The family grows: Marin Team Titanium '97

[Obi-Juan]

I didn't want to go on vacation without adjusting the measurements and testing it. I'll make the final wheels later.
So I put on some tires, pedals, and off I went.

It has a very high bottom bracket. Wow, that feels weird, I'll have to get used to it. The saddle is actually a board, stiffer than my Saevid, but I don't think it'll be a problem adjusting, although keeping it straight is tricky.
As for the rest, it was a piece of cake to get the measurements right. I set the stem the wrong way around from how I usually use it, because with that high bottom bracket, it felt like I was riding a goat.

 

[Obi-Juan]

By the way, I pulled the red Michelin Wildgripper Hot tires in 2.1 out of the drawer for another project, but wow! I love how they look with the blue and yellow Spox tires.
Maybe I'll put them on the Zaskar with the Betsy, they give a touch of the American flag (I guess I'd be really lucky to find some blue Spox tires with white spokes).
Well, I'll think about it this summer. Maybe I'm just a bit tacky and I'll forget tomorrow, but today I love it.

 

[Rotorhead]

By the way, I pulled the red Michelin Wildgripper Hot tires in 2.1 out of the drawer for another project, but wow! I love how they look with the blue and yellow Spox tires.
Maybe I'll put them on the Zaskar with the Betsy, they give a touch of the American flag (I guess I'd be really lucky to find some blue Spox tires with white spokes).
Well, I'll think about it this summer. Maybe I'm just a bit tacky and I'll forget tomorrow, but today I love it.
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I love a 1997 Marin: I have three. That looks fun. Pure indulgence and it’s working.

 

[Obi-Juan]

I love a 1997 Marin: I have three. That looks fun. Pure indulgence and it’s working.

3!!!
Awesome
I think I'm just a 1st-grade beginner Padawan.


I really consider myself lucky to have found a unit in good condition and in my size. I'm missing some details (decals, etc.), but there's no rush; it's slowly being finished.

 

[Obi-Juan]

Well, when summer came back, I decided to build the wheels.
Some legendary TTP hubs (used on more than one occasion by the ONCE team) in their MTB version with a 135 mm axle (not easy, almost all the ones that appear are 130 mm). The front decal was missing and the rear one was already faded, but I was able to take advantage of it to scan it and make the new ones.


The front has 28 holes and the rear has 32.

That makes it difficult to find rims, but in the end, some 517s turned up. They needed new decals, both 517 and SUP. I found them on "tehlifemachine.com." I ordered something else, and surprisingly, delivery in Spain was extremely fast.

 

[Obi-Juan]

I ordered some Sapim CX Ray spokes. I usually use DT Aerolite spokes, but I wanted to try the Sapim ones.
The first thing I noticed was that they're a little (very little) lighter than the DT Aerolite spokes.
They have a good reputation, but I still bought some extra ones in both 266 and 264 mm. It's better to be prepared.

The wheelset is what I expected: discreet, classic, and light, under 1.4 kg.

To finish the wheels, some quick-release Carbon Ti wheels, very similar to the Tune wheels. I'm a fan of the Tune wheels, and these work very well... but the Tune wheels work better, that's all there is.

Edit:
I recently posted the best piece of MTB gear ever invented: a tiny, lightweight, ridiculously cheap, and super effective chain lock in a world where any bolt costs a fortune. I don't know who invented it, but thank you very much.

 

[Obi-Juan]

And with that, it's finished.
I really need to change the decals. I ordered them a while ago, and this week I got word they were ready. I'll have them soon (I hope).

Well, here it is:

 

[Obi-Juan]

The two sisters look happy.

 

[Obi-Juan]

The bike feels very light. I have a BMC that weighs 7.6 kg, and this one feels lighter when you pick it up.
When I started the project, the goal was 9 kg. Well, test passed.