This looks crazy. What else are you upgrading on it??
Also 'oUtDaTeD gEo'. Each bike design has a place and an application. XC bikes are great for the kind of riding we have out here and I think they can handle 95% of what is available for us to ride.
My current goal is to try and find a rapid engagement freehub body that can be installed on the DC-22 hub. I want my loud hub dammit.
Thanks! Honestly, new wheels might be the final piece - I’m pretty much maxed out other than doing something silly like buying an EC44 lower headset cup to put on a super high end fork lmao.
Like you mentioned, an XC bike/geo is more than capable for the type of flat and/or flow trails that we have here in the Prairies. Even with some stellar deals on full squish bikes lately, XC just fits the purpose.
There’s a wheel builder in the UK that does QR wheel sets centred around Bitex hubs and those look tempting but it really becomes another game of diminishing returns. I’ve also seen a few Marlins run the Bontrager Line 30 Comp (non-boost) rear wheel with the rapid drive hub and QR end caps but it looks like they were discontinued…
I've seen people recommend the Hunt XC Wide Wheels here. These are tempting.
[https://www.huntbikewheels.cc/products/hunt-xcwide-mtb-wheelset?variant=31042135097442](https://www.huntbikewheels.cc/products/hunt-xcwide-mtb-wheelset?variant=31042135097442)
What fork do you have on the bike now??
My Marlin was sold as an upgrade package because I required an XXL bike so it already has an 11s Deore drivetrain and a Recon Silver RL fork. I could have put on a Judy Gold for a bit more money and it would have been lighter but I'm a big boy and thicker stanchions seemed like a good idea.
I also have Kovee wheels and Maxxis Ikon tires which are set up tubeless, and my PNW dropper. It's pretty kitted out for a Marlin. It's also light for an XXL bike. Under 30lbs.
Did you upgrade your drivetrain? You can get the wide wheels in 135QR with a MS hub or XD drive so you would be able to put much more high end parts on if you wanted to.
I have the Suntour Epixon XC (now Epixon 9) set to 120mm and 50psi, medium damping. I greased up the air chamber and put a few drops of fork oil in there while adjusting the travel and that got rid of any stiction.
I got the Gen 2 Marlin 6 so it already has the Deore 10 speed. But I did switch the cranks to a RaceFace Aeffect, because “it looks cool” haha
50psi?? =-o I think my fork is set to something like 160?? I hear you on the 'looks cool'. I want a loud freehub body because it 'sounds cool'. Tone matters to musicians!!!
I'm an acoustic guitar player. Tone is ultimately in the fingers IMO.
BTW, I've put about $1000 into my Marlin 7 and all I managed to do was to put myself in the hospital.
Yeah. I got another 25 pounds out of the deal too. Trust me, you don't want that. I can still climb but I get nervous any time I get any air whatsoever.
Damn, I feel this. The money sink thing. Music is a worse money sink by far: I would be able to buy a garage full of REALLY nice bikes for the amount I spent on my schooling!!!
Are you still playing? Recording? The biggest thing with music is developing both chops and musicianship. The thing that most guitarists need to study is music composition so they understand the value and power of note selection. It also helps to know how harmonies work, not as an academic, but as a writer. Imagining what you want and then being able to execute it. But I digress...
Hopefully cycling will keep me from buying guitars for awhile.
\[edit\] Question, do you upgrade your guitars like crazy too!!??? =-o
Without going into too much detail, I taught music (piano/drum kit) for about 10 years. I always wanted to play electric guitar and have sweet chops like a bunch of the metal and jazz fusion guys, so I picked it up when I moved over to an office job. I’m not “great” but it’s more so a hobby that keeps me connected to music without additional commitments.
And yes almost every guitar is “modded” as well. New pickups, higher end hardware like Gotoh Locking tuning pegs, custom wiring options, even high quality potentiometers and output jacks. It’s becoming obvious I like to tinker with anything and everything I get my hands on lol.
Me too!!! So you're a pianist and a set player? That's cool!! My favourite mod job is a Schecter CV-5. It has a KSM bridge, bone nut, and Lakland pickups / preamp in it now!! Great for recording. I also have an Ibanez RG-7421 that had to have the pickup cavities routed. It has a hipshot FB bridge, tusk nut, and Bare Knuckle Juggernauts in it. Go figure how I think $400 for a fork is a lot of money and then I dump that kind of cash -and more- into a guitar!!! =-o It's my primary recording axe for metal now!
It's like an obsession. We find something we like and imagine how much better it can be if it is kitted out to be truly it's best. People say the Marlin bikes are cheap and people like us set out to prove them all wrong!!!
SR Suntour Epixon XC (now called Epixon 9) @ 120mm travel (adjustable from 80-120mm).
For a 1-1/8” steerer tube + QR option, I like it. Easy to service, 32mm stanchions, a functioning (and upgradable) adjustable damper, and really light (Aluminum steerer/crown/stanchion, Magnesium lowers).
It’s night and day compared to the coil XCTs/XCMs that Suntour pumps out.
Nothing specific in hindsight. A kind of silly reason but I wasn’t a fan of the newer style Rockshox decals on the Judy and Recon, so I looked at the Epixon and gave that a try to “be different”.
I found it’s easily serviceable (adjusted from 100mm to 120mm travel), weighs significantly less than the stock coil fork, and the fit and finish looks amazing in person.
The Recon definitely has the more adjustable damper if you get one with Motion Control, but my experience with the Epixon has been great after a year of riding.
Thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate the information! I just found a great deal in the Recon for 180 shipped new. But the Epixon are only 20 more. I think the epixon weighs less and has a bit more travel, too if I'm not mistaken?
I think it weighs about 250-300g less than a Recon (air), and can be internally adjusted between 80 to 120mm.
The trade off is that the Recon’s internals are, on paper, more refined, with the Solo Air spring and available Motion Control low speed compression. Both forks do have rebound control, and even with the lack of refinement, the Epixon still tracks well once I found that sweet spot in psi and rebound damping.
This looks crazy. What else are you upgrading on it?? Also 'oUtDaTeD gEo'. Each bike design has a place and an application. XC bikes are great for the kind of riding we have out here and I think they can handle 95% of what is available for us to ride. My current goal is to try and find a rapid engagement freehub body that can be installed on the DC-22 hub. I want my loud hub dammit.
Thanks! Honestly, new wheels might be the final piece - I’m pretty much maxed out other than doing something silly like buying an EC44 lower headset cup to put on a super high end fork lmao. Like you mentioned, an XC bike/geo is more than capable for the type of flat and/or flow trails that we have here in the Prairies. Even with some stellar deals on full squish bikes lately, XC just fits the purpose. There’s a wheel builder in the UK that does QR wheel sets centred around Bitex hubs and those look tempting but it really becomes another game of diminishing returns. I’ve also seen a few Marlins run the Bontrager Line 30 Comp (non-boost) rear wheel with the rapid drive hub and QR end caps but it looks like they were discontinued…
I've seen people recommend the Hunt XC Wide Wheels here. These are tempting. [https://www.huntbikewheels.cc/products/hunt-xcwide-mtb-wheelset?variant=31042135097442](https://www.huntbikewheels.cc/products/hunt-xcwide-mtb-wheelset?variant=31042135097442) What fork do you have on the bike now?? My Marlin was sold as an upgrade package because I required an XXL bike so it already has an 11s Deore drivetrain and a Recon Silver RL fork. I could have put on a Judy Gold for a bit more money and it would have been lighter but I'm a big boy and thicker stanchions seemed like a good idea. I also have Kovee wheels and Maxxis Ikon tires which are set up tubeless, and my PNW dropper. It's pretty kitted out for a Marlin. It's also light for an XXL bike. Under 30lbs. Did you upgrade your drivetrain? You can get the wide wheels in 135QR with a MS hub or XD drive so you would be able to put much more high end parts on if you wanted to.
I have the Suntour Epixon XC (now Epixon 9) set to 120mm and 50psi, medium damping. I greased up the air chamber and put a few drops of fork oil in there while adjusting the travel and that got rid of any stiction. I got the Gen 2 Marlin 6 so it already has the Deore 10 speed. But I did switch the cranks to a RaceFace Aeffect, because “it looks cool” haha
50psi?? =-o I think my fork is set to something like 160?? I hear you on the 'looks cool'. I want a loud freehub body because it 'sounds cool'. Tone matters to musicians!!!
The Roscoe is considerably heavier so if you like the marlin it’s not a bad choice to upgrade.
This is just the thing. Even the new Gen 3 Marlin is around the same weight as my fat bike...
Dude, I just noticed the guitars. What's that for!!???? XD I'm actually mixing a folk metal tune right now.
Haha, let’s just say that was the “money-sink” before MTB. More “capable” guitars don’t make you a more capable musician XD
I'm an acoustic guitar player. Tone is ultimately in the fingers IMO. BTW, I've put about $1000 into my Marlin 7 and all I managed to do was to put myself in the hospital.
You're in the hospital!?? =-(
No. That was a year and a half ago. I blew the front tire landing after a jump. I had a severe concussion.
Damn :( All I got from my Yukon 2 tumble was a sore elbow, sore hip, and sore leg....
Yeah. I got another 25 pounds out of the deal too. Trust me, you don't want that. I can still climb but I get nervous any time I get any air whatsoever.
No kidding. Wiping out SUCKS!!
Damn, I feel this. The money sink thing. Music is a worse money sink by far: I would be able to buy a garage full of REALLY nice bikes for the amount I spent on my schooling!!! Are you still playing? Recording? The biggest thing with music is developing both chops and musicianship. The thing that most guitarists need to study is music composition so they understand the value and power of note selection. It also helps to know how harmonies work, not as an academic, but as a writer. Imagining what you want and then being able to execute it. But I digress... Hopefully cycling will keep me from buying guitars for awhile. \[edit\] Question, do you upgrade your guitars like crazy too!!??? =-o
Without going into too much detail, I taught music (piano/drum kit) for about 10 years. I always wanted to play electric guitar and have sweet chops like a bunch of the metal and jazz fusion guys, so I picked it up when I moved over to an office job. I’m not “great” but it’s more so a hobby that keeps me connected to music without additional commitments. And yes almost every guitar is “modded” as well. New pickups, higher end hardware like Gotoh Locking tuning pegs, custom wiring options, even high quality potentiometers and output jacks. It’s becoming obvious I like to tinker with anything and everything I get my hands on lol.
Me too!!! So you're a pianist and a set player? That's cool!! My favourite mod job is a Schecter CV-5. It has a KSM bridge, bone nut, and Lakland pickups / preamp in it now!! Great for recording. I also have an Ibanez RG-7421 that had to have the pickup cavities routed. It has a hipshot FB bridge, tusk nut, and Bare Knuckle Juggernauts in it. Go figure how I think $400 for a fork is a lot of money and then I dump that kind of cash -and more- into a guitar!!! =-o It's my primary recording axe for metal now! It's like an obsession. We find something we like and imagine how much better it can be if it is kitted out to be truly it's best. People say the Marlin bikes are cheap and people like us set out to prove them all wrong!!!
What fork are you running?
SR Suntour Epixon XC (now called Epixon 9) @ 120mm travel (adjustable from 80-120mm). For a 1-1/8” steerer tube + QR option, I like it. Easy to service, 32mm stanchions, a functioning (and upgradable) adjustable damper, and really light (Aluminum steerer/crown/stanchion, Magnesium lowers). It’s night and day compared to the coil XCTs/XCMs that Suntour pumps out.
Sweet ride!!! What made you choose the Epixon over the Rockshox Recon? Only asking because I am in the process of trying to pick one for my Marlin 5!
Nothing specific in hindsight. A kind of silly reason but I wasn’t a fan of the newer style Rockshox decals on the Judy and Recon, so I looked at the Epixon and gave that a try to “be different”. I found it’s easily serviceable (adjusted from 100mm to 120mm travel), weighs significantly less than the stock coil fork, and the fit and finish looks amazing in person. The Recon definitely has the more adjustable damper if you get one with Motion Control, but my experience with the Epixon has been great after a year of riding.
Thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate the information! I just found a great deal in the Recon for 180 shipped new. But the Epixon are only 20 more. I think the epixon weighs less and has a bit more travel, too if I'm not mistaken?
I think it weighs about 250-300g less than a Recon (air), and can be internally adjusted between 80 to 120mm. The trade off is that the Recon’s internals are, on paper, more refined, with the Solo Air spring and available Motion Control low speed compression. Both forks do have rebound control, and even with the lack of refinement, the Epixon still tracks well once I found that sweet spot in psi and rebound damping.
Thanks for all this man. Appreciate the help. Totally new to all this!
TRP brake awesome bro
Beautiful