90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice please!

Hi All

I bought an old Marin Palisades Trail on eBay about 4 years ago but never got motivated to ride until now, it's been sitting gathering dust and rust (the shame!!), now I have finally decided to get it up to scratch - been googling for info on upgrading parts, restoring it etc and came across this forum that way.

I'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to bikes (any knowledge I did have seems to have fallen out of my brain over the years) so any and all help and advice will be much appreciated!

My plan is to restore my Marin and use it for a couple of years till my son grows into it, then I will have an excuse to splurge on a new bike for myself, but for now I don't have a huge amount of cash to throw at it, I just want to get it functional again!

The chainset and cassette are pretty rusty, as is the chain. I'm planning to replace the lot. Do I need to replace the derailleurs also? I've found a few shimano cranksets on eBay for reasonable money, how do I know how many teeth I need?

The serial number on the bike is M93IA0010 - is that 1993?

Here's a pic

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Hi

Yes that is a 1993 Marin Palisades and a nice bike too. Just because you have left it for a few years doesn't mean that you have to replace the moving parts...just give them some love! Give it all a good clean with a stiff brush and some de greaser and you could be fine! I have had many a bike that just needs a good clean a bit of lube and some re-adjustment in the gears/brakes. The mechs, crankset, cassette and chain from back in '93 were built to last I doubt that they are "worn out" (although close up pics of the drive train would help). My advice would be don't throw money at it thinking that it needs new parts. Take a look at this 1992 Marin I picked up and spent a day cleaning etc and its now a great ride:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=249198

Yes I've replaced a couple of bits but that was more to do with taste and what I had kicking around rather than it needing new parts. But if you do want to replace bits then check the for sale section on this site and ebay. You would be looking for something 7 X 3 speed (21speed). As for how many teeth, triple cranksets come in a pretty standard set up 24/26T 36T 46T that would suit most people and the rear cassette would be a 7 speed Shimano HG 12T-28/30T. If you are going to replace the crankset then you would probably need to change the cassette and chain as they tend to bed in together. As for the derailleurs you shouldn't need to change them.

Thats a brief bit of advice but if you want anything more specific then let me know.

Doug

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Like Doug has said just give the the chain a clean and everything should be okay bud. Altus A10 chainsets have steel rings so will last for years!

Saying that it looks like it has had some use as the headset has been replaced but the rest of your bike looks not too bad and should you wish to change the seat it shouldn't be too costly.

This was the only bike that i purchased new albeit in a bigger size and loved it.

Welcome Retrobike.

Rich

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Hi Doug

Thanks for your reply Wow, your bike looks fantastic! I would love to be able to restore mine to its former glory without replacing anything unnecessarily, and at the moment one thing I do have is time to spend working on it!

Here are some close ups - the one thing I was concerned about was that the teeth on the largest ring seem to be shorter and more rounded in certain areas, is that normal?

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Hi mate

The teeth on the front chainrings are designed to be different sizes to help with the shifting....yours look fine just a bit rusty! If they are worn the teeth get pointy and sharp (known as sharks teeth) and will feel sharp if you press you finger onto them. From the look of it you just need to spend a bit of time and elbow grease to get it back up to scratch. It will never be perfect cosmetically but looks fine functionally. The rear cassette looks good aswell, the chain needs a lot of love I suggest if you have a chain remover tool get it off the bike and get some degreaser on it (you can get it from Halfords in a spray can for about a fiver) soak it in hot soapy water, dry thoroughly really dry it then give it some chain oil....don't use WD40 or GT85 or similar as it doesn't do the job...try and get some chain oil (only a few quid again and will last for ages) The rear mech looks tatty but again functional try the degreaser on that and if you have the time "autosol" is a great metal cleaner/polisher and comes in an old school tube like toothpaste! (again halfords should have it).

So bottom line I recon if you spend around £15 on degreaser, chain oil and maybe some polish it will all look a whole lot better! And work better too!

If you like my Marin Bear Valley you'll love my Team!

viewtopic.php?t=230044&highlight=

Doug

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Ooh, very nice!

Thanks so much for your advice, you've been a great help - I'll crack on with it and see how I get on! I know it will never be pristine but if I can get it clean and functional I'll be very happy

Thanks also for putting up with n00b questions ;P

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

No problem you will find this site a friendly place to be...I have learnt heaps from here and its nice to pass something on. No such thing as a stupid question someone once said! Get on with it and I'll look forward to some pics of your progress...any questions you have along the way let me know...I'm a sucker for Marin's and they would me my Mastermind "specialised subject"!

All the best

Doug

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Lol, yeah, I completely fell in love with them back when I used to cycle everywhere in the early 90s and have always wanted one. I never knew much about them though I do remember coveting the ones like your Team Marin the most!

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions along the way lol!

Thanks again

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Theres nothing there that a couple of afternoons work with a cold beer, some lubricants and rags wont have sorted. Make sure you take some after photos as we like those

And i must admit i bought a second hand crank a few years ago and thought i had been ripped off because the teeth were like yours :facepalm:

Re: 90s? Marin Palisades Trail project - Help and advice ple

Hello.

Can't express how much I agree with all the comments above really ^^^^. Love this site.

By coincidence, I have what looks the exact same '93 Marin above which is being split for spares-except it's a 19" frame. IF lots of love and elbow grease isn't quite enough for some bit or another and you want a spot on replacement then get in touch and I should be able to help.

Good Luck and have happy days with the revival and ressurection of a retro ride!!..