Marin DSX 2 review: Flat-bar fun on a budget
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ย. 2021
- Whatever you think of flat-bar gravel bikes yourself, it’s becoming clear that the category is gaining in popularity, and for pretty good reason. Simply put - and as we’ve mentioned elsewhere - the additional leverage of a wider flat bar adds a healthy dose of fun to gravel bikes, making them easier to toss around and more controllable when conditions get dicey. Plus, many riders just prefer the more upright positioning and the casual attitude that comes with it.
While some brands have taken a halfhearted approach to the whole flat-bar gravel thing, Marin has decided to jump in headfirst, with three models built around two dedicated aluminum frames, both with longer reach dimensions than what the company uses for its drop-bar models.
The DSX 2 is the middle child in Marin’s flat-bar gravel lineup, based on the the company’s Gestalt X collection of drop-bar gravel bikes. Like that Gestalt X, the DSX is made of TIG-welded 6061 aluminum and appears to use the same tubeset, sharing similar characteristics like the more radically sloping top tube and reinforced seat tube extension for more standover clearance, and the scalloped seat tube for more tire clearance.
Although the overall shape is similar between the Gestalt X and DSX, Marin has extended the reach on the DSX 2 by about 10-30 mm (depending on size) to correct for the change in handlebar style, and the chainstays have also grown from 415 to 425 mm to help maintain similar weight distribution. Fork rake remains the same at 50 mm - it appears to be the same tapered full-carbon fork, in fact - but because the head tube angle on the DSX 2 is 1.5° slacker, the trail dimension has grown to a substantially more stable 81 mm. Bottom bracket drop holds fast at 80 mm.
Check out the full written review at CyclingTips: cyclingtips.com/2021/11/marin...
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A rigid flat bar bike! Yes! More please. Thanks. Looks dope. Needs swept back bars like jones, nitto, Moloko bars, etc.
Marin has just been killing it lately! Such a sweet bike!
I've owned this bike for over a year and I couldn't disagree more with this review. I've rode it on all surfaces, but mainly off road on rough terrain and it doesn't have a harsh ride quality at all. The 1x12 deore drivetrain is awesome as well. It's a fast and fun bike and I think most people would agree. It seems like just because it's a "flat bar gravel bike" that these reviewers dismiss and put it down for no reason.
I'm surprised the reviewers didn't put a longer stem on the bike if the handling was "too twitchy." I replaced my 70mm with a 100mm, sawed the bars down to 610mm and installed SQLab Innerbarends. Next step for me is to tackle the crankarms and wheels/tires.
What's the thinnest tyres can you put on these rims? Thank you
@@lovelyjubbly87 Hi, my guess would be a 28mm tire is the narrowest tire you can use since the dsx2 comes with 21mm width wheels.
@@KC-th2sb ah thank you
@@lovelyjubbly87 how narrow are you trying to go? Just beware you're putting yourself at risk for pedal strikes, including straightaways on gravel as a narrow tire lowers the BB Height.
I've had it for a couple months, using it for 20 km commuting through city and some wood paths and yeah it's a really fun little bike. The price point is pretty great too considering the default loadout is decent (with room for upgrades since you can mix and match with the rest of the Shimano range thanks to the microspline hub).
Love this bike, got it last fall. Using mostly as a cross-country townie with some light trails thrown in.
This. I might get one - if I can. In spite of the middling review here, it ticks a lot of boxes for me. I can live with the weight, and I can ghetto the tubeless situation. I'll shave a few grams with a buzz killing carbon bar and seatpost -$$. [ Sidenote: I've broken enough unsupported seat tubes to be thankful for the added strut] And I'm even warming to Mikey and his try-hard style: Hell, I think I'll wear a Hawaiian shirt to dinner tonight! I'm gonna use the buttons, I am 64 after all...
This has been one of the most requested bikes in our shop, which shows there's something that really resonates with people about this bike. Regarding your reach comments, we have just been advising people to go up a size to get appropriate reach. For a pile of people who will at most be riding on some gravel but mostly looking for a daily rider (some pavement, gravel, sneaky little singletrack sections within city limits), it seems to make a pile of sense.
Yeah, I was surprised by how little it sized ...
Get a longer stem?
@@scariedad certainly an option. I guess depending on the rider's desires regarding both fashion and handling, and perhaps even stack height too. I guess in our shop the natural answer was size up on the bike because all the staff wanted to keep the short stem/neutral handling and growing the wheelbase a bit for stability was desirable.
I get it but the biggest issue is probably getting hold of one to try. At least here in the UK there simply aren't any in the showrooms so you can't try them for size before you buy. And to be honest even getting one on order I think is a challenge.
that makes sense. The geo of the L frame is pretty much similar to the specialized diverge evo in M
How is a 12 speed Deore groupset basic? You’re getting 9/10 speed groupsets on some other bikes in this price range.
The DSX is specced excelently for the price. Yeah, the non-tubeless wheel/tyre combo is a miss, but I guess they had to draw the line somewhere for this price point.
Every negative point you guys had mentioned can be fixed with some future upgrades, therefore I think this is the bike to buy now !
DSX 1 not much different?
The rims are tubeless ready but pretty much no bike in this range comes as actually tubeless.
1x12 Deore drivetrain? I reckon that's a great spec.
Update on my earlier comments. I've had this since September and have now gone to my trusted tyre brand Schwalbe with the G One Ultrabite and a tubeless setup. I just had puncture after puncture with the stock WTB Riddlers and tubes. My mate had the very same experience with Raddlers on a new Sonder. We've both been impressed with the Schwalbe tyres. The difference these tyres make is massive and highlights the poor quality of the stock rubber which I have to say is the only negative aspect of this bike. I've got used to the bars and reach and now find them quite comfortable. May still swap for a wider bar though. So in a nutshell I agree with all of those who think you're too negative in your review. It's a great value fun bike with great versatility and because it's all fairly standard good quality components it's easy to upgrade if you want. Love it
@@scariedad are you still using the stock wheels for the tubeless setup?
@@Fatbutnotflat sorry for the delay but yes. Rear one was fine but front took a bit of work to seal. Saying that it's my first time trying tubeless setup and just using a track pump.
great review, thanks
I must admit, after Marin and Polygon joined in a lot of project, both company created amazing bike for the price.
Funny you mention Polygon because I'm trying to decide between this bike and the Bend R5.
this seems like a very good commuter and "1 bike does it all- bike. I just bought the DSX 1 , and I install some fenders and a rack.
Hey, thanks for the awesome in detailed review!
I'm 180cm was planning to buy the size L. Was planning to use dsx1 as commuter in urban potholed streets.
1. Is the ride quality comfortable on city roads for long duration? can ride position be changed from aggressive to a bit neutral?
2. read in a few reviews that the handling is twitchy, didn't understand though.
3. Also do your feet touch the tires while turning?
Would apprecite your view on this, Thanks Sourav
Is there a review on the Norco XR Search flatbar gravel bike? Can you guys review that bike? I have one and like it, but it would be great to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks
This may be sacrilegious to some, but I have the drop bar Gestalt and added the Redshift suspension stem and seatpost and absolutely love it. It's not a cheap upgrade, but given the starting price for a bike like this, I think you end up well ahead in the comfort and fun department instead of paying more for a suppler frame and finishing kit.
Agreed,
A tubeless wheel set would be more efficient but that’s ok I can still deal with a tube, Although the bike does stand on its own merit as a well built commuter this whip would be perfect for the flat terrain here in Florida, I believe Marin got this one right for a light trail and commuter bike that is…
I have the DSX1, done Fondo with it, still is a fun bike though, compare to my other bike: Canyon Lux, Curven Kevin of Steel, Tern Verge P10
Has anyone swapped out the cranks on the DSX 2? I'm fishing around for ideas. My medium frame came with 175mm, they're too long for me.
Was super interested in this bike. Went to a Marin dealer in their network, and they told me there's no hope of getting one. Marin are so oversold, they have customers waiting for bikes ordered over a year ago. It's a shame. This is just what I'm in the market for.
Would be a great get-around bike for everyday riding.
Do you guys think this bar would be way more comfy with an Alt bar like the velo orange crazy bars
I bought this because I wanted something that didn't cost the earth, had wide 1x gear range out of the box, is easy to maintain and could be used on the rough stuff if I fancied it when out on a ride which didn't need the full suss trail bike I normally ride. This doesn't disappoint. I agree it needs tubeless purely because the stock WTB tyres puncture easily and I'm thinking of dropping a longer stem into the mix because I think this suits me (did the same on my MTB) but other than these minor changes it's perfect for the job. The rims are tubeless compatible by the way - it's the tyres that aren't. I found your review generally negative but hey you've just called it as you see it. I think the most disappointing aspect of your review though was that you'd mentioned the Gestalt wheelie machine and how they compared then all of the action footage and talk is about comfort basically when commuting. The big answers to the questions most of your viewers will want answered about capability are just not there so I'll try to fill the gap.
I find myself smiling when I ride this. It's just so nimble and the front is so light it's perfect for a short blast or a longer run, is easy to upgrade and doesn't have any real limitations which can't be easily and cheaply worked round because it's been built to tinker with. For example if you want more comfort and grip use a 29er MTB tyre.
Have you managed to convert DSX 2 rims to tubeless? As far as I know they need to be tubeless compatible, but I couldn't find any info whether they are.
Thank you for sharing your experience? Is it geared low enough for serious hills? I'm looking for an all-rounder that I can use for commuting, occasional road rides, and some steep backwoods forestry roads.
@@etsinko sorry for the delay in replying but yes I managed. One took a while to seat and hold but both are fine now. No issues at all for months. I'm using Schwalbe G-One Ultrabites.
@@NessieJapan yes. Very low gearing. I've not come across anything I can't get up even off-road.
I want one.
Would love to know if you could upgrade the groupset to Sram 1 X 12 mullet?
They just released a higher tier model, and it comes with SRAM NX. I am sure you could do the same for 2023 model + groupset.
What is rhe size of your crsnkset
i got this model (the DSX FS actually) in mind for while. planning for a do it all gravel bike.
The thing is, i usually do at least one very long ride per week (a full afternoon), and the DSX seemed like it wasnt cut for it ?
cant get a bike that will end up being tough on my hands and wrists halfway-thru a ride.
also, tubeless difficulties isnt helping out either.
but it looks like a super fun bike. what to do ?
Did you end up buying FS?
@@drill_fiend1097 couldnt find one in my region, and ordering one had an uncertain delivery date.
but i got myself a cross-country bike instead. A Trek Xcaliber 9. man that bike can do it all.
Nice. I went with the DSX and was told both 2 and FS have tubeless rims, but I would need a different tire from stock. I only ride gravel or offroad no more than 3 hours per weekend so I think this will be fine. For commuting this is a large step up from my old bike with third party thicker wheels tho.
@@drill_fiend1097 the dsx is so sexy. having the budget for 2 bikes, i would go for a dsx for everything commute and smooth gravel. that bike seems a joy to ride. you made a good choice, especially for the price.
Great bike, but what's up with the color? DSX1 is better in plain white. Is decent color that much more expensive?
Yeah I ended up getting the dsx1 because I hate the poop brown of this bike.
Anybody have any comments/experience with this bike on long 50 + mile gravel rides with a lot of elevation?
Yes. I got one in September and live beside the c2c route in England. I ridea full suss mountain bike and wanted something for the keep fit run up onto the North Durham Moors. Because I have gone from riding on air to this I found I needed to get some shorter runs in and acclimatize to it but I've been doing gravel and a short stretch of relatively flat single track on a regular route at just over 50km. It's actually quite comfortable and from the outset I found myself smiling when I ride it. The guys here are right though - it'd definitely benefit from tubeless and I'm considering dropping a slightly longer stem in to extend the reach a little.
Sorry the elevation gain on the regular run is just under 1500ft.
Hi all. If anyone can answer a couple of questions, offer your opinion, or provide insights, I would appreciate it.
1. At 7:37, Mr. Huang says that "these wheels and tires are pretty hard to set up tubeless". Can someone explain what he means by that? I am old school, and have never used tubeless tires. So, what about these tires & wheels makes them hard to set up tubeless? At 8:40 Mr. Huang also says "it needs tubeless tires...I don't know what Marin would have to sacrifice in order to get that capability on that bike but it would be worth it..." So, is this bike tubeless capable or not. I am confused. Any insight is appreciated.
2. At 6:24 Mr. Huang says "...the ride quality of this bike...it's not the comfiest bike out here." I think the bike could be more comfortable if you put some bar ends on it. The problem I have with flat bars is there is really only one place for your hands. Moving hand positions around during the ride seems to be a great improvement in comfort. What do you think?
I'd like for CT to test the Kona Unit X
That's a great looking townie/commuter bike!
This is exactly what I want it for! I'm mostly a mtb rider but do enjoy the many miles of gravel and paved hike and bike trails here in Austin, TX. When it's too muddy to ride mtb this seems like a fun option to get some miles in.
GRAVEL bikes on trails is like gong backwards, if you don't have gravel roads, you don't need a gravel bike, there are many bikes for different types of riding, Many places don't have gravel roads, Michigan has all types of riding, so I have all types of bikes, lucky I guess, I wouldn't ride my Epic EVO on gravel, I don't enjoy the gravel bike on trails, I sure don't ride any bike. but the fat bike on snow covered trails, I have a Dutch delivery bike for errands, my Flat bar gravel is an evolution, starting with a 2017 Specialized Sequoia, Cromoly frame, carbon fork, threaded BB, 700x42 Specialized Sawtooth tires that grip snow packed gravel like studded tires, Red Shift suspension seatpost/stem, 640mm 50mm rise handle bars, 8 inches wider then the drop bars it had stock, I tried 750mm wide bars, on gravel roads, they were uncomfortable, and I was catching too much wind, I have hydraulic dixc brakes, trigger shifters, (way nicer then the finicky RS505 drop bar brake/shifter combo) this is a comforgtable, mile eating Gravel Bike, I ride all year, mostly when the trails are muddy/icy, or ??..with our freeze/thaw here the gravel roads sometimes look like mine fields, when they are graded the rocks come up, thats a bumpy ride, the snowpacked gravel is great, and the gravel roads are way safer then the paved roads for bikes. There is not one bike that can do it all in Michigan. (maybe a repack bike.. LOL) Happy Trails
it really came to me that they hate this bike like they don't want to say anything good about it to be honest. HAHA
So let’s recap. 1. Tubeless tires? That’s an easy upgrade. 2. Thick walled stock components? Simply leaves room for customization. 3. Top tube not long enough? It’s got to be shorter than an mtb in order to work for gravel with drops otherwise it’s the longest gravel bike on earth! I say it’s good! Nuff said.
@James Huang 1. Yeeeeeah... you're right. 2. I'm trying to keep it positive by saying "room for customization". No bikes comes stock exactly the way you want it. That's just part of the game. I want companies to keep making bikes like that. They make a lot of sense for normal folks. For years it was either real sporty hybrids like the Sirrus that focus more on fitness than fun or bikes like the Crossroads which had dumb/heavy/poor working suspension forks. I want companies pushing in that direction with lighter and less costly ridged options that can run slightly wider tires. 3. REALLY MARIN? FOR REAL? A specific frame? Maybe I should do more research before commenting. Got me there James!!
Be careful when using the word “budget.” That is all relative to your… budget. It’s not a budget bike by most standards. Great vid!
The Salsa Journeyman flat bar probably does this style of bike better.
Pretty comparable bikes. Definitely like the deore 1x, hubs and tire width of the Marin better. Wish they sold either as a frameset as my bike budget isn't large so would like a multi terrain bike. Just would change a few/several components out on both.
I have two marin bikes, 4C and fairfax, both of em have bad paint quality, less than a year scratch and chipped almost every where, no.. i’m not riding them in a harsh way, just for light commute and groceries
You waskily wabbit.
They complain but look at the price
Queue the angry "derp derp it's a mountain bike" comments. 🙄
´´flat bar gravel bike´´ sounds better than ´´rigid fork XC bike´´. Still awesome though.
I was just about to buy, even though I hate the turd brown color, then I watched your video and changed my mind. Sounds like a horrible bike and really is a turd. So what is the ideal bike for flat bar gravel at that price range ?
How about Surly Bridge Club , Kona flat bar gravel Deore 650B, or a Salsa Journeyer ?
For maintenance tubeless tires sound great when you stay in your local area but when you ride over the horizon you have a tire pressurization problem it's a big headache. I'll now consider the DSX 2 a powder puff .
Go Kona Unit, much nice bike for only a little more $$$ or the Kona Dr. Dew if you want something a bit more lighter and road friendly.
This gravel bike trend has slowly evolved into, 80s inspired reto mountain bikes. If this trend continues well end up with 100mm travel gravel bikes in 2035 and full suspension gravel bikes in 2045. Haha 😄. Eventually everything becomes a mountain bike.
25 lbs is light
gravel bike pfff...... i see an vintage mtb with 1x drivetrain. for me the non tubeless worth because the price diference is spend on deore drivetrain, an last thing i want is an flat tubeless unable to re-inflate with an hand pump an middle of nowhere.
Had it been a steel frame I think the ride quality would've been better
I'm sorry but the guys accent? I can't 😔
It seems to be a theme with CyclingTips. Shoddy Dave and Ronin have such strong accents. They give the crew character, but they're really difficult to listen to at times.
This bike initially has a small indicator STACK, Which means that more aggressive geometry,will not be vertical and less comfortable