The bike I should be riding...89 Marin OAP conversion....finished!

[benjabbi]

@Tootyred here you go, 105mm horizontal, 135mm centre to centre along the extension and 165mm from the limit line to the centre of the bar clamp, let me know if it's any good or if you need other measurements. I have no use for it, you're welcome to it if you think it will help.

 

[Tootyred]

Things have moved on.....

@benjabbi kindly sent me the above stem....thank you. It allowed me to set yo the bars and see where we were at. I even gave the brakeless bike a tentative ride up the road and back, having wound the rear mech screw in, to give me a usable gear!

It provided an excellent point of reference for the height, sadly, it didn't have quite the reach....annoying!

So, I've opted for the 88 marin roller stem, which has a decent degree of rise, a long quill and the correct reach. To get the bike running, ive put the Azonic bars in and have just about got the controls on....Its not perfect, as they are a bit close together ( levers too close to grips, thumbshifter a bit close to my hands at 3 O'Clock etc). Also, there is no space for bars ends, which i going to need, just to allow a bit of movement to ave my hands and wrists.

The plan is to wait it out like this (it is winter after all) and try to source some bars before spring.

The good news is i can at least now set up the gears and brakes!

Progress!

 

[retroJIM]

Also, there is no space for bars ends, which i going to need, just to allow a bit of movement to ave my hands and wrists.

Ah, bar ends with riser bars... controversial

 

[Tootyred]

Its not a fashion statement.....its a necessity.....knackered wrists, back knees and shoulders......need to keep swapping or i loose contact with bits of me. I think bar ends look crappy on any bar, but your right, risers don't help the look.

But then as i said at the very beginning, this is a bike for riding....

Anyway, I blame 40 years of rigid mtbs and trackies! Oh and probably marathon running, bmx, climbing and then rebuilding houses and kneeling at work! Can't think why bits should have worn out!

 

[Canuckbiker]

Things have moved on.....

@benjabbi kindly sent me the above stem....thank you. It allowed me to set yo the bars and see where we were at. I even gave the brakeless bike a tentative ride up the road and back, having wound the rear mech screw in, to give me a usable gear!

It provided an excellent point of reference for the height, sadly, it didn't have quite the reach....annoying!

So, I've opted for the 88 marin roller stem, which has a decent degree of rise, a long quill and the correct reach. To get the bike running, ive put the Azonic bars in and have just about got the controls on....Its not perfect, as they are a bit close together ( levers too close to grips, thumbshifter a bit close to my hands at 3 O'Clock etc). Also, there is no space for bars ends, which i going to need, just to allow a bit of movement to ave my hands and wrists.

The plan is to wait it out like this (it is winter after all) and try to source some bars before spring.

The good news is i can at least now set up the gears and brakes!

Progress!View attachment 684273

Amazing job refurbishing the XC pro bits

 

[Tootyred]

So....really the last bits now done and its all cabled up. Ive left them a touch long to allow for slightly wider bars when i find them.

Ive used Jagwire Lex / Cex, which i find is an excellent outer at a reasonable cost. Super slick gear change and good brake feel.

I toyed around fitting a little front rack, then dicovered i needed to modify the front bracket as it interfered with the cantilever cable......then decided it wasn't really for me aesthetically .

I know the trendy kids and hipsters love them, but tbh, I think im going to pop a rear rack on when a decent lightweight black jobbie pops up. Plus its less likely to interfere with the handling without extra weight dragging the forks around.

Also, some might be interested in the weight aspect, as these world touring bikes (which frankly is what its morphed into) can be frightening heavy.

Bare bike is shade over 12kg. But with all the accessories its 12.75kg. Which is not bad. The biggest weight hog is the stem and the wire bead tyres.....i could probably shed 1/2 kg with a bit of pruning in the future.

Now just a test ride or two.......and some photos!

 

[Tootyred]

Fantastic day for test ride 2......freezing, but stunningly beautiful.

 

[Imlach]

Fantastic day for test ride 2......freezing, but stunningly beautiful.

View attachment 686102

Love that. Looks comfy and capable.

 

[Tootyred]

Its getting there. Needs a few tweeks.

Back at home working on the rack for it. Was going to go with a front rack....but im just not trendy enough!

So, dug out an old rack, pretty chipped and tired, so, rubbed it down, coat of "tough coat" mat black, bobs your uncle. Stays are in the rust removal tank for a couple of days, now I've scrubbed the old paint off. Will bend them to shape then spray them up.

Deffo getting there.

 

[Tootyred]

Racks fitted and been riding the bike quite a bit. Extremely comfortable and mile muncher to boot.....even in the extreme cold.

Ive had to make a couple of small changes.

First was that brake cables needed altering as they were groaning in the levers a bit. I think this made (jagwire) has slightly smaller nipples than some and they were turning in the holes. This was fixed with some brass nipple inserts from old first gen XT kit. Now they rotate as they should and dont twist.

Second was the front brake cable routing; I love a roller stem....i think its a marin owners thing, but the problem comes when there is just too much length of cable from the hanger to stem to the hanger.....in this case huge.

I was getting some strange brake shudder.....tried a stem mounted hanger, then realised that i could alo solve the problem of not being able to easily shift bar height at the same time.

So i fitted an Origin 8 fork mounted hanger.....now i know this arrangement is not best liked, but the Origin ones are super stiff....i had one on an orange prestige and had no issues.

Brake judder gone and now im free to shift the stem as i wish. So if i want to do a bit of slightly more aggressive off roading whilst touring i can drop the quill right in and get the control back. Stem was divested of its roller and guide and re finished....as im unlikely to use it on anything else!

Finally, having tested the continental travel contacts and liked them, i decided to bite the bullet a get myself a folding pair with duraskin side walls. Lighter and a bit more compliant to ride on.

As soon as i get a chance to clean it i will pop up so e pictures of it finished with a full spec sheet.