Identify this Marin..please!

[Angus4188]

Hi All

New to the forum, but have been enjoying following the posts for some time.

I've recently picked up this Marin, and drawing a blank trying to identify it. The sloping top tube is what's stumping me. Can't see what it can be..

Frame number looks like M3 0 IE 0020 but is very hard to read! Decals are definitely new add ons.

any help appreciated.

mystery Marin

11 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

cheers
Angus

 

[hamster]

Looks like M30... to me which would be a Pine Mountain from 1990

Help with Marin frame numbers please!

I've read somewhere on here, a way of putting a date to a steel framed Marin, by looking up its frame numbers. Is this true, or am I now dreaming of Marin bikes? I have an steel frame that I 'd like to identify. The numbers underneath are:- 74HAB182 Hope someone can help. Thanks.

www.retrobike.co.uk

M74HAB182

The M is the factory.

M is Marvel, F is Fairly and T is Ti sports

7 is the model number. Exclude the Ti bikes and work down the list eg.

1 Team Issue
2 Team Marin
3 Pine Mountain
4 Eldridge grade
5 Bear Valley
6 Muirwoods
7 Palisades Trail
8 Bobcat Trail

4 is the year ending number. That would be 1994.

HA is month and date, but you will need the Enigma machine to decode these. Not really relevant either!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Zolatone Marin with Afterburner.

You can see some in this 1991 catalogue. https://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/Manufacturer+Archive/Marin/Catalogues/1991-2.pdf.html



...


1990 didn't have Afterburner iirc.

One tick

Here's some incomplete catalogue pages from 1990

Upload and request of 1989 and 1990 Marin catalogue

Here i have some pages of a 1989 and a 1990 Marin catalogue. If you have some of the missing pages please upload them on here.

www.retrobike.co.uk

 

[Angus4188]

Cheers all. So zolatone rear triangle bit can't get the model.... It's a more Kona like geometry top tube. It's a 17" frame if that gives any more of a clue?

 

[FluffyChicken]

Ignore the slope, its a small frame and the forks are lifting the front end up.
It'll be the third 'frame' model from the top at the time, of the steel frames.

 

[marc two tone]

The decals are an afterthought. From say 1997, 98, 99.
The toptube may appear sloping as the forks are also not factory and lift the front end up somewhat. Not sure what year those forks are from though.
There is no absolute logic with marin serial numbers as each year there were variants and anomalies.
Have a look at the seatpost size, this can tell you something.

 

[Angus4188]

Ah that's a very good point! Thought it would have come with rigids originally, but you're right they're changing the line of the frame!

Ok I'll call it a 1991 Pine mountain. Looks fairly close in terms of the DX bits it has on it and what's listed as the groupset spec in the 91 brochure. Forks look like Quadra to me. Not sure what year..