# A little bit excited :)



## ChrisEyles (3 Sep 2016)

Just one this old Marin for £20 on ebay - I know it's a bit basic, but I've never had a go on a full susser before so I'm quite excited  

Might require a bit of fettling first, but then again for £20 how wrong can you go? 







There's something about those old Marin frames that really does it for me. This specimen's definitely not the nicest looking, but who knows, if I get on with it and decide to do it up as a keeper it could come out looking all right.


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## Motozulu (3 Sep 2016)

Errrr....depends what you are used to, I suppose, but don't get your hopes up!


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## ChrisEyles (4 Sep 2016)

I'm used to a similar vintage (albeit a bit of a nicer bike) rigid MTB, so I guess this will be a least a bit different! 

Like I said I've never tried a full suss bike before and while I do really like the look of the nicer Marin's from this era I can't really justify spending that much money on a bike I'm not even sure I'll enjoy riding... if I do get on with it I'll be on the look-out for something a bit more like this eventaully.


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## ChrisEyles (8 Sep 2016)

Just took the "new" bike out for it's maiden voyage this evening, and I'm dead chuffed with it  

As predicted, a little fettling was required to get going. The front shifter is kaput, so I locked the FD onto the middle ring with the limit adjusters. The chainrings/chain/cassette have all had it as well... but since they're all already knackered I might as well ride it to death before looking for a nice period STX crankset or something similar on ebay. A quick tune up of the brakes (a nice surprise is that the rear is LX) and a guesstimated 25% sag set on the shock/forks and off I went. 
















My first impression going up the mile long fire road climb into the woods was that the bike must be a total lemon after all.... after being used to a rigid bike the extra weight and suspension bob is very noticeable! Once I'd got to the top I headed towards one of my favourite sections of singletrack, a rooty staircase descent leading into a nice flowy smooth section with a couple of small jumps.... I think if I'd grinned any wider on the way down the top of my head would have fallen off  

It was far more different to riding a rigid than I'd imagined. Instead of picking my way through the roots and planning each little tweak of the front wheel I was bombing over the lot at high speed concentrating on getting a nice line into the next bend to rocket out of. I also suddenly am a lot less awe of other riders I see shooting away from me on the trails - I reckon I might be able to give them a run for my money on this one! 

Heading onto the official MTB trails through the wood I was less over-awed. The trails are very smooth and flowy with only the odd isolated steps or bumpy bits - pretty much perfect for my rigid bike, and it seemd to me there wasn't that much advantage to be had with the suspension (though whizzing down the steps was quite fun). On the last red descent I whacked my seatpost down all the way and was amazed how much room I had to move around in - don't know if it's the unusual frame shape or just that it's a size smaller than my rigid bike, but I felt a lot free-er moving, and got a lot closer to popping a proper long manual than I've ever done before. 

Finished the ride a bit tireder than usual (flexier heavier bike, plus being stuck in the middle ring) but with my view of what's possible on a MTB totally transformed. I am hooked! Just what I needed to cheer me up after getting a rejection through from a job interview this morning. 

Funnily enough I have ridden a few half decent hard-tails before (a Charge Cooker 29er quite regularly on the same routes), and never really felt it, if you know what I mean. Basically felt a lot like my rigid except my hands/arms didn't get as beaten up on long descents and rock gardens were a little bit easier going (to be fair I don't really get on with 29" wheels either - I'll admit they're super capable but they feel a bit less fun too). 

The paint job is going to have to change though, I'll admit the bike isn't the best looker at the moment (who thought that yellow stem was a good idea?). I'm thinking of painting the stem, forks, and swing arm black when I get around to replacing the drivetrain. Should be a fun winter project when it's dark and rainy outside. 

Off to the trail centre tomorrow after work for more stuck-in-the-middle-ring action until I get a shifter sorted


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## ChrisEyles (9 Sep 2016)

Had a great afternoon out at the trail centre today  Rock gardens, braking bumps, and stony/rocky sections - bring them on!!! Also managed easily my biggest air yet on a couple of small jumps. Only downsides were that pedalling up the fireroad climbs was not much fun after being used to whizzing up them on my rigid, and the blue trails felt a bit, well, underwhelming. Once the novelty wears off I guess I'll appreciate the pros and cons of each bike a little better but for now I can't get over how easy it is to rocket down slopes, scoot over a rock garden, and then take that gnarly high line through the corner over all the roots 

Being stuck in the middle (32t) chainring was no problem, in fact it even makes me tempted to consider replacing the crankset with a 1x set-up when it wears out completely... but then again there aren't any long steep climbs at Haldon. I suspect if I took the bike out for a day on Dartmoor* I'd be seriously missing that granny ring. Also, despite the teeth looking distinctly shark-toothed, I didn't get any skipping or miss-shifting whatsoever. 

Can't think of a better £20 I've spent! 

* Hang on - next weekend with decent weather, that's exactly what I'm gonna do


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## biggs682 (16 Sep 2016)

@ChrisEyles sounds like you are having fun on a shoestring


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## ChrisEyles (17 Sep 2016)

Yep, I'm dead pleased with it! 

The bike's in bits in the garage at the moment - I'm painting the forks, stem, and rear swingarm black to smarten the bike up a bit and will give the bearings a bit of TLC while I'm at it. Will probably also have a go at the forks too since they should be pretty easy to service (they also seem to be rated pretty highly for their era). 






Since this one's going to get used mostly at trail centres I don't think I'll need either of the big/small rings on the front - which is handy as the front shifter is broken. So I'll be rebuilding as a 1x8 using a locked FD as a chain guide. The RD is a sram one which should have enough spring tension to help keep the chain from jumping off, which is also handy. Unfortunately the chainring bolts holding the granny to the middle ring are seized *and* rounded off, but it's not exactly much extra unnecessary weight to carry around. 

If I keep on enjoying it as much as I am at the moment, I'll replace the cassette/chain and get a proper single ring up at the front.

I'm also going to give it the most important upgrade a 90s MTB can have (sourced from the parts bin)...... great big bar ends 

Really looking forward to giving it an absolute thrashing when it's ready! In the meantime, tinkering with bikes is a pretty good substitute for riding  Will post some piccies when I'm finished.


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## User16625 (19 Sep 2016)

ChrisEyles said:


> Yep, I'm dead pleased with it!
> 
> The bike's in bits in the garage at the moment - I'm painting the forks, stem, and rear swingarm black to smarten the bike up a bit and will give the bearings a bit of TLC while I'm at it. Will probably also have a go at the forks too since they should be pretty easy to service (they also seem to be rated pretty highly for their era).
> 
> ...



Thats a lot of effort. Why stop short of replacing the front shifter? 

Correct me if I'm wrong but its a couple of screws (limiter screws) that stop the chain jumping off. The spring tension in the rear derailleur is what moves it to the smaller cogs when you "click up" to change to a higher gear. 

Anyway sounds like a good project. I once restored an old road bike. New wheels, new cables, new drive train and new front 10 speed brifter and bar tape. I did enjoy doing this a lot. I neglected to replace my front derailleur despite the fact that the high limit screw thread had seized and rusted. The cable tension didnt get tight enough to throw the chain off the big ring unless I pedaled like a madman while shifting to it. The main problem for me was a creaky seat tube. I could clean it which sorted it out temporarily, but even a different seat post merely changed the pitch of the creaky sound. Never did figure out the cause, I put it down to a frame issue.


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## ChrisEyles (21 Sep 2016)

I'd like to give a 1x set-up a go on a MTB so getting rid of the FD (or locking it in place) is a good way to try it out... but I'd also like the re-assurance of having a granny ring up front the first couple of times I go out on a long ride on Dartmoor! 

Spring tension is more important on a MTB than a road bike - you can get a lot of chain slap going over the rough stuff, which might throw the chain - a stronger spring action on the RD should help with this I'd have thought. 

Not got a lot of time to tinker at the moment (off on holiday soon to go hiking in Cornwall ) but looking forward a lot to getting it finished.


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## Spinney (21 Sep 2016)

Being exclusively a road rider, I didn't understand everything in your posts - but it's great to hear from someone so keen on their new toy!  
And a £20 new toy at that!

(And I use the term 'toy' without any intention of being disparaging about it! )


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## ChrisEyles (22 Sep 2016)

Haha, no worries, "toy" is exactly the right word for it


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## MarquisMatsugae (6 Oct 2016)

Sounds like a good 20 quids worth well spent with the fun you are having.
I have to admit though,I opened up a magazine in 1999 and looked at Marin's new range of bikes. 
Horrified springs to mind after being used to classic double triangle Marins.
Just could not used to the look of them,but they were only trying to keep up with the competition at the time.
Kona took a brainstorm for the worst in the early Naughties and changed basically everything on their bikes,including even the decals.shoot looking bikes.
Happily ,Marin and Kona have got back to basics and make some seriously nice bikes these days.


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## ChrisEyles (6 Oct 2016)

Now gone up to £40 after buying a nice pair of reduced tyres... But scraped a bit back since the old back tyre is now on my other MTB after a torn sidewall (the front is in the bin though due to sever cracks all over the place). 

The swing arm is all painted up now and looks pretty good. Just need to find some time to fit the tyres and put the bike back together! 

Personally I love the look of the full sus Marins from this era. If money was no object I'd trawl ebay and try and get hold of one of the top end models around at the time. But this one will do nicely for now


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## Mireystock (8 Oct 2016)

A nice thread, this ! It brought a smile to my face.....enjoy !


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## ChrisEyles (8 Oct 2016)

Here's how the bike's looking now with it's new paint job, tyres, and pseudo 1x drivetrain. 






Still got a bit of work to do before taking it for a spin (setting up brakes, headset/stem/bars, cranks, and gears). Annoyingly I'm in work over the weekend but might get a chance to take a quick look on Monday.... maybe even a quick play around in the woods too if I'm lucky. 

One quick question - the tyre on the rear wheel has a bit of a hop to it. The rim is fine but the tyre bead is slightly recessed into the rim at one point giving an effective low spot on the circumference. I've deflated/inflated/remounted a couple of times but always there in the same place... any ideas? Or just ride it and see if it pops out into place? 

First time I've ever bought/fitted folding tyres with kevlar rather than wire beads and I'm a convert! Fitting was a doddle, didn't even need tyre levers. Mind you, the last pair I fitted were the notorious Marathon pluses on my commuter.....


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## mrbikerboy73 (8 Oct 2016)

Great project @ChrisEyles. Just goes to prove that you don't need to spend the earth to have fun on a mountain bike. I remember my brother had a Marin Indian Fire Trail back in the early 90's. Great bikes from great era...


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## ChrisEyles (13 Oct 2016)

I had to do a bit of minor surgery on the rear derailleur to finish off the bike... it was a proper bodge (those of a delicate disposition might not want to read on!). The pinch bolt threads had stripped, so I drilled a hole through the derailleur body a little distance away and popped in a bolt with a few washers and a nut on the back. It's a little inelegant but works perfectly well and is probably quite in keeping with the bike and the abuse it's likely to suffer! I also put in a couple of extra links in the chain (the RD was grumbling in the granny sprocket) and a DIY chainstay guard fashioned from an old inner tube. 

Took it out the last two evenings, once through the woods and once around the trails by my work and it's even better than before. I guess the new tyres must be a bit quicker rolling and grippier than the old ones (plus I now have access to all my gears!). It's still a pig to haul up hills compared to my rigid, but point it the right way (i.e. downhill) and it's a monster  For some reason it's also a lot easier to wheelie/manual than my other MTB, which is great. 

Planning on taking it up to Dartmoor tomorrow. There's a nice loop from Princetown down to Burrator reservoir and back that I've done a couple of times on my rigid, but it's a bit too bumpy to get much speed up on the downhills. Looking forward to seeing how I get on with this one. There are plenty of rain bars you can get a fair bit of air off, which should be fun too


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## fossyant (13 Oct 2016)

Good bodge


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## MarquisMatsugae (13 Oct 2016)

Nice to see a pair of tyres that do not conform to the norm(with peoples names attached to them )
Let me know how you get on with the Vreddy's


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## Crackle (14 Oct 2016)

ChrisEyles said:


> Here's how the bike's looking now with it's new paint job, tyres, and pseudo 1x drivetrain.
> 
> View attachment 146927
> 
> ...


Probably the longest bar end grips I've ever seen!


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## ChrisEyles (15 Oct 2016)

Crackle said:


> Probably the longest bar end grips I've ever seen!



I've got an identical set on my other MTB. I really like them for climbing out the saddle or for faster tarmac stretches. Was dead chuffed when I found this pair in the spares bucket - think they are from a BSO I had when I was about fifteen or so!


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## ChrisEyles (15 Oct 2016)

Took the bike out for its first proper long ride out across Dartmoor yesterday. I rode a loop I've done a couple of times before on my rigid, looping from Princetown to Burrator reservoir and back (it's a good'un!). 

The star section is the descent down to Burrator, which is seriously bumpy and full of fist to head sized granite chunks - seemed to be exactly what the bike was built to handle. It's always been sort of satisfying to manhandle my rigid bike down to the bottom, but this time I was able to sit down and power through the rough bits, and pulled off some jumps over the drops that I'd never have considered on my other bike. Even though the pedals I've got on at the moment are a bit shite, I didn't get bounced off them twenty times or so like usual, and as a bonus my wrists aren't hurting still today  

After a cracking descent I pootled around the reservoir and found a lovely quiet spot for lunch and a cuppa (a thermos of tea is definitely the best excess weight I've ever carried around on a ride). That's one of the things I really like about MTB'ing up on Dartmoor, the trails may not be quite as much of a rollercoaster as at a trail centre, but you can get properly out into the wild and not see another soul for miles around, and it's a bit more of an adventure.










@MarquisMatsugae I was pretty impressed with the Vredenstein tyres. They were great on the boggy Dartmoor peat sections I went through, as I'd hoped they might be (since they were advertised as wet mud tyres). The granite on Dartmoor is usually quite rough, so traction isn't really much of an issue on the climbs, but I was pleased to see that the sidewalls survived a few brutal scuffs on the descents without losing any rubber. I opted for the 2.0s since I don't think the 2.4s would leave much (if any) clearance on my frame/forks - they washed out a little on the gravelly/rocky fast downhill corners, but in a reasonably controllable fashion. I've also had them on slate trails and loamy rooty woods trails, and they've been great there too. I've not yet tried them out in bad weather though (TBH I'm a bit of a fair weather rider, especially with vee brakes), and I've read a couple of reviews which say they're very slippy on wet smooth rock and roots, so nice to have a heads up there. 




I was a little worried about the climb back up to Princetown with a 32/30t bottom gear, but it wasn't as bad as I feared. A lot of the climb is sufficiently techy that the suspension made up for some of the torque I was lacking. Not sure whether it would be optimal to get a new front gripshift and run the bike as a 22/32 double with 11-30 on the back, or to save up my pennies and get a narrow wide (oval?) single ring up front and an 11-34 cassette on the back... though for now I'm planning on running the drivetrain into the ground as it is and gloating a little to myself how little the bike's cost me. Either way I get the feeling I will be hanging onto this bike for a while


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## keithmac (15 Oct 2016)

Just goes to show you don't need to throw endless amounts of money at a bike to enjoy it!, nice refreshing read!.


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## MarquisMatsugae (15 Oct 2016)

Nice report back @ChrisEyles ,and I agree with @keithmac that your 20 quid has exceeded my/your expectations.
What is the travel on your sus units ?
My 1996 Pro-Flex had 100mm up front and a mahoosive 80 mm on the back 
The reason I asked about the Vreddy's is I came across them before.
The 2.4's sound an ideal size,but my trails are predominately small stones and gravel,so might struggle.
Thanks for the report,and nice to see Marin were making good handling bikes in an era where I thought they didn't 
Just goes to show never judge a book by it's cover


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## keithmac (15 Oct 2016)

I can always remeber my workmate coming back from Leeds after just spending £2000 on a downhill full suspension "bike", it was actually just a frame and a rear shock absorber.

Considering this was 15 years ago I was lost for words!.


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## MarquisMatsugae (15 Oct 2016)

keithmac said:


> I can always remeber my workmate coming back from Leeds after just spending £2000 on a downhill full suspension "bike", it was actually just a frame and a rear shock absorber.
> 
> Considering this was 15 years ago I was lost for words!.



Do you remember what it was ?


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## ChrisEyles (15 Oct 2016)

MarquisMatsugae said:


> What is the travel on your sus units ?



The front forks are 100mm RST Mozo Pro. They're only spring/elastomer combos, but they handle really nicely. Other than the lack of lock-out, I'd say there's not that much to choose between them and the RockShox Tora on the (modern) hardtail I borrow a lot to ride. The rear I'm not sure about TBH, and I don't know how to measure it either. I've got the spring pre-loaded about half of the available amount giving around 25% sag and am yet to bottom it out despite trying quite hard. There's a little bit of pedal bob, but since this is the only FS bike I've ridden I can't really compare it to anything else. 



MarquisMatsugae said:


> nice to see Marin were making good handling bikes in an era where I thought they didn't



I *really* like it, but I would say that the handling is definitely of its time what with the steeper head angle and narrow bars/long stem combo. It's very different from the modern 29er hardtail I ride, requiring a somewhat more active approach to digging the bike into corners. I personally prefer it, and although it does feel significantly harier on the fast tricky sections I'm not sure that's a bad thing (until you go over the bars that is!). 

I think I must just have struck lucky because although I imagine the geometry is similar-ish to my (same vintage) rigid Marin the slightly smaller frame size is absolutely spot on for me. Both are ace for railing around the corners, but the smaller size seems a lot easier to wheelie/manual/jump on.


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## keithmac (6 Nov 2016)

MarquisMatsugae said:


> Do you remember what it was ?



I'm sure it was a San Andreas, his was black though. He did a fair few downhill races so probably an investment!.


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## MarquisMatsugae (6 Nov 2016)

keithmac said:


> I'm sure it was a San Andreas, his was black though. He did a fair few downhill races so probably an investment!.



That name does ring a bell .
That would have been the mutts nuts back then.
As was my Pro-Flex


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## keithmac (6 Nov 2016)

It was similar to this one, had some fancy triple clamp front forks (Marrzochi Bombers?). I had a go on it but preferred my hardtail Dawse Edge XT which was significantly cheaper!.

Have you a pic of your pro-flex?.


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## MarquisMatsugae (6 Nov 2016)

I'll dig about my old computer upstairs,I'm sure I have possibly two


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