BerkeleySquare
Retro Newbie
I recently found this web site and you guys inspired me to bring out my old 1989 Marin Eldridge Grade Mountain Bike.
I purchased the bike when I completed college and rode all over the Berkeley/Oakland Hills and Marin Headlands. It was a fantastic ride back in the day. However, domestic life shifted the bike into the garage in the 2000s and rarely came out.
I recently got back into mountain biking in my 50s via an electric MTB and have really enjoyed getting back on the trails. Now, that I am somewhat back into MTB shape and through the inspiration of this site, I dusted off the bike and gave it a thorough detailing. Everything is original on this bike and much of the equipment is good working order. I was surprised to see very little to no rust.
Today, I took it to Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills for a test ride. Wow, the light weight of the bike made climbing almost as easy as the eMTB (almost). I forgot how rough it is without any shocks. The geometry and ride positioning is so different than modern MTBs. You really feel the trail and have to really bounce and groove with rocks and roots.
Would I ride this old friend all the time. Not really. However, it really brought me back to my younger years and feeling of actually riding the trails.
Here are the original specs of the bike:
http://classiccycleus.com/home/1989-mar ... idge-grade
Here is a picture I took at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland
I purchased the bike when I completed college and rode all over the Berkeley/Oakland Hills and Marin Headlands. It was a fantastic ride back in the day. However, domestic life shifted the bike into the garage in the 2000s and rarely came out.
I recently got back into mountain biking in my 50s via an electric MTB and have really enjoyed getting back on the trails. Now, that I am somewhat back into MTB shape and through the inspiration of this site, I dusted off the bike and gave it a thorough detailing. Everything is original on this bike and much of the equipment is good working order. I was surprised to see very little to no rust.
Today, I took it to Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills for a test ride. Wow, the light weight of the bike made climbing almost as easy as the eMTB (almost). I forgot how rough it is without any shocks. The geometry and ride positioning is so different than modern MTBs. You really feel the trail and have to really bounce and groove with rocks and roots.
Would I ride this old friend all the time. Not really. However, it really brought me back to my younger years and feeling of actually riding the trails.
Here are the original specs of the bike:
http://classiccycleus.com/home/1989-mar ... idge-grade
Here is a picture I took at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland