Marin Argenta Elite

Marin's Argenta Elite is an easy bike to live with. The metre-long wheelbase and upright riding position make for a stable ride. This, coupled with a solid aluminium alloy frame, gets you a bike that offers no surprises whatever the conditions, making it perfect for the novice rider or those who like a more relaxed time in the saddle - especially at its current discounted price.

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Easygoing

A lot of the bikes coming in for testing lately are what's known as Endurance bikes. The head tube is taller than traditional race geometry, with the top tube knocked back a bit in length. This creates a slightly more upright seating position, even when you're in the drops.

The Argenta's frame feels one of the most compact I've ridden, considering the effective top tube length of 55cm on this 52.5cm frame size. Surprisingly the Marin has a very steep seat tube angle of 74 degrees, something you'd be more likely to see on a full-on race steed where you are positioned forward over the bottom bracket, though the 72-degree head angle is more the norm.

The long wheelbase, coupled with the slack head, makes for some very neutral steering. Because of this the Argenta lacks any real feedback, and can feel very vague at times – not helped by the hard compound rubber of the Schwalbe Lugano tyres. They offer little grip, which can be unnerving through twisty sections when things get technical or if it's damp.

The Marin likes to cruise, though; you can sit aboard it for hours without suffering any fatigue or pain – well, apart from in your legs dragging the 10kg weight around. It'd make a perfect entry-level audax machine where all you want underneath you is a bike that'll tap out the miles with little in the way of surprises.

If you like to ride in the hills, Marin has selected a 10-speed SRAM cassette with a range of 11-28 teeth in the cassette. You do get some clunky jumps of three teeth at the larger end of the cassette but it's a small price to pay for some low climbing gears when matched to the 50/34 compact chainset up front. Again, that seat angle comes into play as I like to position myself further back in the saddle for seated climbing and the Argenta is just too heavy to go honking out of the seat on steep climbs.

Frame & fork

For the money you get a 6061 aluminium alloy frame, with each of the tubes being double butted – a thinner wall thickness at the centre of the tubes than at the ends for compliance and a little bit of weight saving.

Aluminium gets a bad rap for being harsh and overly stiff, but once again the Marin's ride-feel dispels that myth. The Argenta has curved seatstays, a common idea that having a large radius promotes flex, taking out road vibration before it reaches the rider.

The rest of the tubes are nothing outlandish. You don't get an oversized down tube or deep chainstays for maximum stiffness, but I think the Marin is all the better for it – it doesn't need it for the style of riding the Argenta is intended for.

It's a nice frame on the whole. It feels very solid and looks to be well built, all finished in a deep paintjob, one of the thickest I've seen on a bike at this price point and really hardwearing.

You won't find a tapered head tube, with Marin staying with a traditional 1 1/8in headset top and bottom. If you're used to riding plenty of bikes with oversized headsets, you can notice the minimal amount of flex there under braking and fast bends, but it is just that, minimal.

The main selling point of the Marin, though, is that it takes full mudguards and a rack, making it a perfect contender as a commuter or winter trainer. There's still plenty of clearance around the 25mm tyres it comes with as standard, so fitting some 28s shouldn't be an issue at all, but I'd stick with the 25s with mudguards.

The fork is carbon fibre – well, carbon legs and alloy steerer. There seems to be plenty of stiffness under load and it certainly offers a comfortable ride. As you'd expect, it has full mudguard mounts to complement the frame.

As far as the bottom bracket goes, Marin has stayed traditional here too, using a threaded shell to screw the MegaExo bearing cups into. It's a much better option than PressFit bearings on a bike to be used in all weather conditions, as these have a reputation for creaking due to water ingress, especially if the installer has scrimped on grease. Threaded bearing cups are much easier for the home mechanic to remove and reinstall too, ideal on the winter maintenance front.

Finishing kit

The specification list on the Marin is more like a parts catalogue; probably in a bid to keep costs down, the company has specced components from many suppliers.

The majority of the groupset is from Shimano's Tiagra range. You get the 10-speed shifters, front mech and a long cage rear mech to cope with the aforementioned wide-range SRAM cassette.

The shifting is solid and okay; it lacks the defining click of 105 and above, but it's a smooth gear change and works well even under load.

FSA provides the chainset. It's FSA's Gossamer crank which sits in the lower part of the range, but it runs true and has durable rings which makes it ideal for winter use. Again you get a decent crisp shift between the two rings.

The brakes are Tektro R340s, with deep drops to provide clearance for the mudguards. Braking performance is adequate without being anything too special, as there is some flex in the callipers, and the hard compound pads just feel vague through the levers. You never quite know when you are going to stop.

Under hard braking you do get an instant bite from the pads, though this seems to fade quickly and any confidence you have in stopping quickly is soon lost as the brakes just end up feeling as lifeless as before.

They do come with cartridge pads, though, so changing to a better grade for a little bit of extra grab is a simple and cost effective upgrade.

The rest of the finishing kit is Marin branded stuff and it's as expected: all aluminium components offering a solid base to rest your contact points. The bar has a shallow drop like most these days, which definitely suits the tall frontal position of the bike. You can use the drops without having to contort yourself into some sort of aero tuck.

The saddle is a particular highlight: very plush with quite a bit of padding but firm enough to be supportive and comfortable for long rides without any bouncing or pressure points.

Wheels & tyres

Alex rims and Formula hubs are seen on quite a lot of bikes at this price so it's no surprise to find them here on the Marin. The rims are called Thirty, basically because they are 30mm deep, but any minimal aero advantage is soon wiped out by the weight. The wheels, tyres, tubes, rim tape and skewers come in at a huge 3.2kg, that is some weight to get spinning, and it's certainly noticeable from a standing start.

Both front and rear have 28 spokes, which is enough to cope with most things, though I'd prefer to see a shallower rim with 32 spokes crossed to cope with proper load carrying. The Argenta might not be a touring mount, but with the ability to hold a rack and mudguards and that upright geometry it could easily handle a cross country jaunt or something similar.

The Schwalbe Lugano tyres, as I already mentioned, aren't very grippy at all thanks to such a hard compound. Taking a corner or roundabout fast has them squeaking as they struggle to adhere to the tarmac, and when the grip goes it goes in an instant. There is no gentle slide that you can come back from.

>> Check out our guide to the best road cycling tyres here 

They are robust, though, and certainly shrug off any cuts from road debris. It's hedge cutting season and that with some rain means there have been a few anxious miles around the country lanes, but thankfully the puncture fairy didn't visit once.

Value

The model we've got here is from the 2015 range and costs £1000, which I think is too expensive for what it is. A lot of bikes with an alloy frame, carbon fork and Tiagra groupset come in around the £900 mark, and this is where I'd expect the Argenta Elite to sit.

>> Check out our guide to the best road bikes under £1,000 here 

Marin must agree, as the 2016 model gets a new black paintjob, an upgrade to a carbon seatpost and new rims, yet a price drop to £850, making it a much more interesting proposition.

If you like the battleship grey finish of this 2015 model, I've found it online discounted to £500. Now that is a bargain.

Overall

This review may seem a little harsh on the Argenta Elite overall, so I'll break it down a bit. The underlying fact is that reviewed at the £1000 price the equipment is too low a spec. What is important, though, is that you are getting a really good frame. It's well made and offers a very smooth, comfortable ride.

The addition of mudguard and rack mounts makes it versatile as it could be used as a commuter or winter hack, and with the new 2016 price it comes in well under the cycle to work scheme limit.

The wheels and tyres kill it, though, in terms of performance and grip. The weight makes the Marin hard work to ride on anything but a flat, uninterrupted route.

So, either get a bargain 2015 model or the cheaper 2016 model once they hit the shops, but upgrade the wheels and tyres for a lighter, more engaging ride.

Verdict

A decent frame and finishing kit but heavy wheels. Next year's model is better value for money