flocsy

Hi,

My 1st MTB is a GT Timberline (no suspension fork) from 1994. I still use it today. I live on the shore, so there are no big hills around. Use it on gravel, single, double trail and road as well. I am about to upgrade, 'cause let's face it it's almost 30 years old, and technology advanced.

I am about to buy a general use cross-country bike that can also handle some beat now and then. I tried to research the internet and came up with a few options. I like the Shimano set on my old bike, so I'll probably keep it (especially because according to my research the comparable SRAM, Microshift sets that fit to my price range seem to be inferior) so I was looking mostly for bikes with Shimano Deore sets. Because of the way I use the bike I prefer to have fast gear ratio, because I don't need to climb steep hills. I also started to use the bike more recently (that's why I am buying a new bike) and I also try to choose a bike that is upgradable.

I have collected the information that seems to me important (and I found) to this spreadsheet: (sorry, not allowed to post url) https :// docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FsUYW0fsd688OG2b9XBysQEYPpoQbw64D9CWw_36l1Q/

My options are: Trek Marlin 7, Polygon Xtrada 7, Giant Talon 0

I would love to hear some feedback:
1. what other items (lines) to add to the comparsion
2. if you have experience with any of these bikes or bike parts, then what is your opinion about them.
3. Which one would you recommend / choose, and why?

Eric F 

It appears that all of these bikes are aluminum hardtails with Deore groupsets and mid-level forks. Any of them will probably serve your needs just fine, and last a long time, if well maintained. If I'm making the choice for me, I would pick the Trek, but that's mostly because of my preference for the brand.

travbikeman

Going off just your line that states a bike that is upgradeable, of the three bikes you shown, the Xtrada 7 is most upgradeable due to it having Thru Axle. You will have many more suspension and wheel choices for this bike than the other two.

I have to admit though, I think the Judy suspension on the Trek is nice for the price of the bike. I don't have experience with the Suntour air suspension on that Xtrada and that is something you would need to research on. EDIT: Didn't realize that this Judy was coil, didn't read it all the way through and assumed it was air. I like the air version, have no idea how coil version works with the Judy.

I do like the Giant Talon 0, but from what I'm looking at, it's priced several hundred more than the other two for a similar setup. So a better bang for the buck can be had with the other two bikes. Which seems strange since Giant used to be the better priced bikes.

I'm looking at:
https://www.bikesonline.com/2023-xtrada-7
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...gen-2/p/33148/
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca/talon-0

Oh and regarding SRAM and Microshift. SRAM SX, yea, seen problems. NX is ok, GX and X01 are good. I upgraded the NX drivetrain on my Genius to X01 and it's nice.

I installed Microshift AdventX on my last hard tail. That was actually a brute of a drivetrain. My opinion is it could take a beating better than the Shimano or Sram just because of it's build quality.

flocsy

Regarding upgradability: from what I researched the Xtrada is the most upgradable because:
- Even though Marlin 7 has thru axle it is non boost, while on Xtrada it' is thru and boost.
- Xtrada is the only one on the list that has tapered head tube

Regarding price: well it is REALLY different here. Especially everything is much more expensive, but that probably doesn't really matter. It comes down to which shop has some deals right now. Here all of the bikes are between $1325-1350, except the 3rd Gen Marlin 7 that is a bit more expensive: $1480. That is quiet a bit more expensive.

I think I'll go and see them (3 different shops...) and get the feeling of them (size and geometry), though I am a bit skeptical about how much I can compare them (even if they were in the same shop) I'll be able to chose the right size, but to compare the geometry? Unless one of them will feel very odd I don't think I'll be able to feel the difference just by doing 2 circles in front of the shop. So probably it'll be decided by the look (color, etc)

There's one more think I'm considering: I have 2 recent injuries in my left hand, shoulder, and that's one of the reasons I decided to upgrade from a 1994 no-suspension GT Timberline that I use and love for 29 years. So maybe (have no experience in any suspension, so I'm really guessing based on what I read...) the air suspension on either the Polygon or the Giant will be more comfortable (especially that I'm only 65kg ~ 143 pounds) But again, this is something that won't be easy to feel on in the shop.

Sierra_rider

Out of the 3, the Polygon would be my choice. I couldn't load a geometry chart for it, but it appears to maybe have a bit "slacker" frame geometry than the other 2.

Also as mentioned, the tapered steerer and boost axle spacing are improvements over the other bikes. It also has the 12 speed compared to the 10 speed of the Trek. The 1x12s make for a pretty good gear spread. I don't have a bunch of first hand experience with the Shimano mtb groupsets. Both of my mtbs are equipped with Sram GX...it's been a really solid/reliable set up on both bikes.

veganbikes

Not going on Geometry just on important parts I might say that Polygon is maybe the least meh of the choices and is thru-axle which is nice.

The Trek would be a hard pass anything with Coil shocks unless they are really high end ones which are uncommon to see on complete builds and would not be seen in the entry level and below entry level stuff and even on most mid-range stuff would be odd. SR "Suntour" is not super high end or super great but not bad and air shocks are definitely very important.

My choice would be to go for a Specialized Chisel or something nicer in steel. If you have had a bike for 30 years upgrading is not a bad thing. Yes you can stay in the entry level but I wouldn't at this point I would go to a nice mid-level bike with some nicer parts and more modern standards.

MinnesotaSteve

I have a Marlin 7 Gen 2, but I presume you're talking about the Gen3. Looks like they brought back the dropper post mounting, and it's spec'ed with the Kovee TLR rims. So that's your upgrade paths, dropper and tubeless. The one thing to be aware of it is the crankset has a 28T chainring, and it's a square taper BB. Looks like that hasn't changed. I've read that Trek does have a 32 or 34T chainring available for like $20, and it's an odd size at 82BCD so I think that's the only route absent replacing the crank, and that's doable but tricky given most of them are for boost and it's a non-boost frame.

I don't mind the coil fork as it requires less maintenance. I improved my comfort by replacing the handlebars with PNW Range bars with more rise, and then replaced the grips with Ergon GA3. But there's certainly benefits to the air forks in terms of setting rebound and weight savings. So it depends on your riding style. I'm just riding gravel and smooth singletrack.

The polygon certain looks nice in terms of specs. The website I looked at said it comes with an RST fork. Giant comes with a proprietary inhouse fork. Watch for that. It'd be better with something from Rockshox or Suntour, and what's on website isn't always what's on the bikes at the store. I guess my experience with RST is from an old Trek my wife has, and it requires some weird tool to open it up for maintenance that they don't really sell. I don't know if they're any better these days.

The touch points of the bike... saddle, handlebars, grips, tires these are all easily changed. But they cost money, so pay attention to what it comes with but don't be discouraged by that.

Honestly, I'd worry less about specs and more about the fit and feel and if you like the bike store. I'm inclined towards worrying about serviceability for longevity, and upgrading the simple things like the touch points. If you start thinking it's not the right bike and want to do forks and wheels and such, given these are mid priced bikes, if you're going that hardcore maybe it's time to upgrade to a different bike. So I'd be more concerned with liking the bike store and if they're willing to listen to what you want. They may also have something else there that might be a better fit for your needs.

flocsy

Actually I have both the Gen 2 and the Gen 3 Marlin 7 as an option. See more on that here: /mountain-biking/1271967-trek-marlin-6-7-8-gen-2-vs-gen-3-a.html

I feel like half of the changes in gen 3 are disadvantages for me:

pros of Gen3 over Gen2:
thru skew (even though non-boost)
2.40" tires (not sure if I can upgrade to this size on Gen2, if it's possible then this is a semi-pro, if not then this is a big pro)
tubeless ready (on paper sounds good, no experience with it, I'll think about it after my 1st flat tire
internally routed dropper post ready (nice to have, but not sure I'll ever install it)

cons:
+1.1kg (big con, probably not worth the advantages)

probably cons:
change in geometry from more XC oriented to more trail oriented