Marin Eldridge Grade

[Rhythm Thief]

Working as I do as the chief bicycle wrangler for a local charity, I've had to try and proof myself against temptation. It's not always successful, and today I find myself unreasonably attracted by this lovely 1999 Marin Eldridge Grade. I've always had a soft spot for 1990s mtbs - I've never been into mountain biking but they're the most robustly practical machines out there - and I'm already imagining this with drop bars and a Brooks. I've put it on sale for £140 but could get it (staff discount!) for £100. I do not need another bike. What would you do?

 

[biggs682]

See this is another reason why I don't volunteer at a bike charity as I would be like a kid in a sweet shop

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I'd buy a brand new Voodoo Bizango or Bizango Pro for £600/760 respectively in the Halfords sale, which could be further discounted by using Blue Light Card; British Cycling membership etc.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I'd buy a brand new Voodoo Bizango or Bizango Pro for £600/760 respectively in the Halfords sale, which could be further discounted by using Blue Light Card; British Cycling membership etc.

If I wanted the forks on backwards, I'd reverse them myself. 😂

 

[dan_bo]

Put a proper saddle on it and ride it.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Put a proper saddle on it and ride it.

And drop bars. These things look so cool with drops and I've got all the bits to convert it.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Oh, I've bought it, by the way. 🤩

 

[Rhythm Thief]

First trip on it, to the pub for a swift pint on the way home from work.

 

[dan_bo]

And drop bars. These things look so cool with drops and I've got all the bits to convert it.

I've got a Zolatone Pine Mountain (I think, black with yellow back end) that someone's done a really good job of brazing in horizontal dropouts. Need a fork for it and it'll be an ace singlespeed crosser.

 

[Gillstay]

I don't know why you bother to ask if you should buy it on this site.......

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Started the drop bar conversion. I don't yet know whether the drop bar levers will play nicely with the v brakes, but I have a set of mini v brakes in the shed which should work if not. I have a lovely set of 9 speed Ultegra shifters from about the right time frame for this bike, but sadly the hoods are a bit past it and while there is a set of NOS hoods on eBay, I draw the line at paying £85 for them, so I've had to use these slightly later Tiagra shifters. Which are fine, but the gear snob in me does not like them 😂
Next job is to find some inline cable adjusters for the gears - there are some in the shed somewhere - and change the chainset for a double with 34/50 chainrings because I've never been able to spin small gears. Then bar tape and it's done! Before and 'so far' pics below...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

All done. The mini v brakes work better than the originals with drop bar levers. It's still got its triple chainset cos I couldn't be arsed changing it. The saddle will probably be swapped for a Brooks Cambium at some point, but that ghastly yellow thing is - aside from the colour - actually quite a nice saddle, so it can stay for now.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

It's just getting silly now... Today I've fitted a 39/48 chainset because I couldn't get on with the absurdly low gears which tend to go with MTBs of this age. This necessitated a different front derailleur and meant that the chain was now too short, so I found a short cage rear mech in the shed and changed that, too. It also now has less aggressive tyres and mudguards. It's not really an MTB any more. And the chain is still a bit too short.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No…. Remove those drop bars now. It is so wrong.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

And drop bars. These things look so cool with drops and I've got all the bits to convert it.

Sorry! I think these things look great with drops. I don't quite know what I've built, but I like it.