Rockhopper or Palisades Trail for touring ?

[widowmaker]

It was a tongue in check comment

 

[BOBU]

I'm a Marin Man, luv'em, got a few, I think they're the dogs. I bought my son a Rockhopper as his teens bike, I was hugely impressed by it's spec and feel. However.... if the Rockhopper works for you, does what you need AND has a chemistry with you - lose the Marin. I would though say, there is something very dynamic feeling about the Marin geometry that's hard to match if you haven't piloted one. Quandary not solved then!

 

[Titiritero]

If the Rockhopper is already built, I would already use it and sell the Marin. You are trying to make your life easier by selling the other bikes, and this is the path of less resistance. If, however, after a couple of weeks you are not 100% convinced on the Rockhopper, then yes, give the Marin a try.

If you try to use it as a tourer, fit and comfort should be first, regardless of components (and also, the less bikes you have, the more budget you can assign to the remaining ones). If the headset is ahead (likely in the ´97 bike) it will be harder to raise the bars, while the quill stems are much easier to move around. How many rack eyelets or mudguard eyelets might be another point. Or how many bottle cages you can mount. Which one has rigid forks... And so on... It seems you want this bike to be a do it all, so as long as both fit, get the more versatile frame.

 

[widowmaker]

Both bikes are similar in geometry, eyelet, mounts etc, the only difference is the Marin is quill and the Rockhopper is ahead.

 

[CassidyAce]

Does the Palisades have suspension-adjusted geometry? It's difficult to tell from a Google image search but the axle-to-crown length looks shorter than on a 1997 RockHopper.

 

[widowmaker]

Does the Palisades have suspension-adjusted geometry? It's difficult to tell from a Google image search but the axle-to-crown length looks shorter than on a 1997 RockHopper.

I don't know

I'll check it out.

 

[hamster]

They went to suspension from 1994 (certainly on the BV/Eldridge/Pine Mtn), however they still bizarrely fitted 390 a/c forks for a couple of years. I switched to a 410 on my 1994 Pine Mtn which improved it significantly.

 

[widowmaker]

I've heard the early 90's Marins were stronger than the later ones ?

 

[Tootyred]

Quill will allow you to move the bars up and down as you wish.......off road bridal way etc a bit...down....touring a bit...up. on the go with just an allen key....

 

[widowmaker]

That's a tick in the Marin column