1980's Marin Models, Information, and ID-guide

[Santuri32]

Dear Retrobikers,

I am interested in writing an identification guide for the 1980s Marin Mountain bikes to set as a depository of this information on this forum and later on a webpage about '80s Mountain bikes. For this I am asking your help in all you can, pictures of early bikes, their serial numbers, components, any advertisement historic race data with pictures, magazine reviews, and catalogs, etc. I'm obviously a bike nerd, bothered by the lack of information about the 80s bikes that I love and I am doing this for several brands.

I am also interested in the hierarchy of these models, and your help is appreciated. Follow its evolution in this thread.

Thanks

 

[hamster]

Palisades was (and is) above Muirwoods.

 

[Santuri32]

Palisades was (and is) above Muirwoods.

[Edited after finding new information]

Thanks for clarifying that! The Madrone Trail (so far I have: Red, Yellow, and Sea Blue colors and men and women's frame) was their first bike. That "Chevron" shaped seat tube collar was carried over on the lower hierarchy frames from 87-89.

Thanks again Hamster

 

[Santuri32]

The revised 1989 Marin MTB Hierachy looks like this. The Madrone Trail colors and styles so far found.

 

[Santuri32]

Hi,

I keep making slow paced edits, please pass the voice to Marin Experts or literature collectors in the forum, much appreciated.

 

[hamster]

Worth a read: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=312735
Madrone Trail seems to have been a regional variant of the Palisades.

 

[Santuri32]

Worth a read: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=312735
Madrone Trail seems to have been a regional variant of the Palisades.

Thanks for the link hamster, too bad they didn't clipped and pasted some pics, but they are talking 90's which is another needle in this haystack.

To answer their question there here, the Madrone Trail was the first bike made by, the then new, joint venture between Buckley and Murray. The bike had a nice geometry and an attractive entry level price of $200 in the US (about $475 US today). Unlike earlier MTB companies, Marin chose to capture adepts with an entry level model first, and went up from there, which might have worked for them at the beginning. There are some online coverage of the 30 anniversary of Marin with pictures of the bike, also shown above. The bike came with a seat tube aluminum badge, which was followed by a sticker in the 1987-'88 bikes, describing bikes were designed by Joe Murray NORBA champ. '84-'85. I believed the Madrone Trail was a 1986 only model, but have found pictures of what I suspect are 1988 and a 1989 both in solid black, the component in the '89, if original, suggest the bike may remained bottom of the model line in those years.

 

[Santuri32]

Hopeful to hear from more Marin brand fans here. Post your suspected 80s bike pics and serials, together we can finish this quick. Is there a fear of killing a mystery?

Based in the definition of a Team Issue bike that describes it as made for the public bike, that is based or the same on the Team sponsored bikes. I am moving the 1987 Team Comp in the same line as the Team Issue. I have no evidence of a 1988 Team Issue bike, but assuming there was one since these were available in 1987 and 1989.

 

[gtturbo]

Just an update for the list. I don't think you will find there was an Eldridge until 1990 possibly 1991 I forget now, they certainly didn't sell the Eldridge in the UK market in 1989 but perhaps did in other markets.

 

[Antstark]

Re:

Don’t remember there being a Team Issue in 88..not in the UK anyway.