Marin Belvedere (2010-2011)

I recently purchased the Marin belvedere from m+d cycles in Abergavenny, and I must say what a great ride it is. For many years now I have only ridden road bikes, but due to my ageing body I decided to change to what I believe is the more comfortable riding position a hybrid offers. The belvedere handles surprisingly well , admittedly not as well as my road bikes but none the less you can really throw it into a corner and be confident that you will come out of it safely and in control. Gear changes are smooth and precise, although on my test ride of the bike the front gear derallieur would not select the larger chain ring, however this problem was only due to the bike needing setting up correctly , a task that was immediately performed by M+D cycles. The saddle is a little hard for long, long rides but hey how much does a new saddle cost ? not much. It's quite a quick bike too, admittedly you have to work hard to get road bike speeds but if getting in shape or staying in shape is your aim I highly recommend this bike for you. Obviously it doesn't come with the best hardware avaliable, (the low cost of the bike as good as tells you that ) it's not kitted out poorly either though it feels tight and solid under you and so far has handled everything I can throw at it. To sum it all up it,s a good even great bike for the price and it also came with a free safety check after a months riding and then 3 FREE services after that courtesy of the manufacturer. I would also like to add as a post note that M+D cycles were excellent with thier advice of which bike to choose, advice was freely given but not forced upon me and I would highly recommend a visit to them if your looking for a new bike without the hard sell tactics of some of the larger chain shops!