Usually when you see a ‘Team’ version of a bike, it’s a very expensive, top-of-the-line model that most of us will never get a chance to ride. However, Marin recently built their new Team Marin hardtail 29er, a value-focused bike aimed at up and coming riders hoping to wear a full-factory kit one day.
To help young riders achieve those goals, Marin has partnered with the NorCal High School Cycling League for the 2019 season. They’ve already given 10 complete Team Marin bikes to the League, and based on sales, many more could be donated to deserving student athletes.
The 2019 Team Marin hardtail was released late last year as an ideal bike for aspiring XC racers. To make a great starter bike, Marin had MTB legend Joe Murray lend his extensive experience to the Team Marin’s design.
The Team Marin’s Series 3 6061 aluminum frame features double butted tubing, a 148x12mm rear axle, 3D forged dropouts, and internal cable routing for your shifter and dropper post. Bottle cage mounts are located on both the seat tube and down tube.
This simple-looking frame hides one technical design feature in plain sight. Marin’s bridgeless Fastback seatstays are designed to provide vertical compliance to enhance rider comfort on long trail rides (and do so without losing pedaling efficiency).
Key geometry figures for the Team Marin frame are as follows; The head tube angle is 69°, and the effective seat tube angle is 75° (or 74.9° on the L and XL sizes). All sizes have 435mm chainstays, and a 66mm BB drop. The effective top tube length on a medium frame is 604mm, and its reach is 438mm. For full geometry specs, check out Marin’s website.
While keeping the price point low, the Team Marin’s build spec doesn’t skimp on important components. A 100mm RockShox Judy Silver TK fork smooths out the trail with its solo air spring, and allows riders to tune it with both compression and rebound adjustments. The fork uses a 110x15mm Maxle Stealth to match the frame’s Boost spacing.
SRAM’s NX shifter and derailleur swap gears over a wide-range SunRace 11-42t cassette (with a 32t ring up front). The Team Marin rolls on the brand’s own tubeless compatible double-wall aluminum rims laced to sealed bearing hubs. The bottom bracket on Marin’s hollow spindle, forged alloy cranks is also sealed for long-lasting performance.
Braking is handled by Shimano’s BR-MT400 hydraulic disc brakes on 160mm rotors, and Marin finishes off the build with their 780mm wide Mini-Riser handlebar, 60mm stem, grips, seatpost, saddle, and pedals.
For every four Team Marins sold in the USA one will be donated to the NorCal League, and Marin hopes to send them up to 50 more bikes this year. The Team Marin is now available at Marin dealers for $1299. Frame sizes range from S-XL, and it comes in Black/Cyan only.
