Another what do you think of this bike topic!

[sadjack]

I am looking around for an all purpose commute bike. My trip is 13 miles each way and has over 2000 foot of climbing over country lanes in the most part.

Having just put my touring bike in for new wheels as the rims have worn very thin and my MTB rear rim having just exploded because I did not check it for wear very well I am thinking of going with disc brakes this time.

Any thoughts on this http://www.marin.co.....php?ModNo=10LO

I have seen other threads and recommends and did not want to hijack them so I have started another post just for comments on this bike and will consider the other threads before I make up my mind.

Cheers

 

[HLaB]

Looks a nice bike, the first thing that came to mind when you mentioned the distance and disc were the Toscana and Croix de Fer but they are a bit over priced IMO. The Lombard looks very nice. Ive got similar 8 sp gearing on my Sirrus (52/42/30) and I really get on with it. Depending on the condition of the country lanes I'd be tempted to put narrower slicker tyres on it but still keep the supplied knobblies for choice :-)

 

[hackbike 666]

Wow that's a babe of a bike...what's the damage?

 

[MacB]

It looks nice, maybe too nice for a long commute in all weathers, too many parts of the spec I'd not be happy with. But it depends on what you want, I reckon a good commuter covers all the bases and keeps maintenance requirements to a minimum:-

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPOMPETVERSA/on-one-pompetamine-versa

This is the new Pompetamine build from On-One, the budget version at £800, I prefer the other version at £1k

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPOMPVERPRO/on-one-pompetamine-versa-pro

But neither comes with hub dynamo, lights, rack or guards, they can be negotiated though. I'm using this frame to build up my ideal workhorse, so:-

Use my existing I-9 hub gear wheel, chainset, chain, BB, bars, shifter, seatpost, saddle, rack, guards, etc and need to buy:-

SON 28 front wheel £208, Edelux front light £125, B&M rear rack mounted light £35, Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes £120, On One Pomp frame & forks £205, On One headset £20

which will probably end up at about £750 in total.

 

[Crankarm]

Looks ok. The main attraction in this bike seems to be because it has disc brakes which you say your next bike must have as 2 of your current bikes have suffered rapid rim wear. How about a new set of hand built wheels on a good pair of hubs with ceramic rims to reduce rim wear?

Oh I don't like the Truvativ components - cheap and nasty.

Hubs are unbranded as well so could be cheap rubbish. If so use them til they wear out then replace with handbuilt wheels.

Not sure what level Shimano 2300 is? Sora?

You don't want 35C tyres if you are road riding more like 23C or 25C max unless carrying a load when 28C might be desirable but 28C certainly the max. 25C the ideal IMHO. 23C for a proper road bike.

 

[potsy]

Looks ok. The main attraction in this bike seems to be because it has disc brakes which you say your next bike must have as 2 of your current bikes have suffered rapid rim wear. How about a new set of hand built wheels on a good pair of hubs with ceramic rims to reduce rim wear?

Oh I don't like the Truvativ components - cheap and nasty.

Hubs are unbranded as well so could be cheap rubbish. If so use them til they wear out then replace with handbuilt wheels.

Not sure what level Shimano 2300 is? Sora?

Level below Sora

 

[sadjack]

Thanks for the feedback. The RRP is £750 quid which the shop is promising to do "something" on. Not got as far as haggling yet. I would want mud guards and a rack fitted as well.

I have always liked Marin MTB's for their quality and this bike caught my eye when I was looking around the shop at some straight bar GT's.

For the price it does look OK.

Crankarm - I like your suggestion for hand built wheels etc, but am worried that the cost of these would be more than the £750 for this bike! Never looked at costing these tho so could be wrong. I'll investigate further.

 

[palinurus]

Crankarm - I like your suggestion for hand built wheels etc, but am worried that the cost of these would be more than the £750 for this bike! Never looked at costing these tho so could be wrong. I'll investigate further.

You can get good handbuilts for less than £200, last lot I got were 105 hubs/ Open Pro rims and were under £200- and that was when prices of Shimano stuff were unusually high (almost £70 for a rear hub, you can get them for £50 now)

 

[Crankarm]

Thanks for the feedback. The RRP is £750 quid which the shop is promising to do "something" on. Not got as far as haggling yet. I would want mud guards and a rack fitted as well.

I have always liked Marin MTB's for their quality and this bike caught my eye when I was looking around the shop at some straight bar GT's.

For the price it does look OK.

Crankarm - I like your suggestion for hand built wheels etc, but am worried that the cost of these would be more than the £750 for this bike! Never looked at costing these tho so could be wrong. I'll investigate further.

Marin bikes are good quality AFAIK, up there with the best.

£750 for a pair of hand built wheels!!!! You should get a decent pair say Mavic Open CD Pro rims or Open Pro Ceramic rims on Ultegra Hubs with Swiss DT spokes for £250-275 maybe a tad more or less. They will be so much better than the factory built wheels that will come supplied on this Marin bike.

I would certainly haggle over the £750 price tag, down to a more affordable and realistic £550-575 mark if poss or get mudguards £20, decent lock £65-70 or rack £30 (Don't buy Blackburn as the welding is crap) thrown in. I was going to say lights but you can get SMART lights from CRC for £2 - £3.

I would check out Kona as they now do some decent disc braked road, cross and hybrid bikes. Kona frames are excellent.

 

[sadjack]

You can get good handbuilts for less than £200, last lot I got were 105 hubs/ Open Pro rims and were under £200- and that was when prices of Shimano stuff were unusually high (almost £70 for a rear hub, you can get them for £50 now)

I am getting two wheels rebuilt using the existing hubs at the mo. Going to cost about £120 quid using basic hoops. Getting god ones with cermaic rims sounds expensive but I am not in a position to say until I look into it more.

Do you get the impression I just want another bike

 

[sadjack]

MMMM

Shimano 2300....bottom of their range

May have to weigh up how good the frame is and consider ugrading over time.....or look harder at the bikes in ther threads.

Any views on the 2300?

 

[Moodyman]

Marin make excellent frames and offer lifetime warranty.

But they tend to put lower end other components to substitue for this.

 

[hackbike 666]

People are right....The wheels I have received with new bikes recently have been crap so I have had to get handbuilt wheels which have been great.Don't really have too many problems with rim wear...Had one wheel go on me but I know for a fact it was ten years old.

 

[mgarl10024]

Hi SadJack,

I am looking around for an all purpose commute bike.

I have similar requirements, and went for this one: http://www.marin.co.....php?ModNo=10AN.

Marin bikes are good quality AFAIK, up there with the best.

I don't have as much experience as the chaps on here, but I can say that I've been very happy with my Marin so far.

I am thinking of going with disc brakes this time.

Mine doesn't have these, so can't comment.

Marin make excellent frames and offer lifetime warranty.

I was unaware of the lifetime warranty, but I do know that after buying the bike I am able to take it back 4 times over the first two years of ownership for "safety checks" (I think once after 4wks, then 6mths, then 1yr, then after 2yrs). You sign up for the scheme online for free (supplying your frame number), then when the time comes they email you a pdf voucher which you redeem at your LBS. Not sure exactly what they do during this check (mine is still coming up to it's 6mth check and I rolled the 4wk one into the 6wk tune offered by the LBS), but in principle it sounds a good plan and tells me that the company take their frames seriously.

Hope that helps,

MG

 

[Andrew_P]

My return to cycling has been on a Marin Muirwoods 29er. Strangely you are lusting after disc brakes, I would happily swap to traditonal, they seem to constantly need adjusting and when you get them so they are sharp you end up with disc rubbing on the stationary pad, either all the time or intermitently mine has Avid BB5 Disc brakes. The small LBS were it was first serviced blamed it on the push action bending the rotor, and I have seen some evidence on the net that this is the case with BB5. Drives me crazy.

Overall I am pleased with the bike, but as others have pointed out the running gear is low end.