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Never rode a full suspension bike but a work mate mentioned he had one for sale for £50 which he had hardly used since buying in 2001 and only on the road, I was expecting it to be some catalog brand but was surprised when it was a Marin.
Anyway i bought it off him and took it for a ride on a local loop last night was not expecting much TBH but was pleasantly surprised the thing rides great once you get used to grip shift! On the road and climbing the rear suspension felt o.k despite it being a cheaper model coil and downhill it felt pretty quick. A quick look on Strava and i have set a few Personal Bests and got a KOM on a route i ride regularly on my hardtail which cost me a lot more than £50!!!
Plan was to either keep it as a retro bike or sell on but now I'm thinking Disc brakes and better suspension 😯
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Sweet bike for £50!!
And you had fun!!
That's perfection in my book.
As I said before, get a anti-bob shock [and some better forks/ & disc's], it'll be a great bike.
I loved my Mount vision, nice lightweight frame, and that's basically what you have.
Looks loads better without the steerer extender! Now dump the pedal straps
Will be ditching straps z1ppy you're "as i said before" comment totally threw me for a second i had forgot i already posted on here about the bike 😯
I had a rift zone in 97. I resurrected it as a spare bike a few years ago. Stuck some discs and modern suspension on and it was embarrassingly close to my expensive carbon Scott.
They work fine with 120mm shocks, far better than they ever did with the standard 80mm which mine came with.
Nice bike that. I ran my Mount Vision with a 120/100mm Manitou Black without any issues. Bit lofty but I liked that.
A modern fork would be a good first step, and ditch that hideous stem!
I like it!! Keep it as it is, except maybe for a new shock and possibly disc brakes. The stem's awesome! Is it an original part? If it rides well, keep it retro. I'd love to see that getting ragged out on the trails!!!! 🙂
Cheers yup stem is original the only thing that has happened to the bike in the last 10 years is the rear swingarm has faded on one side 🙁
Can't decide whether to build it into something more modern or just leave it as it is, Its currently sat next to my Hardtail and I'm off out for a ride and taking the Marin to try and make my mind up 😕
Modernise it, or at least update the parts with stuff that works as 'suspension rather than a pogo stick 😉
I stuck some Marz MX Pro's 100mm on mine and though the front end was a lot lighter (taller), the improvement in suspension more than made up for it.
You've gotta want to ride it! It's all about getting pleasure out if the bike at the end if the day. Whether that means changing some or all of the parts it's up to you 🙂
Well jel! That looks ace.
upgrade the functional stuff ie rear shock, disc brakes and suspension forks and keep the rest
Dannybee - if you do upgrade the shock I'd be interested in the old one.
I'd have given £50 just for the swingarm! I've an East Peak from 98 and the only thing that stops me modernizing it is the fact that it doesn't have rear disk mounts.
I've got an a2z adapter and modified iso mount you can have for postage.
Shifter - You mean the rear shock? I will probably change it but unsure how soon TBH i can live with it at the moment.
Ride did not go as planned ripped sidewall on a rocky descent changed tube and found out pump is knackered luckily managed to get enough air in to get me home. I have some Reckons spare so might as well stick them on 🙂
I've got a 2000 mount vision with an rp2 shock,rebas and 1x10 slx.
Also got a spanking new Santa Superlight 29.
Honestly there's not a lot in it.
£50 very well spent IMO.
Keep it as retro as possible, but more importantly, use it.
As the owner of two deeply unfashionable Marin's it dies warm the heart to see them still going 🙂
My oldest one is a 2004 QUAD link jobbie and is still a fantastic piece of suspension design, get some up to date (ish) forks on that and you are laughing.
Thanks for the offer 5thElefant but thinking realistically and having just bought a cx bike which I also want to modify and other plans for my hardtail and rigid bike I have to face up to the fact that it'll be a long time before the Marin gets looked at. I know this is no place for such cold hearted logic but I'd rather it went to someone who'll use it now rather than to some dim and distant fantasy future. Thanks again though, your offer is a perfect example of what makes this such a great forum and resource.
Changed a few bits , Got X7 groupset too with deore crank buf as it shifts well leaving the gears alone for now
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Now that's a nice set up.
I've got a rift zone hanging in my shed with a brand new rear shock on. Literally never used. Got me thinking...........
Those rear v-brake studs can be removed. They are just threaded in.