Buying a Marin mountain bike is a bit like driving an Aston Martin or eating at a Michelin starred restaurant. It shows that you appreciate the best things in life. Marin is one of those rare companies whose name has become synonymous with the pursuit of excellence in their chosen field.
California based Marin have been making bikes for over 20 years and are still entirely owned by the founding family and their team of employees.
For 2009 they are offering two ranges of high performance mountain bikes. The Mountain FRS range includes the awesome Quad X120 which was voted Bike of the Year ‘What Mountain Bike?’ magazine in 2008. It truly is a serious piece of kit and I’m salivating just at the thought of it.
Also offered in the same range is the Quad XLT which has been the ride of choice for two Downhill Master World Champions. With a pedigree like this it’s difficult to find a reason not to purchase a Marin.
The range is the Mountain FT. The FT stands for Fixed Tail, which basically means that there’s no suspension on the back wheel, unlike the FRS range.
It’s kind of a personal decision which range suits you best, but my money is on the FT range for everyday cycling combined with weekends on the trail.
That rear suspension set can make regular cycling a real burden, so it’s best to be honest with yourself before you make your purchase decision. If you’re not coming down mountains, you don’t really need a down hill bike. Even if they look so, so cool.
As if they hadn’t already thought of everything, Marin have also come up with a Women’s range of mountain bikes that have been designed specifically to fit better to a woman’s body shape and limb dimensions. From what I’ve heard, the results are spectacular. Hats off to Marin for recognizing that men and women are not the same. It’s also bound to be a shrewd business move.
The thing I love about Marin is that everyone at the company lives and breathes bikes. It’s not just a job to them, it’s a complete lifestyle decision - and that really comes across in the product offering. I’m currently on my third Marin and haven’t found a thing to complain about. They’re stylish without being garish, they reliable and not over complicated and above all they are very, very cool.
I use my Marin mountain bike every day and have been doing so without a glitch for the last 3 years. I took the bike to France last year and it proved itself to be bullet proof after passing through London’s Gatwick airport. Having had a peek at the Marin website I’m tempted to trot off to my local dealer to test ride a new bike. I really don’t need one as the Marin mountain bike I’ve got is fine. It’s hugely tempting though!
