So, I have had this bike for 3-ish years now and I have ridden the hell out of it, so I guess this is a 3-ish -years-later update.
To start, this was a bike I bought on my birthday when I turned 16 in 2023, and at the time it was the first ever, new proper mountain bike I bought which wasn't from a grocery store, it was pretty pricey (even on clearance it was 650 dollars) but I saved up for it and I REALLY wanted to use the money I earned instead of my parents. Unfortunately 16 year old me didn't have the money for the Marlins at the time ($800)
For the money, It's a pretty strong bike, I remember buying it with my dad and bringing it home on a bike rack, and my dad didn't see this unpainted speed bump.
So one very harsh 40 mph speed bump, the bike fell of the car (mind you, it was mounted pretty high up since our car is an 07 trailblazer), and got dragged a bit because of the stopping distance. Besides some few very deep scratches, a bent rear derailleur adjustment screw, and a very misaligned front derailleur, it was totally fine. No bent frame, no bent handle bars, nothing. I adjusted the derailleurs and bent them back into shape and it's been all good ever since 👍
On harsh terrain and some trails it does better than expected, of course with a lack of rear suspension the ride can be a little harsh and require control. The wheels have held up quite flawlessy too, no bent rims ever, just some adjustments every year or so, so it spins straight. Suspension is also completely fine after 3 years of harsh jumps and the absolute horrid state of roads here riddled with potholes.
In terms of shifting, it shifts amazingly smooth, the original derailleurs still shift like new. No harsh sounds, no delay, and no slipping, all I had to do was adjust the derailleurs properly when I brought it home.
It's definitely heavy compared to the other bikes in the showroom, which is fair since it's made of steel and all, but it's still quite easy to carry and load into the car.
Only drawback? The brakes are rim brakes, so you have to really brake hard to stop on trails and whatnot. I've heard people say that they don't stop as good when wet, but in my experience they get the job done, however it would definitely be nicer to have disks. The hard braking definitely means that the pads don't last as long, I have to replace them every 6 months or so.
I've had plenty of fun on this and hope to have more fun soon. I've done 100 km marathons, went to sketchy abandoned places, ridden on gravel, ridden on dirt trails, ridden on horrible roads with a ridiculous amount of potholes, shared it with my friends, ridden it in sea water on empty beaches (I made sure to oil it and dry it off after dw) and went down stairs constantly. All in all, three years later, with proper maintenance it still rides like new, and honestly I love it.
Now, the 820 is not sold over here anymore (discontinued in 2023), only Marlins (which have gotten more affordable than they were 3 years ago). But ye it feels pretty special to ride a bike which is technically an 80s designed bike, AND one which I bought without the help of my parents, it's a nice time capsule 🙂
by Illustrious-Cream419