mtbike894

Hello fellow bikers,

I am trying to decide between the three bikes listed above for some casual, recreational biking. I plan to bike on neighborhood roads, nature trails, and maybe even a bit of offroad biking on dirt and rocky paths. I am also going to a school in the mountains, so while it does have roads, there are a lot of nature and hiking trails as well. I am a beginner biker and don't plan to do mountain biking as a competitive sport. However, I am considering it. As for my normal bike routine, I wouldn't do any jumps or stunts or anything like that. Most importantly, I am looking for a bike that can handle rough and mountainous terrain and trails, but is also not sluggish when it comes to riding on the roads. I would like the best of both worlds. I also would like to know which bike has the best technical specifications, and which one gives you the biggest bang for your buck.

So, based on the information above, which bike would you recommend? It seems like the Marlin 5 is really popular, almost like the flagship bike for Trek. However, through online and video reviews, it doesn't seem to be as impressive in regards to specs compared to the Marlin 6 or DS 2. Let me know what you think!

frizzen

I've been looking at mtn bikes in this range too. The Marlin 6 or 7 looks pretty nice, except for the forks. The coil spring forks are heavy - and everybody says they are garbage. I've got my eye on the Excaliber 7 or the Vitis Sentier 29.