Marin Bikes
MADE FOR FUN
Marin Bikes are Made For Fun. Since the first mountain bikes bearing the Marin Bikes name debuted in 1986, the brand has been dedicated to enriching the lives of our riders by making fun, high caliber bicycles, which provide years of riding enjoyment. We operate a business based on hard work, fueled by passion, and fulfilled by the satisfaction of bringing the joy of cycling to riders across the world.
Whether your idea of fun involves riding rugged trails to that high alpine lake, pinning on a race number and entering your first race, taking the long way home on your commuter bike, bike packing to that remote campsite, or just exploring the neighborhood bike paths, Marin brings the fun to your ride. It’s the principle that guides us when developing new bikes, from long-travel, trail-devouring machines that are at home in some of the world’s most challenging race circuits to the multi-surface capable pavement collection. Each model is designed to be playful and to maximize the opportunities for two-wheeled fun.
BRAND 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 Cup title 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 groundbreaking Naild R3ACT – 2Play suspension technology took the mountain bike market by storm in Spring 2017, while the Hawk Hill garnered Marin’s second consecutive Editor’s Choice award from Bicycling Magazine. 2018 saw the addition of the Nicasio, bringing a fun and unique steel model to the Beyond Road collection, and the new Mount Vision, Alpine trail, Gestalt X, Headlands and Rift Zone Carbon models have helped keep the brand one step ahead of the competition.
The future is bright for Marin, and our fun index is pegged. Come join us on ride.
* https://www.marinbikes.com/au/the-marin-story
