With some reluctance it's looking as though my MTB may be up for sale soon - I've only used it once or twice since the spring, and don't really get on with the riding position or the "feel" of the machine, concluding that straight handlebars and huge 26" tyres aren't for me.
As such I'm looking to get a feel for what it might fetch. The frame is some sort of mid-late 1990s butted steel Marin affair - the headtube is 1 1/8" if that helps to date it - repainted red by Cougar and as such bearing their decals (although the rear dropouts still bear the Marin stamp); it's in OK condition with the usual minor scratches & scuffs plus a couple of slight "dings" in the top tube. Gear cables are down-tube routed, there are 2 pairs of bottle bosses and the frame also has rear mudguard and rack mounts. Forks are Manitou Answer 4 and the headset is a no-name alloy cartridge bearing job which I only bought about 2 years back. The rest of the component spec is as follows:
Shimano Deore XT 8-speed rear & triple front derailleurs
SRAM/Sachs Neos twist-shifters
Unbranded alloy bars, Sachs handgrips
Saracen TIG-welded steel stem
Dia-Compe Direct Pull 7 brake levers
Shimano Alivio canti brakes with Fibrax blocks
Tatty-looking Selle Italia black Flite Ti-railed saddle
Selcof single-bolt microadjust seatpin - slightly too small and shimmed to fit with thin stainless strip.
SR 110BCD 175mm triple crankset, 46/36/26 rings (mix of Vuelta, Stronglight & SR)
Time ATAC Alium clipless pedals
Stronglight JP400 sealed BB unit (plastic cups)
Extras: Zefal plastic mini-pump & Velocity silver alloy bottle cage
As well as the seat pillar being shimmed, this bike has two other more significant issues. Firstly, one of the crank arms has seized on to the BB spindle, although since the BB itself is still in good order, this wouldn't be a short term problem and the drivetrain runs well. Secondly, you may have spotted in all of the above that there is no mention of a wheelset, since this will be dismantled and its Hope hubset used in another project I have up my sleeve!
In a nutshell, then, based on all of the above, if anyone has a suggestion for a sensible asking price for my wheel-less steel hardtail, it'd be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for advice!
David