Marin experts - what's your opinion of this Bear Valley?

[JonTom]

This popped up on Aussie Ebay a few days ago and arrived this afternoon - a 1990 (I think) Zolatone and neon yellow Bear Valley. The seller said he wanted it to go to a good home. I hope to provide one.

The seller also told me it belonged to his wife, who had bought it new in New Zealand when she was at uni there.

Am I imagining it (entirely possible), or would that explain the colour scheme? I've seen Zolatone and black BVs, and I've seen the neon Rasta fade BVs, but I can't recall seeing a Zolatone and yellow BV.

Was this was a common BV colour back in 1990? (I can't find a '90 catalogue.) Or is it an Asia-Pacific colour scheme maybe?

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Nice. UK Palisades were that colour in 1990 iirc, but it's not unusual for colours/specs to vary throughout the world.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Yeah, that's a strange one. As mentioned, the UK spec BV 1990/1 was zolatone with black bits, the Palisades 1990/1 had the yellow. The BV did have 400LX parts though, the Palisades 300LX. Also, the decals are wrong for a UK bike and are more like the Europe/USA ones although I've never seen a zolatone with them. :?

I can only imagine the Aus/NZ bikes were a hybrid of what was found around the world. :?

 

[Egghead]

You do get some different looking early 90s Marins here in NZ.

The 91 UK/US catalogue BV has 400LX drive train, with black (Exage?) low profile brakes. The 90 French catalogue BV (all black gloss) has 400LX but with silver 500LX wide profile brakes, like yours. Which I guess would have been the same in the UK/elsewhere.

The Afterburner constant diameter stays were introduced in 91, so your frame looks like a 90 as well. Your Zolatone looks quite dark for 1990 though (Grey), more like 1991 Zolatone (Charcoal), but that could just be the photo. As Brocklander says, the decals are not 90/91 UK. The 90 French catalogue shows a Pine Mountain with neon yellow forks, stem and bars, so there is another possibility. There is something to do with the fork taper that can help identification of these bikes, but I can't remember what.

A one-off NZ concoction......