ISO input on Trek Marlin

[WoodBow]

I am in the market for a bike. I think I have decided on a trek marlin but I know next to nothing about bikes and I don't know anyone who does. My use will be 90% 5-10 mile rides on local county roads. A fair bit of that will be towing kids in a burley trailer. I also need the ability to use it off road but nothing crazy. Is the marlin a good bike for me? They make a marlin 5, 6, 7....but I don't know enough to know the difference and they website does not seem to elaborate. I assume each progressive model just has nicer components? Would I even appreciate them having no experience to go off of?

Open to other suggestions as well. I have been trying to find one used on marketplace but not having much luck finding a large. I am 6 foot.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Great questions!

The difference in which model Marlin you're eyeing (other than price) is components. Components being things like forks, the "gears" that make the bike work, brakes (disc vs caliper, etc.).

If you're not an avid cyclist, you really can't go wrong with any of those options.
I have a Marlin 6 and the main reason I went that route was (a) I didn't need anything that was highly technical with really high end components, but (b) DID want a 1X drive train.

The 1x drive train leaves you with only one gear shifter vs two. It's much simpler and much less prone to slippage of the chain.

I hope that helps. Feel free to message me with specific questions. I'd be glad to help!

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I got myself and my wife Marlin 6's last year, they were a 2x drive chain then. I made that decision primarily becasue I wanted hydraulic disc brakes, and that was the lowest marlin model that had them. It was one of the least thought out purchasing decisions I've made, but the bikes have been fine for normal use riding on paved roads with the kids, and for getting me in/out on a gated gravel road in CO this fall.

I think the Marlin will do what you want, but there could be a better value somewhere else.

 

[WoodBow]

Great questions!

The difference in which model Marlin you're eyeing (other than price) is components. Components being things like forks, the "gears" that make the bike work, brakes (disc vs caliper, etc.).

If you're not an avid cyclist, you really can't go wrong with any of those options.
I have a Marlin 6 and the main reason I went that route was (a) I didn't need anything that was highly technical with really high end components, but (b) DID want a 1X drive train.

The 1x drive train leaves you with only one gear shifter vs two. It's much simpler and much less prone to slippage of the chain.

I hope that helps. Feel free to message me with specific questions. I'd be glad to help!

Awesome. I had never even heard of 1x gears until your post. But i do like the sound of that!

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[WoodBow]

I got myself and my wife Marlin 6's last year, they were a 2x drive chain then. I made that decision primarily becasue I wanted hydraulic disc brakes, and that was the lowest marlin model that had them. It was one of the least thought out purchasing decisions I've made, but the bikes have been fine for normal use riding on paved roads with the kids, and for getting me in/out on a gated gravel road in CO this fall.

I think the Marlin will do what you want, but there could be a better value somewhere else.

From what i was reading today, the 5 now has hydraulic brakes as well. I also didn't even know those were a thing on bikes until i read a marlin 5 review today.

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[Fatcamp]

My wife has a 7 and I have a Rockhopper Expert. Similar quality components and well worth the money for us but we are using them off road and on rough trails.

For riding flat ground near home about anything will work. Biggest issue is getting the right size.

 

[dromero]

Marlin hardtails are excellent bikes for what you want to do. As mentioned the 1x gears are great and simple, hydraulic disks are one finger operation, and a dropper seatpost is nice feature as well. You can adj seat height on the move with a cable lever on handle bars (not sure if they have it on the model your looking at). Also look at tubless tires, usually filled with a "Slime" like sealant. This will help if you're behind gates on rougher roads hunting where small punctures happen often.

 

[WoodBow]

Marlin hardtails are excellent bikes for what you want to do. As mentioned the 1x gears are great and simple, hydraulic disks are one finger operation, and a dropper seatpost is nice feature as well. You can adj seat height on the move with a cable lever on handle bars (not sure if they have it on the model your looking at). Also look at tubless tires, usually filled with a "Slime" like sealant. This will help if you're behind gates on rougher roads hunting where small punctures happen often.

Great info

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[RS_Non-Res]

We had a Marlin 5 (4-years ago) and now a Marlin 6. Plus two older Treks.
Picked the 6 primarily for the 1x10 gearing (the 29" wheels are novel) when the M5 got too small.

The 5 is much nicer than my older Trek (6500?) and we still tear up rocky front-range single track with all four bikes.

The 1x10 on the M6 is handy for someone that doesn't want to deal with two shifters, but with 3x7(?) gearing on the M5 and 6500 (and the Diamondback, Rock Hopper and Cannonwhale), I just treat(ed) a front triple chainring like a ground surface selector:

Pavement/rail-trails/down = big ring​

Dirt road/double track/down = middle ring​

Single track/steep/up = little ring​

So only a 7-speed on any given surface. Not to tough either way.

Your plan to "use {the bike] off road but nothing crazy" is kinda subjective, but I'd bet money that you'd be technically fine with a lower end model unless you want to spend more bones on features. There are "nicer" components on the upper end bikes and the lower end bikes still have components that are fabulous compared to what we could get just 10 years ago. None of those treks are hardware-store bikes.

+1 on the tire fillers. There is a system that is like putting foamy pool noodles in your tire and then skinny tubes inside them to maintain pressure. That works much better than slime even with stiff/hard plastic liners (which are still too thin to stop most thorns).

This past April I was quoted 3-month wait and the bike showed up in 2 months.

The yellow M5 is for sale, but it's sized (M/S) for 5-1/2-foot rider.

 

[dreamingWest]

I have an older Marlin 6 and use it exactly as you described. It's become my favorite piece of fitness equipment. Mine has hydraulic brakes and 3x drive. I'd make sure you get the hydraulic brakes, they're nice. 1x would be nice provided it's a large enough to get the proper power you're looking for on flats and down hill.

 

[kpk]

Any of the Marlins would work fine for what you're looking to do.

Just curious how many kids you pulling? Our neighbors gave us a Burley trailer and I got a Shotgun seat (I bought a knock off). My daughter 100% prefers riding on the shotgun seat with me. Last summer we rode almost daily, this summer a couple times a week and my daughter has only ridden in the trailer a few times out of all those rides.

 

[Fatcamp]

Any of the Marlins would work fine for what you're looking to do.

Just curious how many kids you pulling? Our neighbors gave us a Burley trailer and I got a Shotgun seat (I bought a knock off). My daughter 100% prefers riding on the shotgun seat with me. Last summer we rode almost daily, this summer a couple times a week and my daughter has only ridden in the trailer a few times out of all those rides.

My kids hated riding in a trailer.

 

[WoodBow]

Any of the Marlins would work fine for what you're looking to do.

Just curious how many kids you pulling? Our neighbors gave us a Burley trailer and I got a Shotgun seat (I bought a knock off). My daughter 100% prefers riding on the shotgun seat with me. Last summer we rode almost daily, this summer a couple times a week and my daughter has only ridden in the trailer a few times out of all those rides.

2 kids. 3 and 1 year old. They love it. This is the 2nd burley i have owned. I like the shotgun seat idea but they kind of scare me in the event of a crash. Fairly illogical fear as i have never crashed a bike. I definitely see the advantages.

I pulled my older 2 kids a lot of miles in the first burley with an old trek 7200? that i got for free after it was long abandoned by the fence of a storage facility. I didn't even finish asking the storage owner about it and they said yea you can have it. Dirt and grass was over the bottom of the wheels. Chain was rusted solid. A bunch of wd40, some cheap new cables, and i was in business for several years.

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[guitarpreston]

Be careful...I started with like a 2018 marlin 6...now on bike 3 or 4...Its a blast

 

[keystone112]

My best recommendation is to partner with a local bike shop that actually services what they sell and also brands that they don't. Good shops won't try to upsell you and will work with your budget and needs.

My next best recommendation is to avoid low end entry level bikes and go for something a bit higher up on the food chain. You will be money ahead when your bike has better components and you spend less in repairs and replacing things that don't work.

Last, don't forget to get the fit dialed in. You won't be happy on a bike that is too big or too small for you

For context, I ride about 3000 miles per year on the road. Best of luck to you.