Reminds me of the mountain bikes of the 1980s. The bike’s geometry keeps weight off the front fork so not having suspension up there isn’t as important. Thank you for including shots of you sitting in the bike. It really helps to show what riding position is like.
Marin really be going off with updating their hybrid lineup. The Stinson, Kentfield and Larkspur were completely redesigned, and they added a flat bar gravel bike in. Though, there were a few opportunity costs that had to happen for this update, such as getting rid of the top of the line Fairfax 4, but such is life! Overall, Marin is lovely and I’m jealous of y’all who can find them in your LBS
Boy, the current bike boom has been the best thing that ever happened to MicroSHIFT. Advent is popping up on everything. In fact, I just did a a budget build with Advent 9-speed with drop bars. I really like it. It's also good to see entry-level hybrids finally embracing 1x drivetrains. For those bikes, simplicity is everything (and Advent is bullet-proof). By the way, I think the fork on that bike is steel, not alloy. But that's not really a bad thing.
Grand presentation thanks! One thing, the fork is steel not aluminium (according to Marin website). Which is probably a good thing, as steel is better at absorbing shocks.
I think going with wide bars give a new owner an option of cutting them down a bit if they wanted as opposed to shelling out money for a more narrow bar. Or you could even add open ended grips that can be slid inwards to narrow the grip, and then use the extra bar at the end for mirrors or bar ends.
Hi man. Thanks for this great review. I just had my Trek 700 multitrack stolen after having it since the early 90s. I'm totally gutted and been looking for something similar. I like the look of this oldschool bike. She's a beauty. Thanks for the terrific review. You remind me of the old school all American actors like Mark Harmon. Keep up the great work. Ride safe brother.
@@jedcham2815 No it's not, in specification it just says "Steel", for every other bike with CrMo fork.. it actually says CrMo. You can also tell by it's weight it's not CrMo. (it weights way more) Go see this bike review by Bike Bros, he also confirmed it's Hi-Ten steel in comments.
I would think this bike should be coming in around 28 lbs due to the fact it's a 1 X. I believe putting smaller ( 32-35 c) and folding tires on it would bring the weight of this bike down to closer to 25 lbs then it would really rip btw love the content
Can I get your opinion? I own a specialized roll low entry in large. I'm 6'1" 300lbs been riding it for a year and trying to get healthy. I love the roll. As you say in your roll reviews, it's just a fun bike and puts a smile on my face. I live near a state park with some decent hills and fire-trails. I've tried to take the roll out and it just doesn't have the gearing (1x7) and the tires to be capable. I went out and bought a second full-suspension giant stance mt. bike. But I always come back to the roll and have more fun. Was considering the Kentfield 2 as maybe an alternative to the roll but maybe a little more trail capable. Any thoughts? advice? biggest thing will it be as "fun" as the roll? ;)
Funny enough here I am 7 months later. Still own the Specialized Roll, my wife rides that or friends if they want to go out with me. Tried the full-squish Giant Stance, was too heavy and too much work. Tried the Sirrus X3 and really liked it alot, lightweight but build quality was a bit sketchy on the cranks to me. I also felt like I wanted to split the difference on the tires between the roll and the sirrus. I found a used Cannondale Treadwell and I finally feel like I found the "Keeper" It just fits me so well, first time actually feeling that and I'm super happy. Had a chance to try the Kentfiled and just wasn't my cup of tea on the test ride. And I'd love to give the Kona Dew a try one day. But I'm so happy with the Cannondale, I feel like my search is over for now
I am interested in your opinion about marine kentfield 2. Would you use this bike for a longer trip of about 500km with full bikepacking equipment. Thank you
It's a matter of personal preference on how wide someone likes their handlebars. You'd have to try one and see. And handle bars can always be changed out to something shorter if you wanted.
Just found your video whilst researching this bike and thoroughly enjoyed it. Do you know if there's any other difference between the Kentfield 1 and 2 apart from the groupset? The reason I ask is because as you know it's almost impossible to find one of these in stock under the current climate however I've located one of each in my size but the 1 is approximately $250 less than the 2. I'm wondering would it be worth buying the 1 and upgrading the groupset, any thoughts? Thank you
My new kentfield 2 has an issue: when using front brake it shakes and vibrates, took to two different service guys, they both confirmed it has to do with the shape of the front fork. Have you had this issue? Thinking if I should return it
No , I have ridden dozens of the same bike and never heard of that , owning and operating a bike shop I may not understand completely but the shape of the fork on the Kentfield is not the problem. Something else must be happening . Yes take it back to the Marin dealer and they will surely fix you up properly .
@@jedcham2815 There are many factors to choosing the right size bicycle. Arm, torso and leg length plus fitness level and flexibility are very important factors in the sizing process. For this reason, visiting your local dealer to fit you to a bicycle and provide test rides to ensure comfort and safety is the best way to get you on the proper size bike. Size Chart can only give you a suggestion of were to start your seach. Yes, Bart rides Medium bikes all the time. My name is Gary, and I always ride a Medium bike as well. The chart would show me as a large, but after riding bikes in both sizes I felt more at home on the Medium. If you look at the Marin Chart in the link below you will see that Marin shows an overlap on the sizes. There are multiple size charts on the web, but I think this is one of the better charts. Some 5'9" riders may perfer the large size, and some will perfer a medium. Maybe we just have short legs, but Bart and I are both happy with a size 54cm or Medium. I have a 30 inseam, so I barely clear the standover height on the medium. s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/craft-marinbikes/documents/2020/Support-Resources/2021_MARIN_SIZING_GUIDE_v1.pdf
@@TheBicycleRider dear Gary thank you very much for your answer. I have also short legs inseam 30 and I’m always confortable on Medium Mtb bikes and on 54 gravel bikes. The only time I got a size Large MTB I never felt comfortable on it even with time and standover height was annoying. I can identify with your experience. Thank you very much for sharing it. The Marin bikes are rare here in Europe and I discovered thru your video and liked the Kentfield 2 since it’s a blend between a hybrid and a comfort bike with very nice gearing. So I’ll have to order it online. I think that I’ll go for a Medium size I can’t regret it and if needed I can always put a longer stem. Thank you again for your help and your time. Keep up the good work , love your videos.
That bike would be fine on the gravel almost as-if. The drivetrain is great. Nothing needs changing. Depending on the gravel, you might want another tire, but that's a personal choice. The weak point on that bike for gravel is the brakes. They are rather low-end and probably not strong enough for more aggressive riding. If you kept the flat bar, changing to hydro brakes is easy. If you can find them (which is a trick right now), Shimano MT200 brakes are a great choice if budget is a concern. They USED to be cheap; but right now, they are a bit pricey, if you can find them. If you wanted to convert to a drop bar, that is do-able. Advent has a drop bar shifter. Set-up is EASY.
@@mindy123456786 I had to look the Sirrus up. There are some differences, but they both seem like fine bikes. The Sirrus has hydraulic brakes, which is nice. It also has a steel fork (which is not really a had thing). It also uses MircoSHIFT Advent, but does not have a clutch. The Sirrus, however, is also more expensive. Either bike should be fine for basic riding, although I would likely upgrade brakes on the Marin. Mechanical discs can be OK, but they require some attention as the pads wear. But with availability issues, take what you can get in this price range.
