BarryStrepsil
Dirt Disciple
- Feedback
- View
I started mountain biking when I was about 12... scarily that's 18 years ago.
I did it for a good while, riding a God awful fully rigid Claude Butler Xantos to destruction. All the while lusting after most of the bikes I've seen while quickly looking through this site.
This site is awesome by the way! It all comes gloriously flooding back!
Anyway I did eventually buy a half decent bike. A 1999 Marin B17 with upgraded brakes to Hope C2s. I loved it, but after a few years I got the girfriend/job/wife/mortgage/baby. I also lost a bit of passion after a couple of nasty spills and trips to A and E.
Anyway for nearly 5 years my B17 languished in my Mums shed back at home. My brother-in-law has just got into riding in a huge way... and I am *madly* jealous... so I finally plucked up the courage to see what state it was in.
(I was trying to post a pic, but it won't let me yet!)
It turns out it's not too bad. The frame is fine, cobwebby, but fine. The X-vert T's seem fine.
The Hopes have seized, but I think they're recoverable - there's some rusting on the caliper bolts though.
The wheels seem OK too. Still a weird mix of rims, with a Mavic and a Sunn Mammouth.
The 24-Seven bars have surface rust on them, the stems fine. The gripshift shifters are shot (I never took to rapidfires)... well I snapped the big ring one years ago while riding down a kerb...
My main worry is the crappy Shockworks rear shock, I'm not sure how much I can trust that. I barely trusted it new.
I was researching fixing it up, and found here. I'm hoping I'll be around to get the B17 back in rideable shape. I've certainly got my eye on a few bits. (I could drop some serious cash on the stuff I've seen for sale!)
Anyway there's a long introductory post for you!
I did it for a good while, riding a God awful fully rigid Claude Butler Xantos to destruction. All the while lusting after most of the bikes I've seen while quickly looking through this site.
This site is awesome by the way! It all comes gloriously flooding back!
Anyway I did eventually buy a half decent bike. A 1999 Marin B17 with upgraded brakes to Hope C2s. I loved it, but after a few years I got the girfriend/job/wife/mortgage/baby. I also lost a bit of passion after a couple of nasty spills and trips to A and E.
Anyway for nearly 5 years my B17 languished in my Mums shed back at home. My brother-in-law has just got into riding in a huge way... and I am *madly* jealous... so I finally plucked up the courage to see what state it was in.
(I was trying to post a pic, but it won't let me yet!)
It turns out it's not too bad. The frame is fine, cobwebby, but fine. The X-vert T's seem fine.
The Hopes have seized, but I think they're recoverable - there's some rusting on the caliper bolts though.
The wheels seem OK too. Still a weird mix of rims, with a Mavic and a Sunn Mammouth.
The 24-Seven bars have surface rust on them, the stems fine. The gripshift shifters are shot (I never took to rapidfires)... well I snapped the big ring one years ago while riding down a kerb...
My main worry is the crappy Shockworks rear shock, I'm not sure how much I can trust that. I barely trusted it new.
I was researching fixing it up, and found here. I'm hoping I'll be around to get the B17 back in rideable shape. I've certainly got my eye on a few bits. (I could drop some serious cash on the stuff I've seen for sale!)
Anyway there's a long introductory post for you!
another b17 :roll: i have a 1998 in red/white that i've just built 
