Marin Bikes Adding Hardtails, 29ers for 2009

[Too Tall]

NOVATO, CA (BRAIN)?Marin Bikes goal for the upcoming model year: fill in the line for 2009.

The Northern California company feels like it has accomplished just that with the addition of several new bikes. One of those new bikes is the 100-millimeter travel, full suspension Alchemist.

?We felt like this one of the bikes missing from the Marin line,? said Steve Glazer, vice president of sales and marketing for Marin Bikes. It will retail for $3,205 (XT).

Also for the purist racer, Marin has new for 2009 the Team CXR hardtail (pictured), which will retail for $3,700 (XT Level). ?We?ve been lacking in that ultra lightweight hardtail,? Glazer said.

Also new for 2009 are two new 29ers, Nail Trail and Palisades, giving Marin a total of four 29ers for the new model year. ?We sold out of our two 29er models (the Alpine and Pine Mountain) this year,? Glazer said. ?We have a lot of enthusiasm for 29ers at Marin.?

The Nail Trail will retail for $1,965, while the Palisades will retail for $1,395.

To find out what else Marin has new for 2009, be sure to read the Aug. 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.

?Jason Norman


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[Ken Robb]

I have a Rift Zone FS crosscountry XT bike from Marin and it's been good. I'm impressed with the monocoque frame. Rather than using tubes they stamp two squarish halves and weld them together because they claim that allows them more control over the "butting" as they have more freedom to make the stamping dies and resultant "half-tubes" exactly the thickness the designer wants as opposed to tubes. The resulting "industrial" look of the frame doesn't bother me in a mountain bike. That's a little surprising from a guy who loves lugged steel bikes with fancy paint jobs.