Marin bikes Verona Carbon, Full suspension bikes had been around for a while, but they were pretty heavy and designed either for weekend riding. They were certainly not seriously considered cross country race bikes. Somehow or other, those Californian engineers had discovered the sweet spot between soaking up the bumps and pedalling efficiency.
The benefits are quite simple, not all of us have the flexibility or the inclination to ride a bike with race geometry. If you have lower back problems, you’re less likely to experience pain while riding with a more upright position.
The frame itself is butted aluminium with carbon seat stays and forks. I rather like this combination because you get the efficiency of aluminium with the comfort of carbon and I still ride a bike regularly with this set up. The top tube on the Verona is a rather unusual curved design, which seems to be purely decorative. The gearing is good, with a mix of Shimano 105 and an Ultegra rear derailleur. Now comes the thoughtful stuff. Mavic’s Aksium wheels are pretty good value.
They come with bladed spokes and have a 20 and 24 hole combination to keep the weight down a bit. The bars are the FSA Omegas and they’ve been taped with a cork/gel bar tape to add comfort. The cranks are FSA’s SL-K carbon series. These are a good crankset for the money and Marin have chosen the compact version which will suit a lot of riders. I’ve been riding compact a fair bit recently and it certainly has its advantages. The 50-34T combination here with the 12-27T cassette will allow experienced riders to ride up most hills while the less experienced riders won’t be put off when the road goes up.
Someone who likes to ride all day, or maybe already have an expensive race bike and want something to ride to work on that won’t break the budget. Bikes like the Verona can often be overlookeda shame as this is a very good appropriate for a wide range of riders.