Marin Gravel bikes!
 

Hi, I'm new to the forum and unfortunately I can't post pics yet. I ride a Santa Cruz Stigmata and recently bought the new Marin Headlands 2 and very impressed with the bike and quality in general. I was wondering why not too many people or comments about Marin Gravel bikes? The Headlands 2 is an awesome bike and total weight is 20.1 .
I would like to exchange experiences , thoughts and suggestions with other Marin owner fellows.
Anyone owns a Nicasio, Geltalt, Lombard or Headlands?
Just thinking Marin doesn't get very much credit and appreciation compared to other more fancy bikes/brands like Santa Cruz Stigmata or Cervelo Aspero, Cannondale...etc.
Thank you

​​​​​

They dont get much talk around me because the closest dealer is 30mi away and has very little in stock from Marin(last time I was there) and then the next closest dealer is 115mi away in another state. And I live in a metro of 600K with a ton of gravel, a vast network of paved trails, and a solid cycling culture.
They make spec some solid bikes, but nobody around here would know about it.

Ive looked at the Nicasio line on their site, its...interesting.

I build up an aluminum Marin MTB frame for one of my kids- its still the only Marin I have seen out being used in the 15 years ive lived here.
That network of theirs needs to be built up a bit.

Thanks for the reply. Are you from England? I thought that Marin UK was a pretty solid established dealer network.

Bought my first gravel bike last month. No frame of reference to other brands but I'm absolutely loving this bike.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7379964e87.jpg

The Gestalt is an awesome bike! Any changes/upgrades to I the stock bike?
what tires size are you using? Weight?

No upgrades yet, unless you count a speaker strapped to my top tube (not in photo). I've already crashed it several times (riding stairs, jumping, etc), tore and replaced derailleur housing, and slightly bent my derailleur hanger, and got 2 pinch flats. Riding stock 35mm tires. My only reference is 23 and 25 on road bikes so they basically feel huge and squishy. But I might like slightly larger (and tubeless) considering the abusive terrain I'm riding lol. First upgrade will probably be tubeless tires, but that's a learning curve and I've been lazy. The dropper post is pretty nice, already made use of it a few times but my skills aren't there yet. Don't know the weight, don't really care as long as I'm not riding a brick. Heavier than my race bike but not ridiculous. I sized down from my road bike which helps make it "feel" lighter, at least in the handling. Probably also some savings in the 1x drivetrain.

What type of terrain do you ride your Gestalt? More single tracks than regular gravel/dirt roads?

So far walking trails, fire roads, single track. Any unpaved routes are built for bikes, hikers, or fire roads. It's quite mountainous up north in Marin, and SF has some fun bike trails. I debated buying a hardtail mountain bike, but I like this bike for easy social rides around the city, and the occasional unplanned follow-the-leader through park trails. Also it's an hour and a half ride to Fairfax, and having a road-like bike is nice for getting to the trails.

The headlands is brand new though so that's probably why it's not that common. Also the popular brands around here are from the big three (S, Trek, Giant) which is what most people buy. I personally think the best gravel bikes in terms of comfort and capability are coming from the MTB brands (Marin, Santa Cruz, Ibis, Kona, etc.)

I just built a Kona Libre and it is one fantastic bike. Geometry is on the money and it's built beefy.

I used to sell Marins and own a Muirwoods, which is a fun urban MTBer. They make nice bikes and many people still remember them fondly from their MTB days in the 90s, when they were a small obscure brand that made nice bikes.

This guy in the UK likes his vintage Marins and has a great collection.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8641b6923a.jpg

Hardly ever see Marins down here in SoCal. Always liked their bikes, great looking too. I bet yours is a blast to ride up there (I used to live in Marin!).
You won't regret tubeless. I ride my 650b gravel bike everywhere I used to mountain bike. Waaaay nicer on the dirt than my tubed bike. Nicer on the road too!

OP sure is hyped on Marin!