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So, no. 2 son has been gifted an old (97??) Marin Alpine Trail, something like this:
3x8, Manitou forks that still seem to work ish - only real issue I can see is that it's knocking a bit - the swing arm pivot seems a bit loose?
Anyone got an idea on how to fix that - new bearings / bushings? Have a few other spares to pop on it too lighten the barge like weight (had a Rift Zone of similar vintage), but I'll never persuade him it isn't as good as his current little hardtail so need to make the best of it! Think I put a Cane Creek air shock on mine eventually.. other ideas?
Swingarm pivot did, IIRC, have a 'lifetime guarantee' on the bearings - quite how you go about with this with the infinite number of changed in importers Marin have had, I don't know. And it's probably original owner anyways.
However, first port of call would be shock bushings TBH. The main pivots on these are pretty solid, but my various permutations (I had a lot, they weren't the most resilient of frames) were prone to destroying shock bushings in very short time 🙂
Head angles are pretty steep compared to modern day stuff, something like 72 degrees IIRC. Longer forks had a tendency to make the frame crack in various places.
Measure up the shock if you can - I've got a Vanilla R that may fit that you can have for mucho cheaps if it's any interest.
Much maligned bikes as they are very different to modern ones (very high BB, steep HA, short TT), and the ones with the tubular back ends weer a little, err, flexy... but as a free bike you certainly can't complain! They were also proper pioneers.
WIll do, thanks - might well take you up on the shock once I've checkd the eye to eye.. Pretty sure it's not shock bushings, had my fair share of single pivots of various brands and I can see the lower arm move. Will try and strip it I think.
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">Longer forks had a tendency to make the frame crack in various places.</span>
LOL, I think the pilot might be light enough to not be too much strain, but the spare Rebas I had only dial down to 115mm, suspect thats 35mm too much! I have some possibly of the era SIDs on another bike that might bear swapping around instead.
Ha, I was about 10.5 stone at my heaviest and I still managed to destroy them! That was with everything from Judy SLs to Boxxer 151s fitted 😀
Seriously, keep an eye on the head/down tube junction, the weld around the pivot, and the swingarm welds. Although I never had one with the tubular backend, that's where the box section ones would go.
Will measure up my shock at some point 🙂 I've got a big soft spot for these bikes - in actual fact I've go ta cracked '02ish Attack Trail in the garage that, if I can stop hoarding, you could probably have for pennies to raid for spares. The bearings are good for starters. No idea what's interchangeable though. Whereabouts in the country are you?