Hi, all. Just joined the forum - I came across it because I've been looking at getting an old (but classy) MTB to use as an around town, multi-purpose stealth bike and google did what it does best ...
Last night I picked up an old Marin. Looks in pretty good shape - no decals but otherwise very solid. The plan is just to tidy it up a bit - but I know what I'm like and will probably start to get obsessive about making it authentic.
The frame number is M21ME0059 - and that first 0 is definitely a 0 not a B or a D - the frame number is pretty clear. Which, according to this thread, means it was built at the Marvel factory (wherever that is) in 1991 - but doesn't help with the size (although I got my tape measure out and it seems to be 17.5 inch c-c). And it seems to be a Team Marin model, although I can't verify that as there are no decals on it. Which is where I was hoping you guys might be able to help with your encyclopaedic knowledge of such things.
The distinguishing feature is a bright orange quill stem (with a Marin decal on it) and a bright orange bottle cage (with a Mt Zekal logo on it - I don't think Mt Zekal is quite right - but I'm sure you know the company I mean). The bike itself is a dark grey - possibly a respray as it isn't as smooth or glossy as I might expect from a factory paint job but the guy I bought it from said it was original, although he hadn't had it from new. The guy said there was information/photos on the web about these bikes with orange stems - though I haven't managed to find it so far. Does the bright orange stem mean anything to anyone out there? I don't think it's aftermarket.
Any other comments about the bike? I'm very new to retro MTBs so I don't even have any idea whether the Team Marin is a budget model or a decent model.
I'll post a pic at the weekend (when I get some chance during daylight hours to take a photo of it). Pics always help!
Cheers!
Oh, yeah - unfortunately it's a bit too big for me. It was advertised as a 17 inch frame, but it's actually a 19 inch - from a bit of research it seems I've been caught out by Marin measuring their bikes c-c rather than c-t. It's still rideable for a 5 ft 9 inch tall person like me - although there isn't as much space as I would like between my sensitive areas and the top tube when my feet are on the ground. I'll give it a go and see how I get on.
