Marin Headlands 1: Road bike alternative for bad roads

Timo Dillenberger

· 06.06.2024

Photo: Matthias Borchers

Marin Headlands 1

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With the Marin Headlands 1, the buyer gets an alternative road bike for bad roads. To use it as a training bike, however, a longer stem would be useful. The gravel bike in the test.

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The Marin is like cycling clothes in summer: short/short. The shortest wheelbase in the field results from the short chainstays including a cut-out for the rear wheel on the seat tube. With the ultra-short stem, this results in a manoeuvrable to nervous riding behaviour, and the arms are supported almost vertically downwards. This is neither very suitable for long distances, nor does it provide the much-needed comfort or safety when steering on gravel and trails. The wheels with 32 spokes are stiff, but a little heavy for a sports bike, and the low-profile tyres don't really suit an all-rounder either. At 4.5 bar they roll great, but at low pressure the thick sidewall reduces comfort and grip in comparison.

The wide axle of the crank is not the only connection to the MTB. The cables running around the outside of the bottom bracket are not so stylish and the opening quickly gets dirty.

Photo: Matthias BorchersThe wide axle of the crank is not the only connection to the MTB. The cables running around the outside of the bottom bracket are not so stylish and the opening quickly gets dirty.

Far ahead is the Marin Headlands 1 in terms of bottles and bags. We counted a record-breaking 32 threaded eyelets on a bike that is not at all suitable for travelling, but rather as a road bike alternative for bad roads. The riding position and gear ratios were also just fine on the roll, and the inexpensive brake discs were less likely to come into contact with dirt and water, making them harder to judge and more likely to squeal. MTB converts will have the most friends with it, they will be familiar with both the top link position and the Q-factor of the crank, the feet rotate at a greater distance from each other due to the longer crankshaft; this is more inefficient, but not unpleasant for everyone.

Paradoxically, the carbon frame's MTB geometry, as claimed by the manufacturer, sacrifices the off-road qualities required for a multifunctional gravel bike. With a longer stem, however, the Headlands could easily be used as a training road bike for bumpy tracks.