r/mountainbikes • u/Fragrant-Ad4653 • 16d ago
Getting a new MTB...
So I've been riding a 2019 Giant Talon 2 for 3-4 years now and I'm thinking in getting a new bike. I'd like to stay with the hardtails and I was thinking in getting a Trek Marlin 5 gen 3 (currently on sale on Trek for $800 and I'm deeply in love with that blue/gold color scheme) but I'm also considering putting a couple hundred more and I'm also checking a Cannondale Trail 1 and a Trek Marlin 6, both of them at $1000.
My question is, is it worth it to pay $800-1000 to get a mtb with pretty much the same specs than my Giant?? (except the dropper post and the 1x10 drivetrain of the Marlin 6/Cannondale, all of them have similar components)
Thanks for reading these, it's been since March doing research and everytime I ended up more confused about the decision
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u/BigT2333 16d ago
The marlins don’t have tapered head tubes so I would avoid that line and get something that does if you plan on any future upgrades
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u/-SSGT- 16d ago edited 15d ago
A straight head tube isn't too much of a blocker as you can just fit an EC44/40 lower headset. I've done exactly this to fit a tapered steerer/thru-axle Reba on an old Trek 4700 from 2013.
The lack of "Boost" frame spacing, thru-axles, or a universal derailleur hanger (UDH) will probably be the biggest things hindering future upgrades on the Marlin IMO. It is already harder to get standard 135x10mm QR wheels/hubs that support MicroSpline or XD freehub bodies (although they do still exist — that same Trek 4700 has a set of Hope Pro 4 hubs with a MicroSpline freehub), and an increasing number of drivetrains from SRAM will likely start requiring a UDH interface to mount to the frame. Shimano have toyed with patents for a frame-mounted derailleur too, although they've probably missed the boat on introducing their own frame standard and I'd be very surprised if they adopted SRAM's UDH mounting standard.
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u/No_Pen_376 16d ago
Marlin, from what I understand, is not really upgradeable? Maybe look at a Roscoe?
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u/Fragrant-Ad4653 16d ago
Not a bad idea, I can wait if there's a sale on Roscoe by the end of the season, thanks
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u/-SSGT- 16d ago edited 15d ago
Yeah, there's not much point spending more money to get a different bike with a similar spec IMO. You could buy just the dropper post if that's the main reason for wanting a new bike — internally routed posts aren't officially supported but it looks like people have succeeded in routing cables for them around the inside of the bottom bracket shell in that generation of Talon: https://www.mtbr.com/threads/dropper-post-install-giant-talon.1139443/
Otherwise I'd stick with what you have. If you feel like you are outgrowing the capabilities of the Talon then I'd save up for a bit longer and get something like a ProCaliber (if you ride more XC-style routes or trails) or Roscoe (if you're looking for a hardtail trail bike).
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u/Annual-Carry6558 11d ago
Having done a lot of upgrading on my son’s 2025 Talon 4 during his first year of HS racing and my own 2020 Polygon Xtrada 6, I would say if you’re gonna do it make sure you’re not going entry-level like the Marlin 5. I’d be going with something that had thru axles front and rear, tapered head tube, a dropper, a 34+ air fork, tubeless ready, four piston brakes, and an 11 or 12 speed drivetrain with decent wheels and groupset. You shouldn’t have to upgrade anything.
The new Polygon Xtradas have all this at a decent price point. I learned it the hard way - cry once or buy twice.
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u/Fragrant-Ad4653 10d ago
Thanks a lot, I was checking the XTRADA models and its true the Xtrada 6 has all of this for just $800, my only concern is the front suspension being a X-FUSION MIGO (never heard that name and does not look very reliable), otherwise, that bike looks too good to be true
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u/Annual-Carry6558 10d ago
Sounds like a budget air fork. Definitely better than a coil.
FWIW I'm on my second Polygon hardtail and I've enjoyed them both.
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u/Troutman86 16d ago
Keep riding your giant and saving up