Relliott6879
Old School Hero
I've finally got round to taking a couple of pictures of the Marin Bear Valley hanging in my parents' garage.
I was gifted the bike in around 2003/4 by a work colleague who had it as a commuter but was leaving for Canada and didn't want the hassle of taking it with him. I was fairly well sorted for bikes at the time, so paid it forward and donated it to my stepmother who had mentioned wanting a bike. The rear wheel was in a sorry state, so I replaced it with one I had spare (the original from my '96 Kona Fire Mountain, with a Mavic 238 rim and a Shimano Acera X hub), I also fitted Easton EA30 high-rise bars and a ladies' saddle. The only other deviations from standard spec are a Specialized Enduro front tyre, the Koolstop pads that the original owner fitted and the Aldi-special computer that my Dad insisted on bolting on.
Anyhow, having cleaned the bike up and proudly presenting it to my Stepmother, she rode it to the end of the street and back, declared herself happy and hung it up in the garage.... I don't think it ever moved again until I retrieved it the other day for these photos! The bike really is a time warp, in incredibly good condition (not overly surprising, given it's lack of use over the last 10-15 years!), I honestly can't remember the last time I saw any of Shimano's grey-cream painted Exage components anywhere. It even still has the Leisure Lakes Preston sticker on the seat tube!
I was gifted the bike in around 2003/4 by a work colleague who had it as a commuter but was leaving for Canada and didn't want the hassle of taking it with him. I was fairly well sorted for bikes at the time, so paid it forward and donated it to my stepmother who had mentioned wanting a bike. The rear wheel was in a sorry state, so I replaced it with one I had spare (the original from my '96 Kona Fire Mountain, with a Mavic 238 rim and a Shimano Acera X hub), I also fitted Easton EA30 high-rise bars and a ladies' saddle. The only other deviations from standard spec are a Specialized Enduro front tyre, the Koolstop pads that the original owner fitted and the Aldi-special computer that my Dad insisted on bolting on.
Anyhow, having cleaned the bike up and proudly presenting it to my Stepmother, she rode it to the end of the street and back, declared herself happy and hung it up in the garage.... I don't think it ever moved again until I retrieved it the other day for these photos! The bike really is a time warp, in incredibly good condition (not overly surprising, given it's lack of use over the last 10-15 years!), I honestly can't remember the last time I saw any of Shimano's grey-cream painted Exage components anywhere. It even still has the Leisure Lakes Preston sticker on the seat tube!
