Opinions please on Marin

[mr_cellophane]

For a general commute of 15-20 miles and pottering about the roads of Essex/East London.
http://www.airevalleycycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b1s200p4513

At £775 it is a bit more than I intended to pay, but CTW should nearly halve that.

 

[4F]

If I was going to spend 775 then I would want something equipped better than sora and in my opinion I think discs brakes just look wrong on a road bike

 

[Crackle]

If it's a Cross bike you're after, look at the Specialized Tricross. Similiar price, better spec I think. Also not keen on the wavy tubes on the Marins. They look OK in the pictures but not so great in the flesh.

 

[jimboalee]

I looked at one of these in California. $999. = £670 ish.
Yes, the Sora changers cheapen it.

Advantage - Disc brakes don't make horrible black mess on the rims in the wet.
Dissadvantage - Discs weigh more.

If I'd bought one, I know how to fit mudguards, so no worries there, and I'd fit a pair of 23mm Gatorskins for commuting.

The Spesh is nice bike, but has cantis - and all the brake block ink in the wet !

I hate scrubbing rims and tyres, washing forks and stays; and wiping sludge off blocks.

 

[mr_cellophane]

If it's a Cross bike you're after, look at the Specialized Tricross. Similiar price, better spec I think. Also not keen on the wavy tubes on the Marins. They look OK in the pictures but not so great in the flesh.

I looked at the Tricross today. Sh1t colour, but as the man said, less likely to get stolen . Reading a review on bikeradar says it suffers from brake judder at low speed.

 

[HLaB]

A collegue has the Marin Fairfax and it looks like a very nice bike. When I was looking around for a new bike I looked at the Toscana and I really liked it but I was unsure about the disc brakes, more weight but better for stopping/commuting and in the unlikely event of me racing would they be legal so I didn't follow it up. In the meantime having fitted Sora to my winter bike, I think I would like something better specced.

 

[Crackle]

What's the budget again.

http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=hwdgd#/page24/

Look at the 4T. Kinesis are currently on my favourite list

 

[magnatom]

What's the budget again.

http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=hwdgd#/page24/

Look at the 4T. Kinesis are currently on my favourite list

Or you could probably build up a decent Racelight T bike for that price. Does it need to be a cross bike? That is what I originally set out to get and ended up with a racelight Tk.

Be careful not to stretch your budget like I did

(Crackle, you'll have to pop up to Glasgow for a rideon my new stead once I get it!)

 

[magnatom]

I should add the racelight T and Tk can both take mudguards.

 

[mr_cellophane]

What's the budget again.

Mrs C - "You want to spend how much on a bike ! !"

 

[Crackle]

Mrs C - "You want to spend how much on a bike ! !"

Right, I see: Back to the drawing board then. Does it have to be a Cross-bike. Loads of stuff which would fit the bill (literally) otherwise.

 

[Black Sheep]

Advantage - Disc brakes don't make horrible black mess on the rims in the wet.
Dissadvantage - Discs weigh more.

my bike knowledge comes from mountain biking and a bit of engineering, so may not apply here.

Surely disk brakes allow for the weight to be held towards the centre of the wheel making it quicker to accelerate than if the weight is held to the edge of the wheel.

this would also allow for rims to be built lighter since they do not need to be shaped nor strengthened for braking, giving the option of a shallower rim shape, less weight negating the weight of the disk setup

the only downside i can think of is the limitation of spoke patterns available since disk brakes and radial spoking don't work.

 

[mr_cellophane]

Right, I see: Back to the drawing board then. Does it have to be a Cross-bike. Loads of stuff which would fit the bill (literally) otherwise.

Actually I don't want to spend more than about £450, so with CTW that gives me a bike valued at about £750. My commute would be either road/A13 cycle lane or road/400 mt bridal path/road total about 15 miles now and 21 come the summer when we move to a new building. All city cycling. I am not sure I want to go to a full road bike with skinny tyres straight away so a Cross seems a good alternative. I presume I can change to narrower tyres as I gain confidence. I also quite fancy the idea of drops instead of straights which is why I don't really want a hybrid.

 

[magnatom]

Mr cellophane. Go for a more roady bike. I was in exactly the same position as you a few weeks ago, thinking of a cyclecross bike. I'd go for a winter trainer type bike (that's what I am going for). They are sturdier than full on road bikes, can have mudguards and sometimes can take racks (mine can/will be able to). Some can take thicker tyres and you can thin them down if required. Of course you might find if you go and try a few with thinner tyres, you might actually like them.

I'm in the process of getting a Kinesis Racelight Tk. You could get a T with tiagra gears for £799 from this lot or somewhere similar. Of course this is just one suggestion, but it is a type of bike you should consider.

Look, I sound like an expert me! B)

 

[Crackle]

Well there is another cross I know of in your price range which is the Kona Jake.

To be honest though I'm not sure you need a cross. A tourer would give you a similiar ride and take chunkier tyres for the little bit of path you want to do. In fact years ago I used to use a tourer for all my off-road stuff. It will easily cope with canal paths and most bridleways/forest tracks.

The tourer and the cross will have a longer wheelbase and slightly more relaxed geometry in common. Both will give you a more stable ride if that's what you are after. Trust me though, if you go this way you may end up with two bikes in the future as you look for a more exciting ride.

There is a compromise, as Maggers has pointed out. Not all will take bigger tyres (don't have the clearance) but some will. Worth considering, especially if you are only going to have one bike.