Mountain

Marin Rift Zone 27.5 (formerly called the Hawk Hill) series

Rift Zone 1 (27.5 wheels)

If you’re looking for a fun and capable trail bike that won’t break your budget, look at these Marins.

The first one is Marin’s Rift Zone 1 full suspension trail bike. It’s a gas to ride, comes with some pretty great parts and is all yours for around $1700.

So what do you get for your money? You get a playful and tough design that you’ll love to take on twisty and technical singletrack trails. You get a trail bike with 120mm of suspension travel (front and back). You get the RockShox Recon air-sprung fork with adjustable spring rate, rebound and a lock-out switch. A bike that rolls on 27.5″ wheels shod with Vee Crown Gem tires and a Shimano Deore 1 x 10 drivetrain. There’s Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and cartridge sealed bearings in the headset, bottom bracket, frame pivots and wheels.

If you’ve been looking for a full suspension bike under $2000 you’ve probably found a lot of heavy bikes out there with at least one component or design element that looks a little suspect. Maybe you’ve found used full suspension bikes that were a whole bunch of worn-out parts rolling around on ten-year old suspension designs. Worse than those, you probably found new bikes that were basically down-spec’d race bikes that were no fun to play around on and too heavy to actually race.

Hawk Hill 2

This Marin will beat all of those “options” with great handling, fresh design, outstanding components and light weight (the medium size bike weighs 29lbs).

As for the second option, if you’d like a dropper seatpost and a few more component upgrades, consider the Hawk Hill 2, it has some nice extras and still comes in under $2000.

A trademark dispute in Europe has led Marin to rename these bikes as “Rift Zone 27.5” instead of having different labels on their American bikes. Whatever the name, they’re still the same amount of fun.

Stop looking for your next trail bike. You’ve just found the ones you’ll like best.

Use Bridgestone MB-0 (MB-Zip)

1991 Bridgestone MB-Zip

We’re not going to try to sell you on this bike, you already know if you have always wanted it.

This is a 30 year old Bridgestone MB Zip. It was really the best production mountain bike that you could have ridden in 1991 and this one was treated really well over the intervening decades. It will fit a rider between 5’7” and 5’9” tall the best. It is, by far, the coolest bike you could have when rolling up to the start of a modern gravel race or your neighborhood coffee shop. $1499.

Fuji Nevada Series

Nevada 1.5 (29” tires)

We’re always looking to expand the variety and value that we can offer to mountain bike shoppers.
The Fuji Nevada series offers a few great options and some hidden surprises.
The Nevada 1.9, for example, comes in under $600 equipped with a mix of Shimano Acera and Tourney components. The fork has a lockout switch, the frame sports cable ports for a dropper seatpost, you get disc brakes, and the platform pedals are good ones, not junk.
Some brands limit their models to the big 29″ wheel size. Some brands make the wheel size decision based on how tall the bike rider happens to be.

Nevada 1.9

Nevada 1.9 in grey

Nevada 1.7 (27.5” tire)

Fuji offers both 27.5″ and 29″ wheel sizes, and their XS bike is small enough for kids that have grown out of kids’ bikes, but are still under 5’1″ tall.

Marin Pine Mountain Series

Pine Mountain 1

Okay, so it turns out that these “adventure” mountain bikes with their big tires are a lot of fun.

We were originally pretty skeptical, thinking that the wide tires looked an awful lot like what comes on snow bikes and that they might be pretty slow. It turns out that 29″ x 2.6″ tires feel pretty fast.  They’re also reasonably light and roll over roots and rocks that normally would stop your bike dead in its tracks. With these tires, the Pine Mountain is as capable as a full-suspension bike with skinnier tires (and if you forego rear suspension your bike can be lighter and less expensive).

The steel frame and all of the attachment points for bottle cages, racks and frame bags?  They seem like design attributes that you wouldn‘t need short of a bike-packing trip through the Cascades. Maybe so but here’s the thing about under-utilized features:  If your bike is going to be overbuilt, it might as well be extra comfortable, extra tough, and have the ability to haul extra stuff.

One more thing: A purple Pine Mountain 2 is the bike I ride, and I love everything about it. It’s more fun than the carbon-fiber full suspension bike I had previously (and it had all of the bells and whistles), and it’s just the right amount of trail-capable, comfortable and efficient for riding at Port Gamble and the Grand Forest.

Marin Wolf Ridge

Marin Wolf Ridge 8

It’s funky looking, sure. Just close your eyes and pedal. The trail capability of the Wolf Ridge is unreal. It has 29” tires, 160mm of suspension travel at both ends of this bike, and it still handles great! The wacky design and carbon fiber construction provides unparalleled pedaling efficiency and huge bump compliance. Its unique four-bar design and sliding suspension element barely move under your pedaling load, so it feels stable and efficient.

If you like to tear through technical singletrack, this bike is for you. If your trail skills, balance or confidence are lacking a bit, the Wolf Ridge will make up any shortcoming. Heck, if a bad back or stiff neck is aggravated by mountain biking, the Wolf Ridge is probably smooth enough to get you back in the dirt. It’s that good.

Marin Team mountain bike

Marin Team

Marin made this bike for you.

The Marin Team is a race bike that’s plenty capable and tough enough to pilot on really technical trails. It’s light (but not too light), it has fast-rolling tires (that still have decent bite in slimy mud) a great fork and a precise Sram NX 1 x 11 drivetrain.

Marin built this bike with the high-school mountain bike league in mind. Kids that grow out of their starter mountain bikes are going to want something fun and fast, and while a $2500 carbon fiber hardtail would be nice, it can be a bit much for the budget (especially if the rider is still growing). This bike has a msrp of only $1350.

Other options in this price range typically include ten-year-old full suspension bikes (that have obsolete wheel sizes and worn-out parts) and used carbon fiber hardtails (that probably have the same drawbacks). Pick the right bike. Pick fresh equipment and a versatile design.

If you’re looking at the Budu race series this year and want a faster bike consider the Team. Gear Grinder club rides will be more fun on this super capable bike. Add a dropper post for only $120.

By the way, for every four of these bikes sold by their dealers Marin donates one of these bikes to the high school mountain bike league.

Surly Bridge Club

Surly Bridge Club

The Bridge Club is a super versatile mountain bike, only better.

There’s all kinds of attachment points for racks, fenders, trailers and other accessories. The Bridge Club is available as a complete bike (and it’s a bit less expensive than the Surly Ogre or Troll) or as a frameset (so you can use some of the random bike parts left in your garage). The frame geometry is laid out a little bit like a gravel or touring rig, plus it’s suspension-corrected so we can install a suspension fork if you want smoother off-road adventure. The complete version comes with fat 27.5” (650b) tires, but skinny 29″ wheels will also work on the Bridge Club.

Surly Ogre

Surly Ogre

Surly calls the Ogre a touring bike.
One look (and a little imagination) will tell you that a Surly ogre can be anything that you want it to be.
The Ogre’s frame and fork is sprinkled with what looks like warts but in fact are attachment points for a multitude of accessories. All sorts of racks, cargo and bottle cages and trailers will attach to the Ogre frame.
If you feel like messing with different types of drivetrains, the Ogre will adapt. A Rohloff hub or Shimano Nexus shifting system? No problem. Single-speed or derailleur, the Ogre won’t care which you choose.

Multi-position handlebars

Trailer, rack and fender eyelets

Ogre warts? Just mounts for all kinds of stuff

Off-road riding with 29 x 2.3″ tires will be fun on the Ogre. The frame is suspension-corrected so you can switch out the rigid fork for one with more bounce. On the pavement, the Ogre’s Jones Loop handlebar will give you a handfull of comfortable positions and plenty of control.
So check out the Ogre if you want to haul a bunch of random stuff. Grab an Ogre and plan a dirt-road tour of western Canada. Get an Ogre for your daily commute and weekends off road. Whatever you can imagine.
They should have named this bike the chameleon it’s so adaptable…

Marin Bobcat Trail series

Bobcat Trail 4

Marin makes a bunch of premium-level bikes that seem to be missing the premium price.

Take the Bobcat Trail 4 for example: It’s a great looking hardtail with awesome parts.
The bikes come with short stems and wide bars for maximum handling and obstacle jumping fun, with 100 t0 120mm travel forks and slackened front end geometry. They are created to be more versatile and playful than your average mountain bike.
There’s a Suntour XCM fork with the hydraulic lockout switch on the top. There’s a Shimano Altus drivetrain. Regardless of the size bike that you get (with 27.5″ or 29″ size wheels) you’ll roll around on premium Schwalbe tires. The disc brakes are Tektro hydraulics which you’ll find on bikes in the $1600 range. The cables are fully shielded, with housing running from the levers all the way to the derailleurs (a nice touch that keeps your shifters running smoothly). The cockpit components are all robust, feather light and colored to match the bike.
The Bobcat Trail 4 looks and rides like an excellent $900 mountain bike. The surprising thing is that it’s about $700.

Bobcat Trail 3

Bobcat Trail 5

Bobcat Trail 4 in maroon

The Bobcat 3 will get you out of the house and onto the trails for around $600. The Bobcat 5 will get you into to a simple (and tough) Shimano Deore 1 x 10 drivetrain, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and an adjustable Rockshox fork for under a grand.

By the way, the folks at Marin named these bikes after the Bobcat trail system near Sausalito, California. If you feel like riding your Bobcat Trail on the Bobcat Trail (in Marin County, essentially the birthplace of mountain biking), let us know and we’ll give you directions to get there.

Marin Rift Zone

Marin Rift Zone

Let’s say that you’re looking for a new Full suspension bike that runs less than $1800. You’ve already checked out Marin’s Hawk Hill and are pretty impressed. But you want bigger wheels.

There’s a bike! Marin does 29’er versions of their Hawk Hill trail bikes called Rift Zones. The Rift Zone 1 closely matches the Hawk Hill 1 in components and price, with the Rift Zone 2 and the Hawk Hill 2 lining up similarly as well.

These are great sporty bikes that do a lot of things well. They’re fast enough to race, they’re stable (and tough enough) to handle the more advanced trails at Whistler bike park, and they’re comfortable enough to leisurely roll through the Grand Forest as you follow your 10-year-old around the park.

Marin Bolinas Ridge 1 & 2

Bolinas Ridge 1

Here’s are some nice starter mountain bikes for teens and adults.

These are Marin’s Bolinas Ridge models. They’re nice entry-level hardtail mountain bikes equipped with disc brakes, Shimano drivetrains (Tourney and Acera), and Suntour suspension forks with 100mm of travel (the Bolinas Ridge 2 has a suspension lockout on it).

The Bolinas Ridge models happen to roll on top of 27.5 inch wheels. The 26” wheel size was the mountain bike standard for over 30 years but now most off-road rigs are now using 27.5” or 29” wheels for the improved traction and ability to roll over large obstacles.

Marin Bolinas Ridge 2

With these bikes you get a broad size range.  With the extra small 13″ frame size rolling around on top of 27.5″ wheels you‘ll get nimble handling, good comfort and decent standover clearance for folks in the 4’9″ to 5’1″ height range.  The small to medium sizes are still easy to handle for people just over 5’ tall, and can provide some room to grow up to 5’7”  or so.

Bigger sizes are also available (of course) in both versions. We generally advise larger adult riders to grab the Bolinas Ridge 2 or make the step up to more expensive bike models that will provide greater long-term durability.

OM Duro

SE Racing OM Duro

Don’t judge this bike too quickly. It looks a little weird, like maybe a snow bike mated with a BMX bike from 1982. You probably think that it wouldn’t be right for anything except riding wheelies down the block. This bike would surprise you.

The OM Duro comes with 27.5″ plus-sized tires that can handle any terrain from asphalt to powdery sand. The Sram 1 x 11 drivetrain makes most off-road riding fun and easy and the tubular steel BMX cranks are made to handle jumps and general abuse.  Unlike an actual BMX bike from 40 years ago this one actually stops thanks to the disc brakes and is actually pretty fast thanks to the big wheels.

To us, the OM seems like the perfect bike to ride over to the I-5 colonnade park in Seattle and goof around.  Maybe cruise the Hilltop trail to Battle Point park and ride the new pump track.

Marin Wildcat Trail Series

Marin Wildcat Trail 3

Tough and capable 27.5″ trail bikes with dimensions that fit just right. With similar components and prices to the Bobcat trail models, the main difference will be shorter reach to the handlebars, lower standover heights and different colors

The Wildcat Trail 3 and 5 are great mid-level mountain bikes that will work well for the off-road beginner and occasional rider. They are built around 27.5″ wheels that have tremendous traction and roll over larger obstacles without a second thought.

The Wildcat Trail 3 is a fast and durable bike that will stand up to the rain and mud for many seasons. You get awesome Schwalbe tires, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, A Shimano Alivio drivetrain (with cables that have housing that runs uninterrupted from the lever to the derailleur, a nice touch), and 100mm-travel Suntour suspension forks with hydraulic lock-outs.

The Wildcat 5 version boosts the component level. Marin tweaks the off-road performance with a 1 x 10 Shimano shifting system, lighter weight component materials and better seals for resistance to mud and water.

Ritchey P-29 and P-650b Mountain Bikes

Ritchey P-29 in black

I don’t know about you, but if I like the idea of a owning a mountain bike with Tom Ritchey’s name on it.  Tom built the first production run of dedicated mountain bikes ever (in like 1978), and the bikes that he designs today are just as original.  For good reason we don’t call them “Clunkers” anymore.

Tom Ritchey is walking around with over 30 years of racing, manufacturing and design know-how.  While Tom isn’t wielding the torch that welded your personal P-29 (or its smaller-wheeled sibling, the P-650b) you better believe that he welded up and rode a bunch of prototypes before sending the designs to his factory.
Like all Ritcheys, these bikes were born to go fast without sacrificing comfort or durability. Heat-treated triple-butted Ritchey Logic II tubing results in framesets that balance rough trail compliance with sprint-winning stiffness.

Ritchey P-650B

Countless hours of saddle time under Tom Ritchey, World Cup legend Thomas Frischknect and other racers resulted in nimble handling bikes that capture the benefits of the new bigger wheels with stable but not sluggish steering.  The P-29 or P-650b would be equally at home on all-day epics or tight, technical singletrack race courses.  Plus, they come as framesets, so it’s up to you how you would like them built!

Lastly, when you own a bike shop one of the perks is that you can ride any bicycle that you want.  For off-road riding on area trails, Jaime and Paul have picked the two Ritchey models that you see pictured here.

Fuji Tahoe 1.5

Fuji Tahoe 1.5 (29″ wheels)

For great off-road capability at a reasonable price, look no further than this Tahoe 1.5 mountain bike from Fuji.

Occupying the sweet spot for affordability, component selection and off-road capabilities, this Tahoe will probably do everything you want.

This bike works well for the off-road beginner and occasional rider, with large wheels that have tremendous traction and roll over larger obstacles without a second thought.  Fast and durable, it will stand up to the rain and mud for many seasons.

The Rockshox fork contributes to the great ride quality of this bike by giving you adjustable air spring pressure, adjustable rebound damping, and a lock-out switch on the handlebars.  By the way, Fuji’s front-end geometry is quite a bit different from other similar twenty-niners so this bike rides sportier and quicker on tight single-track than other designs.

A simple tire swap would make this an excellent “Dual Sport” bike, fast rolling on the pavement but sturdy and stable when venturing off the asphalt.  Remember, the Rockshox fork can be locked out with a flick of your thumb for efficient cruising on the roads.  Racks and fenders work just fine too.

Fuji Tahoe 1.3 (with 27.5″ wheels)

Fuji Tahoe 1.3 (27.5″ Wheels)

This bike is impressive. It’s light, it’s tough. The equipment list is full of highlights, with really nothing that you would want to gloss over.

Give you some examples?  Well, the Tahoe 1.3 comes equipped with Deore XT derailleurs, and the rear derailleur is the low-profile “shadow” version that is tucked toward the center of the bike (and away from potentially damaging trail debris).  The derailleur system is  also the 2 chainring (by 10 rear cogs) drivetrain variation, so the shifting is quick and precise.

The Rockshox suspension fork is highly adjustable and comes with a remote lockout switch up on the handlebars (so you might actually get some use out of the lockout feature).

The wheels?  They come with genuine Shimano hubs for real durability.  The tires, Schwalbe Rocket Rons, are one of the best $150 upgrades that you can make on a mountain bike, and they happen to be included on the Tahoe 1.3.

This Fuji delivers a fun spirited ride, lots of great parts, and it fits into a high-performance but budget-friendly sweet spot around $1500.

Surly Troll

Surly Troll

I bet you’re a little confused by this bike.  That’s all right.  We’ll explain.

So let’s say you had an old mountain bike from 1993 that you used for commuting.  Your old bike had been converted to road use with slick tires and one of those Scott wrap-around handlebars.  That old bike had fenders, a rack and a bunch of random accessories duct taped to it.

You loved that old bike.  But then it got stolen.

Surly to the rescue!  The Troll is just like your versatile old mountain bike, only better.

There’s all kinds of attachment points for racks, fenders, trailers and other accessories.  You can run disc brakes or rim brakes.  It has horizontal dropouts, so you can ride it as a single-speed if you want.  The Troll is available as a complete bike (If the thieves got every bit of your old bike) or as a frameset (so you can use some of the random bike parts left in your garage). The frame geometry is suspension-corrected so we can install a Rockshox for smoother off-road adventure.  Either 26″ or 27.5″ wheels will work on the Troll.

Jones Loop handlebar

Troll warts? Just mounts for all kinds of stuff

Trailer, rack and fender eyelets

Why not buy a Surly Ogre?  Well, like we said, all of those old bike parts in your garage including the mountain of 26″ tires will fit on the Troll.  The smaller wheels also means that the bike handles a bit quicker, fits smaller riders better, and is slightly sturdier under heavy loads.

Retrotec and Inglis custom steel

Our “Classic” Retrotec Triple

Curtis Inglis builds wonderful steel bikes in his Napa, California workshop.  If you want a hand-crafted bike with custom touches, an Inglis should be at the top of your list.  For curvy-tubed bicycle goodness, Curtis and his Retrotec label should be your only consideration.

To clarify, Retrotec and Inglis are one in the same.  The Retrotec label means curves.  Straight-tube construction is named Inglis.

Off-road frames can be built with a a rigid custom fork (Curtis makes a few different types, or with suspension-corrected geometry around the fork of your choice.

Retrotec Double

Inglis’ fillet brazed construction is perfection

Inglis Mountain (No curved tubing)

Retrotec Classic

Retrotec Half Mountain

By the way, we picked 26″ wheels for our “Classic” bike, but Curtis is no retro-grouch, and understands how to build a bike properly with the larger 29″ wheels…

If you can imagine it, chances are that Curtis can build it.  He utilizes many different techniques (lugs, tig welds, fillet brazing) and many different tubing styles to make your dream bike.  Single-speed options are available with an eccentric bottom bracket shell, and rack (and fender mounts) are not a problem.  Feel like traveling?  S & S couplings can be added to your bike frame that will make it come apart to fit into a suitcase.

About our website…

Buy it now

You may have noticed that many of the bikes on our website are lacking prices.
We also seem to be missing an “add to shopping cart” button.
These omissions are purposeful.
We like bikes. We like you. We want you to ride a bicycle that works well, fits you correctly, and is appropriate for the kinds of riding that you like to do.
We can’t make all of this happen through a website.
If you want a new bike, come in to Classic Cycle. Talk to us. Touch the bicycles. You can ride around Winslow, and see what the different models have to offer.
Come in to the shop and try out the bikes that interest you. Ask for our opinions and get some concrete facts. With us you’ll know who is behind the product review.
Sit at our bar and watch bike racing on the television or experience a bit of our little museum.
Spend some time here so Jaime can show you clothing and accessories that will resolve the little issues that nag at you while you ride.
Paul will assemble your bike with the same attention to detail that went into building bikes for two Olympic Games and countless professional racers.
Leave the UPS guy alone. He can’t help you put that mail-order bike together…