The Red Bulletin April 2020

THE RED BULLETIN PROMOTION
“Everybody who works
at Marin bought into the
concept of making a
better bike; something
they could go out and
have fun on,” says Marin
CEO Matt VanEnkevort
MADE IN THE MOUNTAINS
Named after the birthplace of mountain biking,
Marin stays true to the roots of the sport
Selling globally and riding locally –
it’s a mindset that runs deep at Marin
Bikes, a company that has seen great
success across the world, and that
retains a small but dedicated staff
who love nothing more than making
and riding bicycles.
The brand was born in Marin
County, a sun-kissed area north of
San Francisco where rolling hills of
golden-yellow grasslands are flanked
by green mountains. It’s a place full of
Californian promise, and something
of a pilgrimage for mountain bikers.
Mountain biking was invented
here in the 1970s by long-haired freethinkers
who loved nothing more than
to push a bicycle to the top of the
iconic Mount Tamalpais and rattle
back down it. By the early ’80s,
a number of folk began to produce
and sell bikes, and what began in
various garages around Marin County
soon spawned a worldwide craze
and eventually an Olympic sport that
is practised around the world.
Marin, the bike company, was a
product of the movement, and since
its founding in 1986 it has sold
millions of bikes globally, won racing
titles at the highest level, and enjoyed
moments at the top of the sport. And
since 2013, under new leadership and
with a reinvigorated staff, Marin has
seen its reputation at the forefront of
mountain biking grow again.
At its HQ in Petaluma, on the edge
of Marin County, the walls tell the
brand’s story: there are the Madrone
Trail, the first bike Marin produced;
the Team Titanium, the model that
brought affordable titanium to the
mainstream and was piloted by
National Champion Joe Murray; the
Titanium FRS (it stands for ‘Front
Rear Suspension’ – a revolutionary
development); some of Marin’s first
city bikes; and a modern-era Wolf
Ridge – a bike that made a big
statement upon launch thanks
to its distinctive suspension system.
There’s a bike for everyone – that
more or less sums up Marin Bikes.
www.marinbikes.com
LAURENCE CROSSMAN-EMMS JAMES MCKNIGHT
84 THE RED BULLETIN