SPECS FROM MARIN BIKES.... Which Do You Think is Best?

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, Guys! I am narrowing down my choices to either a Marin bike (because they fit me well when I rode some, and I think their styling is pretty), or a Motobecane, because my hubby and some of y'all suggested different ones of those, and some of them aren't tooooo ugly. I have gone to a lot of work to type this out to try to figure out which bikes are good according to the specs, but could really use your help one last time (okay, 2 last times, if you read the Motobecane post too). I took off the specs where all 4 were the same. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Maybe I'm thinking too hard; I just don't want to buy the wrong bike and be stuck with a bad one, since Frugal Hubby says once you buy something, that's the end of it. So any input on which bike is better, or what specs are better, would help me out sooooooo much. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thank you all! If those of you who respond send me your addresses by private message, I swear I'll send you cookies. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

[SIZE= 14pt] 2010 2009 2010 2009[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 14pt]SPEC: LARKSPUR -- $420 SAN RAFAEL -- $440 RAVENNA-- $500 FAIRFAX -- $620[/SIZE]


[SIZE= medium]FRAME Marin 6061 Alum. Marin 6061 Alum. Marin butted 6061 Marin butted[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium] w/Women’s Fit 6061 alum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]FORK Chromoly Spinner Odesa Mag. 63 mm RFE Carbon Carbon[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Rims/Whls Alex TA-20 WTB DX23 Alex R450 Alex DC-19[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]HUBS Front: Alum. Sealed; Shimano Formula Formula[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium] Rear: Shimano Shimano Formula Formula[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]SPOKES: WTB 14-g stainless WTB 14-g stainless WTB 15-g stainless WTB 14-g stainless[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]TIRES: Kenda Kwest, 700 x 35 Kenda Kwest, 700 x 35 w/ Kenda Koncept, Kenda Road,[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium] K-shield puncture protect 700 x 23c 700 x 28c[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]CRANKSET: SunTour NCX410 SunTour NCX410 FSA Vero Triple TruVativ Touro[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Chainwhl: 48/38/28 w/chainguard 48/38/28 52/42/30 52/42/30[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Fr. Deraill: Shimano Shimano Shimano Shimano[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Rr. Deraill: Shimano Acera Shimano Alivio Shimano Sora Shimano Sora[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Rear Cogs: Shimano HG30 Shimano HG-30 Shimano Didn’t say brand[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium] 8-speed, 11-32 8-speed, 11-32 8-speed, 12-25 8-spd, 12-24[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Shifters: Shimano EF50 EZ-Fire Shimano Alivio Shimano STI Shimano EZ-Fire +[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Handlebars: Double-butted alum. Double-butted alum. FSA Vero Compact Double-butt alum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Tape/Grips: Dual-density. Dual-density. Cork w/Plush Gel Dual-Density[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Stem: Alum. adjustable Alum. Adjustable. Marin Alum. Marin Alum[/SIZE].

[SIZE= medium]Brakes: Linear-pull Linear-pull Dual-pivot Alum linear-pull[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Saddle: WTB Comfort with WTB Comfort with Marin Women’s WTB Speed V Sport[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium] Love Channel Love Channel Plush Road LE w/Love Channel[/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]Seat Post: Suspension Suspension Alum micro-adj. Alum. Micro-adj.[/SIZE]

 

[Steve_A]

Hi Slim, The Ravenna looks like a road bike with drop bars and skinny tires. I wouldn't get that one as you'll have to spend too much to change the bars and shifters. the other specs look fine to me. (Without seeing pictures) the Fairfax looks like it's almost a road bike but with upright bars (I like froze suggestion of a moustache bar, too. there are other possible bars for you, go to the Rivendell site and read about handlebars.) the Fairfax has 28 tires (which I just put on my road bike), and those should be a good all-round tire for you if you are mostly going to be on the road. They should run 90 to 95 psi. Check and make sure they are rated for those pressures. The 35s on the other bikes would be fine, but will provide more rolling resistance, so you'll get tired a little bit faster on a long ride. But they will be better for gravel or mud. BTW, you can change tires; my skinny road rims are OK for tires from 22 to 32, at least. The width limitation is mainly from the bike's frame, fork and brakes. The Larkspur and San Rafael are clearly spec'd more for comfort than speed. I do object to the carbon fiber forks, but it seems like that's what you get once you go above a certain price point. So in the end, I vote for the Fairfax. Cheers, Steve

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, Steve![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I love your woody wagon. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I'm just learning more and more how ignorant I am about bikes, on here! I had looked at the Ravenna because it's a Marin, which fit me the best of the ones I tried at REI, and because it's pretty! And in my ignorance, I had thought it would be simple/cheap to change out handlebars on a bike. How little I know... but have learned. I still think it's pretty, but can't pay a high price and then pay hundreds to change out the handlebars too. Sigh... shoulda been born rich instead of so darned good-lookin', LOL.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Also in my ignorance, I thought road bikes WERE tour bikes; I mean, I assumed I could take any bike with the 700c tires on my tour, and since the touring bikes I looked at were all so expensive, I was looking at road bikes. Since my tour will be on paved bike paths, isn't that the same as a road, so would a road bike do??? I will almost certainly never be one who goes up the Alps on a bike, lol, nor do I have any desire to go down moutainsides, hurtling over logs and ditches and bears in my 60s. At most I anticipate doing a fair number of tours, as in 2-3 a year, but easy ones, with flat terrain and/or gently rolling hills, primarily to enjoy the scenery and exercise. For that, someone had said a road bike would do. Are they correct? Or do I absolutely need a touring bike?[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I will definitely find the Rivendell site and read about handlebars (and more). Having wrecked my bike when I rolled my pickup years ago, I just don't think my back will handle the bent-over position for any time at all. I love the idea of mustache bars; my problem will be finding the proper bike with those on it.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Regarding the tires: I just got my tour packet, and it says I need 700c tires on my bike. I don't even know what 700/35 or 700/28 refers to (Rivendell reading again?), but am assuming that the 28/35 refers to how fat the tires are? And from your post, which had great info by the way, that the lower the number, the less rolling resistance? Boy, is that good to know! My question is, does the 28/35 number matter in terms of body weight? At least you said it was easy to change tires out. (Thank God SOMETHING is easy!!) How do I learn which tires a bike will take, i.e., if I find a bike I like but it doesn't have 700c tires? Is there a book called Bicycles for Dummies? Because I definitely think I NEED one! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks again for the info and the vote! If information were water, I feel like I've learned about a cup's worth of knowledge out of the Pacific that I need to take in. I appreciate you helping me bail.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Have a good one. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[Steve_A]

Please see my other post. I need to answer this one in more detail, which I'll do later this evening.

 

[Steve_A]

Sierra, I'll try to hit everything in your post above, plus whatever else I can think of. It's interesting that your tour stuff says 700c tires. I guess they figure that if the bike has 700c tires, it's basically a road bike, rather than a mountain bike or fat-tired cruiser. Not a bad generalization, I guess. If you were a short woman (or a short man, like me), you might be riding a small-frame bike with 650b tires, but I doubt that they would kick you out for that. When I said that you can change tires, be aware that there are limits. A "pure" (for lack of a better word) road frame will only take tires up to about 28 (yes, this is the width of the tire). That's what I just put on my road frame, and they're tight. A road touring bike, comfort bike, all-rounder, or other creative name, will take 32, 35, 38 or wider tires. They are still road bikes. One factor is the way the frame is constructed, the other is brakes. Many of these other road bikes use brakes normally found on mountain bikes. These are called V-brakes, and other names. Notice that the Marin Ravenna (yes, it is a nice bike) comes with 700 x 23 tires. This tells me that you may be able to go as wide as 28, but maybe not. A minimum of 28 is what I'd recommend, off-hand, for you. The width alone does not dictate rolling resistance, you must also look at the max. psi for the tire. But they usually go hand-in-hand; the narrower the tire, the higher max pressure (generally of course). And you can run lower pressures in your tires (for comfort), i.e. 90 psi in your tires rated at 120. If you get 28 or wider tires, you will also be happier should you ride on hard=packed trails, loose gravel, or even occasional mud. I think that covers tires for now.

Road bikes: In the bike stores, generally, road bikes are more like racing bikes. Meaning that you don't get frames with eyelets for attaching all kinds of racks and things, and they don't take wider tires because of the frames and brakes, and they are very light and designed to hold the rider but not much else. Then at the opposite end of the spectrum you have touring bikes with heavy-duty frames, lots of eyelets, V-brakes, etc, and frames/forks designed for wider tires. Most are steel, whereas racing bikes are steel, aluminum, titanium or carbon fiber. Again (broken record), see the Rivendell site for bikes that are designed to be all-round bikes, which can be tailored to the owner's needs and whims. If you want to see a pretty bike, look at the Sam Hillborne. Admittedly, there is a cult around Rivendell and similar bikes. And some people are willing to pay for the less tangible aspects of these bikes (myself possible included).

As to what you may need. The type of tour that you are planning is usually called "credit card touring", since you don't really need to carry anything else. And this may be the type of riding you do from now on. So even a "pure" road bike, with the carrying capacity of about 2 cups (small bag under the seat) would be sufficient. If you contemplate taking your bike to the store for milk and bread, you may want a rack on the back or front. Or you may want a cool canvas and leather seat bag for something larger than a tire patch kit and a lipstick. In these cases, something a little more versatile than a pure road bike might be called for. But even with no eyelets for mounting racks, you can still install one. And you can get saddles with bag loops (see Brooks saddles), and bags that you can attach to any saddle. But don't stress too much on this aspect right now. I'm rambling, so I'll quit for now. The woody is a Morris Minor Traveler. My first car was a Morris Minor sedan, and my brother had a string of them, including a Traveler which we started to restore. Unhappily, we didn't get too far in that project, so I don't know if it ever looked like the one in the picture (or maybe it IS the one in the picture). Have fun, keep riding, and keep posting. Steve

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, Steve -- or should I call you Woody? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Just to make sure I got what you said: The tour/road bike I buy should be able to take tires from 28, which should be minimal for my body habitus, to 35-38 or so. And the narrower the tire, the HIGHER the pressure can go? It seems like the opposite should be true to me, that a smaller object could hold less pressure than a bigger object... but that's probably one of those physics things that don't ever make sense to me, anyway, lol. I assume higher pressure is a good thing on a tour? But the maximum PSI and the width affect the rolling resistance -- which affects how tired I get, pedaling for hours. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]So... when you say 'pure' road bike, you're probably referring to what I think of as a racing bike -- like Lance Armstrong guys use, the little skinny ones? And those will not take tires over 28 wide, so I DON'T need a pure road/racing bike, I need whatever the LBS calls a bike that takes wider tires (but not 26" ones, up to 38 or so) -- which may be called a tour bike. Correct? And those skinny types of pure bikes don't have eyelets for fenders (which I want) or racks (which I'm unsure if I want), because they don't want any extra ounces/pounds on them for racing. Right? [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]TOURING bikes -- which I had thought referred to the type of bike Armstrong rode to do the Tour de France (doesn't that make sense??) -- are actually NOT as light and skinny as road/racing bikes, usually have eyelets, and can take the wider tires I need. How am I doing? [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I think I may be confused again. How's this:[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Road bike -- for racers and skinny people with tires too skinny for me and nothing extra like fenders to add weight, usually alum, titanium, or CF.[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Tour bike -- skinnier than my cruiser and maybe than hybrids, but with skinny tires up to 38 (with 28 being minimal for my weight), usually steel.[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]I am definitely going to check this out on Rivendell!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I LOVE the name 'credit-card touring', lol. At least THAT makes perfect sense to me! And it sounds like an absolute ball.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thank you once more for all the time you take to help. I think my brain is too tired to absorb it all, tonight. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Happy pedaling.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[Steve_A]

Yes, you've pretty much got it. The skinny, high pressure tires are very hard when pumped to full pressure, so they roll very easily, but they don't absorb shocks as well, so you feel everything from the road. (And this can also contribute to fatigue.) So the converse is true of wider, lower-pressure tires. You want to find a good compromise between comfort and speed, for you. I'm not an expert on the total weight recommended for given tire sizes, I've just given you some rules of thumb that I've seen written. There are lots of bikes out now, in the general category that is mainly referred to as comfort or hybrid. These can be based a frame that is designed more like a mountain bike, or a road bike. The ones with 700c tires are more like road bikes. Many or most of these bikes will take wider tires, so you just want to check on what tires they come with, and hopefully either the specs for the bike, or a knowledgeable salesperson will be able to tell you what else fits. I'm not saying that you should put on the widest tire available. If it comes with 28s, try those, experiment with inflation pressures, and see for yourself. And no, racing bikes are not touring bikes. They do both have drop bars, in general. There are even different types of racing bikes, but we need not go into that here. If you want to see a classic, mainstream touring bike, go to the Trek website, road section, and look at the 520. It's quite a different bike, with different components, than the Madrone. Steve