Many hardtail electric mountain bikes up until this point have appeared lackluster, seemingly designed to favor commuting over singletrack trail riding. The new Trek Marlin+, announced today, flips that calculus on its head promising a bike designed for a 60/40 split between trail and path riding.
The established Marlin hardtail line features affordable, simple bikes designed for new riders, and the Marlin+ Class 1 eMTB aims to scratch the same itch. With builds priced at $2,699 and $3,499 the Marlin+ becomes the least expensive electric mountain bike in the Trek line.
Marlin+ features
The Marlin+ features a 50Nm Bosch motor paired with a 400Wh battery. The lower torque motor delivers up to 270% assistance and features an adaptive support mode that adjusts power output based on conditions. Riders can also manually select the assistance level using the Purion 200 remote. A 250Wh range extender that attaches to the frame’s bottle mounts is available for purchase separately.
The Marlin+ utilizes an alloy frame with a 66.5° head tube angle and a 470mm reach (size large). Sizes extra small and small ship with 27.5″ wheels while sizes medium through extra large come with 29″ wheels. The 29er models fit tires up to 29×2.6″ while rear rack and fender mounts make the bike adaptable for commuting. All models are UDH-compatible.
Both Marlin+ builds come with a 120mm fork and 203mm brake rotors. Of the two builds, the pricier Marlin+ 8 is decidedly more trail-worthy than the Marlin+ 6, offering a 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain, TranzX dropper post, and Shimano 4-piston brakes.
According to Trek, the Marlin+ weighs about 30kg, similar to the Trek Fuel EXe full suspension electric mountain bike.
- Price: From $2,699
- Buy from Trek
