Marin Eldridge Grade - choice of new tyres, chain, general advice?

[Biospace]

A good buy! I'm fond of Marin bikes and use a mid-90s Bear Valley SE for almost everything other than when touring with the family on the tandem (the sweet Touristique gathers dust and feels unloved, my beloved RRA is only used for special rides). I've tried many good quality 90s MTBs and everything considered, these are my favourite.

Here's mine with the tyres it arrived with, minus its usual full mudguards, rear racks and bar ends,

It's ridden on a wide variety of surface and as I don't seek extreme performance in poor off-road conditions, I consider the £6 or £9 cost of the Schwalbe City Jets (1.5") pretty fine value. They managed a demanding ride high up Swaledale last summer very comfortably, both on and off road. I carry a pump and adjust pressures as necessary - in dryer conditions, as or more effective than choice of tread. On the one occasion I knew I'd be riding a long way through slippery conditions, I temporarily fitted an old pair of Bontragers with some friction-inducing tread.

Replacing the chain and block (unless they're genuinely barely worn) along with cables might cost £30 or so plus an afternoon's getting to know your new bike a little better, definitely well worth it.

[lettersquash]

It does look like quite a long reach to be fair. I’ve got an old Claude butler I keep at my parents house which is similar. Very
Old school mountain bikes from the early 90’s!! Long top tubes and stems.

Is it one of their Tange Cromoly frames?

Yes, "Rock Star CR-MO", no less. I'll get my guitar out. I was wondering about the date. It looks like ones online that are 1995. This one's in a lot better nick, but pretty much identical apart from a few after-market bits. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marin-Eldridge ... 5024127339

...Wow, just seen your post, Biospace - that's a beut! Swaledale, now there's a good idea, my favourite dale.

[lettersquash]

I tweaked a few things on the bike today. Tore off the manky handlebar tape and removed the bar ends - feels much more secure with an inch more bar either side. I added my bar-end mirror - it's the best accessory I ever got for any road riding.

I moved the leather saddle forward and raised the stem a bit, which has made the reach feel much more comfortable...

...and then, since my rear end was still complaining after 20 yards, I thought I'd try the child's bike saddle I've been using for years. I nearly didn't bother, because it's shorter, so would probably increase the reach again, but I gave it a go and it's great. I sit further back on the long saddle, not at its point, so on the little one I'm still in about the same position. It looks ridiculous, especially on the set-back seat post, but it means I can do some shorter journeys without bothering with cycling shorts. It has a bit of padding (but not like a gel saddle, which I tried and found awful) and it's got a dip in the centre of the top, giving a bit of ventilation, erm...just where it's most needed...and probably helping to put me on my "sit bones". It's a pity the PVC's got a hole in it.

[lettersquash]

Oh, forgot to say, the cranks are marked "White Industries".

[colin54]

As you say yours looks like a 1995 model, here's the catalogue (German language) from the Retrobike forum showing the '95 Eldridge Grade, half way down the catalogue, with it's specifications in a separate table towards the end.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/d/12577-2/1995.pdf
...and a couple of forum members pic's of the same year and model.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/sho ... st-3160866
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/mar ... 95.405659/

[lettersquash]

As you say yours looks like a 1995 model, here's the catalogue (German language) from the Retrobike forum showing the '95 Eldridge Grade, half way down the catalogue, with it's specifications in a separate table towards the end.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/d/12577-2/1995.pdf
...and a couple of forum members pic's of the same year and model.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/sho ... st-3160866
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/mar ... 95.405659/

Wow, thanks for that. I wonder why mine is heavier than it says in the spec (assuming my spring balance is working). The hubs are White Industries in these photos, but the spec says Shimano LX, and everything else is apparently the same. Maybe they quote for the smallest size, and mine's a 17" (probably too big for me at 5'6").
Some lovely clean/immaculate examples on retrobike, making me jealous.

[Biospace]

Some of the examples on RB are stunning, it's not often my own bike looks as clean as in the pic above - it's well maintained, but only cleaned cosmetically, thoroughly, once a year!

Spring scales are often a little out, but the tyres, tubes and saddle could be adding to the manufacturer's claimed weight, as will the mudguards. What are the scales reading?

[Jamesh]

Give it a good clean using a kitchen scourer and then paint with clear lacquer this will stop the rust in its tracks.

I'd change the shifters to decent thumbies or STI levers.

I have a simalar age fusion - like a rocky mountain

[lettersquash]

HELP! ... I've messed up the front brake setting. I noticed the right pad was just touching the tyre, and found the nut to release the position to drop it down a tad. Did that and re-tightened, but then noticed there's some play in the - I'll say "socket" - the part that attaches to the fork, with the allen screw facing forward. I checked that, but it seemed tight. Somehow I've disturbed the balance of the two. The right hand side was virtually against the rim, while the left was doing all the moving. I've had this before or something like it with cantilever brakes, but I'm not sure what's wrong. I notice there's a flange on the frame with holes in it, which I'd have thought were where you locate the end of a spring, but there doesn't seem to be any spring. It was working fine apart from being close to the tyre (and a bit of a squeak, which the guy said was just new pads they'd put on).

I'll start researching, but maybe someone here can tell me what's likely to be wrong. I had imagined that the cable joining the two cantis was a "transverse" cable, a short one just looped across, and the pull was at the centre from the main cable, but I now see the main one goes through the junction piece and down to the left brake, with the right one a fixed length with stops at each end. I realise I've no idea how these work. I thought, "centre-pull", great, I've had those before and they were fine, but these aren't the same thing.

Edited to add: Oops, I think I may have just dislodged the end of the spring that should be in one of the holes, hence almost no tension on that side. It was starting to get dark. I'll take another look tomorrow. Good ol' Sheldon Brown. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

[lettersquash]

Ahhhh, no, panic over - they don't even use the holes in the flange - I fixed it this morning. I realised if it's not using those then it must be internal, and yes, the main body has flats on the front end. It's obviously going to be a bit of an art setting these up, and they're a bit under-performing (i.e. brake lever moving a long way to apply) but I've got it good enough to commute again today. Yay! I'll disassemble another time, clean and grease the relevant bits.

[Biospace]

Swaledale, now there's a good idea, my favourite dale.

Last summer, not the best of pics (I cropped the family out, hadn't been intended to be a pic of the Marin - note to self, must take pics of my own bike when out and about with the family!) but the bike worked very hard that day and was a joy to use at all times, even when I grew tired and had other tired people to jolly along. It's when you're knackered that you appreciate some of the subtler aspects of a really good bike.

Taken near Crackpot Hall above Keld, we were riding up-dale and enjoyed a swim a mile or so further along - it was a hot day, the sun only went in for the pic!!

Your comments about brakes, lettersquash, reminds me I replaced the fiddly cantis the bike originally had with more straightforwards but effective Shimanos.

[Bice]

Here is my Marin Bolinas Ridge, done up as a tourer. Very comfortable bike. Steel frame. Not fast, but very nimble. It is great fun to ride.

It would be a fun project to refurb your one.

I like the butterfly handlebars. I replaced the shifters on the handlebar with downtube ones, as shifting onto the big chainring with my just thumb hurt like hell. I also replaced the cantilever brakes with V-brakes, which I think was a very worthwhile upgrade. I left it at 7 speed, which is absolutely fine. The chainset is steel and a bit cheap, but it works fine so I'll stick with it.





Meeting some friends:

[lettersquash]

Swaledale, now there's a good idea, my favourite dale.

Last summer, not the best of pics (I cropped the family out, hadn't been intended to be a pic of the Marin - note to self, must take pics of my own bike when out and about with the family!) but the bike worked very hard that day and was a joy to use at all times, even when I grew tired and had other tired people to jolly along. It's when you're knackered that you appreciate some of the subtler aspects of a really good bike.

Taken near Crackpot Hall above Keld, we were riding up-dale and enjoyed a swim a mile or so further along - it was a hot day, the sun only went in for the pic!!


2021-08-27 16.38.53.jpeg

Your comments about brakes, lettersquash, reminds me I replaced the fiddly cantis the bike originally had with more straightforwards but effective Shimanos.

That looks a nice setup. As it says in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you should always know where your towel is. I'm already missing the suspension on my supermarket special, but I'll probably cope. I think it'll be a softer ride when I set it up better, but I'm not sure what to change. I'm used to a handlebar that curves back a bit (off the same kid's bike as the saddle). I couldn't believe how much it helped when I swapped from a straight one. With this one I can feel the strain in my wrists again, so I'll probably have to do some shopping (I could put the heavy lump of a handlebar on this, but I can probably afford something better).

I had another session tweaking the brakes today and feel I've got a bit more idea how to set them up, but you're right they're fiddly - when you tighten the main 10mm bolt onto the boss you've got to be checking the height, angle, shoe distance and toe-in all at the same time.

[lettersquash]

Here is my Marin Bolinas Ridge, done up as a tourer. Very comfortable bike. Steel frame. Not fast, but very nimble. It is great fun to ride.

Nice bike. Yeah I'm noticing how nimble my Eldridge is. "Not fast"? Why do you say that? What would make it faster, a bigger gear?

It would be a fun project to refurb your one.

Yes. I don't think I could be bothered to do a purist job on it (or anything), but I'll service it all bit by bit, tackle the rust, and swap various bits.

I like the butterfly handlebars.

Yeah, I'd probably like more hand positions, but the bar that was on was so narrow that the bar ends were a danger, forcing my hands far too close to the headset when having access to the brakes, so I took them off. I feel insecure on parts of the bar where there aren't brake levers, but I guess they're mainly for ascents.

I replaced the shifters on the handlebar with downtube ones, as shifting onto the big chainring with my just thumb hurt like hell.

Wow, that sounds like something was wrong with the shifter, cable or derailleur, but I've had some that were pretty stiff too. Each to their own, but I'm so glad to get rid of the shifters on the downtube on my racing bike (a Marinoni Special I'm going to break or sell as a project) and have them in good reach with both hands on the bars. Take care, and don't double shift!

I'm really pleased with these trigger shifters on the Eldridge, and they're a single unit with the brake, which saves a bit of space. No options on positioning them, but they're just where I'd want them anyway.

I also replaced the cantilever brakes with V-brakes, which I think was a very worthwhile upgrade.

I might look at doing the same.

I left it at 7 speed, which is absolutely fine. The chainset is steel and a bit cheap, but it works fine so I'll stick with it.

Yeah. I just noticed my chainset's a bit out of true. I imagine it'll straighten.

[lettersquash]

Some of the examples on RB are stunning, it's not often my own bike looks as clean as in the pic above - it's well maintained, but only cleaned cosmetically, thoroughly, once a year!

Spring scales are often a little out, but the tyres, tubes and saddle could be adding to the manufacturer's claimed weight, as will the mudguards. What are the scales reading?

About 11.4kg. There's hardly any tyre left, and everything looks like it's original apart from the saddle (either the one that was on it with or my kid's bike one). I can't see that making nearly a kilo difference. But the weight must depend on the frame size - just more or less steel - so maybe they quote the smallest size for sales-pitch reasons. Anyway, it is what it is - light.