33 years with a team marin....

[Tootyred]

I thought I better add a bit of content for my BOTM entry....Tootyred Team Marin, in this months "original owner " special.

Originally bought from Steve at Elmy Cycles (who's also a fellow retrobiker) in 1989. At the time is was working in another shop and what swayed me to buy when i did was the sight of the new "Zolotone " models the rep proudly showed us! To this I day I just don't get it....

Mine was very late in the production run and being big took a bit of waiting to get one....when it arrived it had black forks.....pink had run out and the following year were to be different models.....so I got plain black.

Within 2 weeks i had started to upgrade it, seat cover in a funky flowery design, followed by new lighter Mavic MA40 rims that i built onto the original hubs.....radial front obviously. The original Araya set lasted a couple of serious races then the rear folded.....I think it was probably poor building rather than the rims fault.!

Here it is in 1990

 

[Tootyred]

Then on rainy October Thursday in 1990 it was stolen from the college where i did an evening class.

So i went to see Steve again and bought a Proflex....why dear god, why! Hateful thing....but it did cement my love for suntour xc pro....so something good came from it.

In fact i still use those same shifters on my bike!

Then weirdly in the following April, the police phoned to say my bike had been found with 100 or so others in a lock- up. Mine was one of the few they could identify as by then i had resprayed it......made their job fairly easy.

 

[Tootyred]

Unfortunately, they damaged the frame and lost the front wheel!

So I and the guys I new at Bucks cycles decided to have a pop at straightening the rear of the frame out and replacing the dropout....all we had was suntour road ones....so that's what we used.

It was a fair success but makes the frame pretty easy to spot....which became very useful later on.

 

[Tootyred]

Then i just rode it for the next 15 years.....well all except changing loads of bits on it between 90 and 92.....well all of it pretty much....the advantage and peril of working in a bike shop.

It got resprayed red in 1998, when it had a bit of an overhaul and became my pub/ general use bike.

Then in 2006 i had a very serious motorbike crash. I was in hospital for a long time and frankly im lucky to be walking, let alone riding a bike! Somebody went into the back of me in a car, whilst i was stopped at pedestrian crossing.....the person didn't slow down or see me as they had their head in the footwell looking for cds.

So cycling went on the backburner somewhat. In 2007 I was able to get back on a bike, but not my marin, not a chance. I bought a touring bike with the bars put right up. This is where my current back problems come from....stuff long gone starts to haunt you again as you get older.

In 2010 i lent the marin to my brother in law who commuted on it till he changed job, then he gave it back in 2012. I tried to adapt it so i could ride it and as it was very much a triggers broom, with most of the good parts now on another bike or stored, i wasn't too bothered and frankly i was still struggling.

Then in 2013 i kinda gave up and sold it! It kinda reminded me of things i was still struggling with and frankly I needed some money as business was pants.

So it went on ebay.

 

[Tootyred]

It was bought by a retrobiker! I was merely a lurker back then....there was ( what i thought was quite a funny) discussion as to if it was real or a fake, or even a marin i think.

1988/9 Team Marin

This arrived at Kawasaki Towers today - sold as a repainted '1988 Team' made from Tange Prestige, although I have my doubts. Cannot find any references to 1988 catalogues etc. but assumed that it'd have a chainstay u-brake for that period. Anyone any light to shed?

www.retrobike.co.uk

 

[Tootyred]

Then i had a quite life changing bit of medical intervention and although I don't move as well, I can move.

One thing I started to seriously regret was getting shot of the marin, so i contacted the buyer and he had given it to charity as he had never got round to it....i think the lack of originality, dents, weird dropouts may have been rather offputting.....

Fortunately, he told me where he dumped it and after confusing a shop manager, by asking him to photograph dropouts and down tube dents to be sure it was mine, it came back in 2018....looking just like it went....

 

[Tootyred]

So i decided to be nice to it and rebuilt it, gill did the decals from pictures and a palisades frame, it was re coated and bobs your uncle.

Fortunately the good parts had been stripped and stored at my dads in the loft in 3 tea chests full of retro mtb parts i had squirreled away...so it went back to how it was in 92....its hayday.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

It's a proper yo-yo ....no matter what it seems to find it's way back to you....great backstory

 

[Tootyred]

Its still not finished..it never will be.....im working on a syncros seatpost for it at the moment and if i can't find another MA40 to go with the spare, i might remake the front radial with it!

Ive just made a new / old titanium marin saddle which i will pop on when the post is returned.....it just goes on and on.....

Marin Ti saddle repair

Ive been sitting on an old Main Ti railed saddle for a good while. Probablem was the covering was completely trashed. Really it was bin fodder.....so i decided to have a go at a recover...here goes.

www.retrobike.co.uk

Here's the fork rebuild too

Rainy day job...put off for 30 years

Today i decided to bite the bullet. Early last year i decided to clear out my "storage". The result was the sale of 400 odd bike parts from the late 80 and early 90. All stuffed up there when i had finished with them, never to see the light of day again. Working in a shop i had access to the...

www.retrobike.co.uk

 

[Tootyred]

Heres the spec......

Frame: 1989 Team Marin 20.5" Tange Prestige Tubing with "custom" suntour dropouts and dents

Fork: Tange Switchblade

Headset: Tange passage lowstack
Stem: Custom made Ritchey Force with roller and guide welded on
Handlebar: Ritchey force

Brakes: XTR M900
Brake Levers: Suntour XC Pro in champagne

Shifters: Suntour XC Pro 7 speed
Front Derailleur: M732
Rear Derailleur: M732
Cassette: 12 -28 HG90
Chain: Sram
Cranks: M732
Chainrings: Pace Extruder 26- 36- 47
Pedals: M731

Hub Skewers: M732
Rims: Mavic MA40
Hubs: M732 / M730 36h
Nipples: Sapim
Spokes: DT Swiss db
Tyres: Panaracer Smoke

Saddle: Custom Alcantara covered marin 93 titanium
Seatpost: Syncros
Seatpost Binder: M732

Weight: about 11.5kg