Rockrider 560 vs Trek Marlin 7

bisikletci

Hallo,

I'm a total beginner looking to get into offroad riding and looking for some advice on a first bike. Currently I'm looking at the BTWIN Rockrider 560 and the Trek Marlin 7. In the UK these are both £500 but where I'm buying the Marlin is a bit cheaper. It also won hardtail of the year in the £500-and-under category in MTB magazine (I think) awards which should swing the choice in its favour... but I do like the look of the Rockrider and from what I read BTWIN have a reputation for very good value bikes with high specs for the price; in its former incarnation as the RR 8.1 it also got very good reviews. At least to start with I'll mainly be riding fairly easy going trails, fire roads and so on. One of my main priorities is comfort, and I find very "twitchy" bikes a bit hard to get on with - though perhaps highly sensitive steering is something you need in MTB riding and that I'll have to get used to? I may also use it a bit to get around town, though I already have a hybrid for that.

Thoughts? Below are the specs of the two bikes. The Marlin is a 29er, while from what I understand the Rockrider is a 26er but will come out in a 27.5 model later this year.

Trek Marlin 7 2015
Frame: Alpha Silver Aluminium w/semi-integrated head tube, rack & mudguard mounts, G2 Geometry on 29ers
Fork: SR Suntour XCT, coil spring, preload, custom G2 Geometry w/51mm offset on 29ers, 100mm travel (13.5" : 80mm travel)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Altus
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Alivio
Number of Gears: 27
Shifters: Shimano Altus M370, 9 speed
Chainset: Shimano M371
Chainrings: 44/32/22T
Bottom Bracket: Sealed Cartridge
Cassette: Shimano HG20 11-34, 9 speed
Pedals: Wellgo nylon platform
Brakeset: Tektro M290 hydraulic disc brakes
Handlebars: Bontrager Low Riser, 31.8mm, 5mm rise
Stem: Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree
Headset: 1-1/8" threadless, semi-integrated, semi-cartridge bearings
Grips: Bontrager Satellite Plus
Rims: Bontrager AT-550 36-hole
Front Hub: Formula DC20
Rear Hub: Formula DC22 alloy
Tires: Bontrager XR1, 29×2.20″ front, 29×2.00″ rear (Bontrager XR2, 27.5×2.20″)
Saddle: Bontrager Evoke 1
Seatpost: Bontrager SSR, 2-bolt head, 27.2mm, 12mm offset



Rockrider 560
Frame: 6061 T4 & T6 aluminium frame.
Fork: ROCK SHOX XC32 TK SOLO AIR 100 mm, with SRAM Pop Loc handlebar lockout.
Drive train: SHIMANO DEORE 24/32/42 crankset.
SHIMANO SLX 10-speed rear derailleur.
SHIMANO DEORE 3-speed front derailleur.
Shimano DEORE shifters.
SHIMANO DEORE 11/36 cassette.
KMC X10 chain.
Brakes:AVID DB1 brakes, equipped with 160 mm front and rear openwork discs
Handlebars: Aluminium handlebar with a 31.8 mm diameter at the midpoint (oversize). Length: 660 mm for sizes S and M, and 680 mm for sizes L and XL.
Stem: Aluminium BTWIN ROCKRIDER 560 stem compatible with 31.8 mm diameter (oversize) handlebars. Steering: A-Headset 1-1/8" external headset, with sealed bearings for excellent watertightness.
Saddle: BTWIN ROCKRIDER 560 saddle with a "soft touch" finish:sporty look, comfortable to ride. Wear-resistant side reinforcements.
Seat post: Aluminium seat post, 29.8 mm diameter, 350 mm long. Saddle fastens with 2 screws for optimum weight.
Wheels: Aluminium double-walled AERO All Round wheels with a high 19C wide profile, 32 spokes, 9 mm front and rear axles.
Tyres: Versatile MICHELIN Country Trail tyres, 26 x 2.00, flex bead.
Pedals: BTWIN Sport clipless pedals.

lostboysaint

Rockrider by a country mile.

bisikletci

Thanks. Any brief thoughts on why it's the better buy?

lostboysaint

No brief thoughts no, it's so much the superior bike (groupset, forks - without stupid Trek geometry, etc.) that it would not be brief.

The Rookie

As above, its just a much better bike, but lets just use the forks as an example, the XCT is Suntours budget of the XC family range and has been voted 'worst fork tested this year' by a magazine, while the RR has a fork that is found on bikes costing nearly £1K.

bisikletci

Many thanks for the replies. I'm surprised to hear that there's such a big difference between the two given the similar prices and the strong review I saw of the Marlin, but good to know that I don't have a difficult choice to make!

Thanks again.

The Rookie

A review probably written by someone who bought one and doesn't know any better and probably just pootles around on gravel tracks.

Big names like trek, spesh, giant etc are all consistently rubbish at this price point.