Marin Mountain Bikes Lucas Valley

Price Paid:  $466.00 at REI

Model Year:
2005

Bike Setup:
Have changed out seat, cluster (24 to 30), rear derailler (Deore long cage), and grips

Summary:
This bike originally listed for $860! The triangular tube frame is triple butted with a carbon fork and seat stays. It's reasonably light (around 23 lbs). It's responsive and comfortable (the cf seems to damp well). Have had cross tires (700c x 32 Ritchey Crossbites) on it and am now running on stock tires (Kenda Kwick). Plan to put a lighter street tire (700c x 26 or 28) on it. The bike is fast and comfortable for the 5-30 mile rides I typically take.

Strengths:
light, responsive, comfortable, tasty design

Weaknesses:
none noted thus far

Similar Products Used:
2005 Bianci Strada
1994 Bridgestone MB-1

Price Paid:  $560.00 at REI Outlet

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Provincelands trails, Cape Cod

Bike Setup:
Stock

Summary:
I was looking for a bike that could give me very good road riding performance and the comfort of a commuter bike. I found that with this bike, I've got an excellent casual road bike, but not necessarily the best commuter.

The main reason this isn't a commuter out of the box is the saddle. It's just right for a pair of road bike shorts, but much too stiff and uncomfortable for riding in anything else. I also have yet to find a rack that will fit it, but this is probably more a failure on my part than that of the bike.

That said, the Lucas Valley is a great bike for heavy-duty road riding with flat bar. It's not going to win a race, but you'll be able to bike long distances comfortably and much better than any other mountain or so-called urban bike. The riding position is very similar to a regulkar road bike with the hands on the top bar, or hood, and the bar ends are nice for climbing. The breaks and gearshifts, Shimano Sora, work nicely.

One caveat for anyone looking at this for trail use: it works very well on paved trails but the ride would be rough on a coarse gravel or dirt trail. This one s for road use (However, the fork looks wide enough to accomodate cyclocross tires... I'm going to look into it).

I recomend this bike to anyone looking to ride for fitness and fun and prefers speedy road riding to large tires and trails.

Strengths:
Lightweight, nice components, good looking, fast and inexpensive.

Weaknesses:
Saddle.