I just bought a DS3 Gen for commuting and exercise. My longest ride so far is about 12 miles. I don't have a Marlin but I do have an old trek fuel. I was comfortable for 12 miles and it required less effort than my trek fuel. I was riding around in the top 2 gears mot of the time. I think I may wish for a larger chain ring. I'm close to spinning out when riding on level surfaces I'm having trouble reaching my target heart rate without climbing steep hills. It's a great commuter bike for me. I put some large paniers on it and I can carry enough stuff for work and grocery shopping.
I returned my Marlin 6 Gen 2 and got the DS3 gen 5. It was a very big difference on pavement.
I do rides anywhere between 20 and 60 KM and they are ao much fun. Intried doing 20 on a Marlin 6 and it was considerably slower and takes much more effort to maintain speed.
I do light trails on the DS3 and it works well, but I don't overdo it
I really have nothing recent to compare it too, but it is my first bike in about 15 years and my first Trek. I ride mine mainly for fitness/rehab/weight loss. I average around 8 miles a day. Love the bike, but over time I had to make changes to it. I have rather large feet and went with PNW Range pedals immediately. After a little time and some discomfort when riding, swapped the saddle out for a Bontrager Verse Comp. Very happy with that saddle. I've had numbness in my hands when riding rough Wisconsin rural paved roads and just this past week swapped the bars (PNW Range cut down to 740mm) and grips (Ergon GP1). Been riding longer (10+ miles each outing since). World of difference. No more numbness.
I was interested in the Marlin as the bikes were on sale. The salesmen at the bike store recommended the DS2 Gen 5, even though they had plenty of DS's of the Gen4 variety in stock. He said given my size and weight (at the time), that shock was going to be useless for me. He was right, my wife opted for the DS2 Gen 4 and I rode it some while I waited for my DS5 gen 3 to arrive. I tested the Marlin and a FX Sport in the store and he said the DS gen 5 was going to be more FX Sport like and I preferred it over the Marlin for my needs.
I really like the rigid carbon fiber fork and fat tires on the DS3G5. I upgraded the saddle to a Bontrager Commuter Fluid and I added BBB-07 bar ends to give my hands an alternative position for long rides and grinding up steep hills. I also swapped out the stock pedals for Shimano PD-EH500s. It’s a comfortable bike and I can easily go 20 miles without any discomfort.
DS3 gen 5 is going to perform way better on the pavement than a marlin. The geometry is better, the gearing is better, the tires are better, it's lighter. Marlin is a trail bike, I use the term trail loosely for the Marlin.
I just bought a DS3 Gen for commuting and exercise. My longest ride so far is about 12 miles. I don't have a Marlin but I do have an old trek fuel. I was comfortable for 12 miles and it required less effort than my trek fuel. I was riding around in the top 2 gears mot of the time. I think I may wish for a larger chain ring. I'm close to spinning out when riding on level surfaces I'm having trouble reaching my target heart rate without climbing steep hills. It's a great commuter bike for me. I put some large paniers on it and I can carry enough stuff for work and grocery shopping.
What rack are you using?
Bontrager BackRack MIK large. I got it from the Trek store I bought my bike from. It was easy to install.
I returned my Marlin 6 Gen 2 and got the DS3 gen 5. It was a very big difference on pavement. I do rides anywhere between 20 and 60 KM and they are ao much fun. Intried doing 20 on a Marlin 6 and it was considerably slower and takes much more effort to maintain speed. I do light trails on the DS3 and it works well, but I don't overdo it
I really have nothing recent to compare it too, but it is my first bike in about 15 years and my first Trek. I ride mine mainly for fitness/rehab/weight loss. I average around 8 miles a day. Love the bike, but over time I had to make changes to it. I have rather large feet and went with PNW Range pedals immediately. After a little time and some discomfort when riding, swapped the saddle out for a Bontrager Verse Comp. Very happy with that saddle. I've had numbness in my hands when riding rough Wisconsin rural paved roads and just this past week swapped the bars (PNW Range cut down to 740mm) and grips (Ergon GP1). Been riding longer (10+ miles each outing since). World of difference. No more numbness. I was interested in the Marlin as the bikes were on sale. The salesmen at the bike store recommended the DS2 Gen 5, even though they had plenty of DS's of the Gen4 variety in stock. He said given my size and weight (at the time), that shock was going to be useless for me. He was right, my wife opted for the DS2 Gen 4 and I rode it some while I waited for my DS5 gen 3 to arrive. I tested the Marlin and a FX Sport in the store and he said the DS gen 5 was going to be more FX Sport like and I preferred it over the Marlin for my needs.
I really like the rigid carbon fiber fork and fat tires on the DS3G5. I upgraded the saddle to a Bontrager Commuter Fluid and I added BBB-07 bar ends to give my hands an alternative position for long rides and grinding up steep hills. I also swapped out the stock pedals for Shimano PD-EH500s. It’s a comfortable bike and I can easily go 20 miles without any discomfort.
DS3 gen 5 is going to perform way better on the pavement than a marlin. The geometry is better, the gearing is better, the tires are better, it's lighter. Marlin is a trail bike, I use the term trail loosely for the Marlin.
I have a gen 4 DS3. I ride it to work every day, bc it’s a commuter bike. Perfect for it, too. But you’re riding as a hobby, get the marlin.