Groupset options for '91 Marin

[zanderam]

Picked up a Marin Bear Valley from 91 the other day. Took it out for the first ride today, it rides pretty sweet but the components needs some serious TLC or some changing. To be honest I wanna convert it to a 1x. The crank is in decent conditions and just swap the chainrings out with a narrow wide? The issue is then to be limited to a 7-speed cassette in the back. Could go for a new shifter, but then the wheelset would need changing to fit the bigger cassettes. Live in a hilly city so a big gear ration would be preferable.


Any recommendations to a decent priced solution, or anyone who has done something similar?

 

[Gtpulse]

What’s the rear hub? Many of the Shimano splined hubs will fit more cogs. I built this one for my brother, it’s a 1x11 using SLX the hubs are Shimano pattern Coda which were probably 7 or 8 speed originally. Think he bought shifter/cassette/chain/chainring for me to fit. The front chainring needs be a narrow-wide. You can get away with all sorts of bodging/experimentation but this lot worked out of the box as a combo. Reusing a grannie ring meant it kept falling off hence buying the narrow wide.

Can’t say I’m a fan of it but it’s what he wanted. To be honest there’s plenty of Bear Valleys out there and it’s giving an old frame a new life!

 

[zanderam]

Rear hub is Shimano Exage. 400, could that be correct?

Hard to find a decent 26" set that can fit 9-speed. At least up here in Northern Europe.

Interesting build. Like the simpler look of a 1x. Would like something in that direction, but dont need to go that extreme. Only going to be a pubbike/commuter, so don't need 1:1 or less.

 

[Tootyred]

That groupset will have a narrow cassette freehub which will take 7 speed.

The latter ones are 5mm bigger which then allows 8+ to go on. You can cook the hub by grafting a 8+ speed freehub onto the body...ive done it on old xt, its a fiddle with spacers, and a possibly a slight re dish....but.

The easier option is to go for 3x7. If you take the weight of those dinner plate casettes needed ( compared with a 12 -28 ) away from a tiny mech, 2 rings and a thumbshifter....there's not much in it....

Unless its just a style thing......then you just need to pedal harder as i doubt the mech will take more than 30t either!

 

[legrandefromage]

200GS!

Will never wear out

 

[Tootyred]

Or mt62.....great kit...seems very cheap at the moment....

 

[marc two tone]

When you go down the moderne route, there are all sorts of annoying obstacles. Jump over them or preserve, its upto you.
For me, keep it as it is but consider upgrades to 500lx, LX, DX etc....
These one -by- whatever bikes just look like a purpose made fixie, thingy. Which you could just buy instead.

 

[zanderam]

I don't know. Guess I'm just a sucker for the cleaner setup with 1x. Half the fun with this bike is gonna do everything myself. Usually don't faff around with my road bikes. Have a habit of breaking stuff.

If there's an award for the loudest crankset in the world, the competition wouldn't even be close. This is a clear winner. Everything with a setup with multiple chainrings annoys me. Shifter itself, impossible to index it properly, all the noise.

 

[Tootyred]

Thumbshifter........no noise, put the front mech exactly where you want it.....that's why I've never had rapid fire except on my winter hack!

And if the back isn't indexing, then something is bent, worn or badly adjusted!

 

[Jamesbike]

200GS!

Will never wear out

Blast from the past!!