'94 Marin Palisades.......re-igniting the passion

[sherlylock]

Hi all,

Just joined this great forum after lurking for a few weeks - I've just had my passion for retro bikes re-ignited, especially '90's Marins, after signing up to ride the London to Southend event in July.

I took part on a "bitsa" that I had built up, loosely based on a '95 Rayleigh M-Trax frame which a mate had donated, but I enjoyed it so much I bid on and won a '94 Marin Palisades Trail that evening on eBay.

My late teenage years were spent riding a '93 Marin Bear Valley which I loved to bits and we used to spend many saturdays drooling over the more expensive models that the lbs had in stock........

 

[sherlylock]

.....which are obviously a little cheaper to buy these days.

I spent a while looking out for a Bear Valley but without much luck I settled on a Palisades Trail which I won for £33!

 

[sherlylock]

It was a bit of a punt but it turned out to be a good one. I picked it up mid-week and rode it into work the next day. Turns out that, after a little adjustment everything works perfectly well.......

 

[sherlylock]

......which has meant I could spend a little bit on a few minor mods to get it how I want it.

Long term plan is to strip it down over the winter and give it a full respray resto - as it's quite tatty close up. I think it's been stood outside for quite a bit of it's life as the paint is really faded and all the stone chips/fixings are rusty - but for the time being I'm just riding it and enjoying being back in the saddle.

I bought a set of slicks for it (Specialized Fatboys) as this is gonna be for road use but I ended up with a slash in the rear tyre on the way to work a few days back hence the mismatched tyres.......replacement slick is on its way!


palisades trail by sherlylock, on Flickr

 

[eviltroy]

Nice! My first "proper" mtb was one of those.. I rode the guts out of it, I still have the frame hanging in the shed. I built up a 95 pine mountain as a rigid single speed and is the most fun I have had for years... love those mid 90's marins

 

[sherlylock]

Nice! My first "proper" mtb was one of those.. I rode the guts out of it, I still have the frame hanging in the shed. I built up a 95 pine mountain as a rigid single speed and is the most fun I have had for years... love those mid 90's marins

I've got a soft spot for the mid-90's Marins too, probably for the same reason as you - many miles ridden on my Bear Valley as a teenager.

Here's the bike as bought (image taken from the ebay advert)

 

[sherlylock]

Been commuting for a few months now, gradually sorting out any niggles.....I've changed the stem for an ahead stem/riser (+ quill converter) to raise the handlebars. I'm a lanky bugger and I'm now realising the frame may be a bit on the small size......although it's a 19".

Also bought some lights for the dark commute home now that the nights are drawing in. Went for 2x Cateye TL-LD610 for the rear (with the clear lens) and a 1W led front light from Tesco (booo!) and I'm really pleased with them - makes me feel a little more confident about being seen on the road.

Tyres also swapped over for a set of Schwalbe Kojaks.


light_painted_marin by sherlylock, on Flickr

 

[We_are_Stevo]

I like 1.9" Schwalbe City Jets, very similar to my old Tioga City Slickers BITD...

 

[sherlylock]

I like 1.9" Schwalbe City Jets, very similar to my old Tioga City Slickers BITD...

I bought a set of amberwall city jets when I first bought the bike (can be seen on the rear wheel in the first pic in this thread).....good tyres! I've got them on my Rockhopper at the mo......