After a five-year absence, the Californian bikes with an iconic past are rolling back onto the Swiss trails. A distributor with a lot of experience in marketing high-quality bikes is taking on Marin.

The cult brand from California has some interesting bikes in its range for 2014. Two of these are the "Attack Trail C-XT PRO" and "Mount Vision C-XM PRO" models for the all-mountain and trail sector. Both models come with 27.5-inch wheels

The previously privately owned bike manufacturer Marin has announced that it has reached an agreement to be taken over by the European investment company Minestone Ltd. The change in ownership is intended to enable higher investments to be made in the areas of development, marketing and personnel.

The Alchemist from Marin may not be able to turn lead into gold, but the new Cross Country Fully is designed to convert muscle power into propulsion like no other bike from the Californian bike manufacturer before it.

Tom Brown has found a new job in the bike industry. The former Managing Director of Trek Switzerland is now in charge of international sales and marketing for the Californian bike manufacturer Marin.

"Marin Mountain Bikes" is to be known simply as "Marin Bikes" in future. According to the Californian headquarters, this better represents the brand since the entire bike range is offered. The US company will be launching its new logo and a whole range of other marketing measures at the international bike trade fair "Interbike".

It doesn't seem so surprising that a brand that has a large fan base in Canada like KONA would name one of its models "Bear". Rather that there are legal problems because of it. Following a legal dispute with Marin, which has had a steel hardtail under the name "Bear Valley" in its range for years and is claiming copyright protection, KONA will now deliver all bikes of this type with a slightly different name: "Beer".

"Chris Sports Systems" in Münchwilen is bringing the Marin brand back to Switzerland. It has been known since this spring that the company is ending its long-standing partnership with the Kona brand and has now added Marin as a replacement to its product portfolio. Marin was considered a cult brand in the early years of mountain biking, but has not been available in Switzerland for several years now. CSS will offer the Californian bike manufacturer's entire product range and should be able to deliver the first products this fall.