Originally Posted by
Lady82
Hello!
I have started a thread, but I am not sure how much feedback I will be able to generate, so I decided to ask here.
I would like to upgrade my 8 year old hybrid, but with the current situation with bikes it is very tricky. There are simply NO bikes in Ontario, unless it's e-bikes and carbon offerings at 5K+. Bike shopes are sitting empty. Ideally, I would have purchased Sirrus 3.0 X, but there are none anywhere. I personally called every dealer within 3 hour drive radius.
By chance I found Marin Terra Linda 3 in my size, but I know nothing about the brand.
I currently own a Specialized Vita (female version of Sirrus) and Liv Tempt 0 (2021).
I love my hybrid, but it is an older model with rim breaks. Terra Linda has many modern upgrades over my bike, notably disk breaks and thru axles, which are unheard of in this price range. My old hybrid has a carbon fork and 3×9 Shimano Acera/Alivio transmission. So no real upgrades in this respect.
I guess I am trying to decide if the upgrade is worth it. My bike is great, but I do feel that rim breaks are not as great as my hydrolics on Liv Tempt.
I also have concerns about the quality of Marin proprietary components, especially their hubs. There are no technical information anywhere.
Would you trade upgrade 2013 Specialized Sirrus that already has 3X9 speed transmission and carbon fork for a new Marin Terra Linda 3?
Sorry, the rules of the forums do not allow me to post links to the specs of the bike.
I own a 2013 Sirrus, Lady, and while Marin enjoys a good reputation, I don't value the change as worthwhile, BUT, a big reason is a personal aesthetic bias about hydraulic brakes on road or road-like hybrids such as our Sirrus/Vita bikes. I love my 2013 Sirrus too. I would only upgrade to a carbon Sirrus, but I regularly search ebay for "older" rim-brake models. I have bikes with hydraulics and recognize their superiority, but their marginal superiority compared to modern/quality rim brakes and rims is not worth it to me, given the weather I ride in and the kind of riding I do on my Domane and Sirrus bikes. Maybe if I commuted in the rain or snow often... maybe. Looking at your Vita and this Marin, the brakes are the only advantage I see, and I share your doubt, and have NO confidence that the proprietary components on this 2021 would be of better quality than our 2013s'. I will note that my Sirrus Pro was a next-to-top of the line Sirrus in 2013, so it was very nicely equipped; but, if you have a carbon fork, you probably also have a higher level Vita. On balance, and my aesthetic bias aside, I'd keep lovin' the one you're with until a more better/worthy option comes around. Meanwhile, enjoy your Liv's brakes and your Vita's greatness.