Marin Presidio series

Marin Presidio 2 (now in black)

Let’s say that you’re looking for a bike for your commute.

You’re not interested in an E-bike, so for rides that’ll take less than 45 minutes a flat-handlebar upright bike is in order.

If one of the features that you’d like is an internal hub shifter, your choices are a little limited.

There are a fair number of new bike brands that pop up every day (mostly via Kickstarter campaigns) that will incorporate internal gear hubs. This is mostly because these brands are started by people who have no idea how to design a practical bike, and derailleurs merely offend their design sensibilities by disturbing the “lines” of their sleek modern creations. These internet-only bikes wouldn’t stand up to test rides or dollar-for-dollar comparisons if we had them in the store.
What we do have is a couple of well-designed urban bikes made by a 40 year old bike brand. With Marin you can choose between two models that offer internal gear hubs (one with a belt drive, one with a chain). Not only will you get a bike that looks elegant and simple, you’ll get a bike that handles right, has attachment points for fenders and racks (in the correct spots), brakes that work, saddles that are comfortable, and seven sizes for the right fit.