Marin Fairfax 2

£665 Flat-bar all-rounder with a wide range of gears and hydraulic brakes Weight 11.96kg (M) Frame 6061 aluminium Fork 6061 aluminium Gears Shimano Altus levers, 46/30 chainset, Tourney front derailleur, Acera rear, 11-34 cassette Brakes Tektro M275 hydraulic discs Wheels Marin aluminium double-wall, disc-specific Finishing kit Marin alloy stem, flat bar, 27.2mm seatpost, Marin Fitness Plush saddle, 35mm Vee Tire Zilent tyres

You only have one handhold position 

MARIN DESCRIBES ITS FAIRFAX range as 'built for the flat-bar fitness road rider'. It has a wide gear range, wide tyres for comfort and some rough-stuff aspirations, but perhaps most significantly, it has hydraulic disc brakes. You won't find a drop-bar road bike with hydraulic disc brakes at anything like this price, but this is one of two modestly priced 'hybrids' on test with hydraulic stoppers. And they make a world of difference.

The frameset, not surprisingly at this modest price, is an all-aluminium affair. But there's a bit of shaping going on with the flattened top-tube, and the semi-compact frame features dropped seatstays which, along with the 35mm tyres, promise a decent amount of comfort. I'm a big fan of fittings on budget road bikes, which might well be pressed into commuting or shopping duties, so it's great to see a full raft of bosses for front and rear mudguards and racks, including separate bosses for the lower rack strut and low-rider fittings on the front fork. You could argue that top-tube 'bento box' mounts would have rounded out things nicely, but that would just be the icing on the cake...

The hydraulic disc brakes are excellent

Generous gears