A new adventure/experiment: Custom Hardtail Frame!

[Big_papa_nuts]

Any updates?

[June Bug]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:55 AM, Big_papa_nuts said:

Any updates?

Ditto! 

The Website (in English) is still active: Marino Bikes. 

The prices are still insanely reasonable. 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by June Bug

[gotdurt]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:55 AM, Big_papa_nuts said:

Any updates?

 

21 minutes ago, June Bug said:

Ditto! 

The Website (in English) is still active: Marino Bikes. 

The prices are still insanely reasonable. 

 

 

I tried checking in a couple of times earlier in the year and stopped getting responses via email (he had an assistant or someone responding to emails for a little while), then I tried checking in via Facebook right after the virus hit and a few days later got this response:
"really so sorry , your new frame its ready, only need put cable guides and paint, but now all flight are cancell for 15 days, im working alone in house, but my 4 employees rest in houses"

So I'll try again this week and see if anything has changed.

[mack_turtle]

how's this bike coming along? I've been on this page hitting "refresh" over and over again for months!

[Barry]

According to he Marino website, they're up and running. This is kind of interesting for me since I've got the bug for an aggressive hardtail singlespeed, with the Kona ESD being high on the list...but I want to run 27.5/27.5+ instead of 29. Also not red. When I build it up the way I'd like, the frame comes out at $625 shipped.

 

Think I'll let it marinate a bit. 

[mack_turtle]

I understand the point of "aggressive" bikes these days. building a bike around a long front-center makes sense for many ways. the Honzo ESD and bikes in that vein seem to be overkill for the terrain around here though. I might want something like that if I lived near actual mountains, but not here. YMMV, but it's worth considering the kind of terrain for which something like that was designed.

(edit: yeah, if you own a "quiver" of bikes that you travel with and have time to ride them all, that makes sense.)

Edited August 26, 2020 by mack_turtle

[Barry]

If I went custom I'd dial in the HTA slightly. 64 or 65 instead of 63. And running 27.5 I'd also be able to get the CS even shorter presumably. Everything else I'd make to match the feel and fit of my 5010. 

 

And I don't really buy bikes for my local trails. I get around quite a bit.

[gotdurt]

4 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

how's this bike coming along? I've been on this page hitting "refresh" over and over again for months!

I sent a couple of email and fb messages since my last post and still haven't heard back. Still enjoying the frame I have, aside from the minor issues mentioned previously.

2 hours ago, Barry said:

If I went custom I'd dial in the HTA slightly. 64 or 65 instead of 63. And running 27.5 I'd also be able to get the CS even shorter presumably. Everything else I'd make to match the feel and fit of my 5010.

Keep in mind that his is a hardtail, so the static head angle changes with rider weight, depending on the amount of set sag and fork travel; the effective head angle becomes steeper (about 1.5* in my case). Likewise, the reach, seat tube angle and bottom bracket height change as well, so be careful not to compare to your 5010 (or any other FS for that matter), as it's a different beast. The online design software that he uses (www.bikecad.ca) allows you to account for this and to see the effects of different forks and sag.

Quote

And I don't really buy bikes for my local trails. I get around quite a bit.

Same here, I optimize for the trails I *like* to ride most, not necessarily the ones I actually ride most... so when I go to AZ/NM/CO/UT, I'm not wishing for another bike. With that said, both of my bikes work pretty darned well for what and how I ride around here; I really wouldn't change anything.

Edited August 26, 2020 by gotdurt

[notyal]

6 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

I understand the point of "aggressive" bikes these days. building a bike around a long front-center makes sense for many ways. the Honzo ESD and bikes in that vein seem to be overkill for the terrain around here though. I might want something like that if I lived near actual mountains, but not here. YMMV, but it's worth considering the kind of terrain for which something like that was designed.

(edit: yeah, if you own a "quiver" of bikes that you travel with and have time to ride them all, that makes sense.)

We have pretty varied terrain. The bike that is most fun to ride at Walnut Creek is not the same bike that is the most fun to ride at BCGB, not to mention spider mountain. If I had to choose 1 single bike for everything and it had to be a hardtail, something like the Honzo ESD would be in the running. 

[gotdurt]

Well, I've tried contacting them a few more times, to no avail. I noticed that they have a fancy new website and found that they have a second email address in addition to the "order" address, so I sent another email to both addresses, but this time from a different email than I was using before, just in case the other one was getting caught by a spam filter.

The last I heard from Marino (back in October), shipping was halted due to COVID, but that shouldn't be a problem anymore. Maybe I'll point him to this thread and show him that there is interest in his frames here in Austin...

Edit: I re-activated my fb account to message him (that's where I last exchanged with him) and shared a link to this thread, maybe that will shake things up a little.

Edited April 16, 2021 by gotdurt

[gotdurt]

Think it's safe to say I've been "ghosted".

[St.Bernardo]

Any updates on this?

[gotdurt]

18 minutes ago, St.Bernardo said:

Any updates on this?

Nope, no response to my last few contact attempts. They have been busy posting new stuff on IG and fb though...

Edit: just sent another email to the last one I got from them showing the frame ready for paint. It was from his new (at the time) helper, Elijah.

Edited September 13, 2021 by gotdurt

[St.Bernardo]

Thanks.  Keeping an eye on this.  Considering having a custom frame made.

[AustinBike]

Consider Chumba. Really good bikes, made right here in Austin.

[gotdurt]

Well, that was a surprise... I got a response this time!

"I just talked with Marino, I'm sorry for the wait, can you please send me a summary of how you want the cable routing, he's a bit confused with it."

Not sure what he's confused about, he got it right on the first one. I'll see if we can keep this moving this time...

[St.Bernardo]

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

Consider Chumba. Really good bikes, made right here in Austin.

First place I checked.  Weren't doing custom frames now.

Bummed me out.

[AustinBike]

2 hours ago, St.Bernardo said:

First place I checked.  Weren't doing custom frames now.

Bummed me out.

Is there a particular reason for a custom frame? Could one of their stock frames work?

[gotdurt]

7 hours ago, gotdurt said:

Well, that was a surprise... I got a response this time!

"I just talked with Marino, I'm sorry for the wait, can you please send me a summary of how you want the cable routing, he's a bit confused with it."

Not sure what he's confused about, he got it right on the first one. I'll see if we can keep this moving this time...

I think I know what he's talking about now, although no one asked for clarification before... one of the issues with the first frame was that he put 3 cable bosses on the seat stay for the rear derailer cable, and the rear-most one was too close:

 

I sure hope that's all we need to get past this hurdle, lol.

Thanks to St.Bernardo for giving me the bump to try one more time...

Edited September 13, 2021 by gotdurt

[RedRider3141]

To be fair, I think the 3rd lug would line up better with the way SRAM lines up the cable entry into their derailleurs. I've actually always liked how SRAMs are more tucked in close to the frame with a nice pivot. Shimano has a little too much slack in their routing for my preference. I'm always afraid it's going to snag on something. Never has, but I'm afraid. 🤣

BTW, still an awesome bike! What are you planning on doing with the 1st frame? 

[St.Bernardo]

9 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Is there a particular reason for a custom frame? Could one of their stock frames work?

Just modernizing a frame geo that I love.

Have been riding a SE Stout 29'er.  Added a gear conversion for horizontal drop outs.  Welded a cable stop for a front D.  

Love the geometry, but tire size is limited to 2.1s, but can squeeze 2.2s in but it's tight. Axel spacing is 100/135.

Looking to get same geo with 110/148 axel spacing and no horizontal drop out.

 

[gotdurt]

15 hours ago, RedRider3141 said:

To be fair, I think the 3rd lug would line up better with the way SRAM lines up the cable entry into their derailleurs. I've actually always liked how SRAMs are more tucked in close to the frame with a nice pivot. Shimano has a little too much slack in their routing for my preference. I'm always afraid it's going to snag on something. Never has, but I'm afraid. 🤣

Yeah, I don't see owning a SRAM RD anytime in the near future, unless it comes on a bike that I buy... and I haven't bought a complete bike in almost 2 decades. All of my current bikes have Shimano, and I like to keep compatibility across them, then I only have to carry spares for one system on trips.

Quote

BTW, still an awesome bike! What are you planning on doing with the 1st frame? 

Not exactly sure yet. One of the reasons for the warranty replacement was that the paint arrived with a really fine crack pattern all over the frame (have to look close to see it), which allowed moisture in and started to rust through the paint, causing the paint to flake in areas, especially near the top of the seat stays. It's purely cosmetic though, so I'll probably strip the paint, oil it down and leave it bare and build a permanent single speed so I don't have to switch one hardtail back and forth. Also, without paint I don't have to worry about chipping the top tube when the brake levers hit it (that was another issue; he was out of shorter head tubes, so he used a longer one that resulted in the brake levers not clearing the TT).

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by gotdurt

[mack_turtle]

bringing this thread back from the dead because Marino is back on my radar. after nearly a year of searching for jobs, I FINALLY got something to stick. I'm starting a technical writing role that will pay a bit more and involves less traveling. woot! new job, new bike.

I want something that's a little longer and more "modern" than my Karate Monkey to handle a 120mm 29er fork (~495mm a-c) with short chainstays, a not-so-low bottom bracket, longer reach for a shorter stem, and a slightly longer front-center/ head tube angle. it has to have some sort of singlespeed capabilities and preferably steel. I have a long list of options and all of them have sub-optimal geometry for my desires or they cost a lot more than I can shell out. Chumba Sendero or Neuhaus Hummingbird, but I'm not making that much more money. Esker Japhy is to long-and low and the Santa Cruz Chameleon and Spec. Fuse are aluminum. nope, custom it is!

The pricing on these bikes is a no-brainer. custom geo, Reynolds 725, sliding dropouts, custom add-ons, and I get to pick the color for less than the cost of a Surly frame? I just have to wait? that's fine. The hardest part will be nailing down the geo to exactly what I can confidently say will work for me. when I'm honest with myself, the only thing I don't like about the KM is that it's so compact that I need to use a "long" stem for it to fit me at all, and even then, it's compact. if I finally do this, I'll document it for you all.

Edited October 28, 2022 by mack_turtle

[gotdurt]

16 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

bringing this thread back from the dead because Marino is back on my radar. after nearly a year of searching for jobs, I FINALLY got something to stick. I'm starting a technical writing role that will pay a bit more and involves less traveling. woot! new job, new bike.

I want something that's a little longer and more "modern" than my Karate Monkey to handle a 120mm 29er fork (~495mm a-c) with short chainstays, a not-so-low bottom bracket, longer reach for a shorter stem, and a slightly longer front-center/ head tube angle. it has to have some sort of singlespeed capabilities and preferably steel. I have a long list of options and all of them have sub-optimal geometry for my desires or they cost a lot more than I can shell out. Chumba Sendero or Neuhaus Hummingbird, but I'm not making that much more money. Esker Japhy is to long-and low and the Santa Cruz Chameleon and Spec. Fuse are aluminum. nope, custom it is!

The pricing on these bikes is a no-brainer. custom geo, Reynolds 725, sliding dropouts, custom add-ons, and I get to pick the color for less than the cost of a Surly frame? I just have to wait? that's fine. The hardest part will be nailing down the geo to exactly what I can confidently say will work for me. when I'm honest with myself, the only thing I don't like about the KM is that it's so compact that I need to use a "long" stem for it to fit me at all, and even then, it's compact. if I finally do this, I'll document it for you all.

Good luck, I finally gave up on the replacement frame. The few times that someone responded to my emails, I never seemed to get anywhere. Is there a dusty frame sitting in their shop with my name on it? Who knows.

Honestly, I can't say that I recommend Marino. I wanted to, but can't. Designing my own bike was fun, but the result... some have had better luck, some worse. The question is, is it worth the gamble?

[mack_turtle]

44 minutes ago, gotdurt said:

 The question is, is it worth the gamble?

ugh, that's disappointing. I can't believe that there was never a follow up. if I take that risk, I'll be bikeless for the long term. I'll just stick with what I have.