Marin Nicasio Plus- Long Term Review

 It's been three years. Time for a review

In it's current configuration with Shimano CUES mountain bike crankset and Thompson seat post

After I sold my Marin Four Corners a few years back, I thought I was done with this genre of cycling. The truth is I did not understand why this type of bike would actually be needed for the kind of riding I was doing. It took moving to a rural outburb to finally realize the practicality of owning one. As I'm currently surrounded by poorly maintained roads or roads under construction, it would be almost impossible to ride out of my home without one. Before I bought my Marin Nicasio, I would get flat tires on any tire smaller than a 25mm width. Some roads on my route look like the surface of the moon with potholes, others are hard packed dirt. Needless to say most of my vintage bikes with box rims are out of the question when it comes to riding the roads in my area. I'm sure that one day the dismal state of the roads where live will be addressed. I'm in a rural area that is slowly but surely becoming suburbia. In the meantime, I once again required a bike that was utilitarian and durable in nature. Hence, my decision to purchase the Marin Nicasio Plus.

The Marin Nicasio is Marin's entry level range of do it all bikes. Like the Four Corners, it is designed with on road and rugged off road use in mind. The regular Nicasio came with 700x40c tires for light gravel use. The Nicasio plus has 650b by 47c thick, bouncy tires for harsher roads as well as dirt road use. All Nicasio bikes have a chromoly steel frame. About 30 pounds in weight, these bikes are on the heavy side, as they are built with durability in mind. While not a performance gravel bike, that hasn't stopped me from participating in at least two gravel events. Granted, no podiums are likely to be won on the Nicasio. This bike rolls slow and munches down the miles while absorbing all the vibrations with it's heavy steel frame and soft tires. What it lacks in speed it greatly makes up for in comfort, especially on long, dirt rides. It is not even that slow to be honest. I average close to 17mph on paved routes and close to 15 mph on gravel ones. While it could be the rider that is the determining factor in this situation, there has only been a 1-2mph average speed difference on my gravel bike on paved roads versus when I ride my 18 pound Cannondale road bike with 25mm tires.

Exploring a stretch of shoreline along a receded lake

On the rail trail on the way to more gravel roads.

I purchased this bike for the modest sum of $1,100. Since then, I few brands have stepped up to provide similarly specced or slightly more specced offerings at this price point. I bought this bike at no discount during the height of COVID, I'm sure now it would cost closer to around $800-$900 on sale.  Like the Four Corners, the Nicasio Plus has been on the brand's lineup for the past few years, so it is very likely to stay available in the near future. 

It has been a fantastic bike for the money regardless of how much I paid when I purchased it. The Microshift Advent drivetrain has an agricultural, clunky feel but is very durable and hasn't needed adjustment. The wheels are still holding true after miles of off road terrain. I wish that Marin would of future proofed this bike with thru axles instead of 9mm quick release dropouts on the frame. However, this is just my personal nitpicking since the stock wheels should last years, granted they aren't being hucked off drops or dragged through rock gardens. The Breezer Doppler is a better specced 650b steel bike for the same price point, having both thru axles and front and rear lights powered by a dynamo generator. With some competition in the market, Marin would do well to improve on their next iteration of this bike, packing as much value per dollar in this post COVID,  competitive and volatile retail market.

I don't know what it was exactly about this bike-the weight, the geometry, I can't quite pinpoint it exactly, but for my personal comfort  I needed shorter cranks. The 175mm cranks seemed to take too long to accelerate and I had all sorts of physical pain after long rides. The 170mm cranks tremendously improved my riding experience, although the Q factor of the CUES crankset could be narrower for maximum comfort on the ride. I will eventually justify replacing the CUES crankset with a Sram Rival or Shimano GRX one. For now, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Another quibble about this bike was it's tendency to ride loose on the rear. High speeds on the bike would cause a drifting sensation in the back of the bicycle. I addressed this by replacing the stock seatpost with a Thompson one that had a lot more setback, putting my weight towards the rear of the bike. Since replacing the seatpost the bike rides more balanced and has better traction on the loose stuff. Marin purposely made this bike with shorter chainstays, which could be the reason for this handling issue. Having said that, the Nicasio is nimble where it counts on real rowdy gravel and singletrack trails.

Overall, I'm real pleased with how this bike has worked out during the last three years or so since I've owned it. It can be configured in a variety of ways to suit any riding style or terrain. It is a quiver killer, easily replacing a commuter bike, XC hardtail and entry level road bike. It easily manages to roll a few bikes into one. Something to consider for those looking to downsize their bike collection or trying to get one bike for a variety of situations. As a road bike, there is little to fault it for beyond it's weight. Weight wise, it weighs as much as a 1970s bike boom era Schwinn, which proves to be no obstacle as I rode the wheels off of my old Schwinns in the past. As a mountain bike, it can handle blue trails and natural wooded trails with ease. Where it shines is on gravel and dirt roads, as well as chip seal and neglected road infrastructure. Having said all that, the Marin Nicasio soars above it's pricepoint in terms of it's versatility and practicality. I would buy one again and would definitely miss the one I have if I sold it.

 

 

Gravel Bikes- A Changed Perspective

 

Gravel Bikes, and why they are the final frontier of cycling

It took me many years to understand what the "spirit of gravel" was all about. When gravel bikes came out around 10 years ago, they seemed like a solution we didn't ask for to a problem that never existed. Back then, when I lived in perfectly paved suburbia, I was at a lost as to why someone would willingly go out of their way to ride where the streets had no name (only Farm to Market numbers in this case). Gravel cycling seemed to contradict every rule I had once associated with cycling; going fast, being competitive, counting grams, using power data, etc. Riding gravel, is in fact, the antithesis of all that represents modern day cycling. Today, I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the past few years, I moved out of that little quaint, perfectly paved and maintained town that I lived in into the ex-burbs. This is the very outer limit as to what constitutes suburban and rural, on the border, one could say. It is right here on the edge of civilization that I have once again rediscovered gravel biking but with a whole new appreciation for what is possible on this type of bicycle. I am also learning that the slower speeds and challenging terrain allow me to be more immersed in my rides whereas before I was simply riding to track my fitness gains. 

When I get on my gravel bike, the only thing that matters is the ride. I'm on a bike that is too slow to worry about average speed, too heavy to worry about setting a PR on a local climb, too cheap to worry about dodging muddy puddles or getting it covered in dust. I can now focus on the surroudings around me, and appreciate aspects of rural living in addition to the beauty of creation.

The bike featured is a Bianchi M.U.S.S singlespeed mountain bike from the mid-aughts turned gravel grinder with a bargain bin 29er wheelset that came off of a parts bike. I have a dedicated gravel bike that I will do a review on later (stay tuned for a review on my Marin Nicasio Plus, which I have been riding for the past couple of years). The Bianchi, however, is the most "Spirit of Gravel" bike that I own. I encourage the reader to look at my other blog posts to get an idea about what the spirit of gravel means. I will summarize by saying that it means being more adventure inclined than considering oneself an athlete participating in an organized sport. Cycling is the only pastime that has a different meaning to almost everyone. The spirit of gravel, means riding gravel for the fun of it, approaching it in the most practical, fun and inexpensive way possible. 

That being said, all of the fun, practical and inexpensive gravel bikes seem to be in the 30 pound range, made of steel and running cable actuated shifters and brakes. Derided by the weight weenies, these types of bikes are collectively known as ATBs in their modern colloquialism. Pioneer bike blogger and OG hipster Russ from the Path Less Pedaled summarized this style of bikes and riding as "alt biking", or alternative biking. This is because  we now have an alternative to the race focused and competitive nature that we, as cyclists all too readily embrace, even though it runs counter to our own aspirations of why we ride a bike in the first place. 

It is this type of riding, "alt biking" that I am taking a keen liking too and would like to discuss a little further in coming blog posts. I am not alone in my sentiment. Grant Petersen was an early pioneer of this movement and basically wrote the guidebook to it "Just Ride", which I reviewed years ago. Now you have influencer personalities like Ronnie Romance and The Radavist carrying the torch where Grant Petersen left off. I recommend giving these guys a look if you're feeling disconnected from the perception of what a cyclist is supposed to be.

Cycling from the purview of Lance Armstrong, Chris Froome or even worse, Tadej Pogacar is not fun and can actually be depressing role models and aspirations to have. The same goes with other sports I enjoy like skateboarding. Skating from the purview of what it meant to be a skateboarder in the 90's doesn't make sense to someone who is about to turn 40. While I enjoy landing the occasional kickflip, I am no Rodney Mullen nor will I ever be. I will likely injure myself out of all sports trying to emulate Rodney's legacy. Skateboarding needs to be unique to the person I am and done within the abilities I possess. That is why surf skating is a welcome change now that I'm older and I am more active on my board now than when I ever was in my teens or twenties.

More on this topic later

So applying the skateboarding illustration to cycling, I am now realizing that my approach to riding a bike needs to be to the stage I presently am in life and the abilities I possess. Gravel bikes and gravel cycling fill that role nicely. Riding around the rural parts of my community where the roads are bad and full of potholes makes more sense these days than putting my bike on a roof rack and driving an hour to a popular greenbelt everyone in Dallas uses. I understand that as an early adopter of this philosophy I will be going at this alone within my peer group of "serious" cycling buddies, so I may stop seeing the regular crew for a while. I also understand, however, that they too will one day cross over the same bridge I did, and will join me in the alt biking club.

This is the final frontier of cycling, the last chapter, the golden sunset, the happy ending that is to befall all wannabe racers and fast people out there. So go ahead, throw away that power meter and cycling computer, get a 30 pound steel gravel bike, put a handlebar bag on it and carry on with dignity in your years and adventure in your hearts. The abandonment of ego is the beginning of wisdom. Keep that fast bike, because if you already own it, then N+1, why not? This is now the time, however, to ride the wheels off of your slow one.