Originally Posted by
J_Chickles
Marlin 7 and 8 have rockshox --
X-Caliber 8 is a good bit under 2k too - just speaking of Trek -- brands like Trek, Specialized, Giant will offer more bang for the buck than a smaller builder in general because they purchase parts from Shimano/SRAM etc by the shipping container load
This is why a lot of smaller brands - Santa Cruz, and brands similar - dont even play in the low to mid priced arena
Rockshox means nothing they make some lower end coil shocks as well. Yes if I was to have a bottom end fork sure Rockshox would be the way to go but I wouldn't really want a coil shock unless it was something high end and even then I think I am fairly well sold on air shocks.
The Marlin 8 does have a Judy Solo Air shock which would be fine. It is an entry level air shock but well regarded enough for an entry level bike.
Santa Cruz doesn't play in the low end bikes because they don't need to muck around in that and dilute their product range as there are already established brands like Trek and Specialized and others who already have that market.