[1813254617.th]

My venerable 2016 Orbea MX20 27.7" bike (medium) got stolen and I need a replacement. There isn't really much urgency, but getting the bike before summer next year would be nice. Touring with a 1975 Sekine road bike ain't fun.

I'm 177cm (5ft 9in), and weigh somewhere between 120lbs to 130lbs (54-60kg) depending on loadout. Being able to haul heavy stuff in a pannier bag is a must for my bike, since backpacking and touring is most of what a do, and I'm usually the main hauler of the group. Having some trail capabilities is a nice to have since I live in Hamilton, Ontario and there are some fun trails here.

2000CAD tops is my budget.

I don't ever plan on replacing this bike in the foreseeable future, so I need to get this right.

I'm currently set on the 2020s Marin Pine Mountain 1, it seems like a decent adventure bike with lots and lots of mounts for touring. My only concern with the bike is its weight. At 35 pounds it's not a light bike by any stretch. The price is also a bit high.

If I do get the Marin Pine Mountain, I'm planning to do some upgrades when I have the budget:

• I won't tolerate wire bead tires on a tubeless compatible wheelset, I'll get tubeless-ready tires. I'm still debating on what size tires to get.
• The 32T chainring is far too small for my tastes since I prefer smashing over spinning. I will get a larger chainring for the bike.
• I'm going to sell the stock RockShox Recon Silver RL and buying a Manitou Markhor ASAP. I don't know how much a like-new RS Recon Silver RL is worth on ebay or pinkbike, I hope to spend as little as possible on the Markhor.
• The Markhor will eventually be upgraded with an ABS+ damper and reshimmed to my liking.
• A budget dropper post sometime in the future would be nice.
• The rear QR dropout is a good thing for me, since I have a Burly trailer I use every now and then.

Any cheaper alternatives to the Pine Mountain? Also, what tires would you recommend? I like supple tires with low rolling resistance.

 

[BadgerOne]

Pine mountain is a cool bike. I would also take a look at the Breezer Thunder.

 

[1813254617.th]

Breezer Thunder

Aww, that bike makes even more sense than the Pine Mountain! Since I'm in Canada, the Brodie Torque may be a better alternative to the Breezer Thunder.

The fact that the fork is not suspension corrected on the Torque is a bit of a bummer though. I'm having a hard time finding any store that carries the thunder.

Update: Scratch that. I found a store with the Thunder in stock, it's in my size. Only problem is the thunder apparently costs at least as much as the Marin Pine Mountain here in mooseland. I've heard that the Breezer Thunder dropper post and tubeless ready tires out of the box. That means all I need is to get the Markhor fork to make it perfect.

 

[eb1888]

Plus the ABS+ damper. You'll need the benefit of the shim stack tuning at your weight. Make sure its available for a 30mm stanchion.

 

[1813254617.th]

Plus the AS+ damper. You'll need the benefit of the shim stack at your weight.

ABSolutely, the ABS+ damper is why I want Manitou on whatever bike I end up choosing. I tried their TPC (2007 R7 Super) damper and it blew my mind.

 

[1813254617.th]

Update:

Wow, I tried the Breezer Thunder and it's an extremely nice bike. I'm buying it and putting on plus size tires and Kool Stop sintered pads for the winter.

The Manitou Markhor (guess I'm stuck with 100mm of travel) will have to wait until summer. I might get the ABS+ damper early to fiddle with, I can use my friend's 2007 R7 Super as a testbed.

Only complaints about the Breezer Thunder:

• Max 100mm travel.
• Shimano mt500 brake levers are so flexy.
• Sane amount of bottle cage mounts.
• Thru axle rear means I need a new Burly trail hitch.
• Methinks Marin looks cooler and radder, Breezer Thunder is a bit too polite-looking.

Things that made Breezer steal Marin's Thunder (for me, anyways):

• I was actually able to test ride it. Took all of 5 seconds to figure out it was a perfect replacement for my Orbea MX27.5. It has that familiar, almost physics defying smoothness, like the bike WANTS to go. It's also appreciably stiffer than my Orbea, which was (rather disconcertingly) slowly loosing stiffness in the final days.
• Better specs.
• Better wheels.
• Much better availability, somehow.
• 10T smallest cog and large enough chainring out of the box.
• Dropper post out of the box.
• Tubeless ready tires come stock.
• No need to sell a RockShox Recon RL.
• Rigid fork is perfect for keeping my future Manitou off of winter roads.

It appears that Breezer also originated in Marin County. What's with Marin County and excellent steel mountain/adventure bikes?

Thanks, @BadgerOne!

 

[BadgerOne]

Glad I was able to help, sounds like you found just what you were after for the most part. I've been fighting the urge to check one out myself (just because I don't need one).

Joe Breezer was one of the mountain biking pioneers in Marin county way back in the day, along with guys like Gary Fisher. He's an OG in the industry. He was doing almost all urban and city transport bikes for a long time, but he's back doing steel touring/gravel/adventure bikes again.

 

[1813254617.th]

Joe Breezer was one of the mountain biking pioneers in Marin county way back in the day, along with guys like Gary Fisher. He's an OG in the industry.

That explains a lot. I learned that Joe Breezer was a prominent figure in the MTB world through a Google Search, I did not know he was more legendary than simply prominent.
The Breezer blew me away. My friends think it looks both subtly modern and tastefully retro at the same time. I think it looks good and rides well in the short time I had with the demo unit.

Is it just me, or is steel making a comeback?

 

[BadgerOne]

Yeah, steel is definitely having a renaissance. A few years ago I bought a Breezer Doppler Pro. I love the damn thing.