When it comes to cross-country mountain bikes, the lion’s share of the attention is devoted to the high-end, short-travel, full-suspension machines like the Specialized Epic 8, Trek Supercaliber, and Cannondale Scalpel. That’s perhaps as it should be for seasoned racers and/or buyers with deep pockets, but for newcomers coming from other cycling disciplines, kids, and the generally MTB-curious who will ultimately fuel the continuing survival (perhaps even growth?) of the segment, the aluminum hardtail is still where it’s at – and Trek’s third-generation Marlin line comes across as one of the better options out there.
Good stuff: Fantastic frame geometry, excellent shifting, good tires, looks great, generous tire clearance, easy-to-live-with semi-internal routing, sort of a rear thru-axle.
Bad stuff: Mega-heavy fork with minimal adjustability, tubeless costs extra, limited upgrade potential.
The basics
Looking at what goes into Trek’s latest-generation Marlin, there’s not a whole lot that leaps off the page, which perhaps shouldn’t be entirely surprising given most buyers at this price point will probably be making their decisions based on spec and aesthetics. In that sense, the Marlin is exactly what you’d expect.
The frame is a TIG-welded aluminum affair with chunky weld beads that do without the additional hand-sanding that can sometimes go with a higher-end alloy chassis. The layout is low-slung with a highly sloping top tube that offers heaps of standover clearance, and straight-gauge tubing is featured throughout.
The hydroformed shaping on those tubes is much more dramatic than the outgoing Gen 2 Marlin. The top tube is squished down almost flat to help soften the ride of the front end while the down tube sports a rounded trapezoidal cross-section to minimize twist under load; both are notably flared where they meet the straight 1 1/8” integrated head tube to increase front-end strength.
The seatstays are subtly flattened – presumably for the same reason as the top tube – and while the seat tube is basically round, it’s slightly curved to leave a bit more space for the rear tire with a welded-on gusset for the extension up top. Pretty standard stuff all around, so far.
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