| The bike shop down the road has them for rent. I rented one for
my brother-in-law the other day:
Pros:
Very light-footed and manoeuvreable in technical bits, climbs like
a goat, sloping frame fits vastly varying sizes of riders.
Cons:
Short wheelbase gives poor efficiency and bumpy ride on rough-surfaced
trails.
/Ben
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I had a 1989 Pine Mountain (Hyperglide 21 spd) Deore XT components
EXCELLENT bike, BUT I cracked the frame near the BB. I returned
it to the dealer and since MARIN didn't have any Pine Mountains,
they replaced it with a TEAM ISSUE ($1000 frame)!! Needless to
say I was ecstatic!! Instant bike upgrade !! The Team Issue
is REAL light and with it's short Wheelbase it seems to climb
hills really well, it gets a little "squirrely" on technical
stuff though. All-in-all a REAL nice bike and well built as
I get a little crazy with it ;-) Since I'm a big guy (6'2" 210)
it needs to be built well!
If you've got any more questions feel free to send mail ...
~Mike~
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| I purchased a Marin 'Bear Valley' in June 1994. After test riding every
bicycle I could find in the $400-600 range, this model was the best value
for me ($450 on sale). It feels extremely stable - fast or slow, is
lightweight (26lbs) for the price (others in my price range weighed
28+ lbs), has held up to punishing rides (enough abuse to bend rims and
chain rings - but they were fixable) on rocky trails.
Features include chromoly frame, Shimano STX, hyperdrive-C,
under-the-bar shifters with index display, Marin lite tires that provide
excellent grip in sandy, rocky, hardpacked conditions. I cannot see myself
upgrading anytime soon. It's one fine machine and it gets plenty of use
on/off road !
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