Marin Rock Star Forks

[staylong]

Hi everyone,

I was recently lucky enough to pick up an old 1995 Marin Bear Valley SE for fifty quid. It needs some work but generally pretty good for the money. I have a couple of questions that I would appreciate your help with.

Firstly it has some old Rock Shox q21's on it and the elastomers are kaput. Someone has worked on them and put a length of what looks like broom handles inside !!!!

I will be using the bike just to potter around the Lakes with my son in the summer and generally get fit (at 59). I was thinking to put a set of rigid forks on it and trying to locate a set of original Marin Rock Star forks for this bike.

If anyone has a set that they would sell I will be very interested. OR if someone could point me in the direction of a new and suitable set of forks for this bike again it would be appreciated.

Secondly, even though the frame is not so bad I am tempted to get it powder coated once the shocks are replaced. Same colour - gun metal. Where is the best place to get Decals if I do go that route.

Cheers

Staylong

 

[hamster]

Welcome to the forum. The BVSE always had a nice rigid fork on it, as it used the lighter frame of the Pine Mountain and Eldridge.

Ebay is probably the only place you will find them apart from putting up a wanted ad here. You can easily get an ordinary unbranded rigid set, Kona P2s work well in 410mm a/c (I know this from my 1994 Pine Mountain). For a couple of years Marin persisted in fitting a 390mm fork on their frames even though they appeared to alter the geometry - it made them a little nervous handling as standard. So go with a 410mm.

As for decals, Gil_M on this forum is the man.

 

[staylong]

Re:

Hamster,

Thanks for the quick response.

I will look into all the options you mentioned. Cheers

I will let the forum know how I get on.

Staylong

 

[Retro junkie]

Re:

hi staylong and wlecome to our home.
now this could be your lucky day, my friend owns a local bike shop in stoke on trent and we recently stripped a marin bolinas ridge if im correct. the forks that came off it are amazingly, gun metal grey. the decals are still on them, and there is a rockstar decal on either side albeit faded slightly. they do say marin on them on the front of the forks in a vertical drop fashion like this
m
a
r
i
n now im not sure if they are inch and a quarter or inch and one eigth. will also have to look at steer length also so that they are long enough to fit in your frame. if you dont mind waiting until the weekend so i can be sure of what size they are then i can get back to you
cheers retro junkie

 

[staylong]

Re:

Retro Junkie

Sounds great. I look forward to hearing from you.

KR

Staylong

 

[Retro junkie]

Re:

hi kr
with regards to the marin rockstar forks from previous post the ones we have take a 25.4 stem and there is a steer length of 6" .
Mart said £20 + postage.

 

[staylong]

Hi Retro

Thanks for reply. I think I will have to take a punt on these, I was asked by my boss to go on a job for a few months and currently in Africa.

No way to check specs. I presume 1 1/8 . But that's the sum of my knowledge. My thought are that rather than miss the opportunity I buy and IF wrong sell them on.

I will have post to brother across town. I am in Southport, Merseyside for post calculation. Just need to know what next step is. PayPal?

Let me know details.

Thanks again.
Staylong

 

[Retro junkie]

Re:

hi we can hold you these until you are ready, no problem
i originally claimed the forks for myself as a spare set if ever i needed them, but wanted to help you out when i read your post. in the mean time i will find out for sure that they will fit your bike. like i said as long as the steer length is enough i cant see no problem. 25.4 is the internal diameter of the fork i know for sure as we tried a handlebar stem in them earlier today.
25.4 is the norm as long as your bike has a threaded type head set.

if these do not do the job im sure someone else on here will be able to get you sorted
cheers rich