Just bought a trek marlin 7 gen 3 that was on sale for $479 at my local trek store. Got it mainly to commute to work in my city but to also hit some light trails every now and then. What kind of upgrades would /n/ recommend to make this a more comfortable ride for commuting in the city? I just ordered some better handle bars, pedals and a new saddle so that should help a bit. Was thinking of getting some new tires better suited for the road but not sure which ones.

Thunder burts are the fastest mtb tyres
If you're not bothered about trail riding so much you could fit gravel tires for example g-one (aka big ones) or terra speeds

>>2039780 (OP)
how long is your commute?
the saddle, handlebars and pedals are most likely a waste of money.
if you plan on actually taking it on trails you will need the knobby tires

>>2039780 (OP)
get gravelbike tyres asap

>>2039786
Thanks for the tip. I'll look into these types of tires you listed. You don't think I'll need to change the rims right, just the tires?
>>2039788
About 6 and a half miles 1 way, so roughly 13 miles round trip. The stock saddle and handle bars were too uncomfortable so I think an upgrade should make it less fatiguing to ride. The pedals I suppose won't make much of a difference but I read that's one of the first things one should upgrade with this bike since the stock pedals are like a shitty plastic
And like I said I only plan to take it on light trails, like stuff without jumps or anything really challenging. There's a couple trails like that around my neck of the woods and my last bike that got stolen which was a hybrid bike (trek 4 series, see picrel) did fine on them even though the tires weren't that grippy
>>2039805
You think I should get the maximum width in tires? The marlin 7 I got can accommodate tire width up to 2.40"

>>2039809
>You think I should get the maximum width in tires
depends on what youre riding, i went from 2.25 to like 1.7" tyres because i only ride on asphalt and cobblestone
just pick something from the gravel category on this site https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/

>>2039809
Rims will fit anything the frame can fit. I put 38mm tires on the stock frame of my marlin 6 gen 1 for road use. For gravel most people like 45-55 or so these days, as a road commuter you're gonna find like me that a hardtail gets annoying as fuck to pedal but it's a great XC bike, and if the grips are as shit as mine, replace them right away. Trek cheaps out hard on pedals and grips.

its ok for a commuter, tiny front ring kinda gay
Shout out to whoever stole my marlin and made me become a full roadie u did me a favour

I would get those ergo grips that look like a prostate massager or inner bar ends from aliexpress

>>2039780 (OP)
what kind of "better handle bars" and saddle did you get

>>2039827
I think I'm realizing that I kinda made a mistake jumping the gun and buying this marlin. Because I'm about to buy some slimmer gravel tires teravail rutback(47mm) and gonna change the chainring to a 32T for more top speed. Should have just gotten a gravel bike but hindsight is 20/20 ig
Got the Marlin just cuz it was on sale and I thought its be similar to the trek 4 series hybrid bike, but this bike has been kicking my ass and every other biker is zipping past me. On a positive note, its at least been getting me in real good shape, once I make the switch to faster, smoother tires and chainring + the biker strength I've developed over the past couple months with this lug of a bike I should be riding real nicely

>>2041699
nah, cheap hardtails are always fun and worth it
and ofc you will get dropped by everyone, its a mtb, its not made for roads
I was in a similiar situation, I switched to a gravel and I instantly became 15% faster, its mainly because of the aero

I would lay off the modifications, and just ride more

>>2041699
Even with the 32t, its gonna spin out real fast. its still a sick bike though but yeah man dont put too much effort into modifying it, keep it ready for light trails or fun. just ride more and then see about getting a dedicated road bike with the autism pedals and everything. if you are anything like me then the marlin is a good starting point but really, you wanna feel like you are flying and never be passed by anyone ever again especially not an ebike

>>2041699
gravel bikes with proper specs are way more than the marlin is so it wasn't really apples to apples

>>2041699
>n+1
It begins

>>2039780 (OP)
You can easily do singletrails on that beauty.

>>2041788
you mean singletrack

>>2039827
>>2041699
>commuter
>rigid xc bike
That thing would make a sick urban street fighter bike
>wide city slick tires
>bmx stem and handlebars
>gearing optimized for midrange punch
>dropper post
>mtb flats
>165 crank

>>2041793
>urban street fighter bike

>>2041789
We call them singletrails, but it's probably the same.

>>2041798
PoV: You're a Jewish mummy with influence in Hollywood

>>2039780 (OP)
lock out the suspension on roads
>nah, bro, you don't understand, the potholes here are crazy
shut up.

>>2041811
It's an MTB. It's not supposed to go fast. It's supposed to let you ride uphills on a rocky terrain. It's a terrible bike for other use cases ( gravel riding, city riding). Why? Because if you are actually a man you will get mad when everyone passes you and you can't do shit. Only goddamn Onoda could do something with that bike.

>>2041804
>We call them singletrails
no one calls them that, no one

>>2041814
not OP or anon, but I just want to be comfortable when i ride on shitty sidewalks and asphalt that's so pot-hole-ridden and degraded that we shoud've publically executed the city council over. i want to arrive to work without having had my fillings rattle out of my teeth. what do i care if someone passed me? i'm just going to work or buy groceries or drugs.

>inb4 learn to ride
no

>>2042124
Sounds like you need a Chad Cruiser

>>2042157
That's what I ride now. I klunkerized it with BMX bars, big fat smooth street tires, and a brooks style seat with springs.

>>2042124
And that’s ok. however many people must go fast. Like sanic

>>2039780 (OP)
Return it and get a gravel bike

>>2039786
I like terra trails for mix of pavement and hard pack. They are real similar to the speeds.

>>2043212
based gravel rockbros enjoyer

>>2039788
Proper fitment is NOT a waste. But blindly ordering shit isn't fitment. You have been blessed with a stock saddle shaped ass.

>>2044210
It's a waste for a commute because the ride is likely less than an hour. The effects of poor fitment will not be felt either way.

What OP is doing is retarded, though, and is indeed not fitment. You go on a longer ride and you see what starts hurting; then you adjust the appropriate part of the bike, oftentimes without spending much, if any, money. Seats can be raised easily, spacers to raise the handlebars are cheap. A stem is the only part one would actually have to fork out for if need be.

OP is talking about a bike he never rode on and is foolish to spend any more money until he has done so.