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Marin County is located across from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and is widely regarded as the birthplace of modern mountain biking. Here, Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher and John Frey ride their old cars along many Driving on a stone forest path. They broke them, refined them, and finally created a market for them.
Marin Bikes is based in this birthplace, and its roots are mountain bikes. However, just a few years ago, as the gravel began to bloom, the company decided to shift its focus to mountain bikes and full-featured pull-down bikes.
Headlands is a new product in 2020 and will remain unchanged until 2021. It is the company’s latest product in the gravel field and in many respects the high-end version of Marin Gestalt X that we have in recent field tests. Headlands has a remarkable loose style and mountain bike-inspired gravel method, using the alloy Gestalt X and turning it into a high-end carbon fiber machine.
Now, I have spent a lot of time on Pinnacle Headland 2. Although this is a wild duck floating in shallow water with fierce competitors lurking, it managed to put a smile on my face during the isolation period. ‘why do you ask? Okay, let me explain…
Headlands 2 is priced at US$2,849 / AU$4,899 (rarely available in Australia), which is cheaper than the top carbon fiber bike you want. This is Marin’s way-the company has traditionally focused on the more value-oriented end of the market, and in many ways, the headland has retained that vibe. Want to spend less? Use the same carbon fiber frame on the headland 1 for $2,400 / AU$3,999, followed by a frame ($1,699) option.
Headland’s frame is obviously a unique product-the frame has more installation points than m-shaped frames, some ingenious small details, and no perfect circular tube can be seen. Most of these tubes are elliptical in shape, and a common method is used to expand the tube’s lateral stiffness while adding a bit of vertical bending. You will find it in the top tube and the down tube. The chain stay does not fall like many other competitive gravel bikes, but it is very deep and very thin at the pinch point between the chain stay and the rear tire.
The unique seat tube, like on the Gestalt X, is heavily sculpted around the rear wheel, helping Marin achieve a mix of its 420mm short foot support and 700 x 45mm (or 650x50mm) wide tire clearance. At a higher position, the seat tube becomes round and acts as a support for a 27.2mm conventional seat post (in this case a dropper), which is also secured by a conventional seat clamp.
Taking into account the use of ordinary inch threaded backing, such a short chain and relatively wide tire clearance will even make a deep impression, which usually limits the width that engineers can use.
Where many industries are trying to get rid of the shackles, Marin squeezes materials. For more high-end metal bicycles, this is already a popular method, but only a very small number of people use carbon fiber.
However, this technique has its limitations, and the headlands drawn from the roots of mountain biking are only 1x frames. The bicycle does not have a front derailleur and does not have the chain gap of a 2-inch crank.
These narrow chains also mean that the internal cable routing is not entirely internal. The rear derailleur, rear brake and dropper string all enter the side of the down tube, but only the dropper is still hidden. However, both the derailleur and the rear brake cable are forced to exit before the lower bracket and poke into the rear fork after the pinch point. This is effective, even if it is not a bit accidental, I would like to know why they do not just keep the brake and the last part of the gear hose/housing outside. In both cases, the rattle of Karama was not heard.
From commuting to packing bicycles in bolted frame bags, to carrying water like a camel, Headlands is ready. Now I am not sure if Marin has found affordable products on Rivnuts and black alloy bolts, or is just allergic to Velcro, but this bike has so many mounts. For example, there are more installation points than indoor bouldering walls or pegboards. My medium sample has 11 mounting points in the front triangle, then a mount for the upper tube Bento box, and a mount for another bottle under the lower tube. It may sound like a midnight TV commercial for steak knives-but wait, there is more! The carbon fiber fork has rack and fender mounts, while the rear fender mounts are provided by a movable seat bridge. Then, the bulb at the top of the seat tube grew slightly, waiting impatiently for the special skirt support.
The movable support bridge is an interesting one. Careful squeeze tests of the trunk showed that the available flexibility was different after the bridge was installed, but of course I did not feel any difference after riding. What I did notice, however, is that the bolts used to hold it in place are too long to be reinstalled without fixing the bridge in place, which is a bit silly for such dexterous details negligence.
All of these brackets are great if you are going to use them, but consider that the toptube is tilted, so at least for smaller frames, there may not be enough space to use them at the same time.
In the field test of the gravel bike, Caley fell in love with the Gestalt X alloy gravel bike. He nicknamed it the Wheelie Machine, and labeled it a gravel bike for the perfect mountain bike. Although the brakes not only attracted Dyson’s cordless Dyson, he chose it as a choice, just because of his fun (part of the reason is that this choice annoys me). In fact, I agree with Caley’s discovery that Marlin makes interesting bicycles, but I think his discovery has more to discover than just a short bicycle.
The stem is really short, but it usually matches the extension of the top tube. But in fact, it’s not.
In a situation similar to stories like Evil Chamois Hagar or BMC URS, Marin claims that Headlands borrowed inspiration from modern mountain bike design, with longer top tubes and shorter poles. Of course they got the second half of the right.
The 60 mm stem is short, undeniable. However, the frame range and angle of the headland are actually not much different from the vast majority of road-inspired gravel bikes currently on the market. In fact, my medium sample provides enough 377mm reach-not exactly like the 400mm+ body that BMC URS is really inspired by mountain bikes.
The reach of the headland is not linear for all sizes of frames. The strange thing is that 54 cm hair is actually shorter than 52 cm hair! This is not uncommon, but it is worth noting when choosing a size. The driver’s height chart suggested by Marin seems to be correct.
The combination of regular stretch and short stem means that the measured headland from saddle to pole is about 45mm shorter than my regular gravel fit. That is not a typo.
Although it looks like a disaster is waiting to happen, I actually like it a bit. Many gravel bicycles on the market today just re-use the concept of being suitable for road driving. Although this is a good choice for cyclists who are looking for comfort, it is far from the entire market. On the contrary, Marin clearly considered who its customers are and designed a more upright, leisure bike. The result is a bicycle. Holding the hood is more suitable for me like an off-road hardtail. This feeling should leave the mountain biker at home.
The high stacking numbers also indicate that there is no need to run many stem spacers before the crossbar is flush with the saddle. Coupled with effective short distances and high stacks, you will have a bike that allows you (as a rider) to get a fairly high center of gravity. Hold tight to those short chains and general backward deflection and deflection, this is the pulley mechanism that Kelly likes very much on Gestalt X.
It may be as suitable for riding and wheeling as a mountain bike, but it does not operate like a mountain bike. Surprisingly, Headlands once again has a 66mm fast trail with its 71.5-degree head angle and 50mm fork offset (in my 54cm sample), ignoring its mountain bike style claims. With short poles, the bike feels faster and reacts more responsively. Handle it quickly like a bicyclist, but the riding posture is more upright, which is unusual-but my sore lower back did not complain.
In fact, I spend a lot of time riding a bicycle and love this bike with a stem. Yes, I feel a little cramped, but when I ride on the hood and slow semi-technical terrain, I also really like the fit it provides.
Those who want to pedal faster and harder may want longer pedals, nothing can stop you from adding them to this bike. 70mm or even 80mm valve stems are still very suitable for this bicycle, but if you need a longer time to reach the ideal riding position, then I might point out that 90% of gravel bicycles have met the market demand.
Riding on a headland often makes me adopt a riding posture like a mountain bike and use a lot of physical English to get what I want from it. Climbing on a 20% gradient caused me to retract to the very front end of the saddle, elbows bent and light weight, or just at the front of the bike to keep the front wheels on the ground and track where I wanted (although I I can’t fall too violently without succumbing to my knees).
The looseness and speed of the bends made me try to reduce weight and lean forward more than usual to dig the front wheels. A similar story happened during the descent. This bike begs you to spread out and lower to overcome the high center of gravity, which in turn means that you must ride behind the saddle. Here, perhaps for the first time, I actually found myself understanding and loving to install a dropper on a hanger bike, and I often use it in rocky and uneven places, because the closer the bike is, the more controlled I am.
Marin is actually one of the earliest brands I have ever seen to equip a dropper pile on a gravel bike. In this case, the dropper is integrated with the left GRX remote control/brake lever very smoothly. The ability to control the saddle to drop 105mm from the hood or drop device means that I use it in much more ways than using a dropper with a more traditional separate remote control.
The dropper column equipped by Marin is very meaningful on this bike. Please note that this will limit your choice of large bikepacking saddle bags.
Please note that the 105mm drop is quite large and has a significant impact on the minimum saddle height. For example, considering that the distance from the floor to the scalp is only 171 cm, I set the saddle height to 735 mm, and only a distance of 30 mm will allow the pole to reach its minimum extension. Those with short lower downs and long torso may need to replace the seatpost with a seat with reduced travel, but again, if it works for you, a long-distance bicycle may be a more appropriate choice.
That dropper did open up the bike’s ability to comfortably drive where it shouldn’t be, but in this case, I kept encountering the same complaint-overlapping toes. The same problem applies to so many gravel bicycles, but so many gravel bicycles do not feel capable or fun on a narrow technical route like this, and the feeling that my foot touches the wheel does make my face. There was a smile on his face. It is here that I hope that Marin will go forward a few pages in the mountain bike operating manual, and further lengthen the front middle part, perhaps the head angle is slightly wider, and the front fork offset is greater. All of these will not change the driving distance, but will change the ability of a bicycle to ride, just like a mountain bike.
Ultimately, just like any rigid bicycle that uses a dropper, the drooping post reduces the ability to increase compliance through the flexible carbon seat post. Combined with a hard front end, this is a carbon fiber bike that lets you know what the wheel hits. It’s certainly not too strong-there is something detectable and intentionally provided-but it is significantly stronger than my middle section after the long winter.
All these mounting points and the use of droppers make the carbon fiber bike lighter, weighing 9.73 kg (without pedals). The frame is said to weigh 54 cm (1,150 grams) (unpainted!), which must be part of the weight, but Marlin’s various sneaky cost-cutting measures in the selection of parts are also the same. Fortunately, the headland obscured its quality, and although it saved dollars, the parts were wrong, but they were all cleverly chosen.
My top sample may contain Shimano GRX 810 gear lever, hydraulic brake and rear derailleur, but it lacks Shimano’s full set. The rest of the powertrain consists of FSA Gossamer Pro 1x crankset, KMC chain and SunRace cassette. It can be said that they are cost-saving options compared to using Shimano options of the same level, but did you know? Everything is fine and fine.
For example, the Sunrace cassette is a unique beast that can replace SRAM’s XD cassette body. It offers the same 10-42T ratio as SRAM cassette tapes, which is slightly wider than the 11-42T product recommended by Shimano (although 11-46T can also be used). In Marin’s case, it proved a clever way to extend gears without having to mix and match SRAM and Shimano.
The single-ring gear transmission has been discussed in detail in past reviews, and it is still a controversial issue with two common views. From 11 gears to such a wide gear, it means that there is a considerable jump between each cogwheel. Many mountain bikers will argue that this is good for off-roading, and that you can adapt to rapid changes in altitude and terrain without the need for excessive clicks on the gear lever. The opposite situation occurs on the road, especially when riding with other people. The large gap between the gears will make it difficult for you to maintain a consistent rhythm. As with any gravel bike, this is an argument about which type of bike you want to ride the most.
Almost our entire field test has brought praise to Shimano’s new GRX gravel components, and my experience on this bike has also been the same. Basically just Ultegra, it has an improved ergonomic design and clutch derailleur.
Using a cheaper Shimano rotor with only a resin pad can save more money, and the rotor has fewer heat treatment stages compared to more expensive options. Frankly speaking, I only use resin pads on gondola bikes, but those who want extremely limited power and durability (at the cost of additional noise) will need to upgrade the rotor. Likewise, the mats provided do not have IceTech heat sinks, although the calipers can certainly handle them.
The specifications of my 54 cm sample length and 175 mm long crank are not a completely strange choice, but a cost-cutter. This is a very difficult task. The theory is that a longer crank will increase leverage when conquering steep climbs. The bicycle provides enough bottom bracket height for this extra length, but it certainly does not help with the toe overlap problem.
All these cost-saving practices are common and do not really detract from the trip, but the choice of rolling stock is similar to Pokémon Go. A rim with an internal width of 20.6 mm may provide an asymmetrical spoke bed, but the appearance is universal and lacks pre-installed tubeless tape (Marin once said that the latest batch of Headland 2 bicycles remedies this), and its The internal shape makes tubeless inflation possible a bit tricky (I recommend using two layers of ductless tape). In addition, tubeless valves are not provided. The attached Schwalbe tires are Performance versions, which are one grade lower than the tubeless tires provided by German tire manufacturers. Yes, these tires can be set as tubeless tires, but the brand or those who do not use non-tube tires are not recommended to use this type of tires, and will dangerously blow down the rim when driving without a tube.
The bicycle was mainly tested with Maxxis Rambler 40mm tires, and the actual size on the actual rim was 40.3mm.
I’m a clumsy snob and don’t ride off-road anywhere else. Although most bicycles at this price will not be equipped with tubeless tubes, they are at least equipped with completely tubeless rims and tires. In Marin’s view, it is wrong to not be able to buy such a thing on such a high-priced bicycle.
The rest of the clips have no flash but no function. The width of the hood at the handlebar is 42 cm, and has a moderate bell mouth, so that the bottom width reaches 46 cm. It’s very different from the extreme spreading bars common on new gravel bikes, and I like it. The top of the bar counter has an ergonomically shaped shape for cruising comfort, and the bar tape provided is impressive and forgiving.
To understand its essence, I had to tie the cable bundles together at the front end, otherwise, I found myself rubbing on my knees (although they are well positioned for use with a handlebar bag).
Some very small details are easily overlooked. For example, the rear half shaft is closed directly on the paint. Keep it clean, otherwise long-term use will wear the paint.
Another minor trouble is that the through nut on the fork is not included, which means that if you are not careful, you may fall into the dirt. The Marlin state allows you to easily screw in the nut just in case you screw it into the thread, but other brands have similar functions when using fixing screws. Of course, if you drive with this, please keep the axle installed.
The final description of the specifications needs to be explained. It’s avant-garde, modern, and not boring at all. A diamond pattern with decals under the paint creates fading on the front of the bicycle. I like it, and in the past few months, everyone who has followed this bike also likes it. Marin did a good job.
All in all, the headland provides a solid and reliable structure, but it is not as good value for money as I hoped. There are other bikes with similar prices on the market, and their performance on rolling stock has been significantly improved, reaching the level of Marlin equipment, although to be fair, the location of the dropper may be the cause of this difference.
As we discovered in Sedona on the Gedalt X10, Marin made some obvious efforts to make the mountain biker feel welcome on the hanger.
Those coming from the side of the bike will almost certainly find Gestalt too relaxed in terms of the fit it provides. Therefore, this is not the bicycle that I would choose for racing gravel, nor is it a bicycle that replaces your skinny legs shaking. On the contrary, this is a bike that I really like, without Strava running in the background to explore and view attractions.
This riding position is obviously shorter than most other brands in the industry, but I actually like it to imitate the forward and upright position of my off-road mountain bike. Its efficiency on the road is high enough (although a bit cramped), and it can go almost anywhere when off-road, and its carrying capacity can ensure that you do not need to go home soon.
Yes, this bike is more quirky than the Johnny Depp version of the Willy Wonka movie, but being different does not mean it is bad. New cyclists or mountain bike cyclists who have stubbornly reduced the life of their barbells in the past are likely to find a lot worthwhile-at least once they buy some tubeless tires.
In Australia, this bicycle is sold directly to consumers and delivered to your door by BicyclesOnline. BicyclesOnline not only sends you the boxed bicycles that the American bicycle store will produce, but also mechanically inspects it and reboxes it for easy assembly.
My sample packaging is reasonable and lacks disposable plastic. It was carefully packaged and was clearly inspired by Canyon, how to connect all components with reusable Velcro foam blocks, and the industry standard is zipper and film packaging. Similarly, BicyclesOnline provides some accessories for its bicycles, including a small (very basic) torque wrench.
Assembling a bicycle is very easy, and if you are not sure about the process, BicyclesOnline will provide an extensive guide. The trickiest part of the process is connecting the dropper wiring, not an overly cumbersome task.
In most cases, the build quality is good. The front brake is adjusted very well, and the valve stem is installed in the middle of the spacer stack, just where I want it. My complaint is small, but the cable of the rear derailleur is too long and the rear brake disc shakes slightly. Neither will prevent you from riding.
This direct-to-consumer business model has resulted in bicycle prices being lower than their selling prices in the United States. The retail price of this bike is A$4,899, and at the time of launch, its price was A$3,699.
Marin Headlands is manufactured in Indonesia and is likely to be produced at the same factory as Polygon bicycles. Both brands have been offering carbon mountain bikes for many years.
The position where the stems reach takes into account the tall chimneys. There is no doubt that the lower the lever handle, the better the handling of the bicycle.
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Post time: Mar-10-2021
