If you're buying a Marin Four Corners for speed then you're looking at the wrong bike. It's a steel adventure touring bike with attachments for fenders and racks, that's very similar to a Specialized AWOL or a Surly Straggler. It's rugged and tough for offroad gravel road type touring or general riding and makes an excellent commuter or urban allrounder.

The upright position? Yeah, it's going to be a slower ride than you would get on a pure road bike with a slammed stem due to aerodynamics. Like I say above, though, it's not a bike whose primary purpose is going fast. Its purpose is to carry a rider and the rider's gear on paved and unpaved roads.

I have a Specialized AWOL (initially designed by the same designer as the Four Corners when he was at Globe, the Specialized urban brand) as my only bike and I couldn't be happier. The geometry is virtually identical to the Four Corners and I use mine for everything except racing, basically.