Marin Superlite or Utrastrong

[Zappimax]

Hi folks,

I am puzzled by the steel used by Marin in the early 1990s on some of its top-of-the-range models. I recently bought a 1993 Team Marin from a fellow who rode for their French team in the late 1980s. The frame is made of Tange Prestige Ultimate Ultrastrong steel. I assumed this was usual.
Then a week ago a German posted a Team Issue of the same vintage on Ebay.de, saying the frame was made of Tange Ultimate Ultrastrong Prestige (presumably the same as mine).

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/707-53477 ... 579wt_1165

This prompted me to check the catalogue (German version) which says both bikes uses Prestige Superlite steel (confirmed by Bikepedia).

As I know quite a few of you folks have similar bikes, I wondered if anyone could throw some light on the inconsistency. Did Marin maybe use odd batches of tubing when the usual stuff was in short supply?

Does anyone know what difference it makes?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

cheers
Zappi

 

[FluffyChicken]

Bikepedia is no confirmation it just uses user put information almost that certainly from the catalogues. You'll find it only has seatpost sizes if the catalogue also has, same with bottom bracket length and you'll fins years missing if no catalogue has been found

 

[beagle]

Tubing info is here: http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/tange/ ... at1997.pdf

Full Tange tubing and fork catalog: http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/tange/ ... index.html

 

[FluffyChicken]

1992 is listed in English as having Ultimate downtube. Though Ultimate is just a series name Superlight and Ultrastong and UltraLight are tubes in the series.
Superlight may refer to the Marin superlite concept ?


Anyways, Seen as it says the downtube is 33.0 then it has to be Ultimate Superlight MTB tubing.

 

[Anthony]

I think that year the Team Marin and the Team Issue did have the same frame, but the Team Issue was more expensive because it had a full XTR groupset.

I would imagine that the frame is made out of Superlight, because I think we have had a thread on here of a comparison between a 1993 Team Marin and a Parkpre 825, which is certainly made of Superlight - and they had very comparable weights, if you allowed for different tube choices.

If your frame had a complete Ultrastrong tubeset, it would have the distinctive ribbed downtube which only the Ultrastrong had. If your downtube isn't ribbed, that would be further evidence that it is made of Superlight.

Both tubesets are of the same quality, and both are heat-treated. Tange brought out the Ultimate range as a follow-up to standard Prestige, with a range of purposes based on the tube gauges - from Superlight the lightest, through Ultralight up to Ultrastrong the heaviest and strongest. I think they were all of the same quality and price though - it just gave makers a choice of tubes to suit the design philosophy for each particular model.