Trek Marlin 8 vs Trek Marlin 7 | A Few MAJOR Differences 

I tested the Marlin 7 and 8 today at a local shop. On the local roads they felt almost identical, so I didn’t get a sense of how they’d feel on trails. I’ve been riding a long time and I’m a decent rider, so I’m confident I can make the 7 do anything I need. But, I’m still considering the 8 because of the upgrades…and I love that blue/black fade!

Always a good day when Matty uploads!

I just got the Marlin 8 gen3. It was $300 more but it also came with a dropper seat. No brainer.

I just bought the Marlin 8 yesterday after test riding on the mud trails. Great bike!

You´re awsome mate! Congrats! Thanks for your advices!

FYI - rims don't necessarily need to be tubeless ready. The tire, yes, they HAVE to be tubeless ready. But the rims don't have to be. They just have to have a good enough bead lock. And you can use Gorilla tape, torn to the correct width, to make them tubeless. Did that on my Scott Scale, and it worked very well. Look up youtube vids on how to set your tires up for tubeless. Most modern rims can go tubeless.

Love your videos bro. You’re the reason why I ended up getting into mountain biking and especially getting the marlin 8 gen 3. I almost went for the Roscoe but didn’t know for sure how much trail riding I’d be doing realistically so I knew the marlin would probably be a better swing. I even got a good deal on converting them tubeless at the time of purchase. I’m a complete newbie to mountain biking and haven’t rode a bike in ages but I know with time I’ll get better. Much appreciated 😊

Great tips man, helped me a lot in what to take cheers from Cro !

Matty, First love your positivity, videos, and channel overall so keep up the great work! Sorry for the long comment but wanted to get out some info., regarding this particular bike as I have that exact bike in that size and have had for about 2 months now. Background Me: 5’08” 165 LBS reformed “average middle age roadie”. I have an Emonda with Ultegra as well as a Crocket Gravel bike with SRAM Apex, more on why I find this important in a few. I ride in Florida so pretty flat terrain. I bought this bike as I have a local park with a pretty cool cross country type trail system as well and a huge, (talking like 80 plus mile) gravel levy trail system near me. I have this bike set up for more of cross country style riding. For me at 5’08” with a 30” inseam, this bike fits me perfect. That is with the seat set at the proper height allowing full leg extension and having the stem flipped with the bars a bit lower. I also ride this bike clipless. This bike rides phenomenal and I absolutely love it! I just did a 30 mile ride mixed between road and dirt the other day and felt great. Is it as fast as my other two bikes, no but actually I found it to be a lot more fun to ride overall due to its capability and over all comfort. Some points your viewers should know: Gear shifting: It has been awesome and crisp. It is almost on par with my Ultegra. I was never really impressed with my SRAM Apex on my Crocket so I was a bit apprehensive between that experience as well as several reviews I had read on line regarding the SRAM SX on this bike. I feel those negative reviews are probably due to the bike store’s set up. Not all bike stores have great mechanics, some have assemblers, and there is a difference. So if you are on the fence about the gear shifting due to reviews, don’t be when set up correctly it shifts just fine. One negative nit-pick is the shifter does feel cheap/plastic. Gearing: It is good as it is but I may at some point opt for a larger front chaining just to get a little more top end out of it for my use scenario. TUBELESS: Yes, these rims are tubeless compatible. But they are not tubeless ready by any means, (at least mine were not). Mine came stock with the regular fabric rim strip, red in color. Again, this is NOT tubeless compatible at all. Upon contact with Trek they recommended a 25mm rim tape and of course some tubeless stems. I went with the Stans 25mm no tubes rim tape as well as their 35MM stems in blue for a little bling. Perfect match by the way. Tubeless set up was very easy though I do have a Bontrager tubeless charger chambered air pump. Not sure a regular pump would work. The stock tires were very easy to get on and of the rim so no issues there. Watch a few RU-vid videos on taping a rim. Make sure it is very clean prior to laying down the tape and you should be good to go. If I could do it, you can do it as well. Tires: I usually ditch stock tire right away on a bike. Not this one I think these are pretty darn good. Grips: I did not like the stock grips so I changed them out for ESI Racer Edge complimented by ODI Bar plugs in blue, again perfect match. The stock grips did function great but I did not like the plastic near the thumb area of the grips as it dug in a bit while riding. Water bottle cages: I went with the Bontrager side loaders. On the medium frame you can fit a normal size CamelBak Podium bottle (21 OZ) just fine on the down tube. But on the seat tube due to the bottle mount height I can only fit a smaller size bottle. I did order a Wolf Tooth relocation mount to try to get that bottle holder lower but that was a no go as well. Seat post: Due to bottle cage bolts if you have to lower it it will not go down as far as a few may like due to the bolt sticking out on the inside of the seat tube. Simple fix, cut the post down but adhere to the min. insertion height. Only other tip I have is get a decent shock pump and learn to set up your front shock correctly. Hope this info. Helps out some of your viewers considering this bike. Ride safe and have an awesome day, David

Just sub'ed! Great content my man. I'm looking to upgrade from my 7 and this helped a lot.

I was waiting for this video of you testing a marlin 8!!!

6 months too late; was going to get the marlin 6 but they didn’t have it so I tried the marlin 7 and got hooked. Bought it for my Christmas gift. Huge upgrade from my first bike.

Was looking at 7 may move to 8 to purchase...thank you great video

Great video! I bought my marlin 8 last october... it's a great beginner mtb bike! I actually participated in the 40miles nyc tour with it this year!

I have the Trek Marlin 4 (21 Speeds) and it feels more like the 1990's bikes that I liked. Back then Deore was a luxury. I tried both bikes today at my local shop in Buffalo and honestly the 7 feels better when shifting than the Sram components. I like tubes to change in a jiffy in the middle of nowhere. The fork? Well they are both good. I don't have a lockout. I use a collar pin that is metal and stick it in there and it actually works. Locks it out. Marlin 4 is more of a commuter or winter trainer bike. Why I went looking today at 7 & 8. Coincidence you uploaded this today Matty.

Also have a trail to recommend. Try out the recently reopened Warren Gulch trail, it's near Idaho Springs and is probably one of the best downhills on the front range. I would also strongly suggest finding someone to shuttle it with, it is shuttleable as the upper trailhead is on Squaw Pass Road. Starts out really fast and techy, but never really gets above a blue to blue/black rating, then the rebuilt section is super super flowy, like more flowy than even Maryland Mountain. I would definitely suggest either the Roscoe 9 or Polygon for that one.

The Judy has been a solid fork for me so that's a solid add for sure. 1x12 for climbs is the way to go. Nice comparison

Hey man, great bike. I've ridden Trek XCaliber 8 for some time it's more like Marlin 7. I had so much fun on it. Thanks for rewieving. Good luck, peace ✌️

Yeah for the 300 it's definitely worth the extra I got this for my first "decent" mountain nike and it's definitely nice for beginners. I find this paintjob looks really nice in person and makes it look like a slightly more expensive model I did outgrow it/figured that I prefer just prefer full suspension but I can't really fault the marlin for what it is

I just got the 8 for $1099 + tax. Can't wait for it to come in!!!

Thanks 🤙

Hii . Im thinking about buying the AM 100 hardtail but I dont know what to exept with external cable routing. Pls help me ..

Went with the 7 and am loving it!!! My first Marlin, I ride mostly paved road with hills but am anxious to get on off road trails soon. Love your videos & content. Keep truckin’ on 🚴

Hi maté awesome video what do you use to record your voice when riding

Great info, but depending on the trails you’re heating you might need a tire that’s a bit more aggressive. I’m 5.7 and I had the marlin 7, great bike but I always felt like it was just a little too big for the trails I was going on but on regular street riding, no issues.

Is the complementary service only for limited locations?

Getting my partner a Marlin 6! wish we had the budget for a 7 or 8

love that color

If you're into trail riding get the Roscoe. Tapered headtube, 86mm bottom bracket, straight through axel

For trek bikes you would be comfortable on a m/l made for riders 5"8-5"11 the med frame is more for 5"5- 5"7

I bought the exact bike that you were riding in an XL, same color. I love it, and I got it for $1,300 CAD brand new which was a great price!!

I put a maxxis aggressor on the rear of my marlin 7 it fits barely but way better tire than the bontrager one it came with....

Is the fork tapered on a eight

Don’t get me wrong the concept behind the 8 is good. They just need to do something about the derailleur. I’m currently using my Marlin 6 as a commuter bike(converted), being I have a 160mm travel hardtail for trail riding, but I plan on buying a FX5 for commuting after Xmas. I will convert the Marlin back to a trail bike, but will put a RS SID 120mm on it and replace the wheels to a better set with the front being 15mm thru axle. I will also put a carbon bar, seat post and cranks on it as well and use it as a short travel XC/ trail bike.

Gotta admit the trek colorways for their bikes are just awesome!

Thanks for the amazing videos. It would be a good if you can make a video of what's the difference between the new roscoe 8 vs the 9. Thanks

are the tires on the Marlin 8 actually tubeless or just ready to be tubeless?

Thanks for the video This is super marlin 8 2022 is best bike bro ❤️😉🤙🏻

Matty I bought the Trek marlin 8 2nd gen 2022. Iþs the Best bike ive ever riden. I moved from Boulder to México City in 2000,i didnt speak spanish or havevany money ,i lived on the streets for 10 years until someone gave me a chance .Now I live at the same house and job for olmost 14 years ,thanks to God. I take care of horses 🐎.I saved up olmost all my money for years and went without food many days ,i even ate olmost only rice for one year to buy my marlin 8. I needed a good bike because im 52 years old and I live on the mountain south of México City. Its all up hill where I live . I upgraded the handelbars grips pedals seat post with shock short handle bar stem disc s 200 mm maxis minion dh 2×50 front and rear. Most People think 50 tires wont fit ....but they do ..Just barely , but yes 2×50 maxis minon dhf do workon the marlin 8

Im going to use it mostly for cummuting, is it dumb then to go for the eight over the 7 or 6? Edit: i will ride some stairs, and i wish to become good at wheelies, and also jump/drop whatever i can in the city. What would u recomend?

Thx for reviewing this. I was curious about how much more high end the Marlin 8 is over the Marlin 6 and 7. FWIW I still think the Marlin 6 is a better value than the Marlin 7 though I did not know that they now came with TR rims.

I love my Marlin 8

Sorry if this is off topic. I have a Marlin 7 with a 1x10 cassette. If I want to upgrade it to a 1x12 cassette what other upgrades, if any, would I need to make? Thanks!

Rock Shox 100mm Judy forks have a pretty silly flaw, (new generation engineers). The hydraulic brake line runs around the outside of the fork leg. It is vulnerable out there more than should be, (Tight to the fork leg though, but might rub paint off the slider leg.). They should have run the line around the inside of the fork leg. I think I will buy the bleeder tool for the brakes, (Because I have to take the line off the caliper.), make a 2nd clamp, and do it myself. :)

It's a very good bike if you do not want to upgrade your bike in a long time, because you got a decent transmission, fork and you got tubeless. But if you want to upgrade in a long time with your taste, just get the frame LOL I got the Marlin 6 from 2019 (with the hole for the dropper), and I upgraded the transmission to a Shimano XT transmission (1x12, 10-51 XT cassette, 32 sproket), shimano xt brakes, tubeless tires (tubeless rims) with sealed hubs and a Suntour Epixon 120 mm Fork (which work awesome and is light), and I think they can't beat that.

Good video

I would bet you can get a stiffer or lighter spring for the 2022 spring fork to suit your weight and riding style. You do lose a little weight with the air fork, but there is really no reason why a spring will not have as good or better action than air. For example, if you are a heavier guy, (or using a lot of spring preload), you and can use a stiffer spring, you can reduce the preload so you get good "bottoming resistance", (from the stiffer spring), and "good small bump action", (from the less preload). A more expensive fork will also have a rebound adjuster, witch can be nice to slow down with stronger springs. One last good thing about a spring is reliability also. A spring won't go flat. :) Doug in Michigan

Roscoe6 was my choice between all of em. Dropper and tapered head tube was the driving factor

Marlin 8 is solid man!

I have a 2021 Marlin 7. I was able to get it for the msrp of $799 when it came out. Although I would recommend completely skipping the Marlin line now that I have learned more about bikes since buying mine.

The sram is pretty bad, can you change the whole drivetrain on the 8?

Dude how many bikes you have I see you ride a lot different bike’s

Im glad I got the 2nd gen marlin 8 ,becsuse its lighter than 3rd gen 2023 also I dont like the real axel on the 3rd gen marlin 8 because its the only bike ive ever seen with that axel ..I think it could be Hard to get replacment parts

What’s better the trek roscoe 6 or trek marlin 8

in germany its just 100 eur difference so i did not think twice

So, I'm wondering overall - is an XC MTB like the Marlin with a QR instead of a through axle actually worth sinking money into if you want to do serious cross country trail riding? Those break pretty often in my experience and are a weakpoint on any MTB imo. I would think that this would be a huge limiting factor within itself and high-end components feel like a bit of waste a on it. I would love to hear some opinions about this, though. Manufacturers do this quite often after all.

Also the Trek Roscoe 6 in one size larger felt better today. I'm a medium so I tried M/L. It felt great. Conclusion was the Trek Marlin 7 was better imo. As far as the video goes. Yes, the bike mechanic can make the Sram components better possibly. That shifter wasn't great either on the Marlin 8.

New rider here. I just got the marlin 7 for trail and commuting. My next bike will be purely hardcore for trails.

I bought a Trek Marlin 5 in 2018 for $400. I decided to check out the price on the Marlin 5s now. $720? Wtf? Is that amount of inflation normal?

I bought a marlin 7 and I regret not getting a Roscoe as my Hardtail instead. However, I’m upgrading the Marlin and will eventually swap everything over to a roscoe frame when the time comes.

Personally, I'd save up the extra for the Roscoe 7 over the Marlin 8. The Roscoe just has better geometry for trail riding and is a better platform for upgrades.

I have the red marlin 8 and the new miamie green marlin 7 ilike i like theam all

I don’t like the numbers on frame. What a strange design idea. It should be more subtle

This is a nice bike, but still overpriced if you want a true off-road model. For the same money consider a lower range Roscoe or Giant Fathom 2 which comes set up tubeless with good tires, etc. If you like the Marlin as a bang for the buck line for mostly street and light trail use, the lower priced versions tend to give better value. Actually that tends to be true for all brands…

IMO 1x12 is not a good reason. Its more luxury than necessity. 2 more gears isnt that noteworthy in mountain biking when realistically its only half of the gears are being used most of the time and a 1x10 have already more than enough gears. Also think about future costs. When you need to replace a cassette the 1x12 is over 1k while you can buy a 1x10 for half the price. Shox and tubeless ready is where its at.

The question is marlin 8 or Roscoe 6....

I had the marlin 7 it was a great bike than gave it to the Mrs and got a marlin 8 it is like chalk and cheese The Marlin 8 is so much better I am glad that I got it 👍🚴

Not a fan of the sram sx

SRAM Seagle(sx) is crap. I would prefer Deore 10spd over Seagle all day long. SX can’t handle mountain biking abuse. I’ve replaced many bent SX derailleurs that are less than a year old. SRAM needs to get their s*#” together and do something to strengthen it because bending one isn’t under warranty and it’s really pi*#ing customers off, which makes us at the shops look like the bad guys.

No boost and no tapered headtube. Plenty of better bikes in that price category.

why men