Breathing new life into a 1994 Marin Team Issue

keithwbloom

Dirt Disciple
I am over the moon that I found this 1994 Team Issue for sale 10 blocks from my home by happenstance. In 2000 or so, an identical 1994 Team Issue frame set I had built up into my competition XC whip was pinched from my garden shed. That bike had started as a bare frame, fork, stem, seat post, and bottom bracket. The shop that sold it to me had cannibalized all the XTR kit from it to build up a custom bike bike for another customer. I ordered all the kit on that bike in XT, and had a set of hand-built wheels laced up from Mavic 230 rims and XT hubs by the local wheelsmith. I suspended the front with a banana yellow Judy SL. I loved the weight and feel of that bike, I was crushed when it was nicked. I have occasionally peeked at local classifieds and even sometimes at eBay listings to see if mine or another alike popped up. This weekend my luck was rich.

So fair warning to restoration purists, while I am restoring the frame on this to original finish, and I will try to source some parts missing or swapped out with OE kit, I am not aiming for a 100% original equipment restoration. When I am done, I plan to ride this as hard as I did my original one — and I trained for and competed in two 24-hour XC races on that one when it was new.

The original fork, stem, and seat post are missing. I will be not be replacing the fork, since I prefer it to be suspended up front. I'll first have a go at rebuilding the (replacement) Manitou SX-R unless sourcing parts proves too difficult, then I may replace with a Manitou 3 or Judy SL. For the frame set, I plan to strip the clear satin lacquer and reapply after beading/polishing the frame. I will 2-part epoxy clear coat the decals when they are ready for protection if Gil so recommends.

For replacement kit, I am sourcing a set of XTR M910 Mavic wheels and will be also replacing the (replacement) stem because it is too short. I will also be adding M737 SPDs. Brakes are not original M900, but because they are later generation XTR and work great, so I will likely keep them. Seat post will have to be swapped as well, the angle looks to raked for comfort. Saddle is not original, but it is narrow, light and durable, so I will likely keep it too. Would like to find a purple anodized seat post clamp nut like the original if I can. The cockpit, save for the stem, is original. Will replace grips with Ritchey WCS Foam and that's about all I have planned in that department.

I’ll start stripping it down tomorrow. Wish I could take it for a test ride, but the tubes are both punctured. :-(

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That's a great starting point mate with some tasty XTR, looking forward to seeing your progress. The Judy's are better forks but it deserves s period Manitou ;)
 
The brakes are interesting, v-brakes but with non-v levers. You mention that they work really well though, I'm just wondering if the rollers on them alter the actuation to pull everything back into line?
 
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Minifreak":2w5eb7yo said:
That's a great starting point mate with some tasty XTR, looking forward to seeing your progress. The Judy's are better forks but it deserves s period Manitou ;)
Nahh, Period manitou's are rubbish, just a nice looking bit of anodised cnc crap ;) :LOL:

Id put a rigid fork up front like a marin rockstar or something of similar length, it doesnt look like that frame can comfortably take much longer than a 400mm fork

Relliott6879":2w5eb7yo said:
The brakes are interesting, v-brakes but with non-v levers. You mention that they work really well though, I'm just wondering if the rollers on them alter the actuation to pull everything back into line?
Regarding the brakes, I used the same setup with the roller and they did work, but the lever needed more force to get the strength that v brakes should provide. Like i said they did work but unless you change the levers as well, you might as well stick to cantilever brakes for all the difference it makes
 
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SEANSTEPHENS":3on7bxpa said:
Regarding the brakes, I used the same setup with the roller and they did work, but the lever needed more force to get the strength that v brakes should provide. Like i said they did work but unless you change the levers as well, you might as well stick to cantilever brakes for all the difference it makes

Point taken, and since M900 XTR cantilevers are plentiful and (relatively) inexpensive, if I end up replacing the fork with a period correct Judy SL or Judy XC, I may just swap them out as a small gesture to period authenticity. It will also then make use of the cable centers on the stays and on the fork bridge, rather than leaving them unused. I can put the M950 XTR V-brakes on my city bike, with has a set of Avid V-brakes at present.

If I keep the Manitou SX-R and rebuild it, it has a bridge that is without cable stay, so I would have to keep V-brake setup. I am leaning to the replacement option, because I truly liked the feel and weight of the SL, and because I can restore brakes to period-correct cantilevers.
 
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Degreased, cleaned, and lubed everything up today. Disassembled fork and found damper to be completely empty. Ordered 10W oil because Clydesdale class now. Elastomers are good. Replaced both tire tubes, adjusted V-brakes and saddled up for first ride. AWESOME. Rode to my local bike co-op to adjust seat rail clamp and post clamps, found a minty Ritchey Comp stem 10mm longer and a little lower than the one from previous owner. $10. Done.
 
Initial cleanup and stem replacement. Waiting on kit to refill shock damper, agree a bit with Sean Stephens that head tube geometry may not be optimal for a modern manitou with 100mm of travel, so I am going to see if I can adjust pre-load to sit somewhere a little lower and not be too soft to allow bio-pacing and hopefully that will put neutral geometry somewhere closer to optimal for frame set. That said, with the new stem, adjusted saddle and a dry damping reservoir, it feels AWESOME.

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