Whether the Trek Marlin 7 is within or just out of your budget, I think it’s worth noting that for the price you get an incredible mountain bike. Personally, I don’t know a lot about the variety of mountain bikes out there, so I deferred to the pros on this one, and I’m glad I did.
Chapters:
00:00 WhyBuy intro and montage
0:32 Trek Marlin 7 Buying story
2:11 Trek Marlin 7 Key Features
3:13 Trek Marlin 7 Locking Shocks
3:39 Trek Marlin 7 Gear System
4:06 Trek Marlin 7 Seat Replacement
4:28 Kryptonite U-lock Security & Insurance
5:14 Trek Marlin 7 Favorite Thing
5:45 Trek Marlin 7 Bloopers
Buy from Trek: go.whybuyglb.com/NwxeAwvx
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Buying story
I love the summer, being outdoors has always been enjoyable. Being from Alberta, we are typically stuck inside during the winter so I watch a lot TV, play video games as a pass time. As soon as spring comes around and the snow melts, my son and I are always looking for fun things to do outside. I coach his baseball team and we try get outside as much as possible. This year though, I needed a little more activity than coaching and the odd walk or kayak. Looking to get more active, I also wanted a relatively low impact on my knees so naturally, biking was the obvious choice.
Honestly, I really didn’t do much research looking through alternatives that were available. For 2021, bike demand and sales, especially for entry level bikes like this one, are through the roof! Similar to 2020, the global pandemic was preventing travel within and outside in Canada and disrupting supply chains, so you kind of have to jump on whatever bike is available when it is available.
There was a ton of uncertainty regarding manufacturing due to the pandemic. As an example, even after discussing the options available with me, the sales rep at the bike store said I had to order the bike then wait about 4-6 weeks for it to come in.
Fortunately, United Cycle, a local bike shop here in Edmonton, was willing to have the bike returned if it did not fit properly or I just didn’t like it. I essentially made the choice to put down a deposit to ensure that I would have a bike this summer.
When I started looking for a bike, I initially considered buying a standard road bike with no shocks, but to me the ones I looked at didn’t really feel like they would be very usable over time. Living so close to the Rocky Mountains and having such a great network of mountain biking trails where I live, I wanted a versatile bike that I could take on trails if I wanted to.
In terms of price, I had a price range in mind and relied on the expertise of the staff at the store. I was looking for bike between the $600-700 dollar range, but at that price point, I couldn’t find one that I really wanted.
At the end of the day, I was willing to spend some extra cash to get the mountain bike I really wanted. The 2021 Trek Marlin 7 was $1,150CAD when I purchased it new, and although this was higher than my mountain bike budget and was a little bit higher than some of the competitors, namely the Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 which was about $150 less than the Trek, I decided based on looks and the upgraded components (specifically the Rockshox fork and the Shimano Deore shifter and derailleur).
Highlighted Key Features
To me, the bike is really light, just over 30 lbs. As a beginner without a whole lot of experience, I find this bike is great for what I need. This is an aluminum frame, which is what you can expect of every mountain bike you can buy at the $1,000 - $1,200 price point.
The Trek Marlin 7 also comes with the RockShox Judy fork, this alone is a higher tier of fork than many of the other hardtail mountain bikes at this price point. They are adjustable and easily lockable for road surface riding.
The gear system is very neat and tidy too, the Shimano Deore shifters are all thumb controlled which is very easy to use and I haven’t had a single derail issue in the couple months I’ve owned it so far.
The brake lines run inside the frame (internal cable running) and makes for a very clean un-obstructed view of the bike. The concealed brake lines on the Trek not only look good, but they stay out of the way when grabbing your water bottle or loading it up on the bike rack.
One thing that I had to change immediately on the bike was the seat. This is personal preference, but I found the stock seat to not be very comfortable. The new seat I installed, called the Selle Royal, is perfect for a more plush material with more relief in the center.
17 июн 2021
