Marin or Not?
- Thread starter Charlieboy28
- Start date
Hi All
New to the forum and also a Bear Valley owner, or is it??
Purchased mine new in Italy while on holiday in 94.
Sold to me as NOS [possibly a 92 bike!] from a respected bike shop [Perini Sport] so pretty sure it's a legit bike.
It has a funky paint job [ blue bars/forks, bright orange frame with blue/white paint flicks all over] of which i have seen no others so probably made for the Italian market.
Checked the s/n M40KA0227 against the formula posted and its telling me that its a 90 Eldridge Grade? of unknown size!
Am i reading the code correctly?
John
New to the forum and also a Bear Valley owner, or is it??
Purchased mine new in Italy while on holiday in 94.
Sold to me as NOS [possibly a 92 bike!] from a respected bike shop [Perini Sport] so pretty sure it's a legit bike.
It has a funky paint job [ blue bars/forks, bright orange frame with blue/white paint flicks all over] of which i have seen no others so probably made for the Italian market.
Checked the s/n M40KA0227 against the formula posted and its telling me that its a 90 Eldridge Grade? of unknown size!
Am i reading the code correctly?
John
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You are reading the code correctly.
As for 'Eldridge Grade', well that coding (level of model) depends on what was there in the year it was made or if frames were shared between models.
1990 would be a production date, so could be a 1991 'model bike'
It's based around a code given for 1994 models. the '0' for size has turned up before and iirc has always been a 'D' size or nobody has checked. It's easy to check, just measure it
PICTURES tend to be more important than serial codes, especialy if orginal paintwork.
---
Charlieboy, I was just reading the code... was not expecting it to be correct.. first of all it's not a Marvel coded frame which pretty much all have been where the code has been semi-readable
Hence why I said pinch of salt, which is preferable to tranqulaisers, though not in large quntities.
As for 'Eldridge Grade', well that coding (level of model) depends on what was there in the year it was made or if frames were shared between models.
1990 would be a production date, so could be a 1991 'model bike'
It's based around a code given for 1994 models. the '0' for size has turned up before and iirc has always been a 'D' size or nobody has checked. It's easy to check, just measure it
PICTURES tend to be more important than serial codes, especialy if orginal paintwork.
---
Charlieboy, I was just reading the code... was not expecting it to be correct.. first of all it's not a Marvel coded frame which pretty much all have been where the code has been semi-readable
Hence why I said pinch of salt, which is preferable to tranqulaisers, though not in large quntities.
Thanks for that, most helpful.
Although the paints original [and faded!] i have changed a few things over the years due breakages, its now fitted with "V" breaks/levers and i have had to replace the rear derailler/shiters.
The big change came recently when the rear wheel, seat and stem got nicked while my son was visiting a friend house, lucky i had a set of wheel from my 98 GT which went on with a change of cassette and chain and i also managed to get hold of a 26.2mm stem and dug out the original saddle.
Now i have the bike back together and the insurance paid out for a replacement!
John
P.S "got the original front wheel [black Araya CV7] going spare if anyones after one, bearing a bit gritty but it runs reasonably straight"
Although the paints original [and faded!] i have changed a few things over the years due breakages, its now fitted with "V" breaks/levers and i have had to replace the rear derailler/shiters.
The big change came recently when the rear wheel, seat and stem got nicked while my son was visiting a friend house, lucky i had a set of wheel from my 98 GT which went on with a change of cassette and chain and i also managed to get hold of a 26.2mm stem and dug out the original saddle.
Now i have the bike back together and the insurance paid out for a replacement!
John
P.S "got the original front wheel [black Araya CV7] going spare if anyones after one, bearing a bit gritty but it runs reasonably straight"
Hi,
The Bolinas era I was thinking of wasn’t a woman’s / shopper / commuter bike !
Other than the U brake (which might be explained by frame size) everything seems to match yours / your description ? Possible frame color / headset size / single eyelet drop out design / Tange fork sticker etc what do you think ? :?
If you’re worried about what your model has evolved into then don’t be too quick to wish it a bear valley either – The last one of those I saw in a bike shop was a women's bike and finished in baby pink !
WD
The Bolinas era I was thinking of wasn’t a woman’s / shopper / commuter bike !
Other than the U brake (which might be explained by frame size) everything seems to match yours / your description ? Possible frame color / headset size / single eyelet drop out design / Tange fork sticker etc what do you think ? :?
If you’re worried about what your model has evolved into then don’t be too quick to wish it a bear valley either – The last one of those I saw in a bike shop was a women's bike and finished in baby pink !
WD
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Getting closer I think
Hi WD Pro
its definitely getting closer, which year is this from?
might even be able to live with this in fact, however my forks were 100% black, had the sticker, and under the bolts had lettering, which i now know from looking at your forks said spinner, i could never make out what it said but there were letters there, or did other forks have this also
It also had full shimano groupset, which i now believe to be dx, im still looking for a picture of the shifters,which i believe were grey triggers with lines or grooves on them and blue.black casing and shimano in grey writing
If the year before was black forks with shimano grouset, i'll be happy,
however my yellow was that bluey green neon yellow, that yellow there is not too bad,
Thanks for looking though WD, I do appreciate it. also it would appear that that is a small frame also judging by how close the top and bottom tube are on the headtube, but it doesnt have a u brake??
oh also seat post was black on my bike.minor i know
Charlieboy28
Hi WD Pro
its definitely getting closer, which year is this from?
might even be able to live with this in fact, however my forks were 100% black, had the sticker, and under the bolts had lettering, which i now know from looking at your forks said spinner, i could never make out what it said but there were letters there, or did other forks have this also
It also had full shimano groupset, which i now believe to be dx, im still looking for a picture of the shifters,which i believe were grey triggers with lines or grooves on them and blue.black casing and shimano in grey writing
If the year before was black forks with shimano grouset, i'll be happy,
however my yellow was that bluey green neon yellow, that yellow there is not too bad,
Thanks for looking though WD, I do appreciate it. also it would appear that that is a small frame also judging by how close the top and bottom tube are on the headtube, but it doesnt have a u brake??
oh also seat post was black on my bike.minor i know
Charlieboy28
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1991.
That's not a small frame in the picture, it's at least te 17.5" one, maybe even the 19"
That's not a small frame in the picture, it's at least te 17.5" one, maybe even the 19"
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Hmmm,
how can you tell perhaps i need to rethink my understanding of how bigger frames are made and look,
i thought that on a bigger frame the distance between the top tube and the down tube where they meet the head tube would be bigger, and that the head tube is bigger also (these tubes look to be quite close on the headtube similar to my small frame) and that this along with a longer seat post tube and down tube, top tube etc made the frame bigger, and that these lengths and distances had to be increased equally to maintain the frames geometry.
anyway im still of the view that the bike is earlier, and that this explains why my rear brake cable routing is different, and that this was the first year when the u brake was moved from the underneath of the bike, and Marin had not quite perfected what was to become a sort of trade mark curved brake cable hanger at the back of the bike and what can be seen on WD's bike, and that mine was an eraly incarnation of this,
this is very much a working theory and liable to change once i have the number for Marin HQ off benandemu.
Oh any thoughts on colours,coz if it is a borinass ridge i aint painting it yellow
how can you tell perhaps i need to rethink my understanding of how bigger frames are made and look,
i thought that on a bigger frame the distance between the top tube and the down tube where they meet the head tube would be bigger, and that the head tube is bigger also (these tubes look to be quite close on the headtube similar to my small frame) and that this along with a longer seat post tube and down tube, top tube etc made the frame bigger, and that these lengths and distances had to be increased equally to maintain the frames geometry.
anyway im still of the view that the bike is earlier, and that this explains why my rear brake cable routing is different, and that this was the first year when the u brake was moved from the underneath of the bike, and Marin had not quite perfected what was to become a sort of trade mark curved brake cable hanger at the back of the bike and what can be seen on WD's bike, and that mine was an eraly incarnation of this,
this is very much a working theory and liable to change once i have the number for Marin HQ off benandemu.
Oh any thoughts on colours,coz if it is a borinass ridge i aint painting it yellow
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Manufacturers always use the ~18" frame in the adverts as it's the most common type.
Your headtube is closer together than the one in the picture.
as it's the most common type.Your headtube is closer together than the one in the picture.
I would agree about the size of frame in the catalogue scan being the 17.5”, it looks pretty similar proportions / head tube size etc to mine
Did you keep the old forks ? They could give a good indication of date, mine were stamped 1989 and came on a 90 spec bike. 'Spinner' made a lot of forks for a lot of bike makes / bike models etc BITD
I have a theory on the cable hanger / bridge being a different design. Might be a long shot but hear me out …
• Smaller frame = More angled top tube.
• More angled top tube = Shorter seat stays.
• Shorter seat stays = Less room for cable bridge.
• U brake for heel clearance = More cable clearance required = Less room for cable bridge.
• Less room for cable bridge due to both above = Move it up closer to the seat tube.
• Closer to the seat tube = Less distance / gap between seat stays.
• Less distance / gap between seat stays = can’t make a tight enough bend to use the round tube cable bridge (due to material kinking / deforming).
Are you still with me So does the theory work and could this be the reason for the fabricated / triangular cable bridge ?
Get those frame numbers run past the Marin guys
WD
Did you keep the old forks ? They could give a good indication of date, mine were stamped 1989 and came on a 90 spec bike. 'Spinner' made a lot of forks for a lot of bike makes / bike models etc BITD
I have a theory on the cable hanger / bridge being a different design. Might be a long shot but hear me out …
• Smaller frame = More angled top tube.
• More angled top tube = Shorter seat stays.
• Shorter seat stays = Less room for cable bridge.
• U brake for heel clearance = More cable clearance required = Less room for cable bridge.
• Less room for cable bridge due to both above = Move it up closer to the seat tube.
• Closer to the seat tube = Less distance / gap between seat stays.
• Less distance / gap between seat stays = can’t make a tight enough bend to use the round tube cable bridge (due to material kinking / deforming).
Are you still with me
So does the theory work and could this be the reason for the fabricated / triangular cable bridge ?Get those frame numbers run past the Marin guys
WD
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