Help with Marin frame numbers please!

[PopsTrippin]

Re: Re:

also resurrecting an old thread.
bought a bear valley SE for £15 basically as a friend wanted the rapid fire shifters. ended giving him the front mech, rear mechs as well. the chainrings were shot.
so the plan is to run it as single speed and i'm nearly there apart from the bloody seatpost...size?
i thought i took a 27.2mm out (it was missing the clamp) but the one i have is too large and so is my 27mm.
the frame number is M42CA0157 so from that it's Eldridge grade in 1992?
26.4mm seatpost?

I need to check my frame number when I get home to see if it is similar to my '92 Eldridge... but if it is, then it is indeed a 26.4 post.

 

[integerspin]

42 is a 92 bearvalley. 32 is an eldridge grade.

 

[nuovo_record]

42 is a 92 bearvalley. 32 is an eldridge grade.

now I'm confused, according to the first page:
7 is the model number. Exclude the Ti bikes and work down the list eg.

1 Team Issue
2 Team Marin
3 Pine Mountain
4 Eldridge grade
5 Bear Valley
6 Muirwoods
7 Palisades Trail
8 Bobcat Trail

then BV is a 52, but some were apparently rebadged Eldridge grade

 

[integerspin]

12 is a team in 92, they must have numbered team and team issue 1.

 

[hamster]

Remember that Team Issue didn't exist in some years and so all the lower models move up the ladder.

 

[nuovo_record]

Re:

Managed to borrow a pair of vernier and it seems to measure 26.4, so
ordered and should hopefully be here soon

 

[nuovo_record]

Re:

26.4mm fits like a glove

 

[davecox]

Re:

Hello everyone, just stumbled across this site and thankfully this thread whilst researching into an identical query with a Marin bike of my own.
I have, what i know to be a Marin MTB from the 90's which i have owned for 15+ years. I deceided recently to give it a fresh overhaul and a new lease of life as i still enjoy riding it in the summer months (particularly with my son in kiddies seat just behind me), but mainly because the freewheel had broken and that was the deciding factor to do it.

I had the frame stripped and just before i had it re-coated i noticed the frame number on the bottom: M50KE0114

Frame number before coating....


and now the frame has been coated....


However, until now the bike has been stickered up as a Paillisades, but I have read through the various posts here and it could actually be a Bear Valley, particularly as it has the Marin Lite Front forks, stem and bars. I also cannot determine the frame size from the Charts, so i was hoping someone with more experice could help shed some light on this one.

Thanks,
Dave.

 

[integerspin]

Team is one in 1992, well M12 and a 90 pine is M20 so I guess thats a Muirwoods.

 

[npn]

I thought I'd add to the weirdness of Marin frame numbering.

1996 Marin Nail Trail, 17" frame. http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... p;t=363061
CM6TAC012

So far only the 3rd character "6" (year 1996) makes sense and the the 6th "C" which is the frame size of 17".

I went through the entire thread and I think I only saw one other serial number that has a letter vs. a number for the second character "CM6..."