Russ Roth

OP, I would pass on it and I know it can be a little expensive but I would save a bit more to get something with 8sp in the back. The hub will be much stronger and handle actual off road riding much better long term. Other upside to 8sp is some compatibility, you wear out a chain and cassette and want to pick up a 9sp shifter, you'll be 9sp, the derailleurs won't mind. Break a der and screw up the chain you can always find 10sp stuff readily available cheap, did that on my own bike. Broke too much in a crash, just ditched a front chainring and went 1x with a wide range 10sp cassette, chain, der and shifter and had better parts for less than an 8sp replacement der, chain and cassette. 7sp is not upgradable. Perfectly fine for townie bikes, rail trails, and general riding, really not so great for offroad, better an extra gear in the back and one less on the crank for easier shifting options.


I'm guessing your Salsa is prepandemic? Just went shopping for a kid, under 1k had nothing good for a fork, spent 720 and then dropped another 200 on a nicer suntour fork with remote lock, air adjust, rebound adjust, and 34mm aluminum stanchions with a friction coating. Also dropped 1lb off the bike in the process. Prices in the last year went up a lot and parts went down, the market sucks.

Sadly 7sp cassette technology went away replaced by 8-10 but somehow 7sp freewheel stuck around for the lower levels. Not certain how that crap stuck around when a 7sp cassette is superior in every way.

Darth Lefty 

Except for the last couple posts this entire thread is pre pandemic

Russ Roth

Hate it when I miss that

PGHNeil

I know I'm late to the game but I was looking at the 2019 Marlin 5 back in 2018 and decided to pass on it because it had a freewheel and I wanted the option to upgrade the cassette. If anyone is looking to pick up a pre 2022 Marlin 5 from the local co-op they should be aware of this. I opted for the 7 and don't regret it, though I had to swap out some parts to convert it to a 1x.

BTW, I just bought my son a 2022 Marlin 5 yesterday and it now has a freehub and an 8 speed cassette and a Shimano Altus. In many ways it's superior to my 3 year old Marlin 7 - save that Trek no longer offers an entry point in the seat post for internal dropper post cable attachment. Apart from the now $720 price tag my only real gripe is that the Suntour fork seems less sturdy than the Rockshox XC-30 on my Marlin 7 - particularly the lockout knob. The Rockshox is metal, the Suntour is plastic. Other than that I think it's going to serve my son well as he is not a "mountain biker" but just looking for something that can handle terrain that's too rough for a hybrid or a road bike.

FREEBIRD1

I have a 2022, been riding it all over, I use it as a daily rider and was glad to have it today, there were 30 ft. sections of slush on the trail, it handled them with ease. What color did he get?

PGHNeil

Radioactive red with the white graphics. He didn't seem to have any problems with the stock Bontrager XR2 Comp 2.2s. Our trail is crushed limestone though which is a drivetrain and paint killer. I need to get some tape for the underside and get him some fenders.

sofiava1

Its really awesome !