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Submitted by
alba831
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: April 25, 2008
Strengths: Responsive, stiff, pretty light by my standards. Bombproof, quality gruppo.Weaknesses: Random weakness - the real dérailleur hanger. I somehow bent mine and it was a huge pain in the a$$ to find one in 2008. Because the frame was made it Italy none of the major hanger manufacturers make a replacement. None of the LBS's will have the part and I had to go to Marin directly to find one. Only then did I get a (used) hanger. Since there's very little chance you'd ever bend yours, I'd say this is a very minor weakness.Bottom Line: I found my Argenta on Craigslist a few years ago and got a steal of a deal on it. The previous (first) owner had been into triathlons but the bike had been sitting in his closet for some time and needed a new home. I was happy to provide that home.
As soon as I got my Marin out on the road I was happy with my purchase. This is an aluminum frame with carbon fork, and despite what people say about the road vibrations on aluminum frames I've been nothing but impressed by this bike. I felt automatically like a stronger rider on this bike (Campy Daytona gruppo and Ambrosio Excellence wheelset) than I'd been on my old, now stolen, full Ultegra Raleigh. Despite the same motor, my numbers started changing immediately upon getting this new bike.
Now, a few years later I'm still very happy with my purchase. I've only needed one big tune up, and that was when a small part in my Campy shifter broke. Luckily, because it's Campy, it could be fixed and I didn't need to shell out over a hundred bucks for a whole new shifter.
The bike is stiff, feels responsive, and I think it climbs well. I just did a century with a few brutal hill climbs and felt like the bike and I worked equally hard to get us up and over the hill. Maybe I'm getting biases here, but I partially think it's because the frame is actually Italian-made - Marin had Bilotti make their frames in the early 2000's since they didn't have a big production line.
Favorite Ride: Sea Otter Classic Century Ride
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At: Craigslist!
Similar Products Used: Full Ultegra Raleigh 500
Bike Setup: Ambrosio Excellence wheelset
Campy Daytona gruppo
Cateye Astrale 8
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