Marin Catalogue 1998: Portable

If you own a 1998 Marin, keep that catalogue close. It is the bike’s birth certificate. If you don’t own one, use the catalogue to hunt for a Palisades Trail or an East Peak. In a world of carbon fiber disposability, the aluminum and steel of the 1998 Marin lineup are eternal.

These catalogues were typically A5 or digest-sized (approx. 5.5" x 8.5"). They were staple-bound with high-gloss covers but thinner paper inside. For collectors, the "portable" variant is actually rarer than the full-size dealer binder because they were tossed into bike boxes or lost in shop drawers. marin catalogue 1998 portable

For the modern rider, this catalogue serves as a manual for converting a 26" wheel dinosaur into a gravel ripper. Because the 1998 frames used standard 68mm bottom brackets and 1 1/8" head tubes (no tapered nonsense), they are incredibly easy to modernize with a rigid carbon fork and a 1x12 drivetrain. While physical copies of the Marin catalogue 1998 portable sell for $30–$50 on eBay, high-resolution scans are available via the Marin Bikes archive (if you email their vintage department) or on Retrobike.co.uk. If you own a 1998 Marin, keep that catalogue close