What am I riding?

I purchased this Trek Marlin—an entry-level hardtail mountain bike—from my local bike shop back in 2013. A few years back, I replaced the flat handlebars with a cheap riser bar, and the long original stem with a short stem in order to make the bike more comfortable for me to ride around town.

Since starting to ride regularly again last summer, I've replaced just about all of the components on the bike, upgrading to modern mountain bike components—the only original part left is the frame. I've mostly been riding this bike on the roads and bike paths with a set of gravel tires so far this winter.

Now the frame has been refinished and the bike reassembled with a set of XC mountain bike tires, so I can prepare myself and the bike for the Desert RATS Classic mountain bike race in May 2020.

Bike Build Post Index

• Frame Modifications: let's lose those cable stops
• Powder Coating: refinishing the frame
• Reassembly: putting it back together again