Weaknesses: Not s single one after two years. Well, perhaps the price... And perhaps some areas which are hard to get in order to clean them up.
Bottom Line:
What a bike!!! Best bike for XC!!! Haven't had a simple problem with it, whether riding on dirt roads, single trails or plain roads. After two years and multiple crashes, the bike still stands with its original components. Had minor problems with the front wheel the first few rides but after a couple of truings it never came back. Places I've been with this bike; San Francisco, MT Tam, Marin county, Los Angeles, Santa Monica mountains, Mammoth, South Orange County and the famous Rosarito-Ensenada ride.
Chances are it will be a LONG TIME before I buy another bike. So the investment on an expensive bike does not seem bad at all now (back then had seconds thoughts…) If money is not an issue, BUY IT! Chances are in the long term you will save money from repairs and upgrades.
This bike is awesome! I love every aspect of it---climbing, descending, cornering, weight and the bike looks great as well. It has give me added confidenance and speed while riding and made me an overall much better rider.
You owe it to yourself to try a Marin FRS if considering an full-suspension bike.
Strengths: Simplicity, lightweight and strong. Almost a freeride strong and light 22lb enough for xc racing. Best bike ever racing in. Frame provide lightning fast sprint and uphill climb. Blows away my M4 hardtail race bike on climb and descend.
Bottom Line:
I've raced most hardtails through FS bike. Still can't believe how well this bike can perform so well yet very little people know about this bike existance. Sure we've heard of Cannondale, Santa cruz, Specialized, Merlin, Titus but who ever heard of Marin? With minor modifications, we're able to drop the weight to 21-22lb from the stock 23-24lb. Not surprise that this bike earned championship title for some racers. This bike zooms on uphill, uncommon among fs bike, yet plush to absorb rocky and broken trail.
Bike Setup: Full XTR, ChrisKing/Valient/DT Revo wheelset, Tubeless, SID SL front, CaneCreek AD10 rear
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Submitted by
JC JC
a Cross Country Rider
from Upland, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001
Strengths: Climbing, quick handling, price, stand over clearance, single pivot, light weight and stiff no lateral flex.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I test rode everything "no parking lot stuff all off road on my favorite trails and in Moab and Big Bear". Got lucky and ran into Marin Demo Squad. Bob is a great guy and I was totally shocked on how well the bike road. Bottom line I bought two bikes one for my wife and myself. Plus two of my riding partners bought bikes also. Too bad Marin doesn't get the hype like other bikes do. I was leaning towards the Superlight, the Tracer and Loco were little bit over built for my riding style. The Marin out climbed all of them and handled well in tight rocky singletrack and was very stable on smooth fast trails. Overall Great bike for someone who doesnt by into all the hype and wants a light weight, 4 inch travel bike that handles great and climbs like a hard tail.
Similar Products Used: I tried everything Titus Racer X and Loco Moto rented in Moab and demo in Big Bear, Specialize stumpjumper FSR xc pro rented in San Francisco Marin county trails, Santa Cruz Superlight rented from local bike shop and rode local trails, Intense Tracer demo from local bike shop and rode local trails.
Bike Setup: Stock, full Xtr, Carbon fiber easton seat post and bars, Fox float rear, Kris king head set , RST XMO Fork "Excellent", Panracer Fire XC tires and Terry Liberator seat.
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Submitted by
Gakster
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001
Strengths: Great climber, stable at high speeds, good amount of stand-over. great handling Overall an excellent bike. Excellent service & support from Marin.
Weaknesses: A real PITA to adjust the front derailleur. Water bottle mount in the most ridiculous place (top tube)
Bottom Line:
One of the best full sus bike out there. Low maintainence pivot. Great climber & descender. Excellent handling traits. Highly highly underated.
It is also kind of special because I don't see many Marins around the SF Bay Area.
Strengths: Everything is great from frame design to component
Weaknesses: too expensive (but it's worth it)
Bottom Line:
Best mtn bike ever ridden. This one beats them all. Leave other hardtale and full suspension bikes in the dust. It's super light 21lbs after wheel/tire and Ti hardware upgrade. Before you buy a Cannondale, Specialized or SC, try this first. You will see what I mean.
Similar Products Used: Specialized M4, Santa Cruz xlight, Cannondale Jkl
Bike Setup: XTR drivetrain, CK wheels, Ti hardware,
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Submitted by
todd atkins
a Racer
from fayetteville ,ga
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2001
Strengths: The Mt vision pro gives an overall stable and lightweight feel. I tested the unit @ macintosh reserve ,one of the best race venues in Ga. It was amazing ! I was riding a gear higher almost everywhere and could hit lines that I would have avoided on my hard tail!It climb well I was not sure what 2 expect with the suspesion on short steep grunts ! It did very well.
Weaknesses: None that I could tell in that 2hr demo session ,atleast none that could not be corrected in set-up.
Bottom Line:
I really look forward to riding a full suspension Marin this year 2001 ...hopefully we will get the frame /bikes soon !
Bike Setup: XMO fork,xtr,hutchie tires, 19 in frame,fox shock.
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Submitted by
Andy Johnston
a Racer
from Stone Mountain, Georgia
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2000
Strengths: The bikes ability to climb efficiently surprised me the most. All your energy keeps moving forward through bumps, not up and down over them. Long rides are real easy now, your upper body and hands never get tired. Flat out hauling turkey over anything that gets in your way.
Weaknesses: In the granny ring and big cog (34)there can be detectable bobbing. The chain stays are slightly wider than normal. No big deal, but my heels graze the paint finish.
Bottom Line:
I could'nt beleive a 4" travel bike could work like this. When I first got the bike I road up the street in my tennis shoes; when the rear suspension did not bob under me at all I knew I was in for a treat. It took me months to relearn to ride a bike, suddenly I was able to ride so much more terrain. You have to retrain your brain. I found myself bored with the local trails and had to seek out more extream conditions like torn up motorcycle trails, and granite quarrys to make it challenging enough. The rear end is so solid. Way more bottom bracket stifness than my former Litespeed unicoi. The special cartridge pivot bearing has never needed anything and is still good as new. Even with the bike on my trainer I can see no flex, it should with only the pivot connecting it, but it does'nt. The bike is amazing to ride. The rear end takes out everything, I don't even stand up anymore. But it pedals just as efficienty as a hard tail. I can bomb desents so fast, but it climbs even faster. You can stay seated and plow through anything. The rear wheel stays planted, following the terrain like it was on tracks. It corners like a dream. The head angle is just perfect for dancing with the closely knit trees here in the Southeast.
As far as set-up goes you will have to fine tune the rear shock to get the most out of your performance. When new I was running about 225 lbs with the dial at #9 (I weigh 145), now as it is broken in I run 250-260 lbs. You need to lube the shock every month or two (easy).
Put an XMO fork on it though! It has 3 inches of usable travel. The fork compliments the bike well.
If you want to enjoy riding and feel like a kid again get this bike. Even if you don't ride much spring for the XTR bike, it's lighter and performs flawless. I am a pro racer and would not want to ride anything else, not even the bikes closest rivals.
Similar Products Used: Honda CR250 Specialized fsr, Fisher sugar, santa cruz
Bike Setup: SRAM grip shift 9.0sl, king h.s., XMO fork, Speedplay pedals,STS Bar ends, Thomson post and stem, xtr components
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Submitted by
Adrian Gauthier
a Racer
from Chatsworth, CA, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2000
Strengths: It just felt good! Solid.
Weaknesses: Front end wanted to wash out. Could have been the tire and/or the terrain. I like to stand up and pedal on up hills. The rear wheal would just spin! I was told by the Marin squad later not to stand up! Tires again?
Bottom Line:
This was the first time ever on a full suspension bike. I was walking back to my car after registering for the Snow Summit Amateur Cup #4 XC race. I was asked by the Marin Demo Squad if I would like to demo a bike. I asked if I could use it in my race. They said sure!! With the bike still in pieces and my start time less than an hour away, I began to second guess myself. A difficult race on a new bike, less than five minutes in the saddle. I must be crazy!!! After 2:07:00 in the saddle, I finished 14th. No crashes. The bike is predictable and smooth. Fast over rough, rocky fire roads.
Similar Products Used: NONE, current bike: 95'ish Bontrager hard tail
Bike Setup: The way it came out of the truck. Used. Spent less than five minutes setting the fork and shock pressures, seat height and angle. Tire pressures set by feel.
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Submitted by
Dan Orzell
a Cross Country Rider
from Bloomfield, CT
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000
Strengths: Great in tight corners. Durablity. Design and Cockpit Layout. Full XTR.
Weaknesses: 1.8 spokes on the Mavic 517 wheels. Me being a big rider, was going through 1-2 spokes a ride in the rear wheel. Switched them to a set of Cane Creek WAM's and haven't had the problem since. Tires also wore quickly in New England single track.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike! Going from a Trek 930 SHX Hardtail to this is fantastic. You can ride for hours and not get sore. I am a 225 lbs avid gym rat and this bike is strong enough to get me into the woods and out no matter what the conditions. The XTR shifting is like a hot knofe through butter...SMOOTH! The cost is a bit high, but you get what you pay for. The Shimano 858's are great.
Another great thing is that I have been riding this bike for 6 months now at least and have not seen another on the trails yet! The FSR's are a dime a dozen. I am not attcking them, they are good bikes, just saying that if you want a great bike that is still somewhat unknown (atleast out here in New England), then take a serious look at this bike.
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR, Cannondale Raven, Kona Stinky Delux
Bike Setup: Full XTR, Easton Carbon Fiber seatpost and handlebars, Cane Creek WAMs (replaced stock Mavic 517's), Rock Shox 100ml SID (replaced stock Manitou that was never shipped because of recall), Continental Tires (replaced stock IRC that seemed to have a soft rubber, not suitable for New England Rocky singletrack)
