Looking for a new bike (newb)
 

Hi all! I looking to get back into riding again. I currently have a 20 yr old box store bike (manufacturer has worn off). It's basically a POS. My son has finally learned to ride his bike, Trek Pre-caliber) and I want to enjoy riding again as well. I'm leaning toward a Trek and torn between a DS2 or a Marlin 5/6. I am a large frame male 6'-4" about 250 (and hopefully shrinking) . Mainly will be riding road and bike trail but want to be able to go into the woods as well. I'm leaning toward the Marlin because of frame and wheel durability and will give me many years of use without having to upgrade due to the versatility of the Marlin. Thoughts from the pros?

Thanks!

You won't know what you really want in a bike until you've put a few miles on, and by a few, I mean a few hundred or even thousand, over time. The DS would be a lower investment up front, and could be relegated to your utility bike after you discover what you really want, and whether you really want it enough to pay 2x-4x the cost of the DS. There is no single bike that will be great at all the types of terrain you mentioned, but you will know better a year from now what type of terrain you spend most of your time in, and whether it makes more sense to invest in a better road bike, a better mountain bike, a better gravel bike, a better flat bar road, or whatever.

The first bike I bought with my own money (back in 2001) was a Cannondale H400 hybrid. I rode it a few years and decided that I really was more of a road bike person. So I bought a road bike and sold the hybrid. Then I discovered that as much as I loved road biking, I could get even more miles in the saddle if I also had a hybrid outfitted as a commuter. Now with both bikes I find I have good reasons to ride nearly every day. But it took a little trial and error to get it right. I probably never should have sold that H400, but I'm liking the Quick I got years later to fill that hybrid / commuter need. And I really really like my road bike. The road bike is a pleasure to ride. The hybrid is useful to ride.

All three of the ones you listed are entry level bikes in the $500 to $660 price range and with entry level components. If most of your riding is going to be on the road and bike paths rather than off-road I'd suggest two things. Don't buy one with suspension forks especially if you can't lock out the fork when you are not off-road. Really good suspension forks (think $$$) work well but the entry level ones are there to sell you on buying the bike rather than making the ride all that much smoother. It also adds weight to the bike and forces the company to scrimp in other areas that are far more important. Be wary of inexpensive hydraulic disc brakes. Again I've had both types of dis brakes. The hydraulic disk brake set (Hope brand) cost more than any of these bikes. Mine worked exceptionally well but are more difficult to maintain than conventional disc brakes. You also might find a smoother set of all around city tires more comfortable for road riding than knobbies. You can always buy a set of inexpensive city tires and switching them.

This time Patronize a bicycle shop .. Its a Service business..

You mention Trek models they're good

FX is bikes without suspension , DS and Marlin are with suspension fotks

as you, sensible person, should realize a superior suspension fork, on its own ,

is about what your budget is for the whole bike..

so what you will get, in the package, is a decent one for the price available ..

Trek are pretty nice as are Specialized. I deffo look at used bikes. FB Marketplace has some good offers.

Personally I like the idea of a beaten up bike I can tweak and customise a little so don't mind spending next to nothing in order to upgrade bit by bit.

I have just started riding again after 30 years and learning about real bikes. I went to a local bike shop and rode a DS2 and a Marlin 4 ( I think,it didn't have lock out on the shock) I didn't like the Marlin because the shock was too soft for me and took too much of my newbie, wobbly, peddle power. Loved the DS2 and nearly bought it on the spot. Luckily, I was broke.

I then bought a $100 Trek 820 from Facebook Marketplace and have ridden it a couple months. It took me that long to see more about what I wanted in a bike. I nearly bought one without a shock because of that first experience,and boy would that have been a mistake. Point being .it would be a lot better to buy a $100 used bike to learn what you need and like before spending a bunch.