A Marlin is firstly, a large saltwater fish, secondly, the mascot of Fisher Bicycle and thirdly, a Fisher performance mountain bike designed for those new to the sport. With this explanation, Gary Fisher introduced the Marlin as a new addition to his catalogue in 1995. More than a quarter of a century later, both the bicycle manufacturer and the Gary Fisher brand have disappeared. Nevertheless, a Marlin is celebrating a premiere again. Trek, in some ways one of the stewards of Fisher Bicycle’s economic legacy, is adding a new entry-level model to its line of e-mountain bikes – and calling it the Marlin+.
Decent bike at a manageable price
From Trek’s point of view, this name is almost inevitable. For one thing, there is the connection to the past. Even the first Marlin was a model that wanted to inspire people who had little contact with mountain biking to get into cycling without having to spend enormous amounts of money. It’s amazing that Gary Fisher chose a TIG-welded double butted Cro-Moly frame for this purpose, in which the cables were already largely routed internally. Today, such details are considered a sign of high quality.
When the Marlin moved into Trek’s line-up in 2010, it did so with the identical focus. It has always been seen as a symbol of the balancing act between sporty off-road cycling and utility in everyday life. A versatile bike where you got a potent and at the same time well-designed mountain bike at a reasonable price. With this approach, it became one of Trek’s best-selling models worldwide.
Non-ebike as a template
What was missing until now was a motor. The Marlin+ now has one. Apart from that, the ebike is very much based on its successful predecessor without electric assistance. This starts with the geometry. The effective seat angle of 74 degrees and the steering angle of 66.5 degrees correspond almost exactly to the values of the current Trek Marlin. The chainstays and wheelbase are slightly longer. This increases the smoothness when riding straight and at higher speeds. On the other hand, the Marlin+ is not quite as manoeuvrable as its conventional counterpart.
Marlin+ not a second Powerfly
Maybe some of you are wondering why Trek is introducing another hardtail eMTB? The manufacturer is already represented in this segment with part of the Powerfly model series. Well, presumably they want to address a target group that simply has different expectations of an ebike. Not everyone is looking for a very powerful motor. A removable battery is not a must for everyone. And some would certainly like to stay below the current entry-level price of around 4,000 euros for a Trek Powerfly Hardtail.
The new Marlin+ meets precisely these requirements. With its aluminium frame, 29-inch wheels and suspension fork with 120 millimetres of travel, it combines typical features for an e-mountain bike that costs considerably less than 3,000 euros, depending on the equipment. In the smaller frame sizes XS and S, the wheel size drops to 27.5 inches. Other competitors handle this in the same way. The 2.6-inch tyre width is more decisive. With its help, you generate a lot of traction and get good riding comfort when crossing obstacles. In addition, the suspension fork compensates for unevenness so that you don’t have to fear roots and stones.
Developing together
One positive aspect of the Marlin+ is that Trek has thought ahead. If you gain more desire for mountain biking and improve your riding skills over time, you don’t have to look for the next bike right away. Instead, it grows with your new skills and abilities. Some models already have a dropper seat post as standard. Those that don’t, however, can be fitted with it without any problems. Thanks to the UDH derailleur hanger, there is also nothing to hold you back from switching to a higher-performance groupset such as Sram’s Eagle Transmission.
The same applies if you unexpectedly want to ride larger parts of your everyday life with the Marlin+. The frame has the necessary mounts for attaching a rear carrier, mudguards and kickstand. In perspective, you can also use the bike for everything that you would otherwise have done with a city bike, public transport, a car or a completely different vehicle.
Getting started with reduced power
With its reliability, the Bosch Active Line Plus is the appropriate heart of the ebike drive. The mid-mounted motor has only been available for the Smart System for a few weeks. However, its basis, the motor of the second development stage at Bosch, has countless kilometres of mileage. This wealth of experience also benefits the new version. The torque of 50 Newton metres and the support up to speeds of 25 kilometres per hour are among its well-known features. Just like its low noise development while riding.
It would have been exciting to see the Performance SX on the Trek Marlin+. With its lighter weight, more compact dimensions and slightly higher torque, it would certainly have been a good fit for this concept. But then the price might have been higher.
New battery and display
At least a little SX feeling comes with the battery. This is the Bosch CompactTube 400, the energy storage system that Bosch itself considers the perfect complement to the Performance SX motor. Bosch also only launched it on the market this summer. Installed in the down tube, its capacity of 400 watt hours offers a maximum of four hours of assisted riding, according to the manufacturer. If you want, you can optionally expand the system with the Bosch PowerMore 250. The range extender gives you about 60 percent more range.
You can access the ebike system via the new Bosch Purion 200. The combination of control unit and small display presents the most important information in a compact and usually easy-to-read format. One of the riding modes enabled by Trek is the Auto mode. Its adaptive motor assistance takes care of switching between the different modes for you. In Auto mode, the motor automatically registers whether you are on a climb or fighting a headwind. It then selects the appropriate assistance level itself, which often saves valuable power reserves.
Small but subtle differences
For the 2024 season, Trek is launching two versions of the Marlin+. The cheaper Marlin+ 6 has a derailleur with only nine gears, no dropper seatpost, a suspension fork with steel spring and simple hydraulic disc brakes from Shimano. The higher price for the Marlin+ 8 is due to a derailleur with twelve gears, the dropper seatpost, the hydraulic suspension fork and the somewhat higher-quality brakes from Tektro.
One small shortcoming applies to Marlin+ 6 and Marlin+ 8: although a Bosch Smart System drive is fitted to both, in both cases the frame does not provide enough space to integrate the Bosch Connectmodule GPS tracker. Solutions such as Apple’s AirTag remained as alternatives.
Trek Marlin+ 2023 at a glance
- Variants: Trek Malrin + 8, Trek Marlin+ 6
- Frame: Alpha Platinum Aluminium
- Suspension fork: SR Suntour XCM 34, RockShox Recon Silver RL
- Motor: Bosch Active Line Plus
- Battery: Bosch CompactTube 400
- Control unit: Bosch Purion 200
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore, Shimano Cues
- Brakes: Shimano MT420, Tektro HD-M275
- Weight: 20.45 kg in frame size M
- Maximum permitted total weight: 136 kg
- Colours: Mercury, Purple Flip to Black Fade, Dnister Black, Crimson
- Price: from 2,799 euros
Pictures: Trek Bicycle Corporation
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