Finished! New Boingy! 03 Marin Alpine trail Swamp Thing

[doctorstewie]

As is my preference, it's made by Marin. It's a 2003 ( according to MBUK) Alpine Trail. It was dirt cheap, partly because you get a lot of dirt free with it. The rust comes complimentary too. It's filthy, rusty and probably a bit knackered, but it was cheap ( I like cheap ) and it's one of the TARA frames, which is something I am keen to play with.
I am away from home right now so it'll be waiting for me when I get home. I'll make a nice winter project after the Konas.
Anyone else had one? If so any advice/pitfalls?

Here it is as it was on ebay:

Just a quick wash and brush up as you can see ...

 

[dablk]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

Its trying to become a tree

 

[doctorstewie]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

It's most of the way there. I am slightly worried it'll be possessed by some bloody Garden Spirit or the mould/lichen on it will have evolved to hostile sentience.
"Mountain biker absorbed by hellish mould/bike hybrid whilst trying to fix it..."

 

[LikeClockwork]

Re:

Oh you b*gger! You saw I had a new full sus play thing and had to have another one yourself didn't you!

The slime should clean off that really well, I reckon it'll be fine under all that crud. The only Marins I really like are these and the older full sus ones they did, like your other one. Could never see the attraction of the hardtails, but then, each to their own. But I do like this! A lot!

 

[LikeClockwork]

Re:

...

 

[doctorstewie]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

No! Honest, I bought it a while back but it took me some time to get it back up the frozen North. ( But then when I see what you have I might get all jealous )
I love my other one, but I am just a bit scared for the old swingarm, so I got this one to thrash around the trail centres. ( The Rifty thrashes very well indeed, but I do fear for her back end...fnarrrrr) I reckon you are right and it'll be ok under the er.."patina" but whatever it is I can fix it, it's a bike after all, not a nuclear reactor. Some of the Marin hardtails/rigids I quite like, but I reckon the boingy ones were where it was at. The very fact I can thrash a 17 year old sus bike around a trail centre with it's original shock and bearings is, to me, testament to that. My GF has a TARA bike and that's fantastic so I am looking forward to giving this one a good going over. ( Fnarrrr etc )

 

[RickTheUncivil]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

This is what it's all about, folks. Seeing the shiny gleam of hope through the muck and neglect, bringing it back into use, great stuff. Best of luck with the project.

 

[doctorstewie]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

Cheers Rick Yep, in my mind's eyes she's a gleaming spanking piece of two wheeled Hi Techiness, just begging for a day at BPW. Once she's got new tyres she'll even smell new ( Actually, the smell of a "new" bike to me these days is a mix of Muck Off, Degreaser, Bike Spray and - on a good day - new tyres. and I like it that way ;-) )

I was gonna bung a drop post on her, but she's a 27.00. Who makes a 27.00 drop post? *mutter*

Anyway, I love that sense of achievement you get when you get them all fixed up, shiny and riding like new. Really looking forward to getting to grips with this slightly more teched up bike than I am used to

 

[dablk]

Re: I gotta new boingy thing...

I dont think its as bad as you think it is.

I would defo order a headset for it to be sat at home when you get back. As you say tyres. If the shock quick release just a standard seat post one?
some brake hose clips to get ride of those horrible zip ties.

I very much doubt you will find a dropper post in a 27.0

Chris

 

[legrandefromage]

Re:

Soooo last year (yawn). Was actually going to bid on that after building: