding my 2009 orange nail trail. Its fully rigid, climbs like a bastard and doubles as a winter mud plugger and slicked up road bike.
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