No love for Marin?

[gerryattrick]

I love my 93EG, it got me back into biking. I've put a lot of time and money in stripping and rebuilding it, but sadly it's got to go as it's just that bit too big for me and deserves to be ridden more. It's going on eBay to make funds for other work, but I can't bring myself to get rid of the wheels and XT chain set so those have been replaced with new modern stuff (heresy to a retro biker)

Luckily all is not lost as I have a 93 Marin Team Issue to work on

 

[thecannibal]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

 

[Neil]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

 

[thecannibal]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

It's my opinion. You're welcome to hold a different one. Marin's have always struck me as just totally bland and unremarkable. To me they're grey, soulless, non-entities. Stuff associated with the Californian MTB scene is usually unassailably cool, but yeah, I find Marins crushingly boring. Even their ti frames leave me totally cold.

It may well be stupid to have strong feelings about mass-produced products, but nonetheless, the first time I saw a Marin I thought 'that bike looks f***ing lame', and I still do. If people like them then great - just my tuppence worth.

 

[Neil]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

It's my opinion. You're welcome to hold a different one. Marin's have always struck me as just totally bland and unremarkable. To me they're grey, soulless, non-entities. Stuff associated with the Californian MTB scene is usually unassailably cool, but yeah, I find Marins crushingly boring. Even their ti frames leave me totally cold.

It may well be stupid to have strong feelings about mass-produced products, but nonetheless, the first time I saw a Marin I thought 'that bike looks f***ing lame', and I still do. If people like them then great - just my tuppence worth.

By and large (ignoring GT for a second) you could probably dress several mass produced bikes from different makes, in the same paint jobs and decals, and many would look remarkable similar, if not identical (so long as you didn't look too close for certain clues or tells).

True, some may have made some differences with layout angles, but as a generalism, several mass-produced bikes of that era would look remarkably similar. None are probably worth getting excited about - but by the same token, probably none worth evoking strong negative feelings, either.

 

[thecannibal]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

It's my opinion. You're welcome to hold a different one. Marin's have always struck me as just totally bland and unremarkable. To me they're grey, soulless, non-entities. Stuff associated with the Californian MTB scene is usually unassailably cool, but yeah, I find Marins crushingly boring. Even their ti frames leave me totally cold.

It may well be stupid to have strong feelings about mass-produced products, but nonetheless, the first time I saw a Marin I thought 'that bike looks f***ing lame', and I still do. If people like them then great - just my tuppence worth.

By and large (ignoring GT for a second) you could probably dress several mass produced bikes from different makes, in the same paint jobs and decals, and many would look remarkable similar, if not identical (so long as you didn't look too close for certain clues or tells).

True, some may have made some differences with layout angles, but as a generalism, several mass-produced bikes of that era would look remarkably similar. None are probably worth getting excited about - but by the same token, probably none worth evoking strong negative feelings, either.

But that's the thing. This is about feelings. One doesn't choose to have feelings because they're 'worth evoking'; they just happen! I'm sure my opinion on Marins is stupidly based on paint jobs, corporate branding and the Marin owners I've met, but there we go, it is what it is.

 

[apache]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I have no golf clubs, and a Mondeo would be a sign to my friends that I've given up on life, but, errr...

As others have said, pretty much all mass produced bikes appeal to, well, errr... the masses. Ergo they are not going to be ground breaking, as that would be fairly risky from a business sense point of view.

I'm guessing you've never ridden one? I remember my Pine being superb, fast and forgiving. Far better than some more modern, more expensive, supposedly cool machines. OK, they might not stand out in the looks department, but that's not the whole point is it? Surely the feeling they give you when you ride is what it's about.

If you want something cool people are going to stare are and ask you about, there's always CF wheels, or a PRST-1. One will snap and remove your face. The other will put you OTB, with the same end result - admittedly you'll look cool in the process

 

[Neil]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

It's my opinion. You're welcome to hold a different one. Marin's have always struck me as just totally bland and unremarkable. To me they're grey, soulless, non-entities. Stuff associated with the Californian MTB scene is usually unassailably cool, but yeah, I find Marins crushingly boring. Even their ti frames leave me totally cold.

It may well be stupid to have strong feelings about mass-produced products, but nonetheless, the first time I saw a Marin I thought 'that bike looks f***ing lame', and I still do. If people like them then great - just my tuppence worth.

By and large (ignoring GT for a second) you could probably dress several mass produced bikes from different makes, in the same paint jobs and decals, and many would look remarkable similar, if not identical (so long as you didn't look too close for certain clues or tells).

True, some may have made some differences with layout angles, but as a generalism, several mass-produced bikes of that era would look remarkably similar. None are probably worth getting excited about - but by the same token, probably none worth evoking strong negative feelings, either.

But that's the thing. This is about feelings. One doesn't choose to have feelings because they're 'worth evoking'; they just happen! I'm sure my opinion on Marins is stupidly based on paint jobs, corporate branding and the Marin owners I've met, but there we go, it is what it is.

I get that. But go back to your original one paragraph rant about Marin, that purports that your feelings about Marin, are rationale for why they're supposedly unloved or abandoned.

I'm just far from convinced that such superficial brand judgements, that you feel individually, is either representative or causative of general perception of the brand.

 

[thecannibal]

Marins are just crushingly boring and have always seemed like an office boy brand to me. I'd guess not as many come up as Konas do because they're still sat unridden in suburban garages across the land next to the requisite Mondeo and set of golf clubs.

I still boggle a bit about the concept of making such generalisations and distinctions between brands of mass-produced bikes.

Sure, some may have different characteristics, be variations on a theme - but there's hardly leagues between them, worth writing off a band as "crushingly" boring, in comparison to another, perhaps slightly more favoured, mass-produced brand.

It's my opinion. You're welcome to hold a different one. Marin's have always struck me as just totally bland and unremarkable. To me they're grey, soulless, non-entities. Stuff associated with the Californian MTB scene is usually unassailably cool, but yeah, I find Marins crushingly boring. Even their ti frames leave me totally cold.

It may well be stupid to have strong feelings about mass-produced products, but nonetheless, the first time I saw a Marin I thought 'that bike looks f***ing lame', and I still do. If people like them then great - just my tuppence worth.

By and large (ignoring GT for a second) you could probably dress several mass produced bikes from different makes, in the same paint jobs and decals, and many would look remarkable similar, if not identical (so long as you didn't look too close for certain clues or tells).

True, some may have made some differences with layout angles, but as a generalism, several mass-produced bikes of that era would look remarkably similar. None are probably worth getting excited about - but by the same token, probably none worth evoking strong negative feelings, either.

But that's the thing. This is about feelings. One doesn't choose to have feelings because they're 'worth evoking'; they just happen! I'm sure my opinion on Marins is stupidly based on paint jobs, corporate branding and the Marin owners I've met, but there we go, it is what it is.

I get that. But go back to your original one paragraph rant about Marin, that purports that your feelings about Marin, are rationale for why they're supposedly unloved or abandoned.

I'm just far from convinced that such superficial brand judgements, that you feel individually, is either representative or causative of general perception of the brand.

I dunno, from my experience a lot of people who are into bikes find Marins totally uninspiring. They made plenty of serviceable, if unremarkable, hardtails in the '90s (often with paint that fell off if you looked at it) and then went on to produce some pretty rubbish full-sus bikes, a lot of which I've seen broken (BB shells sheared off, headtubes sheared off...etc.) So it's not even as if they produce understated but incredible bikes: they produce understated mediocre or bad bikes.

Where's the flare and excitement in the design? Where's the innovation? It's not so much that there's one big reason to hate them - it's more that I can't think of a single reason to like them!

 

[thecannibal]

I have no golf clubs, and a Mondeo would be a sign to my friends that I've given up on life, but, errr...

As others have said, pretty much all mass produced bikes appeal to, well, errr... the masses. Ergo they are not going to be ground breaking, as that would be fairly risky from a business sense point of view.

I'm guessing you've never ridden one? I remember my Pine being superb, fast and forgiving. Far better than some more modern, more expensive, supposedly cool machines. OK, they might not stand out in the looks department, but that's not the whole point is it? Surely the feeling they give you when you ride is what it's about.

If you want something cool people are going to stare are and ask you about, there's always CF wheels, or a PRST-1. One will snap and remove your face. The other will put you OTB, with the same end result - admittedly you'll look cool in the process

I've ridden plenty of Marins. I'd say they varied between kind of OK and terrible. I don't think carbon wheels or PRST-1s look cool.