![]() Trek has obviously put a lot of effort into making Marlin 7 Gen 2 a gateway model to some of their higher-priced and higher-specked lineups such as Roscoe or Supercaliber. Rims: Bontrager Connection, double-wall.Brakes: Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes.Cassette: Shimano Deore M4100, 10 speed.Fork: RockShox Judy, 100 mm (80mm for XS).The secret to Marlin 7’s success on the entry-level MTB market is the fact that it combines race-ready elements to budget components to offer a versatile package that fits diametrically different needs, such as trail riding, leisure riding, and commuting. If you’re more serious about mountain biking and you want the key to the door of real trail riding, then you should read the rest of our detailed Trek Marlin 7 review. This is an affordable cross-country bike with race-ready geometry and a much better RockShox fork compared to other cheaper Marlin series models. However, its $1,030 price is more than justified. Marlin 7 Gen 2 is the most expensive model from the beginner-friendly Trek Marlin series. Thanks to its attractive price, it will find its way into the hands of a variety of adventure-hungry riders. This is a race-ready trail bike that doubles as a daily commuter or a leisure two-wheeler. We would love for this lonely dropper post port to be filled out of the box.Įverywhere! We’ll be riding this bike on all the trails we would normally ride with test bikes, to see if it’s a realistic alternative to a dual-suspension trail bike, so watch out for a full review soon.Trek Marlin 7 is the flagship model from the Marlin lineup. You shouldn’t have to complete a degree in engineering to secure your fork axle. This bike begs for a dropper post! For a bike with such reckless and fun riding capabilities like the Stache, a dropper post is a no-brainer in our eyes. Out of the box, the only issues we’ve identified are the befuddling Manitou fork axle, which takes the humble thru-axle to a perplexing level of complexity, and the non-lock-on Bontrager Race grips, which feel very squirmy underhand. It’s odd to see a Trek bike specced without Bontrager rims, so we’re interested to see how the SUNringle rims perform. Sram’s Level Trail brakes have excellent ergonomics and are a good fit for the Stache. Trek have specced the Stache with SUNringle DUROC rims- we’re interested to see how they perform throughout the review. The Bontrager Chupacabra tyres have a tread pattern that sits somewhere between a Bontrager XR2 and XR3, and are a good fit out of the box for the Stache. The aluminium Stache 7 retails for $3299, and includes a Manitou Magnum fork with 34mm stanchions and 120mm of travel, a Sram groupset consisting of 1×11 GX gearing and Level Trail brakes and most of the finishing kit is handled by Bontrager. 29+ wheels means the 3″ tyres are meatier than the barbeque on Australia Day. Tyre pressure setup on the Stache is more critical than for most other bikes, so we’ve been experimenting with different setups to get the best combination of traction, tyre stability and rolling efficiency. The huge contact patch of the tyres, which can be run at very low pressures when setup tubeless (the Stache ships with rim tape installed as well as tubeless valves) gives insane cornering grip as well as small bump sensitivity to compensate somewhat for the rigid rear end. What advantages do the 29+ wheels provide? The Stranglehold Dropout’s elevated chainstay features a protective layer to protect the chainstay from the chain slap. ![]() Tensioners for singlespeed setup as well as chainstay length adjustment allows for multiple wheel sizes and gearing options. ![]() Yes! The Stache’s ‘Stranglehold’ dropouts allow for the bike to be configured in 29+, 27.5+, regular 29”, and even as a singlespeed!ĭespite the Stache being more open to change that Donald Trump’s policies, we would definitely recommend giving the Stache a good crack in its original 29+ guise, as the benefits of the 29+ tyres are really what make this bike shine. ![]() ![]() Is there an option to swap wheel sizes if I don’t like the 29+ wheels? The Bontrager Chupacabra tyres are named after the legendary Latin American goat-slayer, and hold the key to slaying trails aboard the Stache. Is this even possible? Could Trek be onto something here? Stay tuned for the review where we’ll discuss this further. These attributes mean that the riding style required to get the most out of the Stache is different to how you would ride a standard dual-suspension trail bike. The Stache’s strengths include insane levels of traction and a geometry aimed at being able to throw those big hoops around at will. This is a question we’ll answer more in-depth in the review, however, what we’ve learned in our time on the Stache so far is that asking if the bike replicates the abilities of a dual suspension trail bike is not the right question to be asking. ![]()
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