I’m looking to get my daughter some new wheels. She’s not a shredder by any means. Her current bike is department store shite. I’ve been eyeing up rides for awhile now. I’m down to 2 choices. Specialized Rockhopper Expert is on sale for $799 currently. The other bike would be a Trek Marlin 5 gen 3 for $750 not on sale. On paper the Expert looks way nicer. The trek does have a great look to it though. My daughter likes it a lot. Both bikes would be size small in 27.5” wheel. Anyone out there have any experiences with either of these? I’ll post links to both for comparisons.
Edit: I’m adding the Expert 29 to the mix. It’s on sale for 750 locally. The color isn’t ideal but it’s equipped with 29s and SRAM SX Eagle components.
Thanks!
by fordjnky
1 Comment
The Rockhopper, in either the 27.5 or 29, is objectively a better bike. Air fork vs a Suntour coil/hydraulic, 12 speed 11-50t vs 9 speed 11-46t, the Rockhopper will be a few pounds lighter. The wider range could allow for a slightly larger front ring; better for pavement riding that makes up lots of what kids will do with a bike.
You didn’t say how old she is, but remembering back to my own new bike experience when I was 13, looking at hardtails in that relative price range (OK, a little cheaper inflation adjusted) – I didn’t care about the specs at all. My parents took me to the LBS (Bicycle Alley) and they let me test ride a few, down the street and around a cemetery. The Gary Fisher Tassajara just *felt* better when I rode it than the Rockhopper (which I previously had in a size XS), and the brakes were *amazing*. I now realize that whoever built it just did a good job dialing in the brakes, but for me at 13, those crisp v-brakes were all that mattered – it was the one that felt right.
I say this because while the Rockhopper is clearly better on paper and it may be frustrating if she has a strong preference to a bike that you’re getting less for the money, the best bike for a kid is the one they’ll be excited about riding. And if the awesome color options of the Marlin make her that much more excited about the bike, it’d be the right choice. Of course, ideally, find a shop that has both, and let her sit on them/ride them around the parking lot side by side and give her a chance to work through what she’s seeing, experiencing, and feeling (both bike-wise and emotionally).