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Dual sport2 vs Marlin5

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Dual sport2 vs Marlin5

Old 09-20-21, 07:55 PM
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spudwrench
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Dual sport2 vs Marlin5

Hey guys seeking some input. I am sure I probably can't go wrong either way ive been looking at the Dual sport 2 or the marlin 5 which both fall around my budget. (appologize in advance for the long story)

To back pedal a bit. My son is 5 his previous bike I got him (12 inch little tykes or something) Had training wheels he hardly ever rode it. He rolled it down a hill a few times and crashed it in a parking lot a time or 2 but would never reailly pedal it. I tried riding it later on an realized just how bad the pedals were and now i know why. I did some reasearch and decided on getting him a woom 16 inch bike for christmas this year. Pricey but suppose to be the bees nees for a kids bike. The more I thought about it I realize he has no one to really ride with so i decided I would get me a bike as well and we could cruise together.

We stay in the country, its mostly paved / dirt roads. I was at first looking at the dual sport because i like the idea of a more relaxed ride since im 40 and out of shape but I do hope if i enjoy it as much as i used to that I can turn it into something I do a lot of on a regular basis and not only get some fun time with my son but also help me shed some lbs.

I spoke with a few shops over the phone and they busted my bubble and told me it was looking more like march or april of next year and then i found the marlin 5 that was a lot more available in my area.

Today I had a chance to visit a Trek store and they had a marlin 5 in my size and I liked it a lot. It was pouring down rain so i didn't get to take one for a spin. I was ready to walk out the door with it and they say we do have 4 dual sport 2's coming in dec 13th that have yet to be claimed. At that point decided to do the preorder on the dual sport 2 since i would have to hide my bike from my son till then anyway.

Finally on to my question I was curious what bike between those 2 you would pick? I am horrible at deciding on things 90% of the time.
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Old 09-21-21, 09:17 PM
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Wheels74
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I cant really speak about the dual sports bc I havent ridden one. But, I do own a Marlin 5. I bought it so I could ease back into single track riding with my son. I have actually put more road miles on it than anything though. Gravel, bike path, road, etc. I view it as more of my 'go anywhere' fitness bike now. anyways... it is a solid choice, in my opinion.

Edit: I do have an older 7.3fx that is now dedicated to my trainer. Not really a dual sport... but it is a hybrid.

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Old 09-22-21, 12:24 AM
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Thank you for the input.

I have compared them both and been spending a lot of spare time reading up on both of them. I like the appeal of the faster gearset on the DS but then I think of the longer fork travel on the marlin as well as the beefier tires. I Think I will be ok with the DS unless I decide to start riding more aggresively but at the same time I feel like thats going to be down the road if it even happens.
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Old 09-22-21, 04:02 AM
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I've previously owned a Giant Roam, which is basically the same thing as a Trek Dual Sport. I also own an older Trek MultiTrack (which is similar to a modern FX) and I also own a hard tail MTB (similar to a Marlin). I'd probably recommend the Marlin for most general on/off road use. It doesn't really give up a lot to the Dual Sport, especially if you fit it with tires optimized for how you ride. And you only gain capability for more dirt-oriented riding if you do get into that. I think you'll like the longer travel fork on the Marlin (the DS's 63mm fork's usefulness is somewhat limited). The Marlin has the same types of rack mounts and bottle cage mounts that the DS has, so you can mount nearly anything you wish to it.
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Old 09-22-21, 01:28 PM
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spudwrench
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Originally Posted by hokiefyd
I've previously owned a Giant Roam, which is basically the same thing as a Trek Dual Sport. I also own an older Trek MultiTrack (which is similar to a modern FX) and I also own a hard tail MTB (similar to a Marlin). I'd probably recommend the Marlin for most general on/off road use. It doesn't really give up a lot to the Dual Sport, especially if you fit it with tires optimized for how you ride. And you only gain capability for more dirt-oriented riding if you do get into that. I think you'll like the longer travel fork on the Marlin (the DS's 63mm fork's usefulness is somewhat limited). The Marlin has the same types of rack mounts and bottle cage mounts that the DS has, so you can mount nearly anything you wish to it.
thank you for the info. I'll take that into consideration. On the plus side they did say if decided later to change I could.
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