pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
Well I haven't been back here in a while! : )
Updates? There are a couple.
The frame has been well Maased since my last post, and is still looking nice and shiny. And some parts have started to slowly arrive here too.
I have it in my head that I'll wait to do any significant updates regarding components until there's a fair old stash of them gathered. But I guess we'll see, because I already have some major questions about one of them! (More on that shortly.)
I do have a pretty clear direction for the build planned out in my mind now though. Something that is hopefully a little further off the beaten track and away from the expected arrangement of a Team Issue.
For one, I've decided to play fast and loose with era-appropriate parts. I'm not straying too far, don't panic! But it may end up teetering between the very early 90s and around '95 or so. Just based on what I've already picked up and what I'm still on the hunt for.
@2manyoranges put it nicely HERE I think.
"Two summers of riding and two winters of upgrading."
Say you bought yourself a new bike in '92; threw some old favourites on it when it arrived and updated a few others in the years following. That's kind of the vibe I'm going for.
The other vibe is to build my very own donor bike.
Okay, so bear with me a minute here...
There are two, maybe three, bikes I'd really love to own some day. I mean, there's probably five. Maybe ten. But let's say three! And my thinking for this Team Issue of mine is to base the build around parts I might one day need for these hypothetical future rides.
A bit weird, I know. But maybe kind of fun, too.
You see, starting out with the Specialized and following it up with this Marin (both proper mainstream, mass-produced, albeit still beautiful, bikes) has really focused my mind a little on what I want and what I don't want moving forward. This place has helped a lot too, of course. All those fine bikes; all those dream builds. But I'm not planning on ever owning a shedful of bikes (I don't have the room and don't imagine I'll ever have the money) and I don't really want to keep buying just for buying's sake (no matter how tempting that might be). There are, however, a handful of bikes, by a couple of master builders, that I do really want to own one day, and I've made up my mind recently to slowly start actively trying to locate one or two of them. In the hopes of eventually having a couple of longterm holy grail projects on the go. Rather than just a bunch of smaller, less holy grail ones!
These are all undoubtedly pretty expensive bikes. They are deep-pockets, long-shot, happy-accident kinds of bikes. And I don't want to limit my funds and thus chances of ever scoring one in the future, should they appear on my radar; on here or on eBay; in some dusty barn or damp cellar somewhere.
Now these dream bikes of mine might never materialize, of course. So it's important that what I put on the Team Issue works well with what it is in the first place. Which means I won't be doing anything too crazy! Hopefully it will just be a nice-looking bike that's actually a tribute to two or three other bikes!
Settling on this idea has already really helped focus both my hunting and my purchases.
Do I really want this? Would it work on A, B or C in the future?
Anyway, maybe you guys can figure out some of the bikes and their respective builders based on the parts that end up going on this one?
You know, like a REALLY FUN game! : )
Well, I guess this little essay is over for now. And I'll save the questions I have about one of my purchases for another day...
Updates? There are a couple.
The frame has been well Maased since my last post, and is still looking nice and shiny. And some parts have started to slowly arrive here too.
I have it in my head that I'll wait to do any significant updates regarding components until there's a fair old stash of them gathered. But I guess we'll see, because I already have some major questions about one of them! (More on that shortly.)
I do have a pretty clear direction for the build planned out in my mind now though. Something that is hopefully a little further off the beaten track and away from the expected arrangement of a Team Issue.
For one, I've decided to play fast and loose with era-appropriate parts. I'm not straying too far, don't panic! But it may end up teetering between the very early 90s and around '95 or so. Just based on what I've already picked up and what I'm still on the hunt for.
@2manyoranges put it nicely HERE I think.
"Two summers of riding and two winters of upgrading."
Say you bought yourself a new bike in '92; threw some old favourites on it when it arrived and updated a few others in the years following. That's kind of the vibe I'm going for.
The other vibe is to build my very own donor bike.
Okay, so bear with me a minute here...
There are two, maybe three, bikes I'd really love to own some day. I mean, there's probably five. Maybe ten. But let's say three! And my thinking for this Team Issue of mine is to base the build around parts I might one day need for these hypothetical future rides.
A bit weird, I know. But maybe kind of fun, too.
You see, starting out with the Specialized and following it up with this Marin (both proper mainstream, mass-produced, albeit still beautiful, bikes) has really focused my mind a little on what I want and what I don't want moving forward. This place has helped a lot too, of course. All those fine bikes; all those dream builds. But I'm not planning on ever owning a shedful of bikes (I don't have the room and don't imagine I'll ever have the money) and I don't really want to keep buying just for buying's sake (no matter how tempting that might be). There are, however, a handful of bikes, by a couple of master builders, that I do really want to own one day, and I've made up my mind recently to slowly start actively trying to locate one or two of them. In the hopes of eventually having a couple of longterm holy grail projects on the go. Rather than just a bunch of smaller, less holy grail ones!
These are all undoubtedly pretty expensive bikes. They are deep-pockets, long-shot, happy-accident kinds of bikes. And I don't want to limit my funds and thus chances of ever scoring one in the future, should they appear on my radar; on here or on eBay; in some dusty barn or damp cellar somewhere.
Now these dream bikes of mine might never materialize, of course. So it's important that what I put on the Team Issue works well with what it is in the first place. Which means I won't be doing anything too crazy! Hopefully it will just be a nice-looking bike that's actually a tribute to two or three other bikes!
Settling on this idea has already really helped focus both my hunting and my purchases.
Do I really want this? Would it work on A, B or C in the future?
Anyway, maybe you guys can figure out some of the bikes and their respective builders based on the parts that end up going on this one?
You know, like a REALLY FUN game! : )
Well, I guess this little essay is over for now. And I'll save the questions I have about one of my purchases for another day...
Last edited:
