Marin Dominican

There's so many people on the fixed bandwagon these days that it's probably looking a bit like a slow train on the Indian subcontinent by now. That's no bad thing if it means that we get better bikes, and economies of scale mean that they drop in price. The Marin Dominican certainly fits the bill on the first point: it's a very capable and well put together bike that's a fun ride straight out of the box. And the second? well, it's not a steal at £525 but it is decent value for the build quality and the kit you're getting, so we're not really complaining.

The Dominican's frame is a 4130 Cromoly offering that's well put together with tidy welds and subtly shaped tubes, it's matched to a gently curved steel fork. Geometry is not too aggressive, with our large size running a 570mm effective top tube and shortish head tube that's tempered a bit by the riser bars, giving a good position for town riding. The bike is nicely specced both in terms of the quality of the kit and the aesthetics. Tektro dual pivot callipers front and rear are operated by 'cross levers, and the rear cable is attached with stainless cable clips so you can remove it if you want to flip the unbranded high flange flip-flop hub at the rear. There's a matching front hub and they're laced with black spokes to green Alex semi-deep rims that have a machined braking surface. You get good quality Vittoria Zaffiro folding tyres too.

A Sturmey Archer chainset with a 44T ring drives a 17T freewheel or fixed sprocket, depending on your preference, giving a 69in gear that'll probably spin out a bit too easily if you live somewhere flat but is welcome in the hilly South West. The narrow risers are the minimum width current new bike legislation will allow – I found them just about right but I have fairly broad shoulders – and the saddle is a Regal-alike that's comfy enough.

The first thing I had to do was swap out the seatpost: being fairly long in the leg I tend to run a lot of 'post and the 250mm one supplied wasn't long enough, in spite of the fact that otherwise the bike fitted me very well. The next thing I did was stop at a friendly Kwik-Fit to borrow an adjustable spanner so I could tighten up the rear track nuts! My fault for not checking before I set off. Out on the 'mean' streets of Bath the Dominican was a joy, the sub-1m wheelbase and low weight making it feel responsive and very chuckable in traffic. The frame gives a good ride, there's pleny of stiffness for when you're stamping away from the lights but it feels springy like a steel frame should. It's not overbuilt and the thin stays and 28mm tyres soak up plenty of chatter from badly surfaced roads.

The Dominican's main test while on test was the Bath Parklife Alleycat, a 17-mile stomp around the bandstands of the city and surrounding towns (well, Saltford). It was a good mix of riding: a thrash through the London Road traffic, a long, flat TT down the Avon valley and some stiff climbs with a 3-lap blast round a sleeping-policeman-strewn park to finish. To its credit the Marin felt at home on every part of the ride, even the long, flat schlep out to the farthest reaches. Okay the gear was a bit short for the downhills but I was glad it wasn't any tougher on the final climb, and the position and handling were well set up for the final sprint over the speed humps. 17 miles is about as far as you're ever likely to ride a bike such as this, but it could easily have taken me much further if I hadn't binned myself on that final grind...

When you're at an event like an alleycat riding a brand new bike you feel a bit of a johnny-come-lately; there's a long tradition of building fixed bikes from the parts bin and there were plenty of well-loved machines there. That's not for everyone though, and there's definitely a place for an off-the-peg fixed, you've only got to look at Charge's success with the Plug and Felt's with the Brougham to see that. Bikes like those two are the most obvious competitors and in terms of bangs per buck you're getting a similar package for a similar price here. From an aesthetic point of view there's lots to like about the Marin: it doesn't look like it's trying too hard and the subtle branding – more about 'Dominican' than 'Marin' is easy on the eye. Add to that the fact that it's a fun, responsive ride and it's a definite competitor in this market.

Verdict

Well built urban fixer that's fun to ride and easy on the eye