Gloor

Can someone help me which of these two bikes have better components, please? It would help me to make the right decision, thank you

https://www.marinbikes.com/ca/bikes/2023-dsx-fs

https://www.canyon.com/en-ca/hybrid-...rahmenfarbe=BK

SoCaled 

The Marin has Shimano SLX, The Canyon Has Shimano XT, which is one step up in the Shimano Hierarchy. I would try and go ride them both, not a huge gap component quality.

Gloor

Thank you. Unfortunately I can't ride them both as its online only for me. Thats why I kinda need help from those that understand the components more as I only know few basics

SoCaled 

Not sure where you are located, but going to a shop to see/try a bike would likely be worth the effort. Having the bike fit you is often the most important factor and can be very hard to determine online.

veganbikes

You can at least ride the Marin. The Canyon does have better components over all and slightly more travel for their suspension fork. Overall I am not a fan of low travel suspension forks, I would rather just have a nice carbon fork and either a suspension or isolation based seatpost like the Kinekt or a stem like the Redshift or the Kinekt (the RS looks better but the Kinekt as usual is going to perform better). In the end not a deal breaker but would rather have a more bike packing oriented mountain bike or as described above with a carbon fork and another suspension part.

I would ride the Marin and compare the geo charts between the two and you can get some insight. That is the problem with the online stuff you cannot easily test ride it and I think a test ride is rather useful. However yes XT all over is going to be much nicer. SLX isn't bad kit but it isn't a full set it is partial so from a purely just parts perspective and nothing else the Canyon would probably win;

Gloor

Bought the Pathlite 7 in the end, thank you so much. Hope it will be as good as people mentioned
Thank you so much for your feedback. Much appreciated.
Any suggestions for upgrades would be welcome too as I don't know where to start. All I know is that I might need different pedals and maybe different seatpost as this is super hard. Rest is probably ok?

travbikeman

The seat post on this bike is made from carbon fiber which "should" offer damping effects for any chatter related type of riding. Would suggest trying out the seat post and the VP pedals first before buying any upgrades. You "Might" find out that they work well.

Typical upgrades has been a saddle that fits the new owner, pedals when it's just the cheap stuff that does not work well, possible grips for handlebars.

If you want to upgrade now, would suggest water bottle cage, good insulated water bottle, seat post bag, bar bag, something to put a multi tool/mini pump, tube in just in case of need. Or if you are not going to take long rides, might not be needed.

Heh, this bike is on sale for U.S. $900. You are getting a great deal! The Marin is nice, but at $1600 U.S. eh,,the Canyon has it beat on value.

Will also have to add: The Pathlite 6 which is not much of a downgrade to the 7, is on a really nice sale of $600 U.S. hmmmm, perhaps it's time to upgrade my Sub Cross.......Nice green color too!

https://www.canyon.com/en-us/hybrid-...rahmenfarbe=GN

veganbikes

What do you need to upgrade? What is wrong with the bike? Pedals yes that is usually a given because if a bike comes with pedals they are usually cheap test ride pedals. In terms of seat posts those are generally going to be quite hard so it holds up, some do have some built in flex and some are mechanically softened from springs or elastomers or something.

If you are referring to your saddle that probably isn't necessarily wrong it might just not be adjusted for you, it could be the wrong saddle but the only way you will know is after you take time to ride it some distance and get used to it and also make sure it is adjusted for you which is always easiest done with the help of a professional fitter.

I mean generally I wouldn't do much upgrading on a new bike beyond some touch points and just get the bike I wanted in the first place. The bike you got is decently spec'd and in general unless you have specific issues that have arose from your fit I would just ride it for a while get used to it and get a feeling of what you like and dislike and then move on from there.

If you are a chronic upgrader you would a be a good candidate for building a bike from the frame up or going to a custom frame builder and doing that. That is generally what I have done for almost all of my bikes save for one only because I couldn't get it fully custom built due to restrictions on some of the parts and the frame materials and the builders and me not wanting to go way way way over the top. However that was an e-bike and there were things I wanted that couldn't be done without some craziness and I am super happy with what I got and the maybe silly upgrades I did.

Gloor

Wow, didn't know about USA having so much cheaper options compared to Canada. Kinda makes me pissed off to see these prices when I paid much more (even with the discount). Why is it that US has it so low compared to us in Canada?

Gloor

I was only asking as I don't know much about bikes so if anyone spotted something obvious then I wanted to be told.
For now, the most thing is the seat is super hard. I put gel cover over it but maybe I just need to get something else.
Also, is it normal that the carbon fiber sometimes 'cracks' when you first sit on it?

Eric F 

If you are new to cycling, expect that there will be a little time to get adapted to sitting on a bike saddle. It's not like a chair, and adding padding isn't always better. Experienced cyclists know that saddle comfort is more about the shape and position than softness, and what works for one person might be awful for another.

If this is a new out-of-the-box bike, what you probable heard is just the components settling in when under load for the first time.

veganbikes

No, ditch the gel diaper. Throw it out and never consider it again, it will slide around and can cause more pain. Like I said you need to adjust everything and also ride the saddle enough to get a feel for it. At some point you may need a different saddle but any sort of covers aside from a rain cover are really bad. Essentially you want a saddle that supports your ischial tuberosity (sit bones) well. Some padding is fine but keep in mind you are going to be compressing that padding and that can cause pressure points which can cause pain. Certainly softer padding will create more pressure and again pressure not good. Sometimes a almost not padded saddle with flex like says a Brooks Cambium can be quite comfortable as it flexes rather than creates pressure points.

You want to find a saddle that is the correct width for your sit bones and you may have to try a bunch of different ones and find a shape that works for you. However your fitter might have some good suggestions and might even have some test ride saddles but like all saddles you will need to try them for a bit and make sure they are adjusted properly. As you do get more upright you want a wider saddle as you are sitting on more of your butt than your sit bones. As you get sportier you will want something a little narrower to a point as you still want it the proper width for you sit bones.

For everyone the right saddle is different because everyone's butt is a little different.

In terms of cracking, cracking is not ideal at all. If you are a heavier rider that is likely why. On occasion it can make a little noise but that is usually because it is not as designed to hold your weight as well. Keep a good eye on it and replace it as needed with something designed for higher weight capacity. If you want something nice but sturdy Thomson Elite is my top choice as I have used a lot of their seatposts on a lot of different bikes with zero issues.

travbikeman

Well, $900 USD is equivalent to around $1200 Canadian. So why they are selling this bike for over $1800 Canadian dollars, is most likely due to the market....maybe? Perhaps there are too many in storage in the U.S. and Canyon needs them gone?

travbikeman

I have this as a seatpost on my SubCross. Very nice seatpost. Light and strangely it did better on damping than the original cheap alum seatpost.

veganbikes

It is actually a pretty stiff post in some tests I have seen but it holds up well however it is generally very well designed so the old post you had might have just been even thicker and stiffer.

Gloor

Thank you so much. I'll keep an eye on it.
I'm not heavier rider as I exercise fairly often. I'm 80kg and my bike is L size so it should easily cover that weight. I put the friction paste on the seatpost but if I have it in the room and the first time i sit on it sometimes it does this crack noise but it doesn't do it when riding it. I think its the carbon fibre 'give', no? I'll keep monitoring and will see if it gets worse. Thank you for your input guys