Trek Marlin 5 vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 2021 – Better Bike for Beginners

Deciding between the Trek Marlin 5 Vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 2021 as a beginner mountain biker with a budget of $500?

Fuji manufacture a wide selection of bikes in all categories, ranging from electric bikes to trail-ready mountain bikes. The Fuji Nevada models fall into their Sport Mountain Bike category, hardtail bikes with multi-purpose capabilities aimed at new riders.

The Trek Marlin 5 ranks as a best selling entry level mountain bike, setting the standard for quality, affordability and desirability. These bikes are well equipped with dependable and well performing parts that you’ll find hard to beat at this price point. Trek bikes offer unmatched availability and convenience with extensive dealership networks in the USA.

Is the Fuji Nevada 1.9 worth buying over the Trek Marlin 5?

Frame Design – Marlin 5 Vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 2021

The Fuji Nevada 1.9 2021 features an A2-SL aluminum frame, with an updated design made to meet modern standards of mountain bike geometry. What this means is the frame features a more modern slacker head tube angle allowing for more stability and less twitchy feel downhill along with a longer reach on all sized frames. Most importantly, you’ll get a double butted design that puts more material in the high stress areas where you need it the most.

The increased reach with a longer length wheelbase improves your stability on downhills. In addition this gives more room in the cockpit for taller riders, making for a more comfortable out of saddle experience.

The Trek features a frame style with more classic proportions, opting for a slightly steeper head angle for a more responsive front end. This is coupled with a shorter reach and chainstay that lessens stability downhill but makes for a more playful bike that enjoys whipping its wheels around.

Marlin 5 Vs Nevada 1.9 – Performance on Road

The gear range, drivetrain, and seat comfort all  play a part in road performance. During city rides you’ll be primarily seated in the saddle so being comfortable seated becomes a more important factor overall. While saddle comfort varies depending on the build, weight and shape of individuals,  in general the wider seat and more cushioned saddles are typically more comfortable for less sport oriented leisurely rides.

The saddle on the Fuji and Trek lean towards sport, a saddle upgrade is recommended if you’ll be riding for extended amounts of time while seated.

The drivetrain specification on both the Marlin and Fuji Nevada gives you 21 gears to select from on the Shimano Tourney. The  3 x 7 drivetrain is plenty enough speeds for road riding and the smallest rings give you a higher top end speed than can be achieved on a 1x drivetrain.

The Nevada 1.9 beats the Trek on shifting performance with the Shimano EF41 EZ fire rapid shifter allowing for shifting of multiple gears with a single operation.

Marlin 5 Vs Nevada 1.9 – Performance Off-Road

The quality of the fork is important if the majority of your riding is being done off-road.

Suspension forks cushion to take load off your joints, absorbing the uncomfortable rattles and bumps. Ideally you want the fork to compress fully during large impacts but also have it be sensitive enough to compress when you encounter small imperfections on your path.

Quality forks save build up of  pain in joints on extended rides and offers an overall more comfortable riding experience.

In the battle of the forks the Fuji Nevada 1.9 one ups the Trek with the SR Suntour XCE 29 fork over the XCE 28 on the Trek. The difference between them is the 29mm stanchion tube diameter  on the Fuji over the 28mm stanchions on the Trek. The stanchions are in essence are the supports that hold your weight up on the bike. The wider these are the stronger they’ll be. The result is a bike being and feeling more stable and robust.

The Marlin and Nevada both compare similarly in fork specification with a coil type suspension enabling 100mm of travel. The SR Suntour XCE forks are intended for casual mountain biking.

Additional Features – Trek Marlin 5 Vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 2021

Trek have thought about the difficulties smaller riders may face using universally sized components across all bikes. The Marlin 5 gives you short reach brake levers on the XS and S frames making braking easier for riders with smaller sized hands.

Another thoughtful design choice by Trek is the Marlin 5 featuring a curved top tube on the XS and S models. Smaller riders will find mounting and dismounting the bike a simpler task with the lowered top tube area and small standover height.

The Marlin 5 frame size goes up to a 23 compared to the Fuji sized up to a 21, allowing for a better fit if you’re a taller rider.

Both frames can fit two large bottle holders and feature both fender and kickstand mounts.

Trek Marlin 5 vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 – Warranty

Fuji Warranty policy

The Fuji warranty policy covers all original parts on the bicycle, excluding paint, decals, tires, tubes, chains, and other wear-and-tear items, for up to one year in the U.S. from the date of purchase.

The Fuji warranty policy extends limited lifetime coverage on defects in materials and workmanship for the bicycle frame and non-suspension fork when the product is purchased from and assembled by an authorized Fuji dealer.

Trek Warranty policy

Trek for a Lifetime:
Framesets (frame and rigid fork), main frame, and full suspension swing arms for the lifetime of the original owner.
Bontrager wheels with carbon rims.

Trek covers for 2 Years:
Apparel.
Parts and accessories.
Rear suspension linkage components, including bearings, rocker link, and accompanying hardware and components.
Bontrager wheels with alloy rims.
Paint and decals.

Trek Marlin 5 vs Fuji Nevada 1.9 29er Specifications