95 Marin Muirwoods - Manitou 4's?

After picking up a cheap specialized hardrock which with help from retrobike members is pretty much sorted i'm hooked and it's become a great daily ride.
Problem was that it wasn't the project i was looking for,
I still had a hankering for something i could throw myself into and put my own stamp on. I have no interest in modern bikes and the mid 90's bikes of my youth still appeal so when a marin muirwoods came up locally i thought it ticked enough boxes to give it a go.
It's a bit rough but the frame and forks are straight with no dents or cracks and it's the perfect size and relatively light so happy days.
Plan is to use what i can off my old orange (which was too big) or salvagable parts off the marin. Apart from powder coating (some nasty scratches and gravel rash) i am hopeing i can spend as little as possible whilst still ending ip with "my bike"
Main point is to have something to keep me busy (from being under the feet) and to learn a bit about bike maintenace.
Intend to start tonight with stripping it down to see what i've got!...........

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That looks pretty clean from the pic , nice colour combo too !
all the best with it

Paul

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That doesn't look like it needs a great deal doing to it bud... Should turn out nice.

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Busy few hours and much use of youtube but it's in bits!!

Known faults pre purchase.....frame, forks and stem scratched and a bit rough in places (see pics), tyres were shot, no front mech, awful gripshift and brake levers rusty spokes, one dodgy canti arm and a strange arm chair type sprung saddle(?)

Tonights Suprises......stem is 1 1/8", tooth broken on front chainset, seatpost goes and up and down!!

But.............

All good though, i have brakes, cables, chainset and cranks, front and rear mech, tyres, wheels, bars, grips, shifters & levers and pedals

So the plan is to get the frame and forks powder coated all same colour to keep costs down maybe the stem as well unless i can find someone who wants to swap a purple stem and champagne marin lite bars for something silver. Source a headset (possibly grey), find a saddle that dosn't weigh more than the bike and get shut of the purple seat clamp. Slap some decals on and off we go.



The wheels will clean up ok with much effort so they can be a long term project.

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Nice to see another marin rescued!

There isn't alot needed with these '95 bikes, the groupsets and wot not is something marin got right for the money in this year. Any upgrading is quite negligible, although a LX chainset, un 5x BB may give better shifting, just humble opinion though!

The colour is seriously close to a '98 volvo s40 I once had, it has a certain champagne about it. Save any metal badges and epoxy them back on later. You do get vinyl replacements in any decal kits, but they aint the same

Re: 95 Marin Muirwoods build

Great to see another Muirwoods getting the treatment it deserves, I built one up for my brother earlier in the year. As you have found retrobikes tend to reproduce!

Re: 95 Marin Muirwoods build

Any ideas if a 26" x 2.1" tyre will sit ok in this frame?
Not much done due to illness but gathering bits and looking forward to moving this on soon

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Like a glove bud...like a glove.

Get well soon.

Re: 95 Marin Muirwoods build

Bits gathered to date, waiting for a few odds and sods but pretty much there
Not sure which bars to go for flat or riser
Colour wise for frame and forks stuck! Silver cranks, brakes, bars, stem and seatpost but black headset......suggestions welcome!! All one colour to keep costs down.
Managed to get two matching rear cassettes so with two sets of rims should be able to have road and off road set ups

Re: 95 Marin Muirwoods build

Colour thoughts..........
Stewing on it tooooo much now need to decide
Browny/ gold (kona like), dark grey, light grey or black
Comments or suggestions welcome!
All one colour to keep cost down