RHT

I think this is my first Amazon review Was packaged well enough and went together pretty straightforward. I am not a bike mechanic but we’re just a little thought was easy to put together (less than 20 min). I was surprised and how good the parts really were they are the same parts they come on a Trek marlin five my brother-in-law has. It shifted smooth on the rear cassette right out of the package. I did have to tighten the cable on the front derailer but a simple turn to the Wrench and it was working great. I’ve done a few trails and the bike handled it as good as any entry-level bike that I’ve seen. I believe you have to spend $800 At the local bike shop to get anything it would be better than this. I bought the size small I’m 5’7” and a little chubby and it fit me great. All in all I’m very pleased with this purchase and think with a few upgrades it is a great bike For my needs which is mostly blue trails. I was surprised on how light the bike was out of the package I don’t have a scale on hand but it is definitely under 35 pounds closer to the 30 pound mark. I have a Schwinn Taff that is 35 pounds And this bike is noticeably lighter. If you were looking for a good starter bike I would highly recommend this. Pros Decent forks Shifts smooth with a derailer clutch that works Good hydrologic breaks that stop great Good paint Good tires (although maybe not best for mud) Light weight for the price, 30ish lbs ($355 June of 2021) Good seat ( although narrow for my butt and I changed it out) Good quality 11 speed cassette 11-40 Cons: Long stem ($12 upgrade to shorter one) 2x system (unnecessary and ads weight) Crappy peddles ($20 upgrade) Not a quick adjust seat post ($10 upgrade)

This is a really nice bike. I just got it assembled today. I would have given it 5 stars, but the front forks are way too soft for any kind of trail riding. Also the pedals are BMX type and not 2 sided. The other components are top notch. The derailleurs didn’t need adjustment and the wheels are true. It comes with kenda 2.1 wide tires. I’m pretty sure there’s room to go up to 2.4 tires if desired. It’s a beautiful bike, fit and finish are great.

Love this bike. Rode 150 miles now. Shifts great up and down hills. Only thing changed is more comfortable seat and UNO threadless stem riser. I'm 5'8" so got 15" frame and raised seat as high as possible so plenty of clearance and handlebars 2" up and 2" out. Back doesn't hurt as much on longer rides.

**CONTEXT: The price on this bike is constantly in flux, but I picked it up at a bit over $500** I landed on this because I wanted a new bike with 29" wheels and hydraulic brakes. The competition from the likes of Trek or Polygon only offer mech brakes at the entry level (and Marlin's were out of stock everywhere). A great plus was that I could get this bike shipped in 2 days with Prime. Assembly was easy, even for a first timer, and came with all the necessary basic tools. Brakes were spot on out of the box, but the derailleur did need some slight adjustment. You could take it to a shop, but I chose to DIY with the help of the excellent videos on Park Tool's YouTube channel. Couple 100 miles and some maintenance in, and I can appreciate: - Stock wide bars - Crankset with chainrings you can unscrew, making a 1x a no brainer. (104 BCD) - Sealed bearing headset (size appears to be ZS49/286 & ZS49/30) - Hollow bottom bracket (vs square taper) - Tubeless ready rims and tires Bummers: - Little documentation from manufacturer (had to check sizes myself for misc. parts) - 27.2mm seat post heavily limits choices for dropper posts - No internal routing for dropper post. I re-used the exterior run that originally went to the front derailleur for a cleaner install - Non-tapered head tube will limit fork upgrade choices - QR wheel hubs may also limit fork upgrades So far I've upgraded/changed out to: - Shorter stem - Lock on grips - Platform pedals - 1x Oval Chainring - PNW Pine Dropper Post (27.2mm post size) - Fidlock bottle system - Tubeless! Overall I am still happy with my choice, especially given stock issues affecting the industry. Next up on the upgrade list is a new fork and multi-piston brakes.

In essence, this is a very pretty bike that holds up to rather rough terrain and is just as comfortable to ride as my old bike. And while I am enjoying the bike, I would not buy it again. First, I bought the 17.5” frame if I recall correctly, which was $490 when I bought it - it’s now listed at ~$630. This bike was rarely worth $490, and that jump is just straight up greed. At that price go to your local bike store, cause you can honestly find something more built for mountain biking at the same price point (~$600), maybe for even cheaper. But the price isn’t the real issue here. What the issue is, is the lack of care even put into building this bike. It works, but the tape that’s supposed to go over the spoke holes isn’t lined up in the some spots so the holes are exposed to the tube. And the tape also likes to come up with my tube whenever I need to change the tires. The tires. They’re trash. They’re not built for mountain biking. They’re thin altogether, and incredibly thin on the sides. I had to replace the tubes with thorn resistance ones, and literally it’s been just about a week and the front tube popped again, first time a thorn resistant tube popped on me, and the first time a tube popped that quickly. -EDIT: The tires aren’t the problem, it’s the seedlings in my area that constantly cause holes. Putting tire slime in the tires instantly fixes that issue. I’ve put in probably 100+ miles into the bike since I’ve had it, and again the overall build isn’t bad, but if I knew what I knew now, I would just go to the bike store. I bought on here thinking I’d have to spend way more for a bike, but that’s not the case. And the $ I’ve had to put into it despite only having the bike for about a month is pathetic.