Best Marin steel frame from the 90's is?

[carnell]

I really love Marin Team bikes from the early to mid 90's and have often wondered which year would get the nod for the best steel frame from 1989-1996.

Is there any exceptional differences between the frames other than the paint jobs? I guess it would come down to geometry and tube selection choice?

Thoughts welcome please-

 

[bikeworkshop]

As a rule, each year brought improvements, so a more modern frame ought to objectively be better than an old one.

Early mtbs are heavy and lumpen, with roadster geometry.

Post 95 though brought in the expectation of suspension on top end mtb, so if you want a fully rigid bike, that puts an end date on it.

The introduction of suspension meant people hit things harder, so frames started getting heavier again, and stiffer, and geometry changed to suit.

I love rigid/ short travel 95 bikes

 

[fguki]

1993 or 1994 are the prime years of the marin range. Main difference was only the design of the decals - basically.

Best for the buck in the steel rigid range was definitely the normal "Team Marin". Absolutely same frame as the higher model "Team Issue". Tange Superlite (1993) and Tange Ultra lite Prestige (1994)

Or are you aiming at the fully suspended "Pine FRS" steel model? It was beautiful and is very much popular - but also pretty heavy! And a way more lower end ("normal" Tange double butted) tube set.

 

[Lhatch4]

I would agree that newer was better. I think it was 98 that they went to to Columbus tubes. Mine is a 99. I just went for a ride on it yesterday. It's nimble, lightweight, great climber. I don't get sore and tired riding it like I do on some of my other bikes.

 

[Tootyred]

Imho.....The tange prestige stuff....for me toss up between 91 oversize....stiffer, but still with that lovely prestige twang.

Or 92 with the ditched downtube which was lighter and probably one of the best prestige tubing sets devised.

I also love an 89 as that year really set the geometry of marins for the next decade.

To me, post 95 is all a bit "blurrrrrgh" with marins own tubing (see what happens when the accountants take over and we need cheaper tubes) all be some of it still made in the tange factory.

But i only ride xl these days (although i raced 19" bitd) and i think that has an effect, bigger frames being more susceptible to the limitations of tubing.

 

[Tootyred]

But tbh, the upper end are all pretty good. The bikes i probably rode the most was a 92 and a 89 pine mountain....standard tange db cro mo, 19" and a 20.5", both fantastic and now cheap as chips to buy! Bit heavier but that was all.

And to be fair, some hate prestige as they can't get past the flexibility of it....but ive ridden it since 89....so for me that's normal and very comfortable!

 

[carnell]

Thanks for the posts, many interesting thoughts here. I've often wondered why mtbs have gained weight, and that make so much sense then considering the coinciding with the broad introduction of front suspension. I really liked the lightness and nimbleness that 90s Marin brought at the time, but now I understand the gestation that happened. So is there a consensus that Marin's own custom tubing were less favourable to Tange's offering?

 

[brocklanders023]

Early 90’s saw a race to see who could produce the lightest bikes and parts. Look at how much difference there was in weight each year on something like the Pine Mountain, between 89 and 95! It was pushed too far though (not necessarily by Marin) and stuff started to fail so weight went back up a bit. Interesting to note that it took so long to realise geometry and parts made much more difference to a bikes performance than weight.

Not sure how much difference there will be between the 93 and 96 top model steel Marin as by then the Team Titanium had taken over as the halo bike?

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Models listed in descending order of quality:
1 Team Issue
2 Team Marin
3 Pine Mountain
4 Eldridge grade
5 Bear Valley
6 Muirwoods
7 Palisades Trail
8 Bobcat Trail

All the frames up to Eldridge were the same, above that came the finer tubesets

 

[carnell]

6 Muirwoods
7 Palisades Trail
I think they run inverted on the list.