TESTED: Trek Marlin 8 hardtail mountain bike
The Trek Marlin 8 is a sub-$2000 mountain bike that is a versatile bike right out of the box, and it's a tonne of fun to ride.
In 1976 the first Trek touring bike rolled out of their humble headquarters in Wisconsin USA and out into the world. Since that day, they’ve strived to ensure every bike encompasses the sense of travel and adventure that their namesake is founded upon, with the Marlin 8 being no exception. Touted as a trail bike, the Trek Marlin 8 bike is said to be at home whether you’re enjoying a morning at the trails, riding to school, or out on an all-day adventure ride. Admittedly, that is a fairly broad brush stroke for this bike to paint – but Trek have done well to pack a long list of features into this black and tan hardtail.
Don't miss our first look at 8 different Budget Test Bikes under $2000.
Trek Marlin 8
Words: Hayden Wright
Photos: Gerard Lagana
Brand Trek
Model Marlin 8
RRP $1899.99
Weight 14.5kg (XL)
From trekbikes.com
Features of the Trek Marlin 8
This Marlin 8 has an eclectic mix of features which make it truly unique in our group of test bikes. Starting at the rear, it has pannier rack mounts and provision for a kickstand. Moving to the middle of the bike we can see an internally routed dropper post, 12 speed SRAM drivetrain and square taper crank. Bump absorption is handled by a 100mm RockShox Judy, which has a straight steerer and quick release axle. To top it all off we have a relatively short stem, wide bar and the ever reliable Shimano MT200 brakes.
Geometry and Handling
Handling on this bike felt quite different to that of the Giant and Norco that I also tested in our 8 bike Budget Bike Group Test, irrespective of their near-identical geometry numbers. The Marlin has a 66.5 degree head angle, 73.4 degree seat angle and 495mm reach in the XL I tested. While the aforementioned bikes were better placed to go fast in a straight line, pop off lips and rail turns, the Trek felt more at home weaving through technical singletrack and scooting up climbs. It has a much more compliant character, thanks in part to its skinnier axles, surprisingly smooth 32mm fork, and narrow 28 hole rims.
While this compliance was welcome at lower speeds, I did feel that it came at a slight cost when trying to push it on a descent. Alas, it seems we can’t have our cake and eat it too with the Marlin 8. I felt the RockShox Judy fork did a fantastic job of smoothing out trail chatter in all but the most extreme of events, further encouraging you to gravitate towards trails which were tight and technical. Having an air spring is always welcome at this price point, as it gives the rider ample opportunity to dial in the spring rate to their weight and/or speed.
Ergonomics
Nothing on the Trek grabbed my attention as being overly positive or negative. I found the contact points on this bike to be comfortable and really fit my body shape. The handlebar in particular has a nice sweep and profile, and was easily my favourite on the test.
Components
Trek have done a commendable job of modifying their component choice to best suit the target user across the 8(!) sizing options. Wheel size, fork travel, stem length, bar width, bar rise, crank length, and dropper travel all change depending on the size of the bike. This means you'll end up with not just a frame size that suits your height, but a whole bike build that should be a good fit out of the box. Kudos to Trek for going to this length to make riders comfortable and confident on the Marlin 8. SRAM’s SX Eagle drivetrain is one I have used in the past with little negative experience. The range is wide and I did not experience any dropped chains or missed shifts. The fork has plenty of adjustment in both air spring and damping, and allowed me to get the performance right in the ballpark for this bike's intended use.
Two negatives did stand out to me on this bike, but they both revolve primarily around serviceability and ease of upgrade. The Marlin 8 has QR cup and cone hubs, and a 3 piece crankset. In testing, they proved to be no issue however any upgrade down the road is going to require careful parts selection or additional spending to update the related parts to suit.
Fun Factor on the Trail
I had a great time on this bike exploring some of the lesser ridden XC trails in my local area. While Trek may market this bike as a Trail hardtail, I would put it down as a XC bike with geometry similar to what we are seeing on the World Cups at present.
Fast, engaging, and quick to respond to rider's input the Marlin 8 is very comfortable for hours on end thanks to its compliant chassis and smooth fork. The chassis did feel easily overwhelmed if I ended up going down something faster and rougher, but thanks to the dropper post and 180mm front rotor I was still able to keep things in check. Unlike the Norco and Giant, I would not be taking this bike out on any jump trails or black diamond runs – I don’t think the wheels are up to the task. Zipping around on singletrack is where this bike feels most at home. Alternatively, this bike did have me considering some adventures out past the horizon of my local trails. Thoughts of frame bags, tents, fire roads and weekend long rides were entertained with the knowledge that this bike would get me there and back in one piece.
Our Take
Trek have delivered a versatile, feature packed bike with the Marlin 8. It has provisions for a wide variety of riders, be it bike-packers or XC racers. The head angle, dropper post and 2.4” tyres will save you should things end up on the wild side, but to me this bike is best suited to someone who wants to tick as many boxes as possible from their budget hardtail and who isn’t interested in upgrading it for the sake of performance or vanity. N+1 no more, if you want to ride to work Monday to Friday, hit some singletrack on Saturday and ride a rail trail on Sunday look no further – Trek have your bike with the Marlin 8. If you do want something a little burlier, then consider the Trek Roscoe 7. It's a trail hardtail with a 140mm travel fork, Boost spacing, strong wheels and geometry that is ready to rumble. It sells for $2599.99.
Available Sizes XXS, XS, S, M, ML, L, XL (Tested), XXL
Wheel Size 26” (XXS), 27.5” (XS, S), 29” (M-XXL)
Frame Material Aluminium
Fork Rockshox Judy Silver, 100mm Travel
Shifter SRAM SX Eagle 12sp
Derailleur SRAM SX Eagle 12sp
Crank SRAM SX Eagle, 30T, 175mm
Bottom bracket Truvativ Powerspline
Chain SRAM SX Eagle, 12sp
Cassette SRAM PG-1210 Eagle, 12sp, 11-50T
Hubs Formula 6 Bolt, 28h, QR
Spokes Black
Rims Bontrager Kovee
Tyres Maxxis Ardent 2.4” EXO TR
Brakes Shimano MT200 Hydraulic, 180/160mm rotors
Stem Alloy, 60mm (XL) 31.8 clamp
Handlebars Bontrager alloy, 750mm wide, 15mm rise
Seatpost TransX, 150mm drop
Saddle Bontrager Arvada
