Description
SERIES 2 OR 3 FRAME
The Gestalt features a butted and formed Series 2 6061 aluminium frame with internal routing, disc brakes, and rack and fender eyelets. Series 3 frames add thru-axles and a tapered headtube.
BEYOND ROAD GEOMETRY
Beyond Road Geometry offers a blend of endurance road handling with enhanced stability for off pavement use.
DISC BRAKES
Disc brakes provide smooth, controlled stopping in all conditions with minimal maintenance.
TYRE CLEARANCE
The Gestalt frame and fork has clearance for up to 700Cx35 tyres
SPEC HIGHLIGHTS
Series 3 frame with tapered steerer and full carbon fork
Shimano Tiagra 2×10 drivetrain
Tektro MD-C500 dual piston disc brakes
WTB Exposure Comp 700x32c tyres
Adventure road, gravel riding, beyond road, they all mean the same things and bike companies are falling over themselves to offer you a bike in whichever version of the niche. The Marin Gestalt 2 is one of the leaders in this new range of bikes. The simplest way to look at the Gestalt 2 is that it’ll take you wherever you want to go and do so quickly.
On the Gestalt, Marin has gone for a fully appointed 6061 aluminium frame and a full carbon fork. The perfect way to match speed with comfort. The 6061 aluminium is giving you a supremely stiff frame for when you’re laying down the power. The carbon fibre fork helping to take out the high-frequency road chatter you’ll get at speed. Combined you also get a lightweight frame and fork package to help keep the weight down in case you decide to take in a few gravel races.
To keep you comfortable when offroad you’ll find a set of WTB Exposure Comp tyres. These tyres mix comfort with speed, as they are 700 x 32mm wide. With a slick centre and file tread around the shoulders, these tires will bite when you need them to and offer lower rolling resistance when your riding in a straight line.
Should you wish to try tubeless tyres, and if you’re riding gravel you definitely do, the Gestalt 2 comes with tubeless ready wheels. Lowering your tyre pressure will bring you even more comfort, more speed as your tyres will roll over road debris rather than deflect over it, and the ability to avoid punctures.
To get you up to speed when using these wheels and tyres you’ll find the Gestalt 2 is equipped with a Shimano Tiagra groupset. You’ll find 20 gears with plenty of spread, thanks to 50/34 compact chainrings and an 11-34t cassette. You’ll have the speed for the more traditional asphalt parts of your route and then a gear for when life becomes a bit of slog up an unsurfaced back road.
Slowing you back down is a set of Tektro MD-C500 dual piston mechanical disc brakes. These brakes are of the flat mount variety, the Shimano road standard that is becoming the class leader for quality gravel bikes. The rotors that these brakes clamp down upon are 160mm, front and rear; you should not run out of stopping power on the roads.
The cabling for your gears and brakes is all kept hidden, thanks to Marin’s internal cable routing system. Hiding your cables will not only ave you a few watts, but it’ll help your cables last longer as they are hidden from the weather and dirt.
A nice touch you might overlook is that the Gestalt 2 comes with an FSA MegaExo threaded bottom bracket. Threaded bottom brackets are coming back as many of us have become fed up with the clicking and short life expectancy of press-fit bottom brackets. If you enjoy exploring forgotten areas, you’ll appreciate a threaded bottom bracket.
All in all, The Gestalt 2 is more than the sum of its parts; it is about how they work together. All the parts on the Gestalt 2 work harmoniously to make sure you have a fast bike, whether you use it as a gravel bike, road bike, or fast commuter, and that you do so in comfort.
