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Thank you to all the people that gave me advice on finding my first bike in about 30 years.
I really appreciate the knowledge that was shared here.

I decided that I wanted a Hybrid, but without a front shock fork.
The Marin MUIRWOODS 29er was recommended, and I went to ride one at REI.
I really liked the ride, but they only had it in a 17". The Bike salesman said he would like to see me test ride a 19", but they were out of them.

While looking around the internet for a 19" I found this awesome deal on Amazon.
The 2014 MUIRWOODS 29er sells at REI for $699.00.
I just ordered the 2013 Marin MUIRWOODS 29er for $449.00 on Amazon with free shipping. (19")

The main difference I see between the 2 is that the 2014 has hydraulic disc brakes, and the 2013 has mechanical disk brakes.
The front fork seems to be straighter on the 2014 too. One person said they liked the 2013 fork better as it may be a smoother ride.
The tires are different too. Some say the 2013 has a better derailleur, and that they actually prefer mechanical disc brakes over hydraulic.

BTW I do not work for the Amazon seller, or any bike seller. I just found an awesome deal, and wanted to share it with people on here that might want this bike.

I would like to ask more advice as to what else I will be needing, and your recommendations.
Things I want will be fenders, rear rack, lights, a helmet, a lock, water bottle, etc.
I will read more about these things in other posts, but if you can give me recommendations, I would appreciate it.

I will try to post pictures when the bike comes next week, and maybe while I assemble it.
Thanks again for you help! I'm excited to get out there biking again, and to get back into shape!

I will try to post the link below:
Amazon.com : 2013 Marin MUIRWOODS 29er xx.x" Urban Commuter Road Bike Shimano 8s Disc NEW : Sports & Outdoors

NormanF

I got mine off the Bay for $392.19 including shipping.

Its an awesome bike!

It looks we'll be getting our bikes around the same time.

I got the 17" and I'm thinking of putting balloon tires on it. Mine is the 2013 model.

2EXTREME

Wow! That is a great price! Please let me know how you like it, and what you will be adding on to it.
There are a couple of great threads about this bike on the Forum.
Please stay in touch! Happy Trails! -Aaron

ColonelSanders

The Marin MUIRWOODS 29er is astonishing value for money.

It would be very easy to take a chance on this bike as a second bike/back up bike, at the very least, and it might end up turning into one's primary bike.

Evgeny

great bike

NormanF

Its built on the 29er platform - you can have both a hybrid and an MTB in one bike.

Its a good value conscious choice for folks who want a do everything bike.

deerfly

Enjoy your bike! It's nice to see people buying quality bikes from some of the smaller brands.
Marin seems like one of those companies that makes some really good bikes but not a lot of people are familiar with them.
I picked up my Marin mountain bike from E-Bay for a really good price, much less than comparable brands. E-Bay and Amazon are selling a lot of Marins for the same Vendor.

NormanF

Yup.

The steel bikes are made of double-butted cromoly steel. The 2013 original retail value is $700 so getting it for under $350 is like over 50% off! I'm very happy to be able to buy it for a good price.

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I'm taking a bit of a chance with the 19" bike, and I only rode the 17". I am a bit under 5'10" and I have short legs.
Because I have a longer torso, some bike shops wanted to fit me in a large frame. They said the large frame would be more comfortable for me to ride.
(So that I wouldn't be so scrunched up, as one cute lady bike expert said).

Any idea for accessories? I do want a kick stand. I think I want fenders and a rear rack too. A water bottle & holder, lock, helmet, computer, etc.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

NormanF

I'm 5'7" and I went by the sizing guideline on the Marin Bikes website.

In your case, 19" is the right size. You can look up the fitting recommendation for it here:

Marin Bikes | Bike Sizing Charts | Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes, and City/Commuter Bicycles | us

A double kickstand would work. You'll want an Axiom rear rack designed to work with disc brakes. As for fenders, you have a choice between SKS and Cascadia. A bike shop is qualified to help you properly assemble your bike, get the wheels trued, install fenders and install any accessories you might want.

Are you planning to build a commuter bike? The Marin Muirwoods lends itself to that role.

SHOFINE

Good Luck on the fit! I have the smallest size 17.5" Trek Sawyer 29er & I'm 5'10" with my shoes on. After swapping out the Big Apples to the 2.4" Maxxis Ardents I have to be careful when I come to a stop!

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Thanks for the replys. Many bike companies have so many different sizes that differ from other companies. What one company calls a large, another calls a medium.
I bought the 19" based on the ride I did at REI on the 17". The very helpful salesman suggested that I might fit better on a 19", but they didn't have one.
I liked REI so much, that I think I would have bought from them if they had the 19".

I feel weird about buying a bike on line, and taking it to a local bike shop to have them assemble it.
I think I will assemble it, and ride it for a while, and then maybe take it in for a tune up that most bike shops advertise.

Your thoughts?
Thanks!

NormanF

I think people should have the freedom to buy online.

Bike assembly takes a few simple tools and you can have a friend help you with it and if you're not up to it, a bike shop mechanic will do it for a fee.

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The Bike is here! I chose to take it to a local bike store to have it assembled and tuned. After I ride it for a month, he will check everything again, and tune what needs to be tuned.
What accessories do you recommend?
Computer? Lock? Fenders, rack? grips? kickstand?
Thanks!

NormanF

A double kickstand. 29ers tend to be on the heavy side. You'll want an Axiom rear rack that's compatible with disc brakes. You have your choice of plastic fenders made by SKS or Cascadia for 29ers and beware though that mounting very fat tires may not be possible with fenders.

The stock Continental Town Ride are good all around tires and if you want to go really big - Big Apples, Fat Franks and Big Bens will fit as will Continental's new Retro Ride.

Good luck.

NormanF

I received mine today.

The Matte Gray finish looks absolutely sick.

phlatphrog

I really, really like my 2013 muirwoods 29er.



I like it so much that I also bought a 2013 hamilton off ebay. The hamilton is virtually the same bike, except with rim brakes, and a 1x7 drivetrain. It was very easy to upgrade to a 3x7.

There is a steady stream of these bikes on ebay right now. For the last couple months. Personally I think this is a completely awesome do-everything bike. Yes, it's on the heavy side, but I like to say that makes it a real bike instead of a weeny bike.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/phlatp...7635342528758/ - my muirwoods set
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phlatp...7644905676255/ - my hamilton set

You'll see pretty quick from those photo albums that I'm a tinkerer. Sometimes it seems that I spend more time tweaking than riding.

phlatphrog

I ended up getting a topeak explorer 29er rack for my muirwoods.

Topeak Explorer 29er Rack with Disc Mounts - Free Shipping at REI.com

I do not like the shiny, skinny rails, but it works great. I tried a planet bike versa rack (as I recall it has some spacers included to get round disc brakes) but it was too wonky. I returned it and got the topeak, which I've stuck with.

My one big complaint about this bike is that you cannot fit a 2" tire in the back. There is plenty of room with the frame, the problem is that the front derailleur sticks back too far. I tried to mount a 2.1" WTB nano raptor, and once I got it in, the tire would not spin. It was stuck on the derailleur.

I got a pair of 47-622 smart sams (which seems to be out of stock everywhere now) and put those on.

Smart Sam, 47-622, Black-Skin, Wire | Schwalbe North America

They fit perfect and are just about perfect in terms of go-everywhere, do-everything. They're just fat enough for off road and roll really well on pavement, and they fit in the bike. And they are not too expensive.

I'd say that any 47-622 is gonna fit fine, but if you're looking at 50-622 or larger, I'd try them to make sure they fit.

Or you can swap the front derailleur to get more space. I expect I'll do that someday on mine.

dynaryder

Lovely. I think just about every bike I've gotten off eBay has shown up in my building's package room like this. Maybe they need to make the arrows 3D or something.

bluewire

Anyone looking for a 2014 Muirwoods 29er?
Ergon grips and heavy duty lock included.
2014 Marin Muirwoods 29er Flat Bar Commuter

NormanF

Too big for me.

But its reasonably priced for someone who wants it.

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This bike is awesome! I chose to have a LBS assemble and tune it for me.
Now to add on stuff! Fenders, rack, bag, etc.
Here are some pics

camjr

Fantastic! Now, get on that sucker and ride the heck out of it!

2EXTREME

What kind of lock is that? What rear rack is that? are you going to add fenders?

phlatphrog

The lock is a Kryptonite evolution mini-5. I like the mounting kit that comes with that lock.

The rack I have is a topeak explorer 29er

Topeak Explorer 29er Rack with Disc Mounts - Free Shipping at REI.com

I don't know about fenders. Maybe I'll get some kind of plastic fenders that are easy to mount/dismount. Haven't thought about it much.