Huge credit to Marin for actually making nice looking steel bikes for the masses. Outside US Marin prices are decent and affordable unlike Surly which become expensive in many non north American countries.

Totally unrelated to this vid, but I was watching a recent GCN video and they said something about for people who ride “party pace” that the details of whatever it was they were talking about wasn’t really all that important. I did a spit take when they said party pace. You’ve been noticed by the go fast weigh weenie crowd.

The Muirwoods is part of the Marin tradition going back to the 1980/90's. The bike is sold to personalize over a lifetime. You are getting a steel fork and frame, tire clearance, and smooth comfortable geometry. Over time as components wear out you make your own upgrades. For example, to lighten the weight, replace the crankset and rear cassette with a Shimano MTB or Advent X set-up, light weight pedals, Marin Ergonomic grips, carbon seat post, titanium rail saddle, and a set of Gravelkings (tires). That would take off a few lbs. Then enjoy.

IMO the 2021 version of the bike makes way more sense for its intended purpose. That version came with a 3x9 setup. This version seems targeted towards the "gravel-curious"; almost as if they're acknowledging that you're almost immediately gonna upgrade to a plusher/fatter tire and follow all the dirt paths in your area.

Hi PLP, hi all out there I own a Muirwoods 2023 (L, 1.82 meters) for couple of weeks. I ride some old school Marins like Redwoods, Eldridge Grade or Pine Mountain, which I love. Even the company nowadays seems too big, there obviously still is some innovative spirit in with them. Therefore and because I fell in love with the nice look and interesting geometry I decided to organize one, which here in Switzerland wasn't that easy. Despite I always thought the bike to probably be a bit heavy, before all the wheelset and rubbers, I decided to give it a chance. Moreover it was well-priced and the very best thing was: Here, I finally could mount my 10 yo HED Ardennes - nice US wheels from a short time with skewers and discs. And as you know too: wheels change the game My verdict complains plusminus with PLP: - whole bike: quite heavy but enlightable. If I get really warm with the frame, I'll invest in a lighter crank as small parts, I guess a bring it down on 10.5-11kilos - frame: I love steel for being more flex vertically and ride stuff like Tange premium, Reynolds and Ritcheys. That's why I hoped this to have more flex too. This one is a bit "waterpipeish", still more souple then cheap alloy, but not as it could be. But really ok for this price... - wheels are sturdy but - sorry - nor climb nor commuter friendly, also the tires. Passionate cyclists will tear off both first. I changed to 35mm Panaracers, which under 3 bars seem to roll better on asphalt - crankset and bearings is trash metal, from valuable resource to recycling without an intermediate step, the china way. Get rid off...! - Microshift: firm and crisp shifting - Sunrace Cassette: mid-weight but valuable, mid-range gearing I also find, there are some funny jumps without benefit, but ok for the price - Tour-ability: Nice with many mounts. Comfort on rides longer than 3 hours still to experience - Rack: A cheap and very light black matte Decathlon rack looks great and does a really good job - Stem: I changed to 70mm quickly, now I look for a better handlebar - this one is heavy and for me too flat and much too wide - Riding up: a bit wobbly as PLP states, but well enough. I know riding... - Riding down: stable as stated - Gravelability: On unpaved roads it ride very well, above all with the Ardennes. The long wheelbase does what I thought it would Foto of my Muirwood: I have, but I did not find how or where to send or post 😉Late 50-ties, you know... Over all: Nice for the price. And an option with lighter stuff all around, especially for my daily 25 km commuting with rack and bags... Acknowledgement to PLP: Nice work you do with your channel. I took you into consideration some years ago before buying the Ritchey Outback - it became a love story. This Muirwoods I bought before your review, which proves: You and me its a match💕. I'm always interested in what you broadcast and rely on your points of view. Honest, independent, unagitated - I recommend in any sense. I hope you will accompany me for many years to come ❤‍🔥 Now I will go on patreon and support you Ride on and have a good time! Chris

Reminds me of that black old school steel rigid 29er that Bike Snob NYC had for the past 15 years. Or my 2012 rigid jamis dragon 29er, also black. A bike for life.

I've always looked a the Muirwoods and the Kona Dew as a cheap alternative to a Surly Grappler. When you compare the geo they are all very similar. You could buy either and modify to your preference similar to a flat bar Grappler for a fraction of the price. Selling the bits you don't need upgrading the drivetrain when the OEM one wears out and investing in what you value. (tyres, saddle, pedals)

One of my favourite bikes. I have a white one with purple/pink paint splashes from '88 and a blacked out one from 2021. Both now have been converted into gravel/travel bikes. It's a great entry point for someone who wants to mess around with a steelie. Thanks so much for this review.

Muirwood is a great bike with decent price. I wish more brands provided steel bikes with decent prices.

I built touring bike for my father, based on frameset 2016 year. I think old Geo better than now. Double bar, sensah 1*12 speed, 29*1,9 tyres - my father is happy. May be frame can be more rigid and have changeable mech hanger, but it does work very well.

"Charming and cool, and definitely built like a tank." Yep, we agree. Glad you liked the bike, Russ.

Commuter, weekend tourer, flat-bar gravel grinder.... Seems like a great all-rounder! Shame it weighs so much, but that tends to be the case with Marin bikes from what I understand. I love Marin's style and ethos with their bike designs, but I'm not sure I'd buy another of their full suspension bikes after seeing where the monetary savings come from in those.

I had one of these 12 years ago. Things have changed a bunch!

I have a 2019 Muirwood (pre 1x) it's an incredible bike, as you said, bombproof. It really is a do-it-all bike, and the funky rasta paintscheme is a plus.

Pro Wheel crank found on Schwinn, Mongoose Giant, etc. Press fit chain ring.

Makes an excellent platform for upgrades if you find a used one, it sounds like.

I think the four corners, especially the new one with the additional mounts and new price point is a great deal. I just sold my 2023 and plan to get the 2024.

I started mountain biking years ago in 1995 in Singapore, when I was 25 and my first mtb was a Marin Rocky Ridge. Loved it to bits and had great adventures with it. Fast forward to 2024, I'm now 54, living in Australia and multiple bikes later, I'm back riding a Marin again, this time a steel frame Pine Mountain 1 which I use for bikepacking. Marin are still making great bikes. Their support is great too! Steve "Gravy" Gravenites answered all my questions! 👍

Thomson's 7050 aluminum riser bars, 7000 series aluminum Elite stem, and seatpost would help with that weight😁🤘🤘

I put a Jones bar on my 4 Corners and it’s my favorite bike ever

Great look at that Marin. They also offer a great drop-bar ATB bike-Gestalt-X with 68 degree headtube and 425 chain-stay, and light-"ish" aluminum for retail $1,400. Seems like a great deal. I would own it if the down tube could take a front derailleur.

I have the exact same crank. The chainring is fixed to the crank arm.

This bike looks a little like my old, rigid frame Marin Pine Mountain except with skinny tires. I'm still running on the 27.5+ x 28's that came with the bike. I have a good road and gravel bikes. But year in year out I always take more rides on the Pine Mountain than my other two lighter, fancier bikes. I enjoyed your review of this bike.

Sick Surly Bridge Club

My triple butted steel marin Muir Woods was my first mtb purchased in 1994, if you flicked the down tube it rang like a bell, only other frame of the many I flicked that 'sounded' so nice was a Fat Chance. Rode it from SF to HB on self contained tour. Sadly thieves tried to use the frame to pop the U-lock off and bent the top tube.

I like the specs on this for a moderately priced new bike. Braze ons! Wide tire clearance! Good review. I think the gearing choice is good. 38t is great and I don’t care about gear steps, only a decent range. The turd in the punch bowl for me is why QR axle with disc brakes? It should be rim brake! Or if you must a thru axle with disc to reduce the likelihood that the disc will rub.

After watching a lot of videos about this brand, I decided (two years ago) to buy the 2020's version of this bike... For me it was the ultimate commuting machine, I was able to go wherever I wanted, I just didn't like the handle bar that much, I am used to shorted handlebars... And everyone says that this version is a lot better that the one I used to have. Mine was stolen, by the way...

Switching to bigger tires will make the front wheel flops even more. Thanks for the video, rus!

Seems odd that Marin dropped the Muirwoods headtube angle all the way from 72deg to 67.5deg in one model change (vs old 2020 model). Particularly so if you compare it to a hardtail with front suspension it's more like a 66.5 degree angle accounting for sag that the Muirwoods doesn't have. I'll stick with my aluminum Kona Dew plus that weighs 30lbs with a Topeak MTX rack, 2 bottle cages, headlight, Ornot bar bag & inner bar ends attached. The 70deg headtube angle on the Dew is just fine for a general use town/ gravel/ light trails bike based on my experience.

A cursory view of the backing on that crank suggests this is a swaged mount, but it would reduce the cost and steel hi-lo tooth wears slower than any aluminum, so _not_ terrible...

My wife just got a DSX FS. Aluminum frame, a little more expensive, similar to this bike but it resolves a lot of the issues you’ve found with the Muir Woods. Better gear ratio (Deore 12 speed), thicker meats (45 mm Riddlers), tubeless compatible. I guess I’ll find out about the chainring, it seems to be the same and will require a slightly smaller replacement. Thanks Russ!

Love marin! I have the kentfield 2 and it seems very similar to this one. Currently have it with the surly corner bar but might look into converting to drop bars later down the line.

People overlook the similar HARO BEASLEY too. 1x10, turned mine into a trail-mmuter w knobys.

I think a surly corner bar would look great on this

Giant have some steel bike available also. Great for the more casual rider than want something simple and reliable without having to invest Rivendell money

thats a nn changable chainring sadly, just. pressed onto the spider. but. there are some bargaiun miranda or aliexpress cranksets. out there so can be changed for not a lot. hope this helps

Great review!I have the Marin Nicasio 1 .With a few upgrades it is the perfect bike for me.

I accidentally built this when I put skinnys and a rigid fork on my old 29er hardtail. A great kind of bike to have for tooling around with the kids, this is a cheaper way to get there.

I think I remember Marin's site saying this can fit up to 29x2.3 but don't rec going 27.5 as it could lower the BB more than prefered for off-road riding.

Credit to you for integrity. Love this channel.

I strongly considered getting one of these but NOBODY had them in stock to test ride...in Marin County! Glad I passed on it, it seems like a neat concept but a hard sell over something like the Kona Dew which is lighter and has 650bx47 out of the box...and cheaper...or the Hudski (huzzah, another Marin Co. bike brand!)for more money, but a comfortably better bike.

Wow! This is over 30 pounds?! That is heavy especially for a bike without suspension and just a 1X drivetrain!

Chainring appears like it could be a SRAM GXP style direct mount, but you can't see the bolts on those without removing the cranks so it wouldn't be possible to tell with the crank mounted.

Could you do a video on the Trek 4300? I bought this bike in 2007; I changed every part/component🤘🤘

Looks like a great commuter.

99% sure its the exact same wheelset and drivetrain from my entry level larkspur. i feel like the wheels and the cassette are where the weight is. pretty keen to change out to a regular old 2x9 if i can make it work

I've been dying to see how Russ would break down a 90s era hybrid! Feels like we got pretty close! Begs the question: more like the Hudski or more like a mom/dad hybrid?

Excellent video, Russ. Future Bad Burgh Content is definitely going to buy some stickers off of future Russ!

Kinda wished it came in the 80's/90's colorway. Would be a great ridgid mtb just more progressive then my 87 fisher. Bet it would eat high speed fireroad descents.

YOO Russ is reviewing a bike I actually own?? So cool! I bought this one as a commuter and ended up upgrading to something completely different. Haven't gotten around to selling my Muirwoods yet but that's the plan. I definitely slapped a FSA Metropolis handlebar on it (way swept back and some rise), with a long stem to make it work, and a rear rack to carry my stuff around. I have some chunky hills and the gearing is simply not low enough for my chicken legs, especially with groceries, but I think it would be a sweet bike to build up. That front chainring was the real kicker for me. It would drop the chain all the freaking time, sometimes multiple times a ride, and usually while climbing which was just not the best. The other complaint I have is the derailleur hangar is part of the bike frame instead of a separate piece, which is a big no no for me. But for $900 its a solid bike imo, less funky than the Larkspur (which has the same gearing, but is heavier), and a chill ride. The 40mm tires are pretty nice if you're used to road bike tires, but I've moved to 650B's per Russ's suggestion on my current bike and it's way better. Can confirm the wheels are not tubeless compatible, per and email with Marin. Cheers!!

Awesome that you reviewed it!

Great review Russ. I have a Muirwoods and it's a funky sob but I love it

I really enjoy my wife’s Larkspur ;) I wish Marin improved the quality control (came with bent fork) a little bit, but it is my only complaint considering the price point.

I see it still comes with a 160mm front brake rotor, even though a 180mm is, and has always been, advertised.

Great channel with fantastic content Russ! New Muirwoods seems to be a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Inconspicuous at first glance and classified as urban bike, which makes it easy to believe that it may not be sturdy enough for off road use. Meanwhile, its hidden value and above-average versatility lies not only in its simplicity but, above all, in the price-to-potential ratio this bike offers with its steel frame, phenomenal geometry and tons of tire clearance. Maxxis Assegai in 29x2.5" fits with no issues which means there's potentially enough clearance for 27.5+ on suitable rims but no bigger than 2.8" I'd guess. All in all a set of MTB tires, 32T chainring and an alt bar swap will unlock the real potential of this bike and turn it into an almost thoroughbred adventure rig. Although thru axles and few more frame and fork mounts would definitely be a significant advantage. Otherwise it seems like a solid platform for an ATB on a budget.

I think a lot of us would be interested in seeing a return of something similar to whiskey and bikes - maybe wine and bikes once you get more settled given the ex-pat community in Gerona. It would be an interesting introduction to the bike community there in Gerona also.

That weight is for sure coming from the chromoly frameset, drivetrain (specifically the cassette and crank) and wheelset. Basically, the whole bike😂😂. Around the same weight as an equally-priced hardtail.

Sharp looking bike for the $$.

I'd rather have a '90's Muirwoods and stick a city or swept back handlebar on it.

Yeah dude! 🤘🏼 The Muirwoods is a great value bike, my opinion is that it would sell more if it was a different colour. Great video!

Looks like the older version of the Kona Dew (700C version).

This bike sounds heavy

Something I've always wondered; especially on a 1x, how many riders actually use that 11-tooth sprocket? Wouldn't it make more sense to start with a 13- or 15-tooth sprocket for 90% of us riders?

Rigid MTB that gets better the faster you go. These bikes are perfect for so much real world cycling. I prefer 650b wheels and a front derailleur but otherwise looks fine.

Muirwood or Larkspur? What’s your preference and why?

What is your opinion about the cut out on the chainstay slab on the drive side? Ragley's steel MTB frame also has a cut out and an additional triangular reinforcement beam welded to the BB shell, which I have seen a crack at the slab cut out. Others like Surly MK and Chromag use a slab without cut out. The Marin slab seems a bit thicker though(?), and Marin's Pine Mountain MTB frame also has the same cut out. Bike frame has designed intent tolerance. Everything eventually will break, if the frame does not crack at the slab, it will crack somewhere else like the dropout or seatstay weld. But wouldn't one wants to take the Marin Muirwood on a single track? :P

The RC version is still on the website (US) with IGH. It seems this bike would be related to the Larkspur that you previously tested. That has 650b tires. Also this model might take tires larger than 650bx47. But why change a mid-price point setup?

It seems like a Poseidon Redwood is a better deal. Same price, lighter, huge tire clearance.

Hey I am subscribed to your channel just wondering when you are going to make a video on the Surly Bridge Club.That is similar to the Muirwoods.

Chainring seems removable with a centre lock

The drivetrain should at least be XT M770 and M772😁

I wonder how the gearing would feel with bigger tires

Probably a steel chainring and not replaceable

Wheel flop squirrelliness does not seem fun when creeping up to traffic lights as a commuter.

Also, do any of your bikes have Thomson bars, stems, and sestposts?

So can this take 700c x 50? Just bought one 3 weeks ago? Bikes online has it for $399

@1:30 This is why i cannot stand to run the advent x despite buying the mech and really wanting to run it: that cable pull path is just wack. smh. if they had the "ferule" that holds the end of the housing pivoted 30 or 45 degrees into the wheelset then the cable would pull fare-more-generally straight. smh.. its a shame

Those chainstays seem much longer than 430mm, to have that much space with 700c*40mm tires. I'm basing this comment off the clearance on my gravel bike (with 425mm chainstays) and 40mm tires.

I'd give it ~400-500€ considering it being very heavy and low-end spec, but 800-900€ does not seem like a good deal.

How's it compare to the 1987 model ?

Is anybody aware of a bike that gets shipped with Microshift sword installed? Havent seen any yet.

And have you rode any Titanium frames?

What does ATB mean?

If I remember correctly, Marin made Titanium frames👍👍

I’d suggest the Four Corners instead ….

What happened to Marin and bikes online?

The Muir Woods has always as us been on my radar, but water pipe steel and not easily upgradable BB is a turn off.

❤

I don't like anything on this bike, good review

A handsome bike but some wacky colors would be a lot more fun because at the end of the day it's begging for a lifetime of mods.

How many of your bikes have the Jegwire Kevlar reinforced compressionless brake housing?

Are you guys in Europe? The streets look Europeanish.

beggin for bigger meats…😂 PAUSE

Dare i say almost Surlyish in design and thought process...

It looks so ugly! 4 corners is way better looking

The original looks better (despite cheesy 90s graphics) and undoubtable rides better. Slack headtube angles have ruined biking and are destroying the moral fiber or our youth. If you don't have the patience to learn to ride a bike with a "steep"(aka "normal") headtube angle, you shouldn't be biking, just get a car.