2023 Marin Pine Mountain Ride and Review

[@FoCoFlowShow]

I love Marin bikes in general and this seems like a solid budget option … the harder you push the steel frame the more she comes to life 🤘🤘🤘

[@downtoridemtb]

Oh you miss that El Roy!

[@abstraddic0442]

Iv'e seen one of these its very nice looking. Sweet trail by the way also. Man, you've got it, you can really talk and ride at the same time . great job !

[@downtoridemtb]

Thanks! I definitely have to pick and choose when I’m talking. Can’t really do much on the uphills. Cheers!

[@jfj794]

Looks like I stumbled across a fellow RVA neighbor. I’m 7 miles from Pocahontas state park myself. Excellent review and just subscribed. 👍

[@downtoridemtb]

Thanks for subscribing. I’m about the same distance away myself. Maybe we will cross paths sometime!

[@BrandonHubbard1996]

Great video, and beautiful bike. I just picked up a Marin Bobcat Trail and im loving it. I came from a 2002 Jamis MTB and its a huge upgrade. I love the classic look if the Pine mountain though 😍

[@downtoridemtb]

The Bobcat Trail is a good one too! Definitely lighter. But I have to agree, this Pine Mountain is a nice mix of classic styling and modern geo.

[@the_voidgazer]

Great video! I am planning to buy one by the end of this month (March) and I am more convinced to get one because of your video. Thank you for this!

[@downtoridemtb]

Nice, hope you enjoy it! I miss having mine.

[@Pozitivi]

Nice riding and solid edit mate!

[@downtoridemtb]

Thanks!

[@Pozitivi]

@@downtoridemtb oh mate you supported my channel in the past! Now is my time to give back support 🤘☄🤝

[@CasperRc81]

I just picked up the Marin San Quentin 3. I’m with you on gears but I do appreciate the 10t over the 11t and 51t over the 46t when I’m tapping out for leg power. Also the shimano micro-spline hub has great engagement. So to me I’d take the 12spd. But would not buy a whole bike over either choice. Maybe you can do a 148boost rear hub with machined end caps. Or if not bike packing go with team Marin 1 boost frame and change bars/stem for height. Is aluminum tho, buddy still rocks his 2018 nail trail 6 they essentially look like the same frame. He has his down to 27lbs on a XXL.

[@wandererstraining]

Sick! I wanna turn one into a fairly powerful ebike, and that steel frame looks perfect to haul stuff. Plus, the Deore cassette it comes with is made of steel, so it should be able to take a higher torque.

[@downtoridemtb]

That would be cool!

[@wandererstraining]

@@downtoridemtb Just wanted to update, I mostly finished my build and I'm really loving it. In case anyone is wondering: - Fitting a 68-73mm BBSHD on the bottom bracket was not a problem at all! - Upgrading the rotor sizes was also very easy, you just need the right adapters. For 203mm, they are: Shimano F203P/P (/PA also works) for the front. Native rotor size for the Rockshox fork is 160mm, so you need a 160mm to 203mm adapter. For the rear, the correct adapter is Shimano R203P/S. - Mounting batteries hasn't been an issue, but one needs to triple check their frame size to make sure that larger triangles fit. I ordered a massive triangle pack before having received the bike, and once I got the bike, I realized that I was missing half an inch of space to make it fit. Other comments on the bike more generally: I really like it, it rides nicely. There were two downsides for me, coming from smaller 26" bikes. This bike is huge, and the handlebars are super wide. It doesn't fit through doors very easily, and carrying upstairs and downstairs, the length makes it challenging to turn properly. I fixed the handlebars by sawing off 1.5" from either side. Doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot more wieldy now. Also, the wide handlebars meant that my arm position when riding felt super wide compared to normal, with my elbows flaring out too much. Shortening them slightly gave me a much more comfortable arm position, much more relaxed. And as an ebike, it kicks ass so far. Having watched the previous video with the frame review, now that I think of it, I can feel the read hub's steps when engaging the motor via using the throttle. It's more noticeable because the power is jerkier with the throttle than with just legs or pedal assist, and it's obvious that there's a bit of slack. Thinking about it, I'm wondering if I should make that my next upgrade for the bike. But it's a more complicated one, so I should bring it to the bike mechanic for that. Edit: also, in terms of exploration, turning it into an ebike has had some advantages. For example, there are super awkward places that aren't meant as trails where it would be difficult to even start pedaling. With a throttle, the bike can turn into a dirt bike and get out of tough positions a lot easier. An example of that was one night, I was riding with just a light on in a forested area, just wanting to see where an opening led. The trail was slightly downhill, and then it turned out to be leading to a wetland, with really long grass and reeds. Very squishy terrain, where my bike sank less than my feet. I had to turn around, where I faced a hill and gearing that wasn't low enough. My feet were sinking deeper than my tires, so it made it difficult to straddle the bike without being heavily tilted sideways. So I squeezed my seat with my thighs, and throttled my way out of it. 1500W is a lot more power than my legs can generate, especially from a very disadvantage position and gearing. The motor doesn't care.

[@downtoridemtb]

@wandererstraining dude, thanks for the follow up. Hopefully anyone else considering doing that will read your comment. Glad it worked out for you so well. Cheers!

[@wandererstraining]

@@downtoridemtb My pleasure! Have a great evening.

[@pisto_run_cycling]

Thanks for the review.. if you mentioned it I didn't catch it.. im actually interested in this bike.. and I was wondering if you know how much this thing weighs

[@downtoridemtb]

I didn’t mention it here but I did do a short on it. 36.5lbs

[@russellwilson5246]

did the cranks hit the stays and take the paint off?..try a solid axel in it.

[@downtoridemtb]

The cranks did not hit the stays. A bolt on axle would look nice though even though the qr lever is convenient.

[@Riazor1370]

How much do you set your tire pressure in order to grip on those uneven rocky pavements?

[@downtoridemtb]

I usually run tubeless tires around 23-24 front and 25-26 rear. This bike had tubes so I was a few psi higher on both.

[@gregrobertson9957]

Unpopular question, but I reckoned that with the steel, the heft, the compliance, that it would be a good foundation for an e-bike retrofit? It gets rid of the #1 universal complaint - the weight. What say you?

[@downtoridemtb]

I don’t know anything about converting to an e-bike, but I don’t see why not. Makes sense to counteract the weight and have a slightly less harsh ride over an aluminum bike.

[@hunteruu_]

I've been trying to find a "Jack of all trades" bike. Most would be for general riding and commuting, but I love to get off the beaten path when I can, and even some simple flow single tracks once in a blue moon. Do you think this is the best option? I've also looked at their Bobcat Trail 4 (which is significantly less), and using the extra funds to upgrade. Which would you pick for your one and only bike?

[@downtoridemtb]

Well my answer is slightly biased due to my lower back issues so I’d take the Pine Mountain for the larger volume tires and the somewhat compliant frame. Plus all the mounts if you’re looking to do long days of riding. Now if none of that matters, the Bobcat Trail is cheaper and lighter. There is actually a Bobcat Trail series on my channel too so check those out. Cheers!

[@hunteruu_]

@@downtoridemtb biased or not, I appreciate the response! I too, unfortunately, have a lousy lower back. So, to hear that would be your pick helps more than you know. I have watched your Bobcat videos where the upgrades are what made me consider it, and that's why I was stuck between the two.

[@downtoridemtb]

@hunteruu_ right on, yeah sounds like the pine mountain will be a good option for you then. Throw on a faster rolling rear tire to help with the commutes. Might also want to look into a suspension seatpost. I’m thinking of putting one on my hardtail. PNW makes one that is a dropper and suspension all in one.

[@hunteruu_]

​@@downtoridemtb so I'm still looking (ended up having knee surgery), but I stumbled upon Marin's DSX FS. What do you think between these two? They both seem to be trying to fill a gap between two different riding profiles, and I'm having a hard time choosing!

[@ViktorVVM]

Мне нравится Marin.) Имею 3 штуки, в том числе и Pine Mountain 2019 с ригидной вилкой - веселый велосипед.)

[@HullioGQ]

But seriously, is this all bikes are meant for? In many parts of the world, bikes are primarily used for transportation, even for carrying heavy cargo. Here in Boston, since the pandemic, I’ve seen more people using bikes to commute, and it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s especially great to see folks riding rental bikes home after concerts or big events, helping to reduce the crazy traffic that usually clogs up the streets in those situations. Now, I’m puzzled as to why this steel bike is being tested for downhill "racing." Just by looking at all the eyelets on it, it seems clear to me that it’s designed more for bikepacking or touring. Why not test it for those uses instead? There are plenty of us out here who are looking for solid, utilitarian bikes for practical purposes like commuting or long-distance touring, and testing it in those areas would be more useful.

[@downtoridemtb]

While I see your point, bikepacking, touring and commuting are not part of my life and while I would like them to be, it’s simply not possible. I’m lucky if I get out for a 1-2 hour trail ride so bikepacking and touring are out of the question. Commuting would be awesome but I’m quite a distance from my work with no road options that are even remotely safe for biking. The last thing I want to do is pretend to know about any of those disciplines by working them into my video. Would be completely disingenuous. So I test the bike based on what I know and what I do - trail riding.

[@TobiB89]

Sorry, but I highly doubt that you (or anyone else) would be able to feel any noticeable amount of added compliance through the steel frame, when running 29x2.6 tires, at least not with a back to back test against an aluminium frame with the same tires

[@downtoridemtb]

No way to say for sure but that is how it felt to me