1999 Marin Bear Valley refurb

[sparkybhp]

Just picked this up via an ad on Gumtree:

It’s not all that special I know, but it hit all the points on my project requirements list: Cheap, Local & Correct size(!)
Plans are to go through it front to back and get it rideable once more, should make a nice steel hardtail for the trails once it’s done.

 

[madjh]

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be special but serve to a pourpose. Clean, oil, some new cables grips a saddle and perhaps chain and casette and that is all to have fun. The fork if you have one could be other point to improve but I would go cheap.
I have done a cheap project with a Massi Toro and it is not pretty, and doesn’t have to be pretty as it is a mud bike and I love it Mud is very fun if you have the right bike.

That front tubes … unecesary shape that no many likes. And they continue with the aluminium ones and that hydroformed tubes. And the sales dropped

I don’t know any thing about Marin today, but many brands has desapeared like Orange and in USA Kona, and GT. Even Rocky Mountain (and this is very bad news … very bad ) has problems and is trying to recover … at least they didn’t disappear but that is a significan company today and has lot of cool stuff. Marin? I don’t know

 

[sparkybhp]

I agree with what you say, they don’t all have to be super flash/collectable bikes. Sometimes the cheap/functional bikes surprise you and you grow to love them.
I jumped right in with this one and other than a slightly stubborn seatpost it came apart fine. It was then a deep clean and reassemble as parts were cleaned and serviced. I fitted a replacement Ritchey Logic headset which I had as the original was a bit notchy. The wheel hubs were serviced and the cranks stripped and cleaned, cassette cleaned up too.

I then tried a different stem and these Ritchey Kyote bars which I bought for something else but didn’t end up using. I think they suit the bike and have changed the direction of the build from a straight refurb to a more gravel bike type of build. The Conti tyres suit the new direction perfectly and the rest of the parts will be a similar theme.
Funny how these things take shape, I’m looking forward to finishing this one over Easter and trying it out.

 

[Rotorhead]

Great clean up! I had a 1999 Muirwoods for a few years. Perfectly capable XC trail bike and I had lots of great rides on it….

 

[madjh]

Nice one, the fork match the frame and that group set despite is not pretty, works quite fine (I had it many years ago and was amazing durable) and you got the nice brakes, not the ones that match group set that was a bit ... oversized and ugly compared with the previous one more stylised.

That was the type of bicycle that we ride in the 00s and today works fine for routes.