Postby Martyn B » 13 Apr 2020, 2:37pm
I bought a Marin San Rafael best part of 20 years ago, and although there will undoubtedly have been upgrades on the model since then (disc brakes, perhaps?) I can only say that if you have as much use out of it as I did, then you will not be disappointed! For about 5 years, I did an urban commute of about 3 miles each way every day, through all weathers, and when I changed jobs, I did a longer commute for a couple of years of about 14 miles each way, just a couple of times a week, and once again through all the muck and bullets that the British weather can throw at cyclists. I also did a few lengthy day rides of about 70 miles without any degree of discomfort or mechanical problems, apart from the odd p-word! The only reason I upgraded to a 'better' bike was because, if I'm honest, I wanted to be part of the 'roadie' fraternity while I still had the fitness to keep up with some 'faster' riders. So, I passed the bike on to our local bike charity, Spokes, who couldn't believe I was giving them such a decent bike.
I kitted mine out with full mudguards and a rack, and I also purchased a suspension seat-post for those bumpy canal towpaths. I would agree with the comment made in an earlier post about the chain-set, I was on my third by the time I eventually handed it in, but I had done a lot of miles so that's just 'normal' wear and tear.
For me, the ringing endorsement of the bike is the fact that many years on, I now have 2 road bikes, a cross bike, a Brompton, and a Thorn Raven with Rohloff gearing for touring, but I really would love to be able to jump back on that San Rafael, I so wish that I'd kept hold of it!
