94 Marin Rocky Ridge needing some love.....

[sherlylock]

Got a message over the weekend from my RB mate SIMONFREESE saying that he had an old Marin available - was I interested?

It's slightly too small, properly neglected and a bit of a mish-mash of components and generally unloved. What's not to like!? (and it was pocket money cheap).



(Simon's pic - cheers!)

I've got a few LX bits in the spares box so I should be able to return this closer to it's former glory. The lacquer is all crazed, frame is corroded in a few places so needs a lacquer strip, polish and new decals.

Was going to park it up and look at it when I have more time but couldn't resist getting the tools out last night.....took me an hour to get to this stage......



There's nothing more satisfying than taking an unloved retrobike and stripping off years of old worn cheap components, back to a bare frame. It's as if the bike lets out a little sigh of relief....

Everything has come apart ok, nothing seized except for a bottle cage fixing which is stuck in the insert.....

After another half hour this morning it now looks like this:



Blank canvas! Plans?

New Ritchey Logic headset on order, black LX components in the bits box, reuse the BB (as it's buttery smooth), build up and ride. Lacquer strip/polish probably later after I've built it up to try it out.

One point to make - the '94 Rocky Ridge in the catalogue (and examples online) have purple forks/stem. The '93 RR has black forks/stem.

This bike has the '94 decals but with the '93 style handlebars and black forks/stem. Could this combination have happened as production changed from '93 to '94 (as Marin were using up old stock)? Or have I just got a mismatch of bits from a project that someone has cobbled together.......?

 

[WandsworthRouleur]

Nice. I had a 94 Eldridge Grade BITD, which I guess is the steel equivalent of the Rocky Ridge. Nice thing about the Eldridge (apart from the awesome steel chassis and red parts) was the upgrade to XT RapidFire Plus shifters (rest of the groupo was LX or DX, IIRC). Having the finger trigger for downshifts, rather than two thumb triggers made a huge difference in usability.

Anyway, I can see from your sig that you're a fan of Marins! Do you plan to keep it rigid? It makes for a very stiff ride. When my EG got nicked, I really fancied upgrading to a rigid Indian Fire Trail (couldn't afford Manitous as a poor schoolboy!). In the end went with a rigid Pine Mountain -- that legendary steel zinginess taking some of the heat out of the trail!

 

[boxxer]

I'd suggest this has been re-decaled as the 94 was a different colour, I actually think this is the 95 decals on a 93 frame

 

[sherlylock]

I'd suggest this has been re-decaled as the 94 was a different colour, I actually think this is the 95 decals on a 93 frame

Pretty sure it's a '94 (haven't checked the serial no. though - this might confirm)



Cranks are correct (and very worn, suggesting they're poss original) and the top tube has evidence of the stretched out "R O C K Y R I D G E" text.

1995 Rocky had different top tube font, embossed foil head tube badge and different cranks.



Seems odd that the bars/stem/forks are the 1993 style. It doesn't strike me as a bike that's been thrown together from the parts bin, more a bike that has just had its worn bits replaced over time....

Nice. I had a 94 Eldridge Grade BITD, which I guess is the steel equivalent of the Rocky Ridge. Nice thing about the Eldridge (apart from the awesome steel chassis and red parts) was the upgrade to XT RapidFire Plus shifters (rest of the groupo was LX or DX, IIRC). Having the finger trigger for downshifts, rather than two thumb triggers made a huge difference in usability.

Anyway, I can see from your sig that you're a fan of Marins! Do you plan to keep it rigid? It makes for a very stiff ride. When my EG got nicked, I really fancied upgrading to a rigid Indian Fire Trail (couldn't afford Manitous as a poor schoolboy!). In the end went with a rigid Pine Mountain -- that legendary steel zinginess taking some of the heat out of the trail!

I wouldn't mind a set of Manitous tbh - probably not for this bike but for the '93 Indian Fire Trail that I've got. As you say - it's a stiff ride!

I've got a set of DX brakes/trigger shifters ready to go on this which look identical to the XT shifters I think you're talking about (M095's). I've not seen many like them - dunno whether the DX shifters for '93 were the previous years XT shifters just rebranded? (M075's IIRC)

 

[whayne]

Re:

Hi Mart.

Looks like a 93 with 94 decals.

Serial with tell..93 had the same stem and fork.

I have a 93 model but has the black decals.

Regards

 

[PopsTrippin]

Re:

Nice score there Mart..

The easiest way to identify the year mate is to compare downtube against your IFT.. 94 Rocky Ridge's had the same diameter as 93 IFT. ;-)

Rich.

 

[boxxer]

Re:

93 had black forks and stem, I have the catalogue that I picked up in 92 and still dream of building a Rocky and an IFT....

 

[sherlylock]

Re: Re:

93 had black forks and stem, I have the catalogue that I picked up in 92 and still dream of building a Rocky and an IFT....

Which is what's making me wonder if it's an early '94 Rocky Ridge using up "left over" '93 parts. The decals are a mix of purple and black too.

Nice score there Mart..

The easiest way to identify the year mate is to compare downtube against your IFT.. 94 Rocky Ridge's had the same diameter as 93 IFT. ;-)

Rich.

Didn't realise that - will get the vernier out tomorrow and have a measure up. Serial No. is MK4IAC075 if that makes anything clearer?

A can of Cadbury's purple paint is on order so the IFT (and maybe this bike too) will get something close to the right colour forks and stem!

 

[sherlylock]

Borrowed some nasty trade-only paint stripper from work and decided on a little stripping session out in the sunshine to get the old lacquer off.

Frame now naked ready for some sanding/polishing to remove any areas of corrosion.