Trek Marlins
 

I want a Marlin. I initially wanted the 7 as I liked its paint scheme and figured they put their 'best' parts on it. Until I test rode a Marlin 6 and it felt like it was a good bike. Then I tried to look up the specs but I just cant decipher them the way I can for motorcycles. The bikes range from like $500-800 but Im not even worried about price. I just want the 4,5,6, or 7 that suits me good. Also the 19.5" size Marlin 6 I rode felt like riding a monster truck. It was a short trip but was very fun.




This bike is for just for riding around town.. Not really for trails or mountains but I dont plan on avoiding dirt and mud if it is in the way.

I looked at those but set my sights on a KHS instead. Read plenty of poor reviews on the AT550 hubs, but it would probably serve for light commuting.

yea 29ers are like that.

I would go for the marlin 6 if you are getting the bike just for commuting and light off road use. it offers most of what the marlin 7 does apart from things like longer travel fork and slightly higher spec rd. I would get it above the marlin 5 as it has hydraulic brakes as appose to mechanical and 8 speed rather than 7, also has higher spec derailleurs.

Thanks. I just gave away an old race bike Trek 1200. I need something for around town duty- not for long distances. If this bike (and saddle) can put up with me for 10 miles at a time that would be great.

And later on, if I get able and in good health I could get a Trek 520 for light touring, higher speeds, long distance comfort,etc



Thanks for the replies

I just bought a 7. Have about 60 miles on it. Some of those are on pretty rough trails by my standards. I like it. Wasn't crazy about the color. (Black) but I liked it better than anything else I rode.

I got the Waterloo blue Marlin 7 in 19.5" frame. Somehow it seems like a more aggressive riding position versus the Marlin 6 I rode a few months prior. The Marlin 6, IIRC, sat back, rode tall like a cruiser. This 7 is a little hunched forward or that could be me getting out of shape because the salesman assured me they were pretty much identical in many aspects.

Modern mountain bikes can have a fairly aggressive geometry, since the geometry is optimized for out of the saddle riding off road. (in mountain bike speak, the "Neutral attack position") I know there was a time 20 years ago when mountain bikes were a bit more of the Swiss Army knife of bikes, but it seems to be there are so many better bikes designed for around town riding, including many Treks. For example, the Trek FX 7.2, 7.3, or 7.4. Or for the more trail oriented, the 8.4 DS. Or if you want an upright bike to meander around town slowly, the Verve series.

Are the grips supposed to turn? Maybe they forgot to glue them down at the factory. The other day I loosened the handlebars allen screws to turn the bar so the grips fit more nicely in my hands. Well, I loosened two of the bolts and I thought I was turning the bar, but it could have just been the grip because tonight I adjusted them while riding.

These grips have a flat spot and are not wholly round, just so ya know. I dont think it will be a problem because it takes some weight and effort to turn them, but I like them angled so the outer flat spot supports my outer palm comfortably.

I recently bought a pair of Marlin 5s for my wife and I. Her's has 27.5" wheels and mine has 29". They're fine for what we intend to use them for which is riding MUPs and strapping to the back of the RV to going to destinations unknown. We have road bikes but they're too fragile to take and we don't always know what the trails will look like at the various places we stop. We are not mountain bikers. We just wanted something a little more all-terrain.


@mjoekingz28-The grips on mine constantly spun so I replaced them with some Ergon GP3 grips. Those will cinch down. My struggle now is with finding a comfortable seat.